Dana Levine Week 1 -- Sympathy for the Devil (GREY'S ANATOMY SPOILER--S5 E12)

    If you have been looking for a sign to watch Grey’s Anatomy--or even if you are the person who says you will never fall into the trap--here is your sign to start…

A murderer arrives at Seattle Grace Hospital, handcuffed to his stretcher, seeking medical care. Might I add that the criminal is on death row and is going to be executed about a week after he arrives.

The main doctors’ opinions on the case go as follows: Dr. Shepard has trauma from when he was only 12 years old and his father was shot by a man that he now parallels with this killer. So, he wants this man to die a slow, anticipated death by whatever “poison” he chooses; he does not like the idea of the criminal getting any sort of say in his death, so he does everything he can to keep him alive, so that he can die painfully on his execution day. Dr. Grey, on the other hand, has sympathy for the murderer. Her character has been through countless traumas and so she is able to have sympathy for the worst human being in our society. The criminal is being very friendly towards her, so she--in her mind--has no reason to believe that he hasn’t changed even after killing 5 people; her reasoning is that you are not on her bad side until you do something to her to cause her to believe that you are truly evil. After all of her trauma, she wants to have hope that people can change. He is very convincing of the fact that he is a seemingly genuine guy who is content with his death.

Would you want him to die on his execution date painfully after hearing the story thus far, knowing that he deserved death row? Your answer is probably yes at this point. Here is where it gets interesting…

On the pediatric floor of the hospital is a little boy awaiting organs, with a slowly decaying kidney. The boy has been through countless procedures to help his condition, but to no avail. One day, both patients are being pushed in wheelchairs and they stop and exchange a few words. The criminal speaks very kindly to the little boy and OFFERS his organs. Here is where we think: “Is he really just trying to save this boy’s life, knowing that he has already taken 5 lives? Or, is he just trying to die peacefully in a hospital and cheat his fate of execution on death row?” Either way, would you sacrifice him dying a peaceful death so that the little boy can live? Or, are you that adamant about wanting him to die a painful death for what he did, that you won’t put that aside to save this boy’s life? It’s definitely a hard decision...You’ll have to watch the show at least until season 5 to find out. But, back to the story, we have to question: Is it right for Dr. Shepard to have an emotional connection to this case? Should Dr. Grey have been smart enough to not fall for the devil’s tricks? What would you have done?