Why Erica Hahn did work as a character
Recently, I have witnessed some (former?) Hahn fans trying to find valid arguments why Erica Hahn was doomed to be axed from Grey's Anatomy.
The list included:
feisty, anti-social, abrasive behavior
scaring her colleagues with jaw-dropping comments
the dry humor she added to the show (not everyone got that)
being badly written (for all of the above reasons)
While I think bad-mouthing the character in retrospect is more of a psychological self-deceit to help stop the "pain of loss" and be able to enjoy one's once beloved tv show again (in other words, to "move on"), it is nonetheless an absurd thing to do.
Because Erica Hahn did work as a character. 100% perfectly.
Why is that?
First of all, a lot of tv shows have characters like Erica Hahn who don't quite fit into the "goody-two-shoes" setting of that show. They represent a welcome contrast and add a lot of spice to the ongoings. They often say something that shocks or surprises everyone around them and makes for a hilariously funny moment. Or they act to build up a necessary tension, or - the exact opposite - to release the tension of the current situation with a strong breeze of fresh air.
Even kids shows have such characters. And while some people might hate them, others embrace their uniqueness and the aforementioned contrast they add to the storytelling. They are grumpy and tough and stubborn, or have a dry sense of humor or a severe lack of tact, or are overly professional and socially impaired, or have a "taking no sh*t" attitude, or treat a specific person in an unfriendly way (like a running gag) *takes a deep breath*,... or all of these attributes.
Examples (in no specific order):
- Brenda Leigh Johnson on "The Closer"
- Christine Cagney on "Cagney & Lacey"
- Temperance Brennan on "Bones"
- Vasquez in "Aliens"
- Spock on "Star Trek"
- Data on "Star Trek: TNG"
- Han Solo in "Star Wars"
- Spike on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
- Xena on "Xena: Warrior Princess"
- Samantha on "iCarly"
- Samantha on "Danny Phantom"
- Squidward on "SpongeBob SquarePants"
- Stewie on "Family Guy"
- Kerry Weaver on "E.R."
- Gregory House on "House M.D."
- and so on (I probably could continue endlessly)
Anyway, I don't recall any of these characters - as controversial as some of them might be - being (prematurely) canned because of their display of those attributes. En contraire, many love them (especially in situations where they show an uncharacteristic vulnaribility, which - again - makes for great storytelling), and others simply love to hate them. ;-)
People often forget that a tv show is not reality. You use character behavior as a device to achieve a specific atmosphere or plot twist. You need characters that challenge their surroundings, that step out of line and set themselves apart from the rest, you need characters that don't merely mirror their environment but rather generate an opposing energy to build up a dynamic within a scene or episode.
However, it seems that many Grey's fans just don't have a knack for that sort of tension and humor. They prefer their tv world in black and white; which, by the way, is pretty sad when you think of how the show has constantly been trying to display various shades of grey. A big part of the audience just doesn't get that and is only interested in who hooks up with whom (and when MerDer are finally going to get married and have babies). Let's just say, they prefer it simple. And the show's creator as well as her writers seem to have adjusted to that (which is quite a shame).
So, while Erica Hahn worked as a character, she was probably wasted on a show like Grey's Anatomy. Because a big part of the audience (as well as some executives) didn't get her.
I really miss you, Dr. Hahn, and I don't think you deserved the treatment the writers gave you at the end. I no longer believe Erica Hahn vanished merely because she turned out to be gay. I think it was because she was who she was:
She was tough when it came to performing her job, she simply didn't have time for personal chitchat and emotional distraction while in surgery.
She was compassionate and caring when it came to her patients, and she always did the best she could to ensure they lived.
On a personal level, she didn't form bonds easily, yet she never spent her breaks alone (we always saw her with other attendings, talking and lauging). Which proves she wasn't anti-social (just like the way she cared for and treated patients proved that, too).
And she was downright funny in her way of reminding people that they were there to work, not to flirt and the like, and her harsh and unexpected one-liners always rocked every scene.
Add the fact that she doesn't resemble the boring "barbie doll" kind of pretty (don't get me wrong, I find her hot), and you have a cocktail that was too much for Grey's Anatomy viewers to handle.
Dr. Hahn didn't fail in her attempt to bring a special quality to the show. People failed her.
(Edit Feb 27, 2009)
So... Calzone IS going to be the "real deal" (for now anyway) on many levels which were originally reserved for Callica:
In 5x20, they will already have been established as a couple, and Callie is going to introduce Zony to her father, telling him how happy they are. (Yay?)
I guess each tv show's audience gets what it deserves. Looks like most of the lesbian GA viewers are just like their heterosexual counterpart, the MerDer fans: they can't handle complications, exciting drama twists, three-dimensional characters. They just want pure harmony and a "happy-happy-joy-joy" love story. Erica was too complex for that kind of thing, so now they got Zony instead.
Good for them. Let them cheer, let them celebrate. Let them continue living in their black&white world. In the end, they will never get anything out of it that comes even close to the magic that was Callica and Dr. Hahn.
The list included:
feisty, anti-social, abrasive behavior
scaring her colleagues with jaw-dropping comments
the dry humor she added to the show (not everyone got that)
being badly written (for all of the above reasons)
While I think bad-mouthing the character in retrospect is more of a psychological self-deceit to help stop the "pain of loss" and be able to enjoy one's once beloved tv show again (in other words, to "move on"), it is nonetheless an absurd thing to do.
Because Erica Hahn did work as a character. 100% perfectly.
Why is that?
First of all, a lot of tv shows have characters like Erica Hahn who don't quite fit into the "goody-two-shoes" setting of that show. They represent a welcome contrast and add a lot of spice to the ongoings. They often say something that shocks or surprises everyone around them and makes for a hilariously funny moment. Or they act to build up a necessary tension, or - the exact opposite - to release the tension of the current situation with a strong breeze of fresh air.
Even kids shows have such characters. And while some people might hate them, others embrace their uniqueness and the aforementioned contrast they add to the storytelling. They are grumpy and tough and stubborn, or have a dry sense of humor or a severe lack of tact, or are overly professional and socially impaired, or have a "taking no sh*t" attitude, or treat a specific person in an unfriendly way (like a running gag) *takes a deep breath*,... or all of these attributes.
Examples (in no specific order):
- Brenda Leigh Johnson on "The Closer"
- Christine Cagney on "Cagney & Lacey"
- Temperance Brennan on "Bones"
- Vasquez in "Aliens"
- Spock on "Star Trek"
- Data on "Star Trek: TNG"
- Han Solo in "Star Wars"
- Spike on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
- Xena on "Xena: Warrior Princess"
- Samantha on "iCarly"
- Samantha on "Danny Phantom"
- Squidward on "SpongeBob SquarePants"
- Stewie on "Family Guy"
- Kerry Weaver on "E.R."
- Gregory House on "House M.D."
- and so on (I probably could continue endlessly)
Anyway, I don't recall any of these characters - as controversial as some of them might be - being (prematurely) canned because of their display of those attributes. En contraire, many love them (especially in situations where they show an uncharacteristic vulnaribility, which - again - makes for great storytelling), and others simply love to hate them. ;-)
People often forget that a tv show is not reality. You use character behavior as a device to achieve a specific atmosphere or plot twist. You need characters that challenge their surroundings, that step out of line and set themselves apart from the rest, you need characters that don't merely mirror their environment but rather generate an opposing energy to build up a dynamic within a scene or episode.
However, it seems that many Grey's fans just don't have a knack for that sort of tension and humor. They prefer their tv world in black and white; which, by the way, is pretty sad when you think of how the show has constantly been trying to display various shades of grey. A big part of the audience just doesn't get that and is only interested in who hooks up with whom (and when MerDer are finally going to get married and have babies). Let's just say, they prefer it simple. And the show's creator as well as her writers seem to have adjusted to that (which is quite a shame).
So, while Erica Hahn worked as a character, she was probably wasted on a show like Grey's Anatomy. Because a big part of the audience (as well as some executives) didn't get her.
I really miss you, Dr. Hahn, and I don't think you deserved the treatment the writers gave you at the end. I no longer believe Erica Hahn vanished merely because she turned out to be gay. I think it was because she was who she was:
She was tough when it came to performing her job, she simply didn't have time for personal chitchat and emotional distraction while in surgery.
She was compassionate and caring when it came to her patients, and she always did the best she could to ensure they lived.
On a personal level, she didn't form bonds easily, yet she never spent her breaks alone (we always saw her with other attendings, talking and lauging). Which proves she wasn't anti-social (just like the way she cared for and treated patients proved that, too).
And she was downright funny in her way of reminding people that they were there to work, not to flirt and the like, and her harsh and unexpected one-liners always rocked every scene.
Add the fact that she doesn't resemble the boring "barbie doll" kind of pretty (don't get me wrong, I find her hot), and you have a cocktail that was too much for Grey's Anatomy viewers to handle.
Dr. Hahn didn't fail in her attempt to bring a special quality to the show. People failed her.
(Edit Feb 27, 2009)
So... Calzone IS going to be the "real deal" (for now anyway) on many levels which were originally reserved for Callica:
In 5x20, they will already have been established as a couple, and Callie is going to introduce Zony to her father, telling him how happy they are. (Yay?)
I guess each tv show's audience gets what it deserves. Looks like most of the lesbian GA viewers are just like their heterosexual counterpart, the MerDer fans: they can't handle complications, exciting drama twists, three-dimensional characters. They just want pure harmony and a "happy-happy-joy-joy" love story. Erica was too complex for that kind of thing, so now they got Zony instead.
Good for them. Let them cheer, let them celebrate. Let them continue living in their black&white world. In the end, they will never get anything out of it that comes even close to the magic that was Callica and Dr. Hahn.