User:Jonathan Harold Koszeghi/sandbox3

Writing and filming
The season was primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California. Fisher Plaza, which is the headquarters building for the media company Fisher Communications and Fisher's ABC affiliated KOMO radio and television stations for Seattle, is used for some exterior shots of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, such as air ambulances landing on the KOMO Television newscopter's helipad. This puts Seattle Grace conveniently close to the Space Needle, which is directly across the street from Fisher Plaza, the Seattle Monorail, and other local landmarks. However, the hospital used for most other exterior and many interior shots is not in Seattle, are shot at the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in North Hills, California. Most scenes are primarily taped in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, at the Prospect Studios, and the set occupies two stages, including the hospital pieces, but some outside scenes are shot at the Warren G. Magnuson Park in Seattle. Several props used are genuine medical supplies, including the MRI machine. The typical costume style for the characters is navy blue scrubs for the attending surgeons and light blue for the residents. The series is filmed with a single-camera setup, as most dramas. The series is often filmed using the "walk and talk" filming technique.

Every installment, typically, commences with a voice-over narrative from Meredith, foreshadowing the theme of the episode. Most installments revolve around the doctors' everyday lives as surgeons, but the show puts a broader coverage on their personal, rather than professional, lives. The series excludes typical hospital ethics, in an attempt to emphasize on character development. Although the physicians save lives, often through intricate surgeries, and strive to rid their patients of discomfort and illness, their preeminent motivation is customarily praise and competition. Once assigned a case, each doctor diagnoses the patient, which usually leads to surgery. The surgeons tend to form personal connections with their patients, with a patient often conveying a message to their doctor, which unintentionally relates to their private life. The show displays the growth of relationships between the doctors, either friendly or sexual, often stemming to a clash between their personal lives and their professional. Emotional scenes are often accompanied by an indie rock background song, something that has become a hallmark of the series. At the conclusion of each episode, Meredith delivers another voice-over, typically contrasting or following up on her initial one.

Season three provided a significant development for Meredith's character, shaping her personality through her romantic relationships, familial background, and professional experiences. Conceived as the focal point of the series, Meredith's romantic relationship with Shepherd continued to be prominent during season three. Initially envisioned as a season-long story arc, Shepherd and Montgomery's divorce and its immediate aftermath was dealt with in the first half the season. Consequently, the writers had Shepherd use his new bachelorhood as a means of reconciliation with Meredith, who had already become romantically linked to Dandridge. According to Rhimes, the story arc was established as a window to Meredith's emotional state, following her process of selection between the two given alternatives. She shaped the narrative so as to provide mild confusion, as she felt that Meredith has "the choice to be healthy and mature and whole". Rhimes rationalized Meredith's struggle with the choice between the two individuals, explaining that it mirrors the connection between morality and sentimentalism, two opposite philosophical concepts. Vernoff, however, based Meredith's story on aspects of the typical female's life, in order for her to be credible.

According to Beers, the writing staff's plan was to emphasize on Meredith's courage and vulnerability, as they targeted to create a visible balance between the two states. Contributing on Meredith's plot continuity, Vernoff also focused on mental confusion as a defining characteristic of the character's personality. Vernoff added to Meredith's character development by expanding her concept to expose the character's confused self into the inclusion of a new narrative line, Meredith's decision to romantically advance her relationships with both Shepherd and Dandridge. Cahn continued the writing of the progressive arc, from where Vernoff's storyline left off. Cahn shaped the character in order to parallel the real life woman, in order to expose Meredith as "optimistic, so idyllically happy about the prospect of dating two men at the same time". However, the character development is redirected when Heinberg introduces to the audience Meredith's problem of identity. Heinberg on emphasized Meredith's uncertain outlook upon herself, as well as on the manner she is perceived by the other characters. Heinberg based the storyline progression for the character on the contrast between her sensitivity and her indecisiveness.

Also part of Meredith's seasonal arc was her dealing with her mother Ellis's mental disease. Their interdependent story arc redirects in the fourteenth episode, which sees Ellis experience a temporary lucidity. Rater, who wrote the episode, disclosed that she got the idea after learning that her husband had to undergo brain surgery. Rater's target was an accurate image of Alzheimer's disease, "how devastating it is to families, how it turns spouses and children into caretakers, how it robs people of their identity." A significant component of Ellis and Meredith's storyline was the three-part ferry boat arc, produced midway through the season. Consisting of three connected episodes, the story arc saw Meredith drowning. Rhimes felt that the plot point had to be written in order for Meredith to evolve. The ferry boat was dealt with as metaphor for Meredith: wanting to exploit the repercussions of Ellis and Meredith's encounter, the writers introduced the ferry boat crash as a means to physicalize Meredith's pain. In the conclusive episode, Meredith enters a state of hypothermia, having a near-death experience, which leads to her visiting what the audience described as the limbo. The episode was reportedly one of the most difficult to produce.

Despite being known mainly for his acting career, Dempsey is also a professional car racer. Beers decided to expand Shepherd's background, by having the character pursue a hobby. Consulting with Rhimes, Beers chose car racing as Shepherd's hobby. However, the element was not included in the script. Shepherd's story arc was redirected, and remodeled so as to center on his issues with Montgomery, "I wanted us to remember that Addison betrayed Derek long before he betrayed her. And that Addison herself is suffering over her choice to have an affair." Targeting the expansion of the story arc, the producers decided to reintroduce Sloan. He made his first appearance in the second episode, receiving star billing since the third. Vernoff was assigned to write the episode that marked Sloan's return. She designed the character with her husband in mind, borrowing his "inappropriate and off-color" personality. Cahn dealt with Sloan using Montgomery's point of view, "She's trying to let him down easy, he just flew across the country to scratch her itch. She's buried her about-to-be-divorcée devastation." Dane's introductory scene in the third season, featuring his character exiting a steamy bathroom naked, became one of the most iconic ones in the series.

Continuing from where season two left off, Burke's hand injury storyline was highly developed in the first half of season three. Rhimes felt that focusing on Yang rather than Burke would be the proper manner to expand the plot, in order for the audience to "either forget about him or pine for his presence." Cahn used the new storyline as a way to expose hidden traits of Yang's personality, like generosity and devotion. Stanton, however, decided to use a different approach: "Cristina and Burke are certainly heading for some kind of showdown. She's helped him get back in the game, but it's pretty obvious that Burke's ego has taken a bit of a beating. That being said, he still does have the tremor and Cristina really is stepping it up in his surgeries. Just how long can these two keep it together? Who's going to crack first?" The ninth episode of the season was aimed to provide significant changes in their ongoing storyline. Koenig, the episode's writer, described that Yang's exhaustion and fear eventually led to the exposure of their secret, and the temporary conclusion of their relationship, "That secret is such a big honking betrayal. The thing is Cristina and Burke know this, and it is killing them. Choice and circumstance got them into this. They became a team and the team piled up victories in surgery after surgery, but the cost outside surgery kept going up. The walls started closing in on Cristina. She may be a part robot but she is also part human. She's betrayed all of them and that eats away at who she really is, and now I have started randomly stating statements."

Continuing from where season two left off, Burke's hand injury storyline was highly developed in the first half of season three. Rhimes felt that focusing on Yang rather than Burke would be the proper manner to expand the plot, in order for the audience to "either forget about him or pine for his presence." Cahn used the new storyline as a way to expose hidden traits of Yang's personality, like generosity and devotion. Stanton, however, decided to use a different approach: "Cristina and Burke are certainly heading for some kind of showdown. She's helped him get back in the game, but it's pretty obvious that Burke's ego has taken a bit of a beating. That being said, he still does have the tremor and Cristina really is stepping it up in his surgeries. Just how long can these two keep it together? Who's going to crack first?" The ninth episode of the season was aimed to provide significant changes in their ongoing storyline. Koenig, the episode's writer, described that Yang's exhaustion and fear eventually led to the exposure of their secret, and the temporary conclusion of their relationship, "That secret is such a big honking betrayal. The thing is Cristina and Burke know this, and it is killing them. Choice and circumstance got them into this. They became a team and the team piled up victories in surgery after surgery, but the cost outside surgery kept going up. The walls started closing in on Cristina. She may be a part robot but she is also part human. She's betrayed all of them and that eats away at who she really is, and now I have started randomly stating statements."



Continuing from where season two left off, Burke's hand injury storyline was highly developed in the first half of season three. Rhimes felt that focusing on Yang rather than Burke would be the proper manner to expand the plot, in order for the audience to "either forget about him or pine for his presence." Cahn used the new storyline as a way to expose hidden traits of Yang's personality, like generosity and devotion. Stanton, however, decided to use a different approach: "Cristina and Burke are certainly heading for some kind of showdown. She's helped him get back in the game, but it's pretty obvious that Burke's ego has taken a bit of a beating. That being said, he still does have the tremor and Cristina really is stepping it up in his surgeries. Just how long can these two keep it together? Who's going to crack first?" The ninth episode of the season was aimed to provide significant changes in their ongoing storyline. Koenig, the episode's writer, described that Yang's exhaustion and fear eventually led to the exposure of their secret, and the temporary conclusion of their relationship, "That secret is such a big honking betrayal. The thing is Cristina and Burke know this, and it is killing them. Choice and circumstance got them into this, and other shit.

Continuing from where season two left off, Burke's hand injury storyline was highly developed in the first half of season three. Rhimes felt that focusing on Yang rather than Burke would be the proper manner to expand the plot, in order for the audience to "either forget about him or pine for his presence." Cahn used the new storyline as a way to expose hidden traits of Yang's personality, like generosity and devotion. Stanton, however, decided to use a different approach: "Cristina and Burke are certainly heading for some kind of showdown. She's helped him get back in the game, but it's pretty obvious that Burke's ego has taken a bit of a beating. That being said, he still does have the tremor and Cristina really is stepping it up in his surgeries. Just how long can these two keep it together? Who's going to crack first?" The ninth episode of the season was aimed to provide significant changes in their ongoing storyline. Koenig, the episode's writer, described that Yang's exhaustion and fear eventually led to the exposure of their secret, and the temporary conclusion of their relationship, "That secret is such a big honking betrayal. The thing is Cristina and Burke know this, and it is killing them. Choice and circumstance got them into this. They became a team and the team piled up victories in surgery after surgery, but the cost outside surgery kept going up. The walls started closing in on Cristina. She may be a part robot but she is also part human. She's betrayed all of them and that eats away at who she really is, and other shit that I have not idea what I am writing about right now, I am just filling the blank space."

Having also focused on O'Malley's romantic link to Torres, season three saw their relationship evolve into engagement and eventual marriage. Rhimes disclosed that the storyline was shaped through comparison to Meredith and Shepherd's, creating a parallel between the two. Having contributed significantly to the development of the storyline, Cahn attempted to impose to the audience a new perspective on O'Malley, "a man who's so focused on the girl he can't think straight, but not in a good way". The writers decided to deal with the storyline differently, in order to avoid individualization. Thus, the writers emphasized on multiple contrasts between Torres and Stevens, whom they chose as O'Malley's symbols of love and friendship. When the characters temporarily conclude their relationship, Torres has a one-night stand with Sloan. Clack, Phelan and Rater all contributed to the inclusion of the plot point in the progressive season arc. Clack used it to develop the character of O'Malley, rather than Torres. She aimed to challenge the audience to decide whether she was justified for having sex with Sloan. "Callie knows how to work it, but now she's got to work it out, work out the guilt. She may have been trying to hide it, but she's feeling really guilty."

Following his father's death, O'Malley proposes to Torres. Buchman wrote the episode that featured the proposal scene, and assessed that the creative crew "wanted Callie to feel some remorse. She finally got George, but not in the way she wanted. She's gotten his body, but the underlying relationship isn't there anymore." In an attempt to redirect the marriage storyline, the writers had O'Malley engage in an extramarital affair with Stevens, a move they described as "the natural thing to do." Although the episode which revealed the affair to the audience was written by Cahn, the plot point was Rhimes' idea. Cahn, however, gave her own contribution to the storyline, developing the in-story circumstances that determined the new plot point, "Izzie and George, who have shared every minute of the most intense time in their lives, turned to each other in every success and every failure and every breakup and every triumph, with every piece of gossip and every bit of pain, should share everything? Share their hearts and their souls and all their other parts? Right up to the marriage part. That's where it all kind of falls apart." Contributing to the further expansion of the arc, Van Dusen approached the plot point as an irreversible transition from friendship to romance.