other drabble: a question-

[Veverka]

Okay, just a quick question- I just don't get the time frame of this show, I think- were Mer & co interns for one year? I think this is the case, even though it went over three seasons...?

And if this is the case, could it really be normal that they get their own interns after just one year? Because Bailey spoke as though she'd been there forever, and she had interns as though only the top residents got interns... is the show just allowing itself some amazingly big liberties in terms of reality? What would the real sitch in med be, does anyone know?

And, I know it's been touched upon, but if there is supposedly a five year gap between Mer and Lexie, why did Meredith end up just one year ahead of Lexie? Too much partying?

[Llywela]

Okay, just a quick question- I just don't get the time frame of this show, I think- were Mer & co interns for one year? I think this is the case, even though it went over three seasons...?

And if this is the case, could it really be normal that they get their own interns after just one year? Because Bailey spoke as though she'd been there forever, and she had interns as though only the top residents got interns... is the show just allowing itself some amazingly big liberties in terms of reality? What would the real sitch in med be, does anyone know?

Seasons one to three took place over just one calendar year, yes. It's best not to question this.

Mere & Co weren't the first interns Bailey had had assigned to her - that's how she had that reputation as the 'Nazi'. I believe residency lasts several years, and Bailey is now in her final year of residency.

But, um, yeah. The show does, inevitably, take huge liberties.

And, I know it's been touched upon, but if there is supposedly a five year gap between Mer and Lexie, why did Meredith end up just one year ahead of Lexie? Too much partying?

This has been bugging me immensely - if Meredith's parents split up when she was 5, there should be at least 5 if not more years between Meredith and Lexie, so the fact that Lexie is only one year behind in medical training seems absurd. I'm assuming, though, that Meredith delayed going to med school - that conversation she had with her mother when Ellis was lucid suggested she'd rebelled and went off to travel in Europe instead. So maybe she delayed longer than we realised? My foggy understanding is that she went to med school after Ellis's diagnosis, which guilt-tripped her into it.

Or maybe I'm reaching for logical explanations that simply don't exist.

[Jenni Lou]

This has been bugging me immensely - if Meredith's parents split up when she was 5, there should be at least 5 if not more years between Meredith and Lexie, so the fact that Lexie is only one year behind in medical training seems absurd. I'm assuming, though, that Meredith delayed going to med school - that conversation she had with her mother when Ellis was lucid suggested she'd rebelled and went off to travel in Europe instead. So maybe she delayed longer than we realised? My foggy understanding is that she went to med school after Ellis's diagnosis, which guilt-tripped her into it.

That sounds like a reasonable conclusion. I actually wouldn't have thought of that because I have forgotten loads of s3 information.

But, yeah, I think the show is just taking liberties, like so many others do. They wanted to bring her sister in to stir things up and they ended up compromising the integrity of the timeline a bit.

[Llywela]

I'm very good at rationalising.

It's possible I'm just making all that up, though. I pay very little in the way of serious attention to GA, less still to Meredith. But I do have foggy recollections of Ellis, when she was lucid but believed it was five years ago, talking about Meredith planning a trip to Europe and wanting her to go to med school instead. So I have decided that this is how I explain the illogical age thing to myself, that Meredith dithered for a few years over whether she wanted to go to med school or not, because of Ellis being who she was.

[Jenni Lou]

I think it makes sense. It wouldn't be the first time the child of a doctor rebelled against their parent's hopes for them, only to turn to medicine inevitably anyway. It happened in Felicity too!

[Nikki]

I remember a chat Meredith had with Alex about how she would be like him if her mum hadn't got ill, she was bumming around in Europe, drinking and partying too much. So I always thought she had taken a few years out which is why Lexie is close behind her.

We always guessed Meredith's age at around 30.. I think it was mentioned in a thread because she definitely looks older than the others..