Grey's Anatomy Fodder

Grey's Anatomy: Staring at the Sun

Now that's what I'm talking about! I loved this episode and I'm not just saying that because I got reamed last week for being too negative. There were no gimmicks or stunts. No one got blown up, shot, stole a heart or went camping. It was just great writing and great acting. This week's episode got back to basics and gave this viewer what she's been craving- a show rich in character development with a perfect blend of lighthearted ribbing mixed with intense drama. Thank you Shonda and Krista! (for those that have no idea who I'm talking about, they're the leading ladies who work behind the scenes to churn out this show each week)

George's (T.R. Knight) dad has been admitted to Seattle Grace with a broken clavicle and complaints of stomach pain. While Callie (Sara Ramirez) patches up his shoulder, Cristina (Sandra Oh) gets to work diagnosing his stomach pain. It turns out to be stage three stomach cancer and he has a leaking aorta valve. George wants Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) to perform the surgery but he's suspicious- Dr. Burke seems to be relying too heavily on Cristina for complicated procedures and Cristina has stopped her typical gloating and is downplaying her performance during surgeries. George smells a rat but when he tries to get Dr. Burke to come clean he gets the brush off. He changes tactics and confronts Cristina. "Burke is hiding something and you're helping him." Cristina tells him to leave her alone and storms off but Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) was standing nearby and overheard some of their conversation. She's already all over Cristina for erasing her name from the surgical board and now she knows she's covering for Dr. Burke. It's just a matter of time before Dr. Burke's twitchy hand is exposed and then you can bet it will mean the end of Cristina and Preston's romance. (I'm betting it's all going to come to a head with George's dad on the surgical table). Meanwhile George's brothers, a combination of the guys from car talk and Dumb and Dumber are getting chummy with Callie and George is not happy about it. He tells her "I can handle my family on my own and we broke up, remember?" Callie is clearly stung.

Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) continues his reign as the king of pompous asses by sending Alex (Justine Chambers ) and Izzy (Katherine Heigl) out to pick up his laundry and get him lunch. Their shared loathing for McSteamy along with their amusement over a patient who got pectoral implants to please his girlfriend was a bonding moment for two of my favorite characters. It was great to see Izzy smiling again (Damn, I loved Denny but he was a drag on the fun factor) and to see Alex practicing his Mr. Nice Guy routine. At the end off the day he plants a kiss on Izzy in the stairwell but she pulls away. After work she finds him bellied up to Joe's bar and tells him she had no idea he still had feelings for her. "Neither did I" he replies (Yeah, right. He's been pining for her since day one!) Izzy tells him she's sorry but she can't be involved with him. He understands and Izzy offers to to buy him a drink. We all know this is temporary, right? When the Cristina and Preston relationship hits the skids I'm betting this one slides into its place.

As for Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey), their kiss at the bar last week led to a bubble bath for two. Meredith tells Derek that "dark and twisty Meredith is being replaced with bright and shiny Meredith." All seems well in McDreamy land until Meredith puts the brakes on sex- I'm assuming she's already naked in the tub, so why be a prude now when you're already half way there? Meredith explains her rationale to Derek by saying "we're taking it slow. We're starting fresh. We started with sex last time and it didn't go very well, plus the waiting is fun and we need fun. " Despite being shot down in the love department, Derek and Meredith both show up for work as if they got there by commuting on cloud nine. Derek's chipper disposition even leads him to pass the peace pipe to Addison (Kate Walsh). He tells her "we are going to peacefully coexist in this hospital". To prove they can work together and be friends, they team up to confront Dr. Webber (James Pickens Jr.) about his melancholy disposition of late. While he admits to being depressed about his recent split with his wife, Addison and Derek tune him out and begin to squabble about what makes a successful marriage. Dr. Webber is baring his soul and realizing that his visits with Ellis Grey, Meredith's mother, are keeping him from his wife, but Derek and Addison aren't listening to a word of it. It doesn't matter. He knows what he needs to do. He calls Meredith into his office and tells her he won't be visiting her mother anymore.

One of my favorite scenes from this episode was when Callie, Addison and Dr. Bailey are in the surgical observation room bonding over their shared misery. Addison is coming to terms with the fact that her marriage is over and she debates what to do with her wedding rings. Callie tells her that "post divorce wedding rings are bad juju" and advises her to "burn them or bury them." Dr. Bailey is struggling with the balance between being a mother and a surgeon. Her son is growing so fast, his likes and dislikes change daily and she misses out. Addison tells her "life moves so fast, everyone moves on." Callie jumps up - she's had a eureka moment. She heads for the door and tells Addison and Dr. Bailey, "I'm not ready to move on" and off she goes to win back her man! The banter between these three smart, confident, capable women is such a contrast to the discussions between Izzy, Meredith and Cristina. One's not necessarily better than the other. The group dynamics are just different and I love how the writers are able to capture the differences to make their conversations so real and relevant.

Based on the scenes from next week's Thanksgiving night show, it is not to be missed. Cristina and Dr. Burke's deception comes to head and Callie is seen pushing Meredith up against a wall! Turkey and all the trimmings plus a battle between those two...I can hardly wait until next Thursday!

Your comments are welcome below!

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Posted by Rachel R on November 17, 2006 11:50 AM
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