They actually have a case, the T.R. Knight fans who complain that their beloved George O'Malley is not getting his much-deserved air time plus his very own solid storyline for the longest time.  This fueled rumors that it was Knight whom the top guns are looking to write off.  Needless to say, this caused a mighty stir among the fans of TR Knight, and there are legions, who essentially stood up, wrinkled their nose, and pointed out Knight's sterling acting abilities.  They came to the rescue of poor George.

This brings us to the issue of storylines on Grey's Anatomy.  It is easy to be all myopic about your favorites and wish, nay, demand, that they receive at the very least equal exposure and lines as the next cast.  Very tricky business for the writers, as was seen when the Fox medical dramedy House tried expanding its core cast and found itself practically gasping for life, plot- and character-wise.

When you think about it, House is on a much better footing compared to Grey's Anatomy.  The Hugh Laurie-starrer at least has a formulaic episodic approach (one central patient of the week) and they really stick to the patient's situation.  The patients at Seattle Grace are mere triggers to let out the character's idiosyncrasies.  The focus, for the most part, is on the interactions of the cast, their jobs usually taking the backseat to their personal lives, something Miranda Bailey is fond of stressing.  Grey's Anatomy is a crazy, all-man-for-himself kind of place.

That being said, giving everyone equal footing is a mighty task, and it is almost foolish to command it.  For this season alone, supernatural couple Izzie and Denny, Cristina's weird interactions with Owen Hunt, and to a certain extent Karev and the interns have made up the bulk of the storylines thus far.  Where is Derek, where is Bailey? Where is the Chief?

Where is Meredith Grey?

When you think about it, Big Grey has been fairly absent toward the latter parts of this season thus far.  Meredith Grey, who does the wisdom-wielding voice-over, the titular character, the depressing melodramatic who opens and closes each episode with a quotable quote.  The supposedly central couple, Meredith and Derek, seems to have been abandoned by the writers altogether, after hinging the season 4 finale on them.  In fact, after moving in and finding her mother's diaries, there hasn't been so much as a ripple on their usually turbulent relationship.

The thing is, George is not the only one who has to bear the brunt of being a wallflower from time to time.  Sure, it's true that there is hardly anything we can call a George O'Malley storyline this season, other than the really short-lived, one-sided episode with Lexie and him passing his exam (which, if I remember correctly, both happened on just one episode).  The part I don't understand is how his fans think this is anything remarkable.

Let's consider Bailey.  Chandra Wilson this season played mere accessory to most storylines, with virtually none she can call her own.  Yet when I look back on Callie and Erica's doomed affair, I remember Bailey's lecture to Callie more than anything (trying out the “local cuisine,” the “motherland,” and the need to bring her own syringes).  This just goes to show that you don't need your own storyline to really shine.  The challenge, therefore, for any good actor is to shine regardless of roles, more so if you hardly have any.

As for T.R. Knight, I hope the prima donna rumors aren't true.  It is not very becoming to demand for bigger storylines, for grander lines, for more airtime.  As Miranda Bailey continues to show, time and again, you can always shine from the background.


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image Courtesy of ABC)