Grey's Anatomy Junkies

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Holidaze"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

As evidenced in my holiday TV sneak peek, this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy puts the doctors on a fast track that starts on Thanksgiving eve and runs through New Year's Eve. As we all know by now, the Seattle Grace surgeons aren't always big on merriment, but the holidays are always the perfect time to bring out the truth in feelings and relationships.

Meredith bonds with the Chief while Mark learns that he has a teenage daughter. Bailey has a confrontation with her father and Teddy and Owen's sexual tension comes to a head. To read all about it, just read more.

As the episode opens, the Chief is trying to justify his drinking to Meredith - explaining that his alcoholism was "misdiagnosed" and that he was actually suffering from situational depression. (Um, right.) It's unclear whether Mere takes his word for it because she believes him or feels like she has to, but she accepts his mentorship. Later she bites off Thatcher's head when he suggests that the Chief shouldn't be drinking, and by NYE realizes that he does have a problem, but continues to keep it a secret. There is one good thing that comes from it: Derek and the Chief finally make amends after duking it out all season.
Bailey does her best to avoid acknowledging the holidays because she's afraid to tell her parents about her divorce. Instead, she gladly dives into work - until her father makes a surprise visit on Christmas Eve. After watching Miranda perform surgery, he delivers a way harsh speech about being ashamed of her decision to "break" her family and put work first. At Christmas dinner (with the whole Seattle Grace crew, no less), Miranda finally puts her foot down and tells her dad that she's not willing to settle for a bad relationship. Did anyone else want to slow clap, at this point? Because I did.
Mark gets a blast from the past when a buxom blonde appears at the hospital claiming to be his daughter. (I kind of love that her name is Sloan). Mark isn't exactly thrilled with feeling old, joking that "death has come to call." Lexie is also troubled by the news at first, and I couldn't blame her for slicing her finger when Mark drops the bomb that Sloan is moving in. Two months later, he hasn't made any progress, and it's clear that his daughter isn't exactly a cup of tea. Just when Mark finally gets the nerve to kick her out, Sloan reveals that she's pregnant with a baby of her own. Instead of contemplating his potential grandpa status (talk about feeling old), Mark's paternal instincts kick into gear with impeccable timing and he comforts her. Sidenote: I find it interesting that Mark handles the situation exactly how Quinn wished her parents had on Glee this week - stroking her hair, assuring her that everything would be okay.
Teddy is already coming between Cristina and Owen's relationship, even if just with pages. Still loving her new cardio god, Cristina is happy to be Teddy's bitch (as Alex calls her) and work as a team - until she catches Owen giving Teddy meaningful glances. Owen confronts Teddy and reveals that he had feelings with her when they were overseas together, and in turn Teddy confesses that she's always been in love with him. They are literally this close to kissing, but Owen says he loves Cristina and runs to her instead. Despite their passionate makeout sesh at the end of the episode, I still have an ominous feeling about Cristina's kiss with Avery (who is still giving her flack about her relationship with Owen).

What's your verdict on this week's episode? Are you sad to put Grey's aside for six weeks? Did it put you in the holiday spirit or did it all seem a bit premature? Don't forget to keep the conversation rolling in the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts group in the Buzz Community!

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "New History"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:03:32 -0800

They're baaaaack! This week on Grey's Anatomy, Meredith, and Izzie make their returns to Seattle Grace/Mercy West, though only Mere is back in scrubs. Izzie heads back to the hospital with her favorite high-school teacher in tow, a sweet guy who's suffering from what appears to be dementia and is constantly referring to Izzie as a pregnant teen. Meanwhile, Hunt brings in a new "cardio god" (Kim Raver), though Cristina isn't exactly thrilled that her "gift" is a hot leggy blonde that already has a rapport with her boyfriend.

Plus, Mere and Derek have a few adorable moments while Sloan becomes the show's new gossip girl. There's a lot more to talk about, so to get into it just read more.

Izzie strolls into the hospital like she never left, but of course her friends have lots of questions. Meredith and Cristina are both curious and a little hurt while Alex ignores her completely. Izzie doesn't exactly explain what she's been doing, but immediately starts making demands for her friends to take care of her teacher. She even blackmails Dr. Percy when he sasses her about being fired (though I kind of cheered when she threatens to tell Reid his secret). Izzie even squares off with the chief, but in the end she gets her way.
Poor Alex doesn't know how to handle Izzie's return, but Mere finally encourages him to talk to his wife. Izzie accuses Alex of getting her fired, but Karev bites back and points out that Izzie didn't even ask him about it. After seeing them square off like they have so many times before, it's almost hard to believe they were ever married in the first place. When Alex tells Izzie that he can't forgive her, he heads to the bar to drink the pain away with Mere. Love the friendship between Mere and Karev by the way - if she and Derek weren't so cute together these days, I'd almost root for a new coupling.
Kim Raver makes her first appearance on the show this week, as new doc Teddy Altman. At first Cristina is psyched to welcome a new cardio surgeon but her enthusiasm wanes when she realizes that Hunt and Teddy have a past together. Teddy takes a liking to Cristina, even when Yang gives her lip - that is, until Teddy realizes that Cristina is Hunt's girlfriend. When Teddy learns that Hunt brought her in as a "present" to his lady love, Teddy kicks into serious mode which earns Yang's respect. The ladies turn out to be a pretty good team by the end of the episode.
I have to say that I really liked Raver as the new doctor. Yes, her moment in the rain was a bit too cheesy for me, but overall I think she'll be a good addition. While she's clearly carrying a torch for Hunt, she doesn't seem like the type to go for the jugular and try to steal him away from Cristina. The real question is whether or not Hunt runs into Teddy's arms when he inevitably learns that Yang swapped a little spit with Dr. Avery.
When Adele comes into the hospital wondering where her husband has been sneaking off to for the past few nights, she quickly accuses Bailey of being his mistress. The idea is completely hilarious, though Bailey doesn't exactly do the best job of calming Adele's fears, and Callie only makes it worse by calling them "work husband and wife." Bailey immediately starts a witch hunt to figure out which doctor actually is having an affair with the chief, but things take a serious turn when Lexie and Reid discover that the chief has made a serious mistake with one his patients. Bailey covers for him, but when she tells the chief what happens, he decides to take a break and gives his surgeries to Bailey. Then he heads to the bar to drink, where Mere catches him in the act. The final scene where the chief is playing out all the recent bad interactions with his co-workers mixed in with his memories of his alcoholism is depressing to say the least. I have to say though - I thought it was sort of silly that the chief chooses the closest bar to fall off the wagon. He's clearly embarrassed when Meredith sees him, but was he really expecting the bar to be deserted? It's like he wanted to get caught.

What'd you think of this week's episode? Are you excited about Teddy? Looking forward to next week's episode where Dr. Sloan's daughter comes in? Sound off in the comments below, and don't forget to check out the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts Group in the Buzz Community!

Katherine Heigl to Take Another Leave of Absence From Grey's

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:30:12 -0800

Stop me if you've heard this one before - Katherine Heigl is going to be leaving Grey's Anatomy for the second time this season. Though Izzie returns to Seattle Grace/Mercy West on tonight's episode (just in time for the arrival of Kim Raver), Heigl is set to take a belated maternity leave next year to spend time with her newly adopted daughter.

I'm all for spending quality time with family, but this seems a bit suspect - especially given how many times we've heard rumors of Heigl's desire to leave the show. At this point, I feel like Heigl should just call it quits and keep her focus on her movie career; it would also be a perfect time for Izzie to make an easy exit from Grey's now that she's been fired.

Do you still love Izzie or do you wish Heigl would just let her go already? Sound off in the comments and be sure to check out the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts Group in the Buzz Community!

Grey's Anatomy Rundown: Episode 8, "Forever Young"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:31:41 -0800

Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes often describes Seattle Grace as "high school with scalpels." But this week's episode took the analogy one step further, bringing high school directly to the surgeons by way of a bus crash. As catty girls, awkward outcasts, and backstabbing friends filled the ER, the surgeons ended up reexamining who they were in high school - and, in a few cases, reverting to their teenage personalities. To read my take on the episode, just read more

Maybe it says something about the kind of girl I was in high school, but my favorite story was Bailey dealing with the arrival of her old crush. It surprised me that Bailey could still be so easily wooed by the cute guy who's just trying to use her - but then I realized, she wasn't even Bailey around Marcus; she was "Mandy," the subservient girl who does what she's asked and prays to be noticed. Even George wanted Bailey to give Marcus one of her trademark long speeches; instead, Derek bore the brunt of her ranting about attractive, popular guys not seeing girls like her. (Who else cracked up at the mental image of high school Derek with his afro and band uniform?)

Speaking of cute and popular, the girl with the broken ass (hee!) led to a nice resolution with Callie's demotion. Callie is a rockin' surgeon, but she's not an organizer or a manager. And, like the pom squad ex-captain, she now gets to focus on the part of her job she really loves.

It's a shame that Gizzie ridiculousness nearly ruined the night's best medical case for me. I was touched by the story of the girl who stayed by her best friend's side as he slipped into a coma. But the second Izzie equated that girl losing her friend - who was effectively gone forever - with her losing George - who was very much alive and just not good at hashing out the issues of awkward sex - I was done.

Meanwhile, Meredith and Lexie (the prom queen and valedictorian) hashed out some childhood issues of their own when Thatcher showed up drunk in the ER. It was a nice twist that challenges Mere's idea that Lexie has the perfect life she never got - though Mere didn't realize it until Lexie told her off. And just when Lexie thought she had the upper hand, there's Alex with plenty of tough-life stories of his own, telling Lexie to grow up.

Some other thoughts:

I find the entire idea of Derek dating Sydney completely hilarious. I kept waiting to find out that Mark had paid her off again.
Meanwhile, who's that nurse flirting with Derek all of a sudden? I suspect we'll be seeing her again.
Best line of the night: "You look exactly like her dad."
I don't know what's with Hahn's respect for Izzie (presumably she still doesn't know about the Denny/heart situation), but it has to be so especially painful for a doctor like Cristina to be told to be more like Izzie.
When Mark explained the difference between pom and cheerleading, I was hoping he'd end up revealing that he was a male cheerleader.
Biggest groaner: the Chief explaining to Meredith that she was in the principal's office. Did this show always make things that explicit?

Your thoughts? Are you loving Alex as much as I am? Did anyone else have dead-Mere flashbacks at the promo promising a Grey's event? And what instrument would you have guessed Derek played in high school? I would have said trumpet.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown: Episode 6, "Kung Fu Fighting"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:31:12 -0700

It seems like this is quickly becoming the redemption season for Grey's Anatomy - not just for the show, but for its characters, too. Last week, Meredith acted like a normal person for the first time in forever; in this episode, Izzie was actually allowed to be a competent surgeon. What's next, George getting a backbone? To read my thoughts on this episode, just read more

First, let me take a moment to praise Brooke Smith as Dr. Hahn. Her "Are you two a couple?" to Mark and Derek was one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. And while I thought her glass ceiling speech to the Chief about his "Gentleman's Evening" was a little over the top, it did reveal one very important thing about her character: She doesn't want to be "one of the guys;" she wants to be taken seriously for the powerful woman she is. Team Hahn, all the way.

It didn't hurt that she got a great case in her first episode. Awake open-heart surgery - aside from being amazingly freaky - is a perfect story for Grey's, because we learn so much from the way the doctors interact with patients. Hahn's still holding her grudge against Cristina, but that was fine by me, because it let us see Izzie do something well. Izzie isn't hardcore, but she can relate to people, and she proved it by setting up her patient's operating room and talking him through the surgery. The "describe the people in the gallery" scene went on too long - is that why they extended the episode? - but it was sweet. I like competent Izzie, and I hope she sticks around.

After months of not dealing with anything, Meredith has done a complete 180 into constant introspection. Everything out of her mouth these days seems to be about dying, and I'm almost regretting all those times I called for Meredith to just talk about it already. But not quite. Because just as I like competent Izzie, I also like the version of Meredith who tries to deal with what's going on around her. Treating the patient (hi, Roy from The Office!) who survived a 12,000-foot free fall was good for her; even though she didn't use her own fearless time well, she could at least urge someone else to take advantage of the feeling.

Some other thoughts:

The wedding dress plot was ridiculous, but even it had some good things going for it, like Mark humiliating George on Callie's behalf and Lexie proving herself by talking the one bride-to-be into having surgery. But is Callie really letting go?
Gizzie-sex is delayed, but still seems inevitable. Also, Izzie's tearful breakdown made me uncomfortable, but that might have been because of the strange top she was wearing.
Speaking of sex: Man, do I wish I had taken bets on how long it would take Lexie to sleep with a Seattle Grace doctor. Six episodes ain't bad, but considering that her sister slept with one before she even started working, she's got some catching up to do.
I am so annoyed with Derek. He's upset that it's not his job "anymore" to take care of Meredith? Has he not been dating the same woman we've been watching for three years?
I love the idea of the Chief living in a trailer; remember when he took his suitcase camping?

What did you think? Wishing the other woman had won the dress contest? Disappointed there was no actual kung fu fighting in an episode titled "Kung Fu Fighting"? Sound off below.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown: Episode 5, "Haunt You Everyday"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:35:16 -0700

I normally hate holiday episodes of shows, and the promos for this week's Halloween-themed Grey's Anatomy had me fearing the worst. But this episode wasn't nearly as cheesy or faux-spooky as I was expecting. In fact, it was pretty great, and not just because one of my pleas was answered. To my thoughts on the episode, just read more

They hired Dr. Hahn! And I swear I didn't know it when I wrote this! She's the new head of heart surgery at Seattle Grace, which makes perfect sense - and which should also set up some crackling dialogue between her and Cristina, given that within 10 seconds of seeing each other, Hahn managed to accuse Cristina of sleeping her way to the top. Hooray!

Boo for George and Izzie - and not for the usual reasons. What bugged me this time was how little we saw of the aftermath to George's confession. Yes, Callie told the whole resident crew that Izzie slept with George; yes, we got the (awesome!) scene where Izzie yelled at Cristina for having one standard for her and Meredith and another for the rest of the world. But after all that turmoil, I'm surprised they just leaped headlong into a relationship.

Speaking of turmoil and relationships: Ava's back. Now, look, doctors at Seattle Grace have done plenty of stupid things before - but Alex making out with Ava in front of his intern? That was a little bold. Once again, Alex didn't make it back to Ava in time, but she did leave her shirt; she might well be back. (Also, what did she leave the hospital wearing?)

Two characters almost brought me to tears tonight: Bailey and Meredith. Bailey worked so late helping everyone else that she missed her own son's first Halloween; Meredith realized she needed to let go of the damage her own mother caused by being unavailable. Bailey has so much more heart than we ever saw from Ellis, but will she lose that compassion if she keeps choosing work over family? Meanwhile, it was a big moment for Meredith to accept that her mom was happiest at the hospital; washing her ashes down the scrub sink was a way of leaving her to rest where she truly belonged.

A few other thoughts:

Poor Norman; I'd been getting used to him, but I suppose the Old Intern stuff couldn't have worked for a whole season. He did offer one of the most accurate assessments I've ever heard of Grey's: "You surgeons, you're all just a bunch of little children running around with your scalpels and severed feet and inappropriate sex in inappropriate places."
The scene with Cristina and Callie giggling over the ridiculousness of their lives was one of my favorites.
The guy who tried to cut off his own foot freaked me out, but it was a pretty stark representation of what happens when your life no longer feels like your own - especially juxtaposed with the story of the father who could get his life back if he accepted his own daughter's heart.
I loved Derek and Mark pranking each other. "Daddy?" Hee. Also, how cute was the boy with the ears? I won't even get into how unrealistic that story was, because it was just too adorable.
"Lookin'. It sounds way dirtier without the 'g.'"
Why does Derek have to start dating? Last I checked, waiting does not equal dating.

Anyone else cheering over Dr. Hahn? Loving Callie moving into Cristina's apartment? Wondering how long Gizzie can last? Tell me below.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown: Episode 4, "The Heart of the Matter"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:29:32 -0700

This week's Grey's Anatomy was a bit of a mixed bag. For every great scene or plot twist, there seemed to be two more that had me rolling my eyes. There was one thing that I thought worked completely, though, and that was Callie's story. To read my thoughts and share your own, just read more

So Callie rocked in this episode - and it's about time. She's been in denial about George's infidelity, and it's been taking her away from her work and making her everything but the strong, bone-cracking woman I first loved. Even after George told her he slept with Izzie, she was sullen and silent, forgiving him almost instantly. For half the episode, she seemed emotionless, and it wasn't until she took all her anger out on the boyfriend of the exercise fanatic that she finally snapped. But when she snapped - oh, that was a beautiful thing. "Don't you dare come to me for forgiveness, you traitorous bitch." Score one for Callie.

On the other hand, score exactly zero for Izzie (or negative points, if possible). It probably wasn't her fault that the whole hospital thought she and Callie were going to have a schoolyard fight in the cafeteria (I blame Izzie's pesky interns for that), but when she greeted Callie with her dukes up, I felt embarrassed for her. And I wasn't the only one: Alex wasted no time in telling her how ashamed she should be of sleeping with George. Granted, he's a little biased (and clearly still carrying a torch for her, but seriously? All this drama over George O'Malley?

Derek, meanwhile, pulled one of the bigger a-hole moves of the season with his speech telling Meredith she was still, emotionally, an intern. Derek's getting all buddy-buddy with Lexie, but I still have hope they won't hook up; I suspect he truly did just tell her how much he loves Meredith, the way you would when you meet the sister of the woman you love. But I'm tired of Derek making himself a martyr. If he loves Meredith, he has to really love her, emotional unavailability and all. Waiting until someone better comes along is not the same as waiting.

What really bugged me about this episode? The writing. I couldn't believe there was a plot line involving a woman getting the wrong diagnosis because of bad handwriting just minutes after Izzie gave a penmanship speech to her interns. Apparently subtle foreshadowing is a lost art. And I love Edward Hermann to the ends of the earth, but his Very Old Intern character really deserves some better material. Having him talk like one of the kiddos was funny the first time, but not the fourth time.

A few other thoughts:

The story with the paralyzed football player didn't do much for me except make me wish I could have been watching Friday Night Lights, but it was nice to see Cristina actually step up and be a teacher. I'm also getting annoyed with people for not giving Lexie even the teensiest break; as soon as Meredith decided to stop hating her, Cristina had to start.
Nice continuity to bring the Chief's niece back - though I'm pretty sure it was a different actress playing Camille this time. I'm not invested in the Chief/Adele storyline, but the scene where Camille begged the Chief to let her go was a classic Grey's tearjerker.

Other thoughts? Is this the end of Gizzie - or just the beginning? And did anybody else think the previews for next week looked b-a-d?

"Grey's Anatomy" Rundown: Episode 3, "Let the Truth Sting"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:34:57 -0700

Did I fall asleep and wake up sometime in the middle of season two of "Grey's Anatomy"? This is the second episode in a row that hasn't had me wanting to hurl things at my TV, and it had enough good in it to remind me of "Grey's" of old. To hear the rest of my take and add your thoughts, just read more

The two major themes in this episode were speaking (or not speaking) and losing a step with age, both of which collided in the case of the woman who needed to have her tongue removed/replaced. The Chief - and, for whatever reason, Mark - needed to prove to themselves that they were still spry enough to learn new procedures, but that got them into dangerous territory when they had to make up the surgery as they went along. Yes, it was medical history, but it was medical history that very nearly left a woman unable to talk, and I was glad Derek told them off for being too cavalier.

The other major development was the awakening of Really Old Guy, the semi-comatose man whose room the interns/new residents had been using as their personal lunch site. When he woke up, he knew everything - that Meredith and Derek are having problems, that Alex was crushing on Ava, that Izzie wants George to leave Callie. He also knows, or thinks he knows, that George won't leave Callie, and for much of the episode it looked like he was going to be right. Of course, in true Izzie fashion, she got a little too attached to Really Old Guy; who didn't know, the second she started giving him a speech about needing someone to talk to, that he was going to be dead? I liked the idea of this story, but I was expecting Really Old Guy to blab George's secret to Callie. Now that would have been interesting.

The end of the episode brought two big moments: Alex telling the other interns that George was a repeater, and George telling Callie that he slept with Izzie. Two big things that had gone a long time unsaid are out in the open now. What's going to happen next?

Some other thoughts:

Alex's case seemed the furthest removed from the rest of the goings-on in the episode, but it did feature one of the grossest medical procedures I've ever seen on "Grey's." I think it was supposed to serve as a lesson that age doesn't necessarily bring wisdom. I wonder if that older intern is sticking around or if he was just a one-time metaphor.
Cristina faking miserable to get surgeries was classic: "Sad is mine. Go find your own pretend emotion." I loved how Meredith really piled it on when she realized she was being played, asking Cristina to come over and cry.
Bailey rocks. I love her proposal to Callie that they tackle this job like a team; some people have said that was a sign of weakness, but I think Bailey is sick of being angry and just wants to get back to what she does best: whipping people into shape.
Lexie and Meredith took baby steps toward civility this week, after Lexie decided Meredith was pushing her too hard. Meredith's response was to get the file from the day Susan died and walk Lexie through it. I hope that leads to less resentment between the two.
I'm really liking the friendship between Derek and Mark. They have a fun chemistry together; is it wrong to say they're currently my favorite "couple" on the show? And while we're at it, would you marry McDreamy?

Your thoughts? Will Callie leave George? Will Gizzie finally be broken up? Will "Grey's" stay good for a whole season?

"Grey's Anatomy" Rundown: Episode 2, "Love/Addiction"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:31:12 -0700

This week's "Grey's Anatomy" had a couple of great things going for it: a cohesive theme, a compelling case, and Diahann Carroll as Mama Burke. I thought it was leaps and bounds better than last week's season premiere, almost back to being old "Grey's" again. To hear more of my thoughts and add your own, just read more

Earlier this week, I was complaining about how "Private Practice" hasn't yet figured out how to make its cases and its doctors' lives fit together seamlessly. This episode of "Grey's" was a great example of how to do it, and really, it's one of the things the show does best. All of the patients were hurt when a meth lab in an apartment exploded; all of the doctors were dealing with what happens when their own addictions - to love, sex, work, whatever - stop being fun and start being hurtful.

Mama Burke was on the scene, and it was almost like she was there to tell the characters exactly what I would have wanted to tell them if I could leap through the TV screen. Meredith was at best inappropriate and at worst selfish when she she told the crowd at the wedding - and Derek - that it was "so over." George shouldn't be married just out of obligation. Derek shouldn't be settling for less love than he deserves. I thought Mama's point to Cristina was especially incisive: She's lost her teacher; will she still be as great a heart surgeon as she would have been if Burke were still there? Cristina didn't get married partly because she was afraid of losing her professional edge - but is it possible she's lost it anyway?

I believe that "Grey's" can only be as awesome as Bailey is in any given episode, and last night was no exception. The Nazi is back! She gave Callie a look that could kill when Callie told her she couldn't have a resident for the clinic; she guilt-tripped Meredith to get her way anyway; and she dressed down Alex for putting himself in danger by getting in the way of a drug dealer. Chandra Wilson is a joy to watch, and all of her powers were on display last night.

Some other thoughts:

I'm getting the sense that Gizzie is going to fall apart as soon as the rest of the world knows about it. Callie obviously suspects the affair now, but she still can't deal with being told - especially not after the horrid start to her chief residency. And George, at least for now, is respecting her wishes and not saying a word. But how long can that keep up, really?
Loved the scene with Cristina using her wedding gifts for professional gain. Poor Izzie, not being able to get her coveted mixer because she had nothing to offer.
Meredith and Derek's relationship just seems silly now. "Sex and mockery"? Fitting in with the addiction theme, Derek clearly sees that he's going back to Meredith time and time again, even when he knows it's bad for him. But can he ever stop?
Cristina's reaction to the explosion: "Excellent! ... Horrible. Horrible, horrible, sad."
Meredith really, really doesn't want to know Lexie, does she? She's a reminder of all Meredith didn't have growing up, and that's obviously painful for her. Still, I'd be surprised if they aren't buddy-buddy by the end of the season.

Any other thoughts? Does "Grey's" have its groove back? Or are you tuned out for good?

"Grey's Anatomy" Rundown: Episode 1, "A Change is Gonna Come"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:30:19 -0700

Oh, how I wish I could say "Grey's Anatomy" came roaring back from the summer break with an episode that would erase all my doubts about the show. Sadly, "A Change is Gonna Come" was not that episode. It had some good moments, but for the most part, I'm still left wondering if I'm ever going to get my old "Grey's" back. To read more of my thoughts and share your own, just read more

The episode picks up about two weeks after the third-season finale. Cristina and Meredith have gone on Cristina's honeymoon, Alex has grown some questionable facial hair and taken a road trip vaguely in the direction of Ava/Rebecca, and Izzie doesn't seem to have done much of anything besides mope around and wonder why George isn't speaking to her. For his part, George is back with the new interns, hoping to keep his status as the repeat intern a secret.

Among those interns, of course, is Lexie Grey. I'm going to put all my cards on the table here and say that I really like the introduction of Lexie. It shows that no matter how much Meredith tries to separate from her family now that her mommy and fake mommy have both died and Thatcher won't speak to her, she can never really cut the cord. Lexie seems to share Meredith's proclivity for discussing her personal life right in the middle of medical procedures (introducing herself as Meredith's sister while Meredith is dealing with an incoming trauma?), but I think she adds an interesting element to the show - as long as they don't have her start going after Derek.

Where this episode lost me completely was Izzie's case. The other residents and their teams are dealing with trauma victims from a car crash; Izzie lets a little kid talk her into saving a deer. In the parking lot. Using equipment from the ER that's meant for people. I get that there was this whole Bambi metaphor going (George is Bambi, Izzie's Bambi, everyone wants to save Bambi), and it led to a decent-enough payoff - Izzie finally giving her interns the what-for - but that doesn't make up for it being dumb.

Speaking of which: George and Izzie. You know, I really thought that was supposed to be over, but George ending the first episode by saying "I love you, too" doesn't give me much hope.

A couple of other thoughts:

Did anyone else crack up when Meredith's voiceover said "change" just as Alex handed a bag of change to Cristina? It was so egregiously bad that I wondered if it was accidental.
The man who ate everything was pretty awesome, though.
Callie is not going to be a good chief resident. I wonder if she'll toughen up - or give up.
Loved the residents giving their interns the Bailey speech from the pilot (and failing miserably).
I liked the way Lexie cheered George up and volunteered to keep his secret. But I still doubt his status will be secret for long; I'd say he's going to have a pretty tough time explaining why he's married to the chief resident if he's never set foot in the hospital before, for one thing.
Poor Cristina really thought Burke would be back. She's going to have a tough road ahead.
Meredith and Derek? So not broken up.
Quote of the night: "I came to Seattle to get you back." - Mark to Derek.

What about you? Were you glad to see Seattle Grace back? Or were you too annoyed with the deer scenes to care?