Page - 49 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/02

48 | Sharon Lauricella and Hannah M. Scott www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/2, 39–53 in planning a wedding, is clearly an interpretation of gender as Meredith wants to perform it. Given Meredith’s role as the lead character in this long-running series, her rejection of hegemonic gender roles is of particular importance. Meredith’s best friend Cristina, when marrying colleague Owen, also rejects the “white wedding” trope. Cristina chooses a red wedding dress, arguing that wearing white is “sexist and vaguely racist” (S7, E1). Even when preparing to marry Preston, Cristina suggests her rejection of the white wedding: “I’m gonna like being married. It’s the wedding part that’s ridiculous” (S3, E25). This rejec- tion of the “big wedding” and “big day” themes associated with female gender performance is meaningful in that Cristina also demonstrates the ability to de- sign her own version of gender performance in a way that works for her. Four of the weddings in Grey’s Anatomy are either delayed or postponed be- cause of professional priorities. For example, in Season 5, Episode 24, patients’ surgeries take priority over Meredith’s planned City Hall wedding. Derek sug- gests, “Look, we could do this another day”, to which Meredith replies, “I love you, and I do want to marry you today. But there is no time.” This indicates Meredith’s feelings that the wedding is simply a formality. Similarly, on the day of Cristina’s wedding (S3, E25), Cristina does not rush to get to her own wed- ding after a scheduled surgery: “Oh, crap. I’m gonna be late for my own wed- ding.” Miranda, too, forgets that she has her ceremony to attend because she is performing a surgery (S9, E10). It is also telling that Catherine and Richard postpone their entire wedding in order to help with a trauma; Catherine sug- gests that the catering be redirected to the hospital and served to medical staff (S11, E23). Gender performance that prioritizes career over marriage is anath- ema to the traditional performance of woman, in which the bride is focused on her appearance and wedding ceremony. The weddings which were delayed, interrupted, or lost on account of the woman’s professional priorities indicate a challenge of hegemonic gender roles and suggest a redefinition of gender performance with an increased focus on career and work. COMPULSORY HETEROSEXUALITY Perhaps the most obvious challenge to the notion of compulsory heterosexual- ity is that none of the women who get married in Grey’s Anatomy take the sur- name of their partner; this is true for all of the heterosexual marriages as well as the same-sex wedding in the program. There are only two weddings in all of the 13 seasons in which taking the surname of the marital partner is addressed. First, after Callie and George had eloped in Las Vegas (S3, E14), Callie returned to Seattle, and her peers began to taunt her by calling her “Callie O’Malley”. The moniker does not last longer than three episodes, and Callie is called Dr. Torres for the rest of her tenure on the show. Second, when Cristina is preparing to marry Preston Burke, Preston’s mother, Jane, tells Cristina, “Five generations of