Grey’s Anatomyhas been an important show for so many creatives’ career paths, and it is actually whereDenzel Washingtonmade his small screen directorial debut with the Season 12 episode “Sound of Silence”. The episode itself is much more focused than usual,centering almost exclusively on Meredith Grey’s(Ellen Pompeo) injuries and subsequent recovery following an attack by a patient in a state of post-seizure hyperaggression. It remainsone of the most emotionally impactful and grounded episodesof the medical drama and still stands out nearly 10 years later.
Ellen Pompeo Nearly Left ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Before Denzel Washington directed an episode ofGrey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeoo was considering leaving the show. In the previous few seasons,the show had lostSandra Oh, as Christina moved to Switzerland, andPatrick Dempsey, afterDerek had died in a car accident.It wasDebbie Allen(who plays Catherine Avery) who convinced Pompeo to say, promising a surprise for her. Allen herself was good friends with Denzel Washington, and it was she who convinced him to come and direct an episode in a bid to keep Pompeo. The result was a Meredith-centric episode that provedPompeo didn’t need a new male co-starand that she remained the beating heart ofGrey’s Anatomy.
The episode sees Meredith alongside Ben Warren (Jason George) and Penny Blake (Samantha Sloyan), treating a patient named Lou (Dohn Norwood), who has been brought into the hospital following a car accident. While in the ER, Lou had a prolonged seizure, and while examining him post-seizure, Meredith, now alone, turned her back, and Lou attacked her in a state of hyper-aggression caused by his injuries.Meredith sustains serious injuries,including a broken leg, concussion, and a collapsed lung. The most heart-pounding moment of the examination was Meredith’s lack of response when Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) asked her to move her fingers or toes. There is a split second where the doctors and the audience think she might be paralyzed until Alex (Justin Chambers) realizes she can’t hear anything.
“Sound of Silence” Is One of the Most Unique Episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
The focus of the runtime in “Sound of Silence” centers on the extremity of Meredith’s injuries and her recovery, which is a jolting change from the usual fast-paced, interwoven storylines andcases within the show.Meredith’s injuries are reflected in the way the episode is shot and edited; her jaw is dislocated so Pompeo has no dialogue, her fractures mean she can’t move, so the camera perspective is low and looking up at the other doctors, and she has tinnitus, so the only sound is ringing. It emphasizes the severity of her injuries but also the disorientation and overwhelm that the patients seen on the show every episode feel.Grey’s Anatomyhas used the patient’s perspective a handful of timesbefore, most notably during Derek’s death, where he is narrating the doctor’s errors that cause his irreversible brain damage. However,it has never been so blunt and upsetting.
Ellen Pompeo is at her best during the episode, but the most emotional moment is when her kids are brought in to see her. The episode jumps quickly in time, and the runtime spans Meredith’s whole recovery, so when Zola and Bailey come to see their mum, they likely haven’t seen much of her for a few months. There is a look of fear and confusion on their faces, as well as apprehension towards their mother.This causes Meredith to have a panic attack, but as her jaw is locked in place after surgery,she has to tell the whole story through her eyes— it is gut-wrenching.
Ellen Pompeo and Denzel Washington Argued on the Set of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
On the episode of her podcast,Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo, where Patrick Dempsey was her guest, Pompeo revealed that she clashed with Washington on-set. During the final scene, Meredith isencouraged by Richard Webber(James Pickens Jr.) to let Lou apologize, and during that scene the actor who played Lou wasn’t looking her in the eye, so Pompeo improvised and told him to “look at me”. Denzel expressed his disapproval, to whichPompeo responded, “This is my show, this is my set, who are you telling, you barely know where the bathroom is.” In fact,Washington didn’t even watch the show. He only agreed to direct the episode because his wife was a big fan. Pompeo and Washington made up, with the actress expressing her admiration for Washington. Their fire and passion allowed the collaboration to result in one ofGrey’scaptivating and unique episodes.
Grey’s Anatomyis available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
Grey’s Anatomy
A high-intensity medical drama which follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.
Watch on Hulu
