Throwback Thursday: ‘The Wonder Years,’ ‘Russian Doll,’ ‘House of Cards,’ and 3 Major ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Moments
There’s a chill in the air and the wind makes us really want to cuddle under some blankets to stay warm. This week we look at January 31-February 6 for our Throwback Thursday.
Maybe some of our TV premieres will inspire an all-day binge-a-thon. After all this week we saw the start of The Wonder Years, Family Guy, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Smash — all great shows worth binging.
For our TV Moments this week, we decided to focus on one particular show, which is a bit different for us. However, Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for so long that there are multiple major story moments that happened during this week.
Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride through TV history.
Major TV Moments:
The Guy With the Bomb (Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 Episode 16, “It’s The End of the World”) (February 5, 2006)
This episode really defines the show as we have come to know it now — willing to go there for the shock and drama. On this episode, which was a two-parter, Meredith comes into contact with a man who has a bomb in his chest because she tries to keep the paramedic, whose hand is on the bomb, calm.
“It’s The End of the World” guest stars Kyle Chandler, best known for his role on Friday Night Lights, as a member of the bomb squad. While his demise doesn’t happen until the next episode his bond with Meredith begins during this episode.
It’s the first time Meredith’s life is really on the line and it had fans on the edge of their seats waiting to see what was going to happen. While it was pretty obvious she wasn’t going to die the high stakes were still very much there and we held our breath the whole time.
Dr. Bailey Suffers a Heart Attack (Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 11, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”) (February 1, 2018)
Dr. Miranda Bailey is a doctor whose name inspires strength and skill. However, during Season 14 she is knocked down to her knees by a heart attack she never saw coming.
This is a moment of vulnerability for Bailey and it’s monumental because of how uncomfortable it makes her feel and how shocked we are by it. Bailey is not the kind of character we ever imagined having her life be that much on the line.
She has survived so much during her time on the show, and she has faced it all with unwavering strength. However, on “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” Bailey has to contend with the knowledge that she isn’t invincible.
It makes both her, and fans, take pause and reassess what we know to be true about her. It’s a moment of growth that Bailey’s character needed.
Thatcher Grey Dies (Grey’s Anatomy Season 15 Episode 11, “The Winner Takes It All”) (January 31, 2019)
ELLEN POMPEO, JEFF PERRY
The relationship between Meredith Grey and her father, Thatcher, is spotty at best. The man walked away from Meredith when she was just a small child, then remarried, and created a whole new family for himself.
Their bond has had its ups and downs over the years, but ultimately, Meredith has never forgiven him for abandoning her and being father-of-the-year to Lexie. While Lexie was alive she tried to repair the relationship between them but it was too far gone at that point.
On “The Winner Takes It All” Dr. Webber informs Meredith that her father only has days left due to his cancer. He encourages Meredith to go and visit the man — so she does.
Even though Thatcher has never been a fan-favorite his death was still heartbreaking. Especially after he mentions Lexie and how her death encouraged him to try and turn his life around.
The man was even at Derek’s funeral — damn who cut the onions?
TV Premieres:
This week is one for the history books. After all, so many family favorites premiered over the years.
Shows like The Wonder Years and House of Cards and Fresh Off the Boat have been watched by many families. In fact, they are shows that are still enjoyed by some fans to this day.
Did you know that before brothers Nat and Alex Wolff were starring in young adult movies they were on a TV show for kids, produced by their mom, called The Naked Brothers Band? Or that the smash hit Smash premiered this week?
Here are a few TV shows that premiered this week in TV History:
- 1950 – Where’s My Line
- 1953 – General Electric Theatre
- 1954 – The Secret Storm
- 1973 – The Midnight Special
- 1974 – Good Times
- 1982 – Late Night with David Letterman
- 1988 – The Wonder Years
- 1999 – Family Guy
- 2001 – Kathy’s So Called Reality
- 2005 – American Dad!
- 2006 – Trick My Truck
- 2007 – The Naked Brothers Band
- 2007 – Rules of Engagement
- 2008 – Eli Stone
- 2009 – RuPaul’s Drag Race
- 2012 – Smash
- 2013 – House of Cards
- 2015 – Fresh Off the Boat
- 2019 – Russian Doll
- 2019 – Hanna
TV Finales:
30 Rock Season 7 Episodes 12 and 13, “Hogcock/Last Lunch” (January 31, 2013)
The extremely popular series starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and Jane Krakowski came to an end on January 31st, 2013 with a two-part/hour-long finale.
During these episodes, Liz must contend with being a stay-at-home mom instead of a working mom. However, her husband soon realizes their roles should be reversed and so Liz pitches a new idea to Kenneth. Instead of agreeing to her pitch Kenneth tells her that the studio will owe Tracy $30 million if they don’t give him 150 episodes — they only made it to 149.
So in a fantastic show of slap-stick comedy and shining moments that only 30 Rock can give, the cast comes back for one last show. It’s the perfect way to end out the series and put these characters to rest.
Tell-Tale TV Archives:
Back in 2016, our staff had many ideas for some shows we thought could easily do a crossover. So, we decided to compile those ideas into a list.
Then in 2017, we interviewed Jacob Buster about the new season of Colony and his role as young Mike on Suits. Check out the interview to learn more about this young star!
Finally, in 2018, our very own Samantha Coley went to Unity Days and reported back about what the convention told us about the upcoming 5th season of The 100.
2016
2017
Jacob Buster Talks ‘Colony’ Season 2 and ‘Suits’ [Exclusive Interview]
2018
Unity Days 2018: Event Recap and Everything We Learned About ‘The 100’ Season 5
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What are some major TV premieres, finales, or moments you remember? Sound off in the comments below and your choice just might be featured in a future Throwback Thursday column.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.