Spoilers and spoilerish articles

[raachel2008.livejournal.com]

Kristin at E!Online talked to Kim Raver about her new steady paycheck and also dropped a couple of spoilers about Cristina/Owen/Teddy. The articles are kind of spoilerish, vaguely spoilerish, but I think it is fair to warn. Hopefully the LJ cuts worked...

 

She's a keeper!

That's the official word coming out of Camp Grey's Anatomy today, with the news that TV muse Kim Raver, aka Dr. Teddy Altman, aka "Desert Storm Barbie," has been promoted to series regular. (ABC confirms this news.)

So, with this new blond-leading-lady force on board, what does this mean for Katherine Heigl's long-term status at Seattle Grace? And more importantly, what about Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Owen (Kevin McKidd)?

Here's what sources are telling me...

"Katherine is definitely still under contract [with Grey's Anatomy]," one well-placed source close to the series tells me. "But I think it's no secret she wants some time away from Grey's to be with her baby and shoot movies, so bringing on Kim helps with that."

According to sources, Kim will appear in all but one of the remaining 12 episodes of the current season. An ABC source said they don't have an exact episode count yet for Katherine's remaining episodes this season.

If Katherine were to exit the show after her contract ends, I'm told Kim is expected to stick around.

"The producers and ABC execs love Kim," one insider tells me. "They are invested in her for the long haul."

The good news? I'm told the producers and writers also love Cristina with Owen, so you Crowen fans needn't worry too much about Owen's old crush Teddy sticking around.

According to one Grey's source, Kevin (Owen) and Sandra (Cristina) are still shooting romantic scenes together for upcoming episodes, and getting along famously while doing so.

"They were shooting a scene recently," one eyewitness tells me, "and Cristina kept laughing because Kevin had just had his hair dyed a little more red than usual. She kept saying, 'It's so distracting!'"

Now that is some red-hot romance. Hee.

Anyone else pleased as punch that Kim Raver is staying on Grey's? Do you wish you could see more of Katherine Heigl?

I'll be talking to Kim herself later today, so please post any questions you have for her below, and I'll get to as many as I can with her...

 

"Yes, yes and yes!"

This is how Kim Raver answered a certain burning question regarding her romantic status on Grey's Anatomy, but then promptly cut herself off.

"Wait, hold on! Was I supposed to say that? Let me check my notes!" she said with a laugh. (You gotta love the candor.)

I just got off the phone with the always charming Kim—who was just upped to series regular status, hurrah!—and she dished on what's next for Teddy and even answered your fan questions directly.

So what was she (possibly) not supposed to say?

Teddy is definitely still in love with Owen.

Now, naturally, this may seem to be bad news for you fans of Cristina [Sandra Oh] and Owen [Kevin McKidd], but au contraire, tubaires! As you may have noticed in recent episodes, there is much more to this "love triangle" dynamic than first met the eye, and Kim insists Teddy is not a homewrecker.

"I think [Teddy] is still in love with [Owen]," Kim said. "But what's so great about Teddy, and for the fans, is she knew Owen was engaged while they were in Iraq, and she never did anything, and that's what I think is so amazing about her. She's not going to start doing that kind of thing now. Then on top of it, she has such enormous respect for Cristina because she's so good, and she's also her mentor. So while I think she's still in love with Owen, she's going to have to figure out how to deal with that."

Kim (who starred in the two loved-but-canceled series Lipstick Jungle and The Nine) spoke with me today after calling her mother to share the good news of her series-regular status. "I was just telling my mother that for once she doesn't have to worry about my show being canceled," Kim laughed. "And I can't imagine a better show to be a part of right now than this one."

I asked Kim some of the questions you fans sent in via the comments and email...

Karen: If Cristina and Owen are moving on with their relationship, is Teddy going to still be a threat to them romantically? Professionally, will she be able to put her feelings aside and be a good mentor for Cristina?
What's also interesting is not just [Teddy] being in love with Owen, but how she sees Cristina being her mentor, and that relationship really evolves, and I just love it. I love working with Sandra, as well as Kevin and the rest of the cast, but Sandra and I have this cool, interesting dynamic, and I know how much the fans just love and adore Cristina and how Sandra plays this character. There's an interesting chemistry between the two of our characters, too.

Teresa: We Grey's fans can be passionate when it comes to Cristina and Owen. Were you worried about how you would be received?
Yes! I was really afraid of that because I think there's a really great dynamic between Cristina and Owen. But most of the feedback has been, "Wow, we're really glad to see that it's not what I thought!" I think they sense that I'm not there to break up [Cristina and Owen's] relationship, but that it will get more complicated, more complex. I think Shonda and the rest of the writing staff do a great job at having her be more than just an ex-girlfriend coming in.

Karen: Will [Teddy] get her own storyline with the other characters?
I would say yes. I'm already starting to build other relationships, not boyfriend-girlfriend, but other relationships are starting to evolve.

FredMichael: Please ask Kim if she knows if her character Audrey will ever be back on 24.
Hmmm, that's such a tough one. There's talk sometimes that it will happen; then there's talk that it probably won't happen. I love Audrey. I love Jack [Kiefer Sutherland] and Audrey. I think right now this is such a new and exciting time for me at Grey's that it won't happen now, but with 24, never say never. People are dead on that show, and then they're alive. But probably not now.

Maria in Boston: It seems like things won't work out with Owen, so will Teddy hook up with another doctor? Everyone hooks up with everyone at Seattle Grace.
I was thinking about that! Who do the fans think Teddy should be with? Let's take a poll. They probably know better than me.

You heard the girl.

 

Donna: Scoop! Now! On Grey's Anatomy please...preferably Owen and Cristina?

How about Cristina and Teddy? Don't worry, they aren't resurrecting the foiled plan from years ago I hinted at that Cristina (Sandra Oh) would be bisexual, but it sure sounds like Teddy and Cristina will have lots of fun stuff coming up. Kim Raver tells me, "There's an interesting scene where Teddy drunkenly reveals things about Cristina to Owen, and that's really fun. It was so great that they had her drunk, and Teddy just goes on and on and on. It was interesting."

Randall: Thanks for the scoop on Cristina and Owen in your Kim Raver story. I was surprised to hear you say that Kevin McKidd had dyed his hair. Is this for an upcoming storyline?
No. His hair is actually blond! Weird, right?! He seems such a natural redhead.

 

Comments

[angelamermaid.livejournal.com]

Ooops - you're missing a spoiler tag for the last bit.

[raachel2008.livejournal.com]

Damnit, I fix one and I mess up the others!! And I thought that if you clicked on a LJ tag you would only see what is in this one cut not in the others? Maybe I should delet the entry and just post everything in different posts?

[primarycolors92.livejournal.com]

Awww, Kim. I really do appreciate that she understands her place, and her character's place, in the show and in the fans' hearts. She's a new-comer, she's messing with a well-loved couple, and she understands that.

Hopefully I will be able to like her character as much as the actress herself someday!

[nursebadass.livejournal.com]

I like her. I'm glad she's staying.

[raachel2008.livejournal.com]

I do think that Cristina and Owen are the end game - if nobody leaves, that is it - but I worry about their characterization until there. We all know what happened to Meredith and Derek.

I understand Kim Raver - who I've always liked - defending her character, but hellooo, Teddy told Owen about her feelings full aware that he was in a commited relationship and she actually accepted the job thinking that he was still *engaged* to Beth. Yeah, honey, it is a steady paycheck and yeah, yeah, your character was far from being the niiiice girl suffering in silence.

What pisses me beyond belief here is that Teddy will be revealing things about Cristina to Owen. It has been ages since we saw Cristina and Owen learning things about each other coming straight from each other's mouth and who doesn't want to see these little moments between a couple? But adding insult to injury Owen will learn things about Cristina from Teddy, and we all know that it is only a matter time before Cristina learns more things about Owen from Teddy. Can they please have a nice scene without her shadow looming over them all the time?

[mfirefly10.livejournal.com]

Can they please have a nice scene without her shadow looming over them all the time?

I doubt it...at least not anytime soon. Shonda and the writers just LOVE their triangles and since they can't really do that with Derek/Meredith anymore, they've got to focus on other relationships to screw up.

Now, I have no doubt that Cristina/Owen are the end-game. That said, we all knew the same thing about Meredith/Derek and we still had to sit through 5 seasons of their on-again, off-again nonsense before they became an established couple. I don't have the patience to wait another 5 seasons for Owen/Cristina to get back on track, especially given that their relationship started out so well. It's a very sad thing that the writers couldn't find something more original/interesting to do with this incredible couple. And that they thought they could just drop Owen's PTSD storyline after the opener...'cause he's totally healed now. All it took was a few joint-therapy sessions and he was all better! *rolls eyes*

[mcqueen09.livejournal.com]

Sorry KR, if it looks and smells like shit, it tends to be shit. Boy does this storyline STINK

[moira-duncan.livejournal.com]

No kidding. I feel for Kim Raver, it's obvious she wants to make it work and her character to be liked. But no matter how they are going to wrap it and how much lipstick they will put on it, I have yet to see anything "complex", "different" and "layered" about this sotryline.
There is a chick, and guy and another chick. Chick Numer One is in a relationship with the Guy while Chick Numer Two is a woman from his past who still carries a torch for him. Chick Number Two moons and swoons, Chick Number One gets insecure and jealous, the Guy gives them both confused, dumb looks and angsts a lot in the corner. The dialogue sucks major balls and the whole storyline reeks of unorginal soap opera dribble.
The only purpose this storyline has served so far is to make Owen looks like a fool and turn C&O into yet another typical GA couple.

I love how KR goes out of her way to praise Sandra, Cristina, Cristina's relationship with Teddy, Sandra's relationship with Kim as if the whole thing were about those two characters, yet on the screen we have yet to see "Burke talk" or Cristina's issues being adressed in any way, shape or form; but the writers dedicate a whole section of their blog to Teddy's and Owen's "pain".

[kellybell79.livejournal.com]

I got your reply to my letter to KR in an e-mail, but the comment isn't there anymore, so that's why I'm replying to this comment. I tried to set up an account on TWOP but it says I can't post until they review it and that takes at least a day. You have my permission to copy and paste it over there yourself if you like. Just please credit me, and that it's original posting was here, if you do post it. Thanks and glad you liked it. That woman makes me crazy.

[kellybell79.livejournal.com]

Dear Kim,

Thank you for telling us that your character is not a homewrecker. I was really confused because on the screen she really looks like a homewrecker. Like when she mentored Cristina for like, a whole month, and then told Cristina's boyfriend that she is in love with him. That, to me, seemed kind of two faced and backstabber-y and homewrecker-y. Now I know it's not. Before you told me that, I thought the only thing that didn't make her a true homewrecker was the part about Owen not going for it. So it was more of an attempted homewrecking. Or is that what you're referring to? Teddy's not a homewrecker because no one wants her? I'm confused again. Maybe it would clear things up if in the future your character just refrained from acting in a whoring, homewrecking way. Then you wouldn't have to explain it to stupid little old me.

I'm interested in the feedback you've received from fans regarding the "complex" triangle who are, "really glad to see that it's not what I thought." I have to say that this confuses me again because it seems pretty simple and standard to me and the fangirls I know. Is the difference again coming from the part where Owen doesn't want her?

Also, it's good to hear that Teddy has such enormous respect for Cristina. Again, I got a different impression from what I actually saw on my screen. It's good to hear the writers will be clearing that up when Teddy "drunkenly reveals things about Cristina to Owen." It's a good thing that she's drunk or I might think it's really disrespectful and underhanded for Teddy to go on and on and on, as you describe, about Cristina's secrets that she presumably entrusted too Teddy. It's even better that Teddy does this to Cristina's boyfriend that she is in love with. Sounds fun. It's true that nothing says respect like blabbing all a girls secrets to her boyfriend you want to screw. I'm sure that will really endear your character to all the fangirls.

Sincerely,
Kellybell79

P.S. Thank you in advance for all the free time I anticipate having next season when I can no longer stand to watch or obsess about Cristina/Owen because Cristina/Owen/Teddy has cured me of it.