I still miss Izzy

I became attached to "Grey's Anatomy" back in 2006. I was dealing with a painful breakup, and the Meridith's heartbreak seemed to mirror my own. For an hour every Sunday I was not alone in my grief. I also worked at an ABC station at the time and I was proud network television could still be as compelling as cable or the cinema.

The show was never quite as great again. The storyline of Meridith's pain was so well written and acted it was hard to top. The show's weakness I always thought was a propensity for putting it's own character's in the hospital. I felt bad when, according to rumor, the writers gave Izzy cancer in retribution for Kathrerine Heigel's complaints about in adequate screen time.

Then somewhere between the cliffhanger finale when the chief decided to try to save Izzy, and the season premiere when she returned as a perky survivor, I got cancer too. All of a sudden Izzy's goofy wigs and determination to overcome her illness were personal. What seemed like just another soap opera twist, became a source of inspiration.

Sadly Izzy took off for parts unknown, and a string of mediocre rom-com's. Too bad, it was nice having her in the club.

Now however prime time has another stage 4 cancer patient, played by Laura Linney. Hopefully she will make better choices than Walter White in AMC's "Breaking Bad."
(Why is everybody so keen to knock off a dying man anyway?)

Here is an article about the new program on Showtime.