Was Patrick Dempsey Fired From Grey's Anatomy?

This post was previously posted back in May 2015 around the same time as the Season 11 Finale was shown. I have posted it again, as there were mistakes in the first post.

Well, I totally missed this news, probably because I had not watched the final four episodes and did not want to be spoilt. I only had a chance to watch on Sunday, 17 May. So, I had not read any gossip regarding Grey's Anatomy, I doubt I would have enjoyed the final four episodes if I'd read any spoilers. I knew Patrick Dempsey was leaving the show before I watched the episode in which he died, however I had no idea what happened. All I knew was that Derek Shepherd was going to die before I sat down to watch.

"She's Leaving Home" was the best episode on Grey's Anatomy in a long time, and I watched it twice, blubbering like a baby most of the way through it. I don't know if I will be able to watch that episode again without losing my shit. I was not crying over Derek, it was more about everyone else who has been left behind to grieve and Meredith.

So onto the real reason I decided to pen this blog. I have to admit I was shocked to learn that Patrick Dempsey was fired. Journalists are saying that Shonda Rhimes fired him, but that can't be true. Ms Rhimes has said in the past that ABC make these decisions.

It was also implied that Shonda and Patrick were not getting along at all, which is not surprising. She is probably upset that she had to let her beloved McDreamy go, and is probably angry at his behaviour at the same time, whatever that might have been.

The only thing Ms Rhimes is guilty of is perhaps letting her anger at Patrick dictate the script in "How to Save a Life" given she wrote the episode, in any case I went over this in my last post summarizing Maxine's review on Spoiler TV. So let's move on.

I kind of feel bad now for getting angry with her a few days ago when I found out that Patrick Dempsey had left Grey's and this was before I watched the episode in which he died. Shonda Rhimes gets a lot of criticism and abuse from the fans sometimes and some of it is justified and some of it is not. The fans who threaten and swear at her, need to see a Shrink. Seriously!

She is going to have to work hard to make this show great without Derek Shepherd, and you know what, given that we have really only seen him in about ten or eleven episodes this season, this could be doable. My only concern is how many MerDer Shippers will ditch this show and how this will affect the ratings. She did not get this fabulous show on the air using magic, her creativity and ideas are what made this show what it is.

As for the gossip regarding the affair and all the fuss over cast and crew spilling the beans, well one gossip site will tell you one story and another will go the opposite way, so it is a little hard to believe these journalists. Grey's Anatomy has had it's fair share of off-screen antics, I think the fans are kind of getting used to it. Another thing that is suspect about this is the when James Pickens came forward, he said nothing of the affair, the article with his interview quoted another source as the one who claimed this happened, so it is a little suspect. Or perhaps Pickens is still under a non-disclosure agreement regarding on set misbehaviour.

One thing that has not gone unnoticed is the pictures I have seen of Patrick lately, he certainly is not smiling and he looks pretty pissed off and a little sad. I can't blame him, he just lost his job and a pretty steady income. But, if he was up to no good and the rumors about the affair are true, then he probably only has himself to blame and in saying that, I acknowledge that we will never know the entire story anyway, when it comes to celebrity gossip, the fans never get the real dirt.

In wrapping up this post, I will say that I am going to miss Derek, I am not a MerDer Shipper or even a McDreamy fan, but I liked Derek for the most part. He did have his moments at certain times where I got annoyed at the character, and called him a McAss, but that is the writing, not the actors fault. Good luck Patrick and I am sorry this had to happen.

I believe this picture is the article that I heard was deleted.

It really must be rough on these actors, especially if this crap that gets printed is not even true.

I am so glad I chose to see the final episodes of Season 11 before I went trolling the Internet looking for gossip and info on why Patrick Dempsey left Grey's. I was convinced he wanted to leave as he has said for years that he would be leaving soon. To find out he was fired was a shock. I could not understand why he would not just see out his contract and leave after Season 12, but it was not up to him.

Wow! I never saw this coming, not in a million years.

What about you? What do you think of this recent new? Do you believe that Patrick had this affair on the set of Grey's? Hit the comments and tell me what you think.

Follow Grey's Anatomy Addicts on Facebook and Twitter

You can learn more about me by visiting my website: Jel Writes

Source: Radar Online

Photo also courtesy of Radar.

Copyright © 2015 Janelle Coulton

Follow Grey's Anatomy Addicts on Facebook and Twitter  

Visit my website: Jel Writes 

Copyright © 2015 Janelle Coulton

Re-post of My Opinion On Derek Shepherd's Death

My Verdict On Derek Shepherds Death On Grey's Anatomy

Yep, well I just watched the episode again and I am about to watch the final three episodes for this season. I also have read a couple of reviews, one from my favourite Grey's Anatomy writer at Spoiler TV. Her suspicions match a little with mine, that I believe the episode was a great big Eff You from Shonda Rhimes to Patrick Dempsey who plays the part of Derek Shepherd. Patrick Dempsey is a well-known and popular actor, excellent at his craft and loved by many fans.

I will concede that the first part of the aftermath of Derek Shepherd's death was done well, there was a funeral that we saw 15 seconds and we were told Cristina Yang did attend, this is enough for me, it might not be so for other fans, however if Cristina had been ignored and not given a mention, I would have been pissed. I felt that the short moments of grief we saw were well done. And the credit goes to Stacy McKee who should have written "How To Save A Life" Shonda Rhimes; what were you thinking? You just cannot help but to inject your personal issues into certain story-lines. I hazard a guess that you force your writers to do this too, because this would not be the first time.

Okay, I will get off this topic and move right along to what the fans have said and Maxine who reviews Grey's Anatomy at Spoiler TV, I cannot provide a link here as it it against the rules, however if you are a die hard fan of Grey's, you will know where to find Spoiler TV.

I don't think it would have mattered whether Derek died at GSM or the useless hospital where he was treated by equally useless doctors who were not trained in trauma or even set up for it. But, I hated the fact that he narrated his own death and I actually do not believe he would have even been in once piece. That truck hit Derek directly on the driver's side of the car. The fact that he reached for his phone while in the middle of the road, doing a U turn pissed me off and I knew before the truck hit him that going for the phone was a mistake and what killed him. Also, what happened to there being no phone reception where he was?

Some of the above, I have drawn my own conclusions, however Maxine has opened my eyes to the fact that Rhimes, while it was sheer genius on her part when she created Grey's and kept it going 11 years with the show still dominating the demo ratings on a Thursday night, she cannot seem to keep her personal crap out of the script. Shonda; put down the god damned crack pipe and write like a writer would who loves their characters. Did Patrick Dempsey really get a good send off in episode 21. I don't believe so, and I would have also expected Meredith to at least call his family or at the very least; Amelia.

As for the funeral, we did not see his family there, so I guess we just need to assume that they were in fact there. I will never believe that they were not on the first plane when they got the news. Meredith should have been there at the hospital long before the mistakes were made, at least she would have had a chance to see her husband before he ended up brain dead. Could it be that Shonda does not like the character of Meredith Grey. It seems in Shonda's world that a woman cannot have it all. A happy family, kids, career and whatever else without tragedy after tragedy happening. Many fans are pissed about this and feel this is Shonda's attitude.

Please do not misunderstand me; I am fully aware that Patrick Dempsey wanted out of Grey's, he has wanted to leave for years and killing him off was the only scenario that makes sense. Meredith and Derek were endgame and would never have divorced. Shonda has probably lost the ratings of most of the MerDer Shippers and the McDreamy fans and will need to rebuild to get the show back on it's feet and still dominating the demo ratings.....she has a hell of a task ahead and this would have been the case, no matter how she chose to exit McDreamy. I have my doubts that Grey's will go on any longer than one more season. Who knows, maybe she will put some magic out of her butt and this show will be great for years to come. As Maxine said, "Grey's is still a relevant show." 

I love the show, and hope it is around for ten years time, providing the writing is good. Maxine was spot on when she said that Season 11's writing has been excellent. Even the crappy filler episodes like the penis story line and Bailey and Ben's story with Ben's brother were entertaining because of the excellent writing. No sooner does Ms Rhimes pick up a pen and it goes to crap. Sorry Shonda, but it is true.

I have watched the first part of "She's Leaving Home" and I am starting to think that some of Shonda's sins can be forgiven, this episode was excellent, one of the best and I don't think I can watch it for awhile or I will end up in tears again and in saying that; Stacey McKee penned this episode, so I had high hopes that it would not go to crap and honestly I do have to praise them for the final two episodes of the season, they were excellent too.

Stay tuned for my next TV Show Rant. Oh and before I forget, goodbye McDreamy and I truly am sorry for all of the MerDer shippers. You guys must be livid with anger.

This post is also posted at PersonaPaper

Follow Grey's Anatomy Addicts on Facebook and Twitter


Janelle Coulton is a Freelance Writer who has been writing about Grey's Anatomy for around four years now. She never misses an episode and her blog is her labour of love that she works on when she is not writing for clients and online writing sites. To find out more about Janelle, you can visit her profile or visit her website: Jel Writes - Freelance Writer



Copyright © 2015 Janelle Coulton

McDreamy Is Dead - Patrick Dempsey Has Left Grey's Anatomy

Well Shonda Rhimes has finally gone and done it. She drove a big truck directly into Doctor McDreamy and killed him. He's dead, no more Meredith and Derek and I bet the fans have gone mental. I wonder how Derek and Meredith shippers feel losing one half of their favourite couple. I have not checked out Shonda Rhimes' Twitter feed, however I bet she got her share of abuse and knowing Ms Rhimes, she would have told the fans to eff off or something along those lines. 

What fans need to try to accept is that Shonda was always going to do this, her beloved Mer and Der cannot possibly break up or get a divorce, so if Patrick Dempsey ever left the show, he was always going to be killed off. Nor can they grow old and grey together and get a happy ending, which is par for the course for this show. I have to say I am annoyed because my heart breaks for Meredith, however I am also glad to see the back of him. Derek has not been a popular character lately and Dempsey has been teasing the fans for years. He almost screwed up in Season 8 when he revealed he was going, he then back tracked and told fans that he had not been asked back yet. 

The photo below is laughable because when I watched this episode I felt as though McDreamy was already dead. When that truck hit Derek's car on the driver's side, there would not have very much of Derek left. I felt as though right up until he was declared brain dead. All that rubbish in the ER about his head injury and cursing the medical staff for not getting a head CT was Derek's afterlife dream. That's the best way I can explain it. McDreamy had would have been killed in an instant once truck hit his car. It is in fact difficult to believe there was much of McDreamy left for Meredith to say goodbye too.

I was sure for a little while towards the end of Season 8 that Derek Shepherd would die in the finale, however some idiot leaked that all the originals had renegotiated their contracts. That news broke six days before the Season 8 finale screened, this kind of ruined the whole "who is going to die" scenario. It is also puzzling how Dempsey got out of his contract as he was committed until the end of Season 12. Perhaps he and Shonda had a falling out, it's possible and there have been rumours.

Anyway whatever! But let's discuss Shonda Rhimes and her style of killing off characters. There was gossip floating around that Chyler Leigh did something to piss off Shonda, and this was why Lexie Grey met such a grisly end. Shonda drops a plane on her and then wild animals are eating her remains, gross. The actor who played George O'Malley was difficult at times, and Shonda took him out with a bus. Mark (McSteamy) Sloan was given a nice, peaceful death and two episodes were dedicated to saying goodbye, obviously Eric Dane and Shonda had a good relationship. And last but not least; if Katie Heigl had not fought for a release from her contract, her character, Izzie Stevens would have been gunned down in the Season 6 finale. And I think we can all agree that Katie did cause her share of trouble. 

Anyway whatever Shonda Rhime's motives, killing him was the only way to end Meredith and Derek. And do you know what I think she will do now? That skank in Washington who kissed Derek is going to show up in Seattle. Poor Meredith, why does Rhime's have to throw shit at the poor girl all the time? It's almost as if Meredith will end up alone with her kids and her family taken away, one by one, including her husband. What the heck is with Patrick Dempsey? He really has me puzzled, he could not have picked a worse time in his life to be unemployed. His contract with Grey's Anatomy and ABC was $300,000 plus per episode.

The man is going through a divorce, he likes to race cars, he will be paying a fortune in alimony and child support and not to mention he would have been required to part with a certain amount of money to get out of Season 12 as he was contracted until then. I don't believe for a second that ABC would let him go without a fight, given how popular McDreamy is and the Meredith and Derek pairing. The fans will never accept Meredith with anyone else, so I don't think Grey's Anatomy has any more than 12 Seasons in it.

Unless ABC find a kick ass character and actor to replace Dempsey and come up with a really great story and I am not talking about a new love for Meredith, good God don't make me hurl. They need something special to pull the audience back in, because I can see many fans dropping this show now that their favourite couple are no more.

Follow Grey's Anatomy Addicts on Facebook and Twitter   


Visit my website: Jel Writes


Copyright © 2015 Janelle Coulton

Are You Sick Of The Death On Grey's Anatomy?

So fans what is the total body count on Grey's Anatomy? In terms of regular cast, it is actually only three, however if you count the two residents who died in the shooting, Henry (Teddy's husband), Denny Duquette and Mousy then the body count is eight. In nine and a bit years that may not seem like much, however had Katie Heigl returned and finished her contract, I will bet my next paycheck that Izzie would have bit the dust in the shooting finale of Season 6.

I think the reason that so many Grey's fans are upset about all the death and dying on Grey's Anatomy is because in one season and three episodes we lost Mark Sloan, Lexie Grey and Heather Brooks. Many Mark and Lexie fans were devastated by this loss and just recently we saw the death of Heather Brooks, who was the best intern on the show. This does not take into consideration that Meredith Grey has all but lost most of her family. Her mother, Ellis Grey, her pretend Mommy, Susan Grey and then her sister Lexie Grey. 

Enough already Shonda Rhimes, all of these people dying is becoming depressing and now that Sandra Oh has announced she will leave at the end of this season, I worry what Shonda will do with this. Ellen Pompeo recently said that Cristina Yang will go out with a bang. I hope that does not mean what I am worried it means. While many fans have said that cast departures left Shonda with no choice, Artsda on TWOP disagrees with this.

Artsda on TWOP had this to say about all the death on Grey's Anatomy. "She had lots of choices. Shonda's go to reaction to kill every character off is her choice. Lexie left and Mark left 2 episodes later. There's no way that Shonda could have written Lexie getting a job at a different hospital and then Mark moving to be with her?

Or George? He joined the army and was shipping out. Yet she still had to kill him and run him over with a bus.

It would be a miracle if Cristina lived and left Seattle Grace on her own.

Shonda makes her choices to screw over these actors and it does her show a disservice because they'll be nobody to return in a series finale like Audra did because she kills everyone off Grey's."

Sandra Oh has specifically said in her interview with the Hollywood Reporter that she does not want her character to be killed off as she would love to return for the series finale. All I know is that killing off characters on Grey's Anatomy does not work in order to get people to tune in. When the ratings first came out it looked as though Grey's Anatomy only managed to get 6.6 million viewers for the two hour season premiere, however later numbers showed that figure to be about 9 million, and the demographic was 3.4, which for a show in it's tenth season is pretty good, however I am expecting the numbers to drop in the next episode and I actually hope that they do drop, because perhaps Shonda Rhimes and ABC will get a clue that whatever they are doing is not working.

The Calzona and Owen/Cristina shippers are already mad about what is happening to their favorite couples and I am aware that this is fiction and just a TV show, but I can really see it dying a slow death after Season 10, so much so I am starting to think that Grey's should end after Season 10. If Shonda and ABC think they can keep the show going without the original cast, then they are seriously delusional. All I can say here is; enjoy Grey's Anatomy this season, because I seriously think that this will be the last season fans will be able to enjoy the show as there is too much doubt over who is going and who is staying. 

Do not misunderstand me, I totally loved the season premiere and thought it was better than the Season 8 and 9 premiere, however I have been reading forum posts and tweets from many dissatisfied fans out there who are sick and tired of seeing characters bite the dust. Heather Brooks did not have to die, she could have left for a while so the actress could do her new show and perhaps returned to Grey's Anatomy later if things did not work out for her new show. 

So now it's your turn; are you sick of the death on this show? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Sources: 

Television Without Pity - Grey's Anatomy General Gabbery

Sandra Oh News - Ellen Pompeo: Sandra Oh Is Going Out With A Bang

Follow Grey's Anatomy Addicts on Facebook and Twitter 

Season 9 is now available at Amazon; it contains interviews, deleted scenes and bloopers; and includes an interview with Shonda Rhimes. 

Get yourself a copy today at Amazon

Visit my website: Janelle Coulton; Freelance Writer 



Copyright © 2013 Janelle Coulton