What did we learn from last night's "Grey's Anatomy?"
Let's see. That: George pecks like a chicken, and Izzy is starting to have second thoughts, and that Chief's a slob and Shepherd's a neatnik, and Sloan has a thing for Hahn (figures) but that she doesn't for him (and to understand why, see an earlier blog entry), and that Torres really shouldn't be boss and that Bailey should (and now is), and - most shocking of all - Bailey cries! Who saw that coming?
But I think there's something else that we're - or at least I'm - starting to realize. With the strike five days old, and with months - conceivably - to go, who has time, energy or passion to become invested in all of this when you know that in just about four weeks, maybe less, the spigot will be turned off? As the LA Times reported yesterday, "Grey's" is now filming its last episode - though how even that's possible with Shonda Rhimes electing to become fellow travel with other striking writers is a mystery. Meanwhile, "The Office" is gone in two weeks, "The Big Bang Theory" is over this Monday, "Desperate Housewives" is outtahere in early December, and same with "Grey's." I'm sure there are others, many others too. 
But serials like "Grey's" and "Desperate" - I suspect - are already feeling the cold shoulder of viewer indifference, either consciously or subconsciously. Who cares whether Lexie or Mere patch things up when we'll be in a "Groundhog Day" loop of endless re-runs, or endless fill-in reality shows? The passion for shows runs cold when you know they are about to be stuffed into the deep freeze, for weeks or maybe even - yes - months? The writers' strike is terrible business - especially for the writers and thousands of support personnel now on the streets too - but the franchises themselves stand to suffer in ways we are only now beginning to understand.