Critic's Notebook: Brooke Smith's firing is bad for 'Grey's Anatomy,' and the world

The recent firing of Brooke Smith from "Grey's Anatomy" is a grim reminder that certain prejudices are still ascendant in television, that time-honored rules continue to apply, often to the detriment of actual drama. In fact, when Smith got those first fateful pages sending her character, Dr. Erica Hahn, into the arms of Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), she should have made darn sure it was just a single drunken interlude, or an ongoing but unconsummated girl crush. Because most gay characters are allowed to have sex on network television only if they are part of a single-episode story line, and all actively sexual lesbian characters must be sylphlike, gorgeous and preferably under 30. For obvious and irritating reasons.

Yes, complaints that the Erica-Callie romance took a graphic and ghastly turn midmonth, with far too much discussion about the mysteries of the female genitalia, were excruiatingly valid, but how is that Smith's fault? She didn't write all that "south of the border" nonsense. And that was a single-episode problem, easily resolved and much more quickly forgotten than Meredith's drowning or the George and Izzie debacle.

No, I suspect what irked whoever made the call (and Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello said that it was the network's decision, not the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes) is precisely what made the Erica/Callie relationship worth talking about. Not that they were both women -- good heavens, how dull -- but that they were, how shall we say, average size. With hips, you know, and actual breasts. Not two girly waifs exchanging a stolen kiss or a grope in the women's room stall over a line of coke, not an androgynous club kid putting her best moves on some sitcom heroine. But two women of substance, physically and psychologically, falling in love and talking about it way too much, the way women tend to do.

As Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) might say: "Girl on girl is hot. Woman on woman? Just a downer."

Smith probably got the boot not because her character wasn't interesting enough or sympathetic enough but because she, especially when paired with Ramirez, just didn't fit the visual template of "Grey's" or indeed, of most of network television. She is a character actress, not a tabloid star.

In other words, and they are words I deeply regret, Ramirez, with all her lipglossed lusciousness, may be beautiful enough to be bi, but Smith is not beautiful enough to be gay. At least not on network TV.

Some ground, it would appear, is too calcified to be broken.

-- Mary McNamara

Comments

[Jess]

I watch greys and dont think it's bad. I am happy!

[Karen]

Thank GOD! Cast bloat is absurb & Callica were grimacing to watch. What was bad for Greys Anatomy was the awful writing which was revolting. The WRITERS should be fired as well.

[Jana]

Who wants to watch two people together when there's no chemistry? Maybe that's why Smith was fired. It happens everyday in Hollywood, so what else is new? I didn't care for Hahn anyway. Show more Meredith and Derek.

[Nicole]

I agree 100% with this, but I think it goes further. ABC has done some other things recently that have been gay-unfriendly, such as firing Rebecca Romjn from Ugly Betty (she played a transsexual female), and some rumored upcoming developments on Grey's that were supposed to be more gay-friendly but were apparently re-written. I think blatant homophobia is behind it, and especially in conjunction with the whole Prop 8 controversy, it feels like a real smack in the face. I for one won't be watching Gray's, ABC, or supporting Shonda Rhimes anymore, if this is the shoddy treatment they give to their characters, viewers, and most of all, actors. I hope someone uses this opportunity to give Brooke Smith a show of her own, though, she's amazing, and her fearlessness is a real inspiration to many of us, gay and straight.

[Becky]

It's such crap that ABC did this. Thank you ABC for re-enforcing the belief that two women cannot have a relationship on TV and are just used for arousal and fodder.

So long ABC. No more Greys, Lost or Ugly Betty for me.

[Bronwyn]

For those of you happy to be rid of this storyline, I ask you this....

How would you feel if you had absolutely NO storyline that reflected YOUR reality? That a heterosexual relationship - a kiss, a hand hold - was never to be seen on your TV? As if you never existed?

And then you got teased into believing that your life was actually going to be reflected on the screen, just to have it pulled before it ever really got started? Because someone else was "uncomfortable".

Try and empathize a little. To many of us, this was more important than just the storyline itself. With ABC axing this, ABC is telling me that they want ME invisible, too. Screw them.

[Nelfy]

*THANK YOU* for your great analysis! I think this is just one part of the problem, but it definitely IS part of the problem, the fact that Brooke Smith looks like *gasp* a real woman! I know that ABC and GA lost a loyal viewer tonight and I'm certain that I'm not the only one who feels this way!

further insight into this mess:

"Shonda Rhimes has just released the following statement in response to this story: "Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it's not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show – Calliope Torres. Sara Ramirez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie. I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with "another lesbian." If you'll remember, Cristina mourned the loss of Burke for a full season.""

This makes no sense whatsoever. 'The magic and chemistry with Brooke's character'? Erica was so smitten with Callie and Brooke played that so well, so how can they blame this on 'the magic and chemistry'? If anything, the writing for Callie was bad. Callie was the one who wasn't all in. How can anyone tell me that the 'leaves, you are my glasses' monologue wasn't pure magic? I think this is pure and utter bullsh*t. Callie isn't gay, remember, she's an all forest girl and besides, her magic? What magic? All Callie did since the season premiere was freak out. That's not magic, that's just freaking out. If you feel like the 'magic' isn't working out then change the f*cking script! Besides, with whom is Callie going to be gay? Certainly not with Mark, because that would make Erica an experiment. If they are planning on having Callie recover from Erica just walking away then this would be an EXACT copy of the Cristina/Burke storyline which would be just really, really LAME.

[susan]

This was definitely the fault of the show's producers/ writers, a failed experiment to see what would happen if they got two large, average looking women together, made them talk too much in painfully stilted ways, embarrassing the black woman doctor who's their superior (who's not comfortable with life in general), and ultimately having absolutely no chemistry to make up for all this awkwardness.

Callie and Sloan have had a friends with benefits relationship for a while, both of them people who have been dumped by those they cared about or who can't form real relationships, and that's real enough, and enough of a contrast from the mushy sentimentality of the rest of the cast, to have a valid place on the show. But when Callie blew off Erika after the first night, then decided to try to make it work and got lessons from Sloan (making it a physical thing), then told Erica she "cheated" and Erica didn't care -- it all didn't fit with Erica's character.

Erica's a real tough-ass bit-h, an experienced Christina, but around Callie for no apparent reason became a total wimp who let Callie walk all over her. BAD WRITING with nowhere to go. Unlike with all the other characters, we never got to care about Erica first or see a softer side of her before she became a marshmallow to a wishy-washy, messed-up Callie. The audience won't miss her -- but frankly, I'm sick of Callie and Sloan, too. Neither is "developing" and this dead-end for Callie didn't help.

It's gotten to where the most interesting characters on the show are the patients, although they are supposedly all more interested in their doctors' lives while they're lying there dealing with life and death situations. Foils trapped as backdrops for these egotistical, spoiled brat doctors.

The show needs to try to actually deal with REAL medical issues that affect real people. Like, the agism that these doctors practice toward their patients, that's true in real life and NEEDS much attention: if ;you're over 40, EVEN IF you're in terrific shape like someone half your age, you're treated solely based on statistical tables for someone your age, not given the same care and treatment as if you were under 30.

Soon as they say, "presenting female aged 55," you know you're going to see some sad-shape middle aged-looking woman who's mentally a sad sack too, not worth anything more than a backdrop. A middle-aged guy has mid-life-crisis issues and will be told to 'accept his fate" and less aggressive treatment, while the young, egotistical doctors agonize over who's sleeping with whom and who'll get the next exotic surgery.

Makes me hate the whole medical system even more than I already have from personal experience, reinforces the worst of reality without teaching us anything new, without challenging the status quo.

It's cowardly, shallow writing, when doctor shows COULD be used to get the medical establsihment and patients to think outside the box, question how they treat patients, and how patients passively accept their treatment.

[Keira]

I'm very disappointed by this turn! I personally LOVE Brooke Smith and I thought Erica Hahn was magnificent! How is it Brooke's fault that the writers couldn't write for either woman (Brooke or Sara)?? When was the last time Callie has seen the OR or had a REAL storyline? I get the show is about Meredith Grey and I don't have a problem with that but this insanity has to stop. They've "de-gayed" another character -- who has yet to come on the show -- and now Erica Hahn is gone! I'm very, very saddened and disappointed by this decision by ABC. Just when I thought there would be more tolerance and understanding that gay people aren't freaks, ABC pulls this cr@p. It's 2008 people, GET OVER IT!!!!

[Ashley]

I, like many GLBT people, started watching this show specifically for the Erica/Callie story line and I, like many GLBT people, will stop watching this show because of the blatant homophobia displayed by the network. This is a shame and a large step backwards for the network.

[Zoe_Syren]

Repugnant. Revolting. Appalling. That Brooke Smith would be unceremoniously dumped, that an intelligent and well-written storyline would be dropped without due farewell or explanation, is repulsive. An insult to the fans, and an insult to the exceptional writers and cast of Grey's Anatomy. Shame on ABC.

[sam]

I watched this past episode and thought that Brooke's monologue of leaves and glasses was so moving and so heartfelt that I was just blown away, so this is really a shock -- especially on the eve of California deciding on proposition 8. Is Disney this homophobic? Rebecca Romaijn was fired from Ugly Betty. I wonder what they will do with Brothers and sisters.

Let's stage a protest, Brooke is not only a great actress but a great addition to the show.

[Disgusted former fan]

Brooke Smith deserved to be treated better then this, its beyond words how idiotic a decision this is, if ABC PTB's had issues with the dialog in the show they should've spoken rather then airing it, tho quite frankly its was pretty much normal in the inanity this show has a tendency to display. The problem should have been corrected were the problem was or at the very least give a talented actress the respect she deserves of a dignified exit considering they gave one to Isiah Washington last year. But this!? It's f**ked and I'm not likely to be watching anymore abc after this.

[Lori]

Rebecca Romjn is very pregnant with twins. I doubt she was 'fired' from Ugly Betty.
Her character left in a way that could very possibly see her return sometime in the
future.

[Bianca Devones]

Grey's Anatomy jumped the shark when they let Issiah Washington go. The show will never get it's mojo back!!!! It's really sad that Shonda has to bow to the will of the network

[Sarah]

Thank good. The relationship was forced and cliched. And no onscreen chemistry whatsoever. Maybe now that this pairing is over I might be able to see leaves.

[Felicia]

Sorry, not a fan of these two actresses and I'm glad they're paring the cast down. The lesbian/bisexual nature of the story was fine, but there was no chemistry between the two of them, and it feels as though the story progressed not because it was a plan to do so from the beginning, but because the writers/producers thought it would be good for ratings. This show needs to get back to basics - the fab five, Derek, Bailey, Chief.

[John]

I personally enjoyed Brooke Smith's caracter, she was intelligent, strong, and independent. Some of the other characters would be more at home on Sex & the City. If someone HAD to go, I would have preferred it to be Sara Ramirez, as I didn't think her caracter added that much - she seemed to be all over the board.

[Cait]

For everyone who said they have no chemistry: please. For there to be chemistry scenes have to be written to ALLOW chemistry. If the cue for every scene is "awkward" of course there will be a lack of spark - IT'S BEEN WRITTEN THAT WAY.

The more I read about it, the more it seems like they knew this was going to happen from the beginning and wrote the Callie/Erica storyline to focus on sex and not on emotion so they could say this exact thing.

[Ashley]

I think what's ridiculous is not that Brooke is leaving, but the way they made her leave.

Axing Hahn in the middle of a storyline, not even writing her out decently (or... semi-decently, like Burke) is just ridiculous. RIDICULOUS.

And I think it definitely wasn't sudden. After all Brooke did move her whole family to LA, which meant that she expected GA to continue with Hahn's character long enough for her to get a stable job here.

And personally I Iike Hahn. Not everyone can be wispy and pretty and have issues like Izzie or Meredith. Hahn was tough. Hahn had her problems. Hahn was real.

This is definitely a huge mistake, and I think not even Sandra Oh can keep me on Grey's Anatomy anymore. It feels like a betrayal of trust, somehow. After following it for 4 seasons... well it seems that all things must come to an end.