Breaking The Scene (Grey’s Anatomy — Elevated Surgery)

Here’s a show that gets written off far too often for being soapy and over dramatic. And yes, sometimes it is obnoxiously soapy and dramatic. But more often than not, it’s extraordinarily well-written and structured from an exceptional understanding of character. This scene showcases some of what the show does best.

Scene Context:

George and Alex are surgical interns are trapped in an elevator with a patient suffering from a critical gunshot wound. Burke (the heart surgeon) has decided they must perform open heart surgery or the patient will die.

Scene Conflicts:

• Neither of the interns have ever performed their own surgery before.
• The patient will die without proper care.

Scene Outline:

1. George is cleaning out the patient’s heart area. Burke tells him he needs to clamp the aorta. Hands him a tool.
2. Burke tells George to get his hand into the heart and tell him what he can feel.
3. Burke informs George that he’s gotten to the aorta. George recounts this to Alex with nervous pride.
4. Burke continues to coach George as more doctors gather.
5. George takes charge, says he can localize the bleeding. Finds the lesion, but says it’s too deep to repair.
6. Burke tells George to plug the hole with his finger. He does so, and says the heart is beating stronger. Asks what to do next.
7. Burke says they’re finished, and they’ll get them out of the elevator soon. Congratulates George for “flying solo”.

Why It Works:

• Perfect Character for the Scenario: This might sound a bit misleading, as George is actually one of the worst interns in the show. He’s clumsy, unsure, and overall lacks the same decision-making ability as his peers, thus making him the worst option for this surgery. In a paradoxical way, this makes him the best character for this scene, as he has the most to learn, and this exact situation will help him develop the confidence he needs in order to become a more capable doctor.

• High Stakes: If they mess this up, it’s not just a botched surgery, but a dead patient on their hands. There’s a reason why every episode of this show has some kind of life/death scenario- it gets us engaged. The victories feel fantastic, and the failures feel intense. Every single motion and piece of dialogue can thus contribute to the life or death of this patient, and so we are left on edge as we witness this surgery’s outcome.
• Worst Possible Environment: This is a ridiculously complex, high-risk surgery that would normally be done with a team of a dozen doctors in a massive, well-lit room. But because this is a show built on drama, it’s going to occur in a tight elevator, lit by a flashlight, by two interns who have never done surgery before. This is a massive obstacle, which furthers the dramatic question: Will the patient survive?

• Increasing Pressure: As the surgery continues, more doctors come in to watch the show. This puts more and more pressure on George, as if he fails, he’ll not only have killed a patient, but will have done so in front of his peers. This is another thing the show does exceptionally well- we care about the doctors just as much as we care about the patients. Yes, the possibility of a patient death is bad, but having to see someone as lovable as George fail terribly in front of his friends is also bad.

• Character Rarities: Burke, like many of the surgeons, rarely expresses pride. So when he congratulates George on ‘flying solo’, it feels huge. When characters rarely express emotion, the few moments they do show emotion become memorable. It’s moments like these which help this scene exist as one of the more memorable scenes from the show.
• Character Likability: Another thing this show does extraordinarily well is make their characters fully realized. Each character is packaged with a combination of flaws and endearing traits that allow us, as an audience, to relate to them. George is flawed in a number of ways. He lacks confidence in himself, is routinely afraid to stand up, and is never clear about what he really wants. At the same time, he’s one of the most sensible characters on the show, and is willing to do anything he can to make sure his friends and patients are okay. This all contributes to us really wanting George to succeed in this scene, and when he does, we feel that same triumph that he does.

Summary:

Nearly every element of what makes Grey’s Anatomy such a successful show can be found in this scene. By putting likable characters in creative high-pressure situations, the audience is left entirely engaged in both the scenario and how their favorite character will navigate through it.