“It can be scary to find out you’ve been wrong about something but we can’t be afraid to change our minds, to accept that things are different, that they’ll never be the same, for better or for worse. We have to be willing to give up what we used to believe. The more we’re willing to accept what is and not what we thought, we’ll find ourselves exactly where we belong.”
“Second Opinion”
Grey’s Anatomy 9×06
I have had SEVERE writer’s block in regards to this episode. In fact, I was gonna cry “THANKSGIVING!!” and totally skip it this week until I got an oh so subtly pushy email from my boyfriend this afternoon saying “But how am I going to know what happened on Grey’s Anatomy last week??”
Fine, fine, FINE. I can take a hint.
I think the reason I have been unable to even START a recap is the fact that this episode was ALL over the place. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s an inevitability that in a sprawling ensemble drama there will be multiple story lines going on that are fighting to be considered the “A” plot. Usually it’s easy for me to pick out the “A” story to focus on in my recap, but this week proved troublesome. What was the main story?? Cristina’s triumphant return to Seattle Grace Mercy West? Alex buying Meredith’s House? The ongoing relationship drama between Jackson and April? Intern Jo’s arc with “Santa Claus” and her evolving sparks with Alex (that is SO ON btw)? Bailey pushing Arizona to come back to the hospital in the Bailey-est of ways? Callie’s ongoing guilt concerning Derek’s hand? Or the bombshell that the lawyers representing the plane crash victims plan on suing the HOSPITAL for what happened?
Yeah, I would have thought the last one would have been the “A” plot too, especially considering the fact that we are smack dab in the middle of November sweeps. But it all felt crammed into the last 5 minutes because the episode was SO overstuffed with story. So instead of my normal format of spending a few paragraphs of dissecting the “A” plot and then offering my random thoughts on other plot threads, I’m going to go straight to the random thoughts. That I am sure will become paragraphs.
– First things first. Cristina Yang is back where she belongs. FINALLY. What I loved about seeing Cristina back in the halls of SGMW is that we saw the Cristina we all knew and loved from earlier seasons. Brash. Aggressive. Snarky. And a damn fine doctor. Yet she isn’t EXACTLY the same. There is more of a softness and compassion to Cristina now. You saw this in the small smile when she overheard her interns “Happy” and “Dopey” (great callback to when she called her interns by numbers) saying how much they loved her after she said they could scrub in. The Cristina of a few seasons ago would have never reacted that way. I’m also curious to see how much of a free rein this new head of cardio gives her. I’m going to guess a pretty big one, as I don’t really see them adding yet another member to an already large recurring cast.
– Also in regards to Cristina, we STILL don’t know the full story in regards to her marriage to Owen, though it looks that is being addressed in the next episode. I’m under the assumption that while they are still legally married, they are currently separated. But we DO know that Owen fought for her to have a position at SGMW…yet he is no longer willing to be her proxy in all matters concerning the plane crash. And was Cristina at the Fire House Apartment before a time before decamping to Chez Karev?
– That’s right. Alex Karev now owns Meredith’s old house. I love this. You can’t NOT have that house on Grey’s. There’s too much history there, and I thought it was great that Meredith addressed that history when she told Alex why she refused to make some of the changes he was requesting. I have always adored Meredith and Alex’s friendship, and I enjoyed seeing them arguing as only super close friends can. Meredith KNOWS what Alex has been through, and she also recognizes how far he has come. I love that she took the time to remind him of how far he’s come. Also Alex and Cristina as roommates? I love it. Though, as I saw someone point out on Tumblr, that house is gonna get dirty REAL fast unless they get a third roommate who is a little more domestic.
-I also like that they are addressing Alex’s arrested development and having him make an attempt to change it. He’s one of my favorite characters on the show, and I have always felt like they haven’t gone as deep with him as they could. They have danced around his troubled past, but it always seems they are more content to having him go back to be an insensitive Lothario. Which I hate. Because he is SO MUCH BETTER than that. But yeah…him and doe-eyed intern Jo? That is so happening, and it’s happening SOON. Here’s hoping that she’s the first woman in Alex’s life who doesn’t eventually go insane/get cancer/leave him. Cause he deserves someone who is going to stick for a good long while. It will force him to grow up and be the man I know he is capable of being.
I just have a lot of feelings about Alex Karev, okay?
– Also having a lot of feelings? Jackson Avery. I’ve been on his side for this entire fling with April. In fact, one of the few things I wrote down on my initial watch of the episode was “OH MY GOD APRIL JUST SHUT UP.” I mean, seriously. She could not BE more self-centered if she tried. If you feel so guilty about having sex with Jackson, then the solution is simple. STOP HAVING SEX WITH HIM. The problem is…she clearly doesn’t WANT to stop having sex with him, so she keeps doing so, which sends her in a shame spiral. And in her shame, she says incredibly rude things to Jackson. I literally cheered every time he walked out of the room in the middle of one of her rants. And then she had the NERVE to get mad at him for doing that. Made me insane. I’m so glad that he finally came out and said that she was hurting his feelings. And that he had feelings for HER. Hopefully this will start moving towards a real relationship and April will calm the fuck down about all the sex. Cause honey? He’s hot. AND he has real feelings for you. Enjoy it.
– Let’s all take a moment and SLOW CLAP Miranda Bailey? I feel like she was the only one who could have gotten Arizona up and moving and back in the hospital where she belonged. Callie is too emotionally involved and desperate to have her wife back to normal. She couldn’t do it, even though she had the best of intentions. Bailey played Arizona perfectly by dangling the “unsolvable” case in front of her, giving her just enough information in just small enough doses to nag at Arizona’s brain. That gentle kind of nagging that you SO want to ignore, but you can’t, especially when you know that you will be able to solve the problem you are being nagged with. It was an old school Miranda Bailey move, and it made incredibly happy, both for her character and for Arizona’s. It’s about TIME she got back to the land of the living.
– Sara Ramirez continues to KILL this season as Callie. All of her scenes with Derek have been fantastic. They have a lovely chemistry as actors that I don’t think I have noticed before this season. Is it just because Callie and Derek really haven’t interacted all that much before now? I thought it was fantastic that she called him out on “bullying” them into not settling, even though I really don’t think he did anything of the sort. And it took a lot of bravery to admit to Derek and the lawyers that she didn’t think they had done everything they could for Derek’s hand, and that she found the strength to say that she refused to give up on it. And I have to believe that she is going to be successful. Because really…Derek Shepherd never operating again? On a MEDICAL show? Where he has been one of the super star surgeons? Yeah, not likely. I predict he’s operating again by February Sweeps.
– And REALLY? Suing the HOSPITAL for what happened with the plane crash? I need more information. Maybe if they build the case around the fact that it took so long for Owen to realize they were missing in action the case could hold some water. Otherwise, I don’t at all see how the Hospital is responsible. Oh, Shonda. What do you have up your sleeve, you tricksy lady?
Hmmm. Well for an episode I didn’t think I had a lot of feelings about I certainly expressed a lot of them. Now it’s your turn. Share your feels! Till the next episode…
Dr. Yang back to establish dominance. But a wiser softer Cristina.(thank u mr Feeney). This makes me so happy!!
Agree about Kerev. He’s GA Doug Ross. He so is going to hook up with the intern. Willing to see where it goes. And though I love the dream house, I agree the grey house has to stay and was wondering how. Guess we know know.
Callie. How I heart her and Sara Ramirez!! That Is all. You said it all
And I KNEW bailey was playing Arizona and I kept saying well played Miranda well played
And the bombshell? I was thinking how is the hospital involved? But I trust shonda and know she has something up her sleeve
Thanks again for blogging for us!!