In the “Grey’s Anatomy” episode Silent All These Years, which aired on March 28, 2019, Jo (played by Camilla Luddington) treated a woman who had been sexually assaulted. The episode ends with a powerful scene where all the women in the hospital line the hallway to ensure the patient feels safe as she receives the care she needs. The episode also reveals that Jo’s biological father raped her mother, a plot that touched on sensitive issues. The episode was praised for handling such delicate topics, with much of the credit going to writer Elisabeth R. Finch. Finch and showrunner Krista Vernoff were even featured on EW’s Awardist podcast to talk about the moving “Army of Awesome” scene, where the women lined the hall.
However, a new docuseries titled Anatomy of Lies provides more insight into this episode. The series reveals some of the lies Finch told during her time on Grey’s Anatomy, including fabricating a cancer diagnosis that her colleagues believed for years.
Former Grey’s Anatomy writer Kiley Donovan, featured in the docuseries, recalls sharing a personal story with Finch during a conversation. Donovan had opened up about her own traumatic experience of learning that her biological father was her mother’s rapist, something she was still processing at the time. Shortly after this conversation, Finch began working on the episode Silent All These Years, which included Jo having flashbacks to meeting her mother and discovering she had been conceived through rape.
While it’s unclear if Finch directly took inspiration from Donovan’s personal story, Donovan admits it felt “weird and wrong” for Finch to receive praise for writing what became a high-profile episode in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
In a further twist, Finch herself appears in the episode. All the female crew members were invited to participate in the pivotal hallway scene, and Finch is prominently shown pushing the gurney. Anatomy of Lies continues to explore Finch’s life beyond this episode, as she is accused of stealing others’ stories and ultimately being outed for lying about her health, among other things.