A Letter to Shonda Rhimes
Shonda,
I'm disappointed. You took Callie and Arizona, a couple who you often claimed were "made for each other," and tore them apart.
You may say, "it's not real, feel free to stop watching if you don't like it." I am fully aware that these are characters, and I frown upon the crazies that threaten you and your actors when they don't like a storyline. I know it's not real. But you know what is real? The struggle and the fight that LGBT couples go through on a daily basis to be free from discrimination. You know what else is real? The fact that in many places in our country, we're still fighting for marriage equality and the right to live with the acceptance that Callie and Arizona enjoy on screen from their friends and colleagues. They are one of the very few LGBT couples on a prime time tv show. They are something we can aspire to. Something we can identify with. And you just sullied it for the sake of some cheap drama.
You may say you're treating them equally, that straight and gay couples are equal in their troubles and their triumphs. That may be true, and I fight with my girlfriend just like a straight couple would. However, when you write a character in a way that is completely incongruent with their actions of the past 5 seasons, it's hard to swallow. This was out-of-the-blue and out-of-character. If this was the last minute change to the finale that you're so proud about talking of, I'd think again. There's nothing to be proud about when your writing is lazy. Again, you may say, "if you don't like it, stop watching." Funny, I bet you wouldn't dare alienate Mer/Der fans this way. Because, let's face it, Shonda, TV is a business after all. If enough of us stop watching, you're out of a job.
You may say, "this isn't out-of-character, it's PTSD. I've done a lot of reading and people act differently than they would've before." Fine, Shonda. Unlike you, I'm not going to claim to be an expert on the subject. But this feels like a cop out to me. True, Arizona's been through hell. But, through YOUR writing decisions, she has been getting better. Overcoming. Feeling better about herself. You may say she just swept her feelings under the rug for Callie's sake. I don't buy it. You decided you needed some extra hype leading into Season 10, so you changed a character's 5 year history in the course of 2 episodes. You have morphed Arizona into someone who chooses to destroy her family, betray her wife and daughter out of vanity. The first person who flirts with her can get her to break her vows to a wife who's already been to hell and back with her? To betray a wife whom it took her over half a season to be comfortable sleeping with again? And yet it took her all of a day or two to get naked with a near stranger? So what part of the PTSD exactly made her shy around her wife and a cheating slut around a newcomer? It doesn't jive, Shonda.
You may say, "it can't be all fairy tales or it'll get boring. It's a drama after all." You're right. It is a drama and there has to be conflict or it gets old. But that doesn't mean creating drama for drama's sake, in a way that completely betrays and destroys the characters you've created. Don't tell me you couldn't come up with another reason to create conflict between Callie and Arizona. You've managed to keep Mer/Der together for seasons on end while still bringing the drama. They've had rough patches. You know what they haven't had? Infidelity. Why? Because no one would believe it. If they are MFEO like you claim Callie and Arizona are, why do they get the pass? There are plenty of other dramatic stories you could've told.
I'm still going to tune in, because as much as I hate what you just did to us, Shonda, you've still created a show that I love and characters that I care about. But I'm disappointed, Shonda. We, as fans, are not asking for perfection, Shonda. We're not asking for rainbows and butterflies. We're asking for you to write your characters honestly. And you've let us down.
-J