Said jet lag means I'm waking up at 5am and then completely wiped out by 8:30 at night, so I just finished watching last night's episode. (Yay, DVR!) In which a couple comes in wanting to get pregnant, and seeking a particular characteristic for their child, which leads to what I'm sure was supposed to be a REALLY CUTTING EDGE show involving genetic tomfoolery and designer babies and - hey, look! a guy in a wheelchair! and he's a brilliant doctor! you people are CRAZY! - except that I couldn't focus on any of this deeply meaningful plot, because the "fertility doctors" on the show kept repeatedly saying that they were going to implant the embryos. I mean, over and and over again: "I object to this implantation!" "We are doing this implantation!" "This implantation is a slippery slope!"
I'm not sure why this pisses me off so much. Because it does, and I mean a LOT. An inordinate, illogical amount, really. I think it's because all the publicity out there regarding fertility treatments seems to be stories about people who end up pregnant with 1.) the wrong baby, or 2.) nineteen babies, or 3.) babies born early who cost so much money to keep in the hospital, thus proving that all of us seeking help for infertility are raging, selfish bitches who should be forced to adopt (I'm talking to you, New York Times and subsequent commenters). (Who undoubtedly do not read the blogs of said infertile bitches, so whatever.)
But really. If you are promoting a show about a fertility practice but can't get a simple piece of fertility treatment straight, who are you kidding? I realize this show is basically a glorified soap opera, but I need some brain candy on Thursday nights. I have Grey's, of course, but I need something even dumber before I fall asleep. I would like this show to be it, but now I watch it and get all frustrated and angry and then I come to bed muttering things about "how these idiots don't even know the word 'transfer,'" and this is not great for my poor husband, who is just trying to get some sleep.
So I went online and found that this show has a "Medical Researcher blog," which I assume is written by the intern who runs to the drugstore to get bandaids, given that there seems to be a total void of actual research on this show. But it did give a forum to vent my little frustration , which I enjoyed.
That link is my public service for the day: go forth, friends, and explain to the "researcher" over there at ABC how it really works. Unless you are smarter than me and have stopped watching this show.
Meanwhile, I'm off to take a little nap.
Oh god, that is bad. It is astounding the ignorance - on a medical show for chrissakes!! It would not have taken much research to get that right. Maybe I should put my resume out there....
ReplyDeleteI thank you for your public service, you have done a great deed. I cannot STAND to be watching shows and have them get fertility issues wrong. You'd think that if they have any women at all on the production or writing staff that ONE of them would speak up. But they don't. Not only is it aggravating to watch the public be mislead about a certain aspect of pregnancy or fertility - these mistakes also make me feel really isolated. Not ONE person caught the mistake at any step of the writing or filming or production of the episode? Not one?
This has been happening lately on G!ee too. If you don't watch it, there is a major dual pregnancy plot line and while the mistakes are not as hurtful, they are glaring. The most obvious are that the two women who are pregnant find out the genders of the babies at about 10 weeks, via ultrasound. The second is that of course every u/s, including the very first one in the pregnancy, is abdominal.
I haven't watched this week's episode yet, but I caught up on some previous ones over last weekend and the whole "implant" thing drives me NUTS. IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED! They could get any one of us to consult on that show, and it would be about 1000% more accurate.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why I keep watching it, either.
This is a great post! I needed a little humor in my day and you've totally delivered. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteb.i., you rock! i've never seen this show. i won't start watching. but i am so proud of you for articulately responding. may it make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny!Good for you for attempting to make a correction. Right after I got diagnosed with something that would prevent pregnancy I went on a business trip and watched that show and cried for three hours. Stupid show.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I wanted to strangle the TV everytime they said "implant" aaaarrgghhhh! WHY???? Don't these writers do their research before writing this stuff?
ReplyDeleteYup - I got through five minutes of the show before turning it off in disgust. I then proceeded to make an angry post on Facebook that made me feel a little better.
ReplyDelete-Carrie
http://welayinrepose.livejournal.com
Shit like this irritates and pisses me off. As if it were that easy - I WISH my Dr. could 'implant' the embryos. Thanks for venting your frUstration and setting those
ReplyDeletef*#!ers straight.
I had to stop watching Private Practice ages ago. I particularly loved it when the former head of the office (forget her name - the one who divorced the other doctor) was working on doing ICSI to some eggs sans gown, gloves, etc. The other docs kept walking in to argue with her about something or other, also without masks. Quite frankly, I'd be *pissed* if my embryologist was acting that nonchalant while working with my eggs.
ReplyDeleteThe repeated use of the work 'implant' would have sent me over the edge.
Hope you had a wonderful trip and are getting some sleep! Love Grey's; dunno why I couldn't make the leap over to Practice but I just didn't do it. I think I can only take so much schmalz per season and Grey's was the limit! ;)
ReplyDelete