For the past few months I have been off-and-on again marathoning Grey's Anatomy from the very beginning. Yes, that means I have re-lived every death and heartbreak of every character.
I've learned a lot through this massive binge-watch (such as it was season 9 the last time I was actually caught up), but one thing that really didn't sit well was that I didn't adore/idolize any characters. Sure; I loved the happiness of Arizona, the bad-ass-ness of Callie, the vulnerability of Meredith, the weakness of Amelia, the knowledge of Richard. But I could never pick that character. The one I would loose it over if/when they left.
Then two weeks ago I was ending season 10, entering season 11 when this beautiful woman appeared on my screen. Her character? Dr. Maggie Pierce, M.D., Head of cardiothroactic surgery at Grey-Sloan Memorial. Very soon she became my character.
Some people say she's whiny or stupid or caught up in her personal life. So what if she is? That's part of what makes her seem like an actual person on the show.
One of the first moments that I fell in love with her was when she first arrived. She left her caring, loving, basically perfect family to travel across the country to find out more about where she actually came from. And she found it plus a bonus family.
Then there's the moments when she got really real about sex and did/said what's on all of our minds. She can't sleep with a [new] guy in the bed, she's not very good at relationships and when she finally did break down an go all-out with a new guy; she gets super freaked out about STDs and his past. Thank you Shonda for a character that doesn't sleep with 8 guys in a week and not get totally freaked out about what's going on "down there" (I'm looking at you Meredith).
But now you really need to pay attention because here's the quote to end all quotes:
"...if you feel uncomfortable having done it, check your white privilege, and don't do it again."
A little background info on that one: Pierce is explaining to Amelia about racism. And honestly we all need to read and think about that quote and what racism is. Just that whole conversation is what we need to think about when we think about racism.
But now to my personal favourite part about her. Her lisp. I know, it's a small thing, but to me it's huge. I've had a lisp my entire life and I have let it define parts of my life (I kinda really hate talking on the phone). Including telling my middle school self that I couldn't be an actress because I had a lisp. But there's Maggie Pierce. Not only does she have a lisp, but it's a part of her character. Even talking about how mean kids are to those of us with a lisp and how boys try to use it to flirt with us.
Thank you Shonda for giving s a great character like Dr. Maggie Pierce to give us girls a real character to look up to.
