I honestly wonder if a lot of the decisions regarding GSR won't be put off until they see how CSI does on its own without a new episode of Grey's against it - the first time this will have happened since the premieres.
If the ratings are high, as high, even, as the previous season, they may realize most people are still taping the show to watch Grey's, and therefore that their viewership isn't down.
If the ratings remain the same, then I think they really will seriously consider changing any decisions they made back during the finale, no matter how stupid a decision that would be.
If they break up GSR, rather than ending it in a tragic romantic fashion, I think that will be the leap over the shark tank that will end up killing them next season - especially if WP's presence is patchy.
In reality, the season's biggest low rating came after an angsty GSR scene and the first episode in which there was no GSR whatsoever.
That should probably indicate something.
Look at it this way: from Double Crossed (and the "Dear" scene) the ratings rose 15.3%... until Happenstance airs, and then the next week they get killed.
Yes, Thanksgiving, yes Grey's Anatomy, but bottom line is that the two weeks after Double Crossed, they BEAT Grey's in viewers. Suddenly you throw angst in the water and Grey's is back on top again...
I think that for both the people who love and hate GSR, what we all really want is just subtlty.
I do want some angst, but not "We don't love each other anymore" angst or "breaking up" angst - at most, I want that to feel like it's more out of frustration than anything else. In other words, I would rather that Grissom, in the process of burning out, say something stupid, than Sara just give up on him. It doesn't make sense that she would wait 6 years and then just go, "Well, you're being grouchy, and that's too much for me"
Grissom shouldn't have a license to treat Sara badly - that's not what I'm saying - I'm more saying that right now, any potential angst really should be coming from him.
Perhaps a little jealousy, perhaps some burnout stupid conversations, but Sara giving up, to me, seems out of character. At least until he gives her a real reason to.
If they "break up" over the hiatus, or during his break, then fine - because that's the kind of breakup where you know that they'll just wind up missing each other.
Ending the season that way? Not so fine. Especially if neither are coming back.
Little Note
If you didn't get my latest e-mail, PM me for some information that further explains what I'm talking about here.