GREY'S ANATOMY
SEASON 2
Episode 2.1 At
A Glance:
Picking up exactly where Season 1 left off, it turns out that Addison has come to Seattle at Webber’s request to consult on a case and as collateral damage she’s blown Derek’s cover as a bachelor. At the bar, Meredith, George and Cristina fight about whose life is worse at the moment given that Meredith just found out that her boss-lover is married, Cristina is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, and George has syphilis, when Joe, the bartender, decides to top them all and collapses on the floor with what turns out to be a brain aneurysm. Derek agrees to operate on Joe's brain. The surgery involves freezing Joe’s body and stopping his heart but Joe doesn’t have any insurance and wants to be sent to the public hospital because he can’t afford to lose his bar. The interns, who all think of Joe’s bar as a second home, are aghast that Joe might not get the best medical care but no one can think of a way around the economics until George comes up with a clever plan to use Joe’s premature and temporary death as a way to offset the expenses.
Webber names Burke as Interim Chief while he recovers from his brain surgery, which clearly ticks off Derek. Much to George’s chagrin, Webber elicits him to be his spy around the hospital while he’s stuck in his hospital room. In fact, George’s corridor spying leads to him to pick up on a number of things of interest percolating in the hospital, including the fact that Cristina and Burke are an item, but knowing and telling turn out to be two different things for George.
Burke tries to get Cristina to go out to dinner with him a couple of times but she refuses. Later Cristina changes her mind but when she tries to explain things to Burke, he misunderstands and decides they should end the affair.
Meredith
learns that Derek left Addison because she cheated on him with his best friend.
Meredith, though, is not mollified by his explanation of why he didn't tell
her the truth and leaves his trailer in a
huff. Meredith and Cristina end up
back at Joe’s bar leaning on each other for emotional support as they try to
assess the limits of tequila's capacity to manage the pain of a broken heart. And that
was
it until the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Enough Is Enough (No More Tears)
Episode 2.2 At A Glance:
Meredith and Cristina start the day the way they ended the night, commiserating with each other over their love lives. Cristina blames her unpredictable and newly raging hormones for suddenly making her care. At the hospital Derek once again tries to make his case to Meredith but she is not moved by his explanation. A bad car accident results in four patients: a man, his wife and son, who were all in one car and injured, and the single occupant of the other car, who is hopelessly injured and for all practical purposes already dead. Alex is assigned the son, who is a teenager. Cristina works on the mother. Izzie works on the father and it is discovered that he needs a liver transplant. George is assigned to work on keeping the near fatality alive.
Alex discovers the father caused the accident in an act of road rage, while Cristina hears a whitewashed version of the same incident from the mother. It turns out that the father has a rare enough blood type that finding an organ donor is particularly difficult. The good news is that the son is a match. The bad news is that the son hasn’t decided if he is willing to donate. Alex identifies to some degree with the son’s anger at his abusive father and is eventually able to get him to agree to donate a part of his liver under the proviso (specified by the son) that the mother agrees to leave her husband and to file a true report to the police about the accident.
Meredith is assigned a patient who has a significant bowel obstruction that X-Ray images reveal are heads of Judy dolls that need to be extracted surgically. The patient eventually explains to Meredith that he swallowed the doll heads because he feels empty and they make him feel less so. Meredith understands the pain of feeling empty.
Webber is livid with Derek for calling his wife, Adele, and telling her about his brain tumor and surgery, which brought her rushing back early from her cruise. Derek counters that Webber called his wife, Addison, without telling him. For her part, Adele seems saddened by her husband’s decision to not even inform her of his condition and it is obvious that they are estranged. Addison tries to apologize to Derek for her indiscretion but he says he is a “sink with an open drain” and everything she says just flows away, which is just him parroting a remark Meredith made to him earlier.
George realizes that when his patient is declared dead and he informs the family that he could honestly say that he did everything he could to save the man’s life. And that was the lesson Bailey was intent on teaching him. And that was it until the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Episode
2.3 At A Glance:
Meredith and Cristina continue to be each other’s broken heart support system and they start off the day working on getting healthy by jogging in the park. They compare notes on what their broken hearts used to love and now find difficult to deal with. Meredith misses loving ferryboats because Derek loves them, while Cristina misses loving coronary bypass grafts and aortic aneurisms.
At the hospital, Meredith, Cristina and George are somewhat disconcerted by what appears to be friendly banter between Izzie and Alex. Webber is back and wants Derek to clear him for surgery, but Derek refuses, partly it seems because of his still ruffled feathers over not being named Interim Chief. Addison joins them. It turns out that she has been asked to stay to work on another case. She asks Derek for a consult. Derek looks at the baby girl in question and recommends that Addison not try to prolong her life and thereby make it more painful than it has to be but Addison wants to fight for her. It is pretty obvious that the Shepherds are talking about the state of their marriage as much as they are talking about the baby. And by the end of the scene, Addison makes that explicit when she asks Derek to reconsider their marriage, tells him she loves him, and then kisses him.
Ellis Grey, Super Star Surgeon, is brought into the hospital with a severe case of diverticulitis, but it also turns out that she has a growth on her liver that the biopsy eventually reveals is not malignant. Meredith is mortified as the truth about her mother’s deteriorating mental condition (Alzheimer’s disease) becomes evident to everyone. George is assigned to work with Ellis but that becomes difficult because she believes he’s her husband and becomes oppositional and rants about “their” problems. Webber is upset when he finds out about Ellis’s condition and it is obvious that at least at one time they were very close.
Meredith escapes from the pain and stress of dealing directly with her mother by getting herself assigned to Derek’s surgical procedure to reduce a patient’s excessive blushing. Cristina joins Burke in cardiac surgery but collapses after a few minutes. She is rushed away and Izzie tells Bailey and Addison that Cristina is pregnant. It turns out that the pregnancy is not viable and has caused Cristina to bleed excessively. She is taken into surgery. Meredith is guilt ridden and afraid that the jogging they did earlier may have caused the complications, but Bailey assures her that was not the case. The pregnancy was never viable. Cristina survives the surgery.
Meredith tells Derek she is tired of hating him and then kisses
him and walks away. Derek is left alone to ponder the new twists and turns of
his life. And that was it until
the next week's visit to Seattle Grace!
~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Guest
stars: Kate Burton (Ellis Grey); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Angela Goethals
(Kelly Roche); Noelle McCutchen (Nurse Vivian); Stephen Breithaupt (Mr. Gaston);
John O’Brien (Lab Technician); Patricia Bethune (Nurse Ginger); Linda Klein
(Scrub Nurse); Jeremy Rabb (Resident);
Episode 2.4 At A Glance:
Meredith, Izzie and George are happy that Cristina is going to be fine but Meredith and Izzie are concerned that Cristina hasn’t really reacted to losing the baby or to the loss of one of her fallopian tubes. An obviously envious George states that he believes her lack of emotion indicates she has nerves of steel and will be a great surgeon. In fact, Cristina may become a great surgeon but she is proving to be a difficult patient. She is bored, insists that she is fine, is on edge, and cranky because her mother is visiting. She tries to bully her way into rounds but Bailey sends her back to her room. The day’s cases include a missionary who has been passing out and having heart arrhythmias. Her case baffles the interns but intrepid Cristina slips out of her room once again, swipes the patient's chart, and gets on the case. As luck would have it, she walks in on the patient just as she is taking a pill that was not prescribed. The patient claims it was a birth control pill but through a bit of skillful research Cristina concludes that the woman is faking her symptoms and using drugs to facilitate her deception. Subsequent blue urine supports her theory. When Cristina finds out she was right, she is at first ecstatic but then segues into what amounts to a full tilt emotional meltdown. Being right doesn’t nullify the fact that she's lost a child and the pain of that fact seems to overwhelm her. She can’t stop crying. Horrified by Cristina’s emotional meltdown, George, Izzie and Meredith cower in the corner. Later Burke, who has been trying to see her all day and has been thwarted in one way or another, passes by on his way home and sees Cristina curled in a defensive position in bed, still crying, and alone with her mother. He throws all caution to the wind, walks into the room and gets on the bed next to her and holds her in his arms and comforts her.
Bailey is dealing with a personally heartbreaking case. Her very first patient, Jeremiah, has been once again admitted to the hospital. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, at twenty-six Jeremiah has already beaten the odds, but he prides himself on being a fighter. Addison, who has some special expertise in treating cystic fibrosis, is asked to consult on the case. Unfortunately, Addison is not able to save Jeremiah and Bailey is devastated and becomes overwrought in the O.R. Later, she makes an emotional phone call to his parents.
After some prompting from Izzie, Alex asks her out on a real date. Alex later finds a patient calmly reading a magazine in the waiting room and becomes upset when he discovers the man supposedly has a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head, although the only evidence is a small indent in his forehead, and no one has viewed his case. It turns out that the man has indeed been shot in the head (the X-Rays show the bullet) but instead of the wound being self-inflicted his wife shot him when she discovered he cheated on her. Alex suffers his own hidden wound when Webber tells him the results came in and he failed a portion of the Medical Boards. Webber tells Alex that no one else knows and he can take the exam again but failure is not an option.
George has been assigned by Webber to keep an eye on Ellis Grey, which irritates George because her case isn’t surgical and he feels like he has been drafted into babysitter duty. But it is obvious that Webber is emotionally attached to Ellis and his decisions about her care are fueled as much by his emotions as they are by an objective evaluation of what is needed. When George realizes this, he becomes more understanding.
Addison's agreeing to consult on Jeremiah’s case extends her stay at Seattle Grace and complicates things for Derek who has assured Meredith that Addison was all but out the door. After asking Derek to consider the idea that he might still love her even if he is still angry as hell with her, Addison surprises him and gives him a set of divorce papers already previewed by his lawyer and says if he signs them, she will sign them and after the cystic fibrosis case she will be on the first thing smoking back to NYC. Meredith, of course, happens to overhear this exchange. Later, Derek sits alone at a table and studies the divorce papers. Meredith comes by fully expecting that he has signed them and can barely contain her excitement that their pesky little romantic problem has been solved. She is clearly disappointed, however, when she realizes that he hasn’t signed the papers yet and seems not to be on the verge of signing them right at that moment. She leaves in a huff and Derek is once again left sitting alone. And that was it until the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Episode 2.5 At A Glance:
There is no rest for the weary as a sleeping George finds out the hard way. He is awakened first by Izzie who rants about her lousy date with Alex, who was a bit more than standoffish with her all evening and then refused to kiss her goodnight at the door, and then by Meredith who rants about Derek not signing the divorce papers and ending his marriage. Meredith and Izzie climb into bed with George and lie on either side of him and explode with a litany of complaints about men.
The next morning at the hospital, Addison searches the hospital for Derek but no one it seems has seen him. Ellis Grey is being released and sent back to the long-term care facility. Webber and Ellis talk (she believes it’s thirty years ago and they’re still residents together at Seattle Grace) and it comes out that they had an affair as residents but things ended painfully. Ellis left her husband, but Webber didn’t leave his wife.
The cases presented on rounds include a man whose only effective means of pain management, he claims, is watching pornographic movies. He is allergic to all pain drugs and this becomes an issue when the power goes out and he is alone and not able to play the naughty movies to reduce the pain. Cristina, dismissive at first about his argument for constantly watching porn, realizes that the movies really do help him and comes up with a temporary solution to his problem. She settles in on the empty bed in his room and starts telling him risqué stories while waiting for the power to be restored.
George and Alex are assigned the case of a rookie cop who was shot in the chest on his first day on the job, but as they wheel him off to be prepped for surgery the power goes out in that wing of Seattle Grace and they are stuck in the elevator. The patient’s condition worsens and to save him they need to perform open-heart surgery in the elevator. Burke talks them through it but Alex who was first designated as the primary freezes and George is forced to take over, which he does and does brilliantly.
Derek and Meredith work with a patient that has an extremely aggressive tumor and who will be paralyzed within hours if she doesn’t have surgery to remove it. Her father, however, refuses to allow the surgery and, although she is over eighteen, the patient lets him make the decision. The father’s refusal is based on the lack of time to put in place the religious ritual necessary to follow the tenets of their faith. When Derek realizes that what is necessary is the presence of a shaman, he makes arrangements to fly one in and the surgery proceeds after the ritual is completed.
Izzie is working with a patient who was brought in by her anxious husband because she appeared to have had a heart attack. Tests, however, reveal nothing to support that conclusion. Izzie eventually learns that every year on the same day for the last seven years the woman was brought into the hospital with the same symptoms. She coaxes the woman to tell her the significance of the date. It turns out that the woman had a very long-term affair with her next-door neighbor (a man she considered to be her soul mate) and he died on that day seven years earlier and her apparent heart attacks were actually a stress reaction to the memory of what happened on that date and a way of grieving over her loss.
Meredith refuses to accept Derek’s apology and she seems to give little credence to the explanation that ending an eleven year marriage was hard and that taking a day to think about it wasn't unreasonable. Meredith huffed that it didn’t matter whether he signed the papers or not, she was out of the relationship either way. Later, however, Meredith changes her mind and begs him to “choose” her. She tells him that she’ll be at Joe’s bar and if he signs the papers to meet her there. She waits for him at Joe's and looks around at the door every time it opens, but Derek isn’t there because he’s in the lobby of the hospital sitting and pondering. Bailey swings by dressed to the nines and Derek is surprised to see her all dolled up. It’s her tenth wedding anniversary and she and her husband are going out to dinner to celebrate. Derek is surprised because he didn’t know she was married. Of course it's revealed that he never asked if she was married. He asks her what to do about his dilemma—Meredith or Addison? She tells him he already knows what to do and the reason he is resisting is because it’s hard and painful. He nods though clearly disappointed that Bailey isn’t going to stop everything and make his love life the number one topic on her agenda. Instead, Bailey sweeps into the arms of her husband and heads out to dinner. When Addison finally catches up with Derek in the lobby after searching for him all day, she asks him if he’s signed the papers, but the answer is not immediately forthcoming and we are left hanging until the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Music: Blue
Eyed Son’s "When I Come Home;" Cowboy Racer’s "Yellow
Horse;" Roisin Murphy’s "Love In The Making;” Mike Doughty’s
"I Hear The Bells;” Way Out West’s "Don't Forget Me;" and
Tegan & Sara’s "Not
Tonight."
Episode 2.6 At A Glance:
Meredith is waiting at Joe’s for Derek’s answer and Izzie, George and
Cristina have been drafted to wait with her.
Each time the door opens, Meredith looks at it expectantly but it’s
never Derek. Izzie, George and Cristina
are worried about Meredith and her increasingly self-destructive
behavior. Meredith is clearly two
sheets to the wind riding on more than a few shots of tequila and she is both
second guessing herself and hoping for the best.
Everyone’s attention shifts focus though when breaking news is reported
on the TV that there has been a terrible train wreck in Seattle with lots of
casualties. Everyone’s beeper
goes off and they rush out and head to the hospital. Joe tries to get Meredith
to stay or at least have a cup of coffee because she's in no condition to cut
on people and just as importantly because he wants to see how the romantic
ultimatum turns out. She leaves,
however, and not surprisingly Derek shows up right afterwards..
His beeper goes off just as he’s walked through the door and glanced around to see if Meredith is there.
Bailey, thoroughly pissed off that it’s her tenth wedding anniversary and she didn’t even get to finish her "damn lobster," joins the interns in the staging area. Bailey tells them to stay alert even though she knows they've just come off a long shift because she doesn’t want any mistakes and then leads all of them into the trauma area where they will all get their assignments, except an intoxicated Meredith who she tells to find and insert a banana bag IV and sober up before she goes anywhere near a patient.
Webber has browbeat Derek into approving him for surgery and Cristina is assigned to work with him on a man whose leg has been amputated. As Webber prepares the patient to reattach the leg, to Cristina’s utter disbelief she discovers they have been given the wrong leg. Webber dispatches Cristina to find the right leg, which turns out to be a nightmare assignment given the chaos caused by the train wreck. Cristina frantically searches the hospital and asks everyone if they have seen the leg, which leads to more than one surreal moment.
Izzie is assigned to work with Addison on a pregnant patient that is badly burned. The patient’s burns are so extensive that Addison must do a C-section instead of allowing a vaginal delivery. The patient's pregnant friend was also on the train and they are reunited. It turns out that they are best friends who were artificially inseminated by the same sperm donor so their children would be related. They had planned to go through every step of the pregnancy and birth process together. Now though one is taken to have her baby delivered through a C-section and the other delivers naturally. Both deliveries are successful and the friends and their babies are reunited.
Alex is assigned by Bailey to work in E.R. doing “sutures” until he gets over his sudden fear of scalpels. Disgruntled over his assignment and somewhat disheartened, Alex nevertheless takes care of his assigned patients. One patient has a friend who was also on the train but appears to be fine. The friend is dismissive of Alex and indicates he looks too young to be a doctor and questions whether he knows what he’s doing. The friend is rather loud and intrusive and seems to be everywhere Alex turns. When she falls silent laying her head on the foot of the patient’s bed, no one notices until the good news comes that the patient is ready to go home. When the patient tries to rouse her friend, the friend falls on the floor. Despite attempts by Alex to revive her, the friend is dead from internal injuries.
George is assigned to work with Derek, Burke, and Bailey on a dramatic case of two people impaled face-to-face on a metal pole. Although they are awake and talking, it is the pole that is keeping the patients from bleeding out and the shock to their bodies that is masking the pain. It is just a matter of time before everything goes south. It appears they are doomed. Burke, however, suggests that if the patient with the highest probability of surviving is operated on as the pole is removed very slowly to keep the patient from bleeding out as each section is repaired there is a possibility that the patient would survive, whereas before there was no possibility at all. The team decides to adopt that strategy and it is explained to the patients. Meredith finally gets sober just in time to scrub in on the surgery for the impaled patients. Derek scrubs in at the same time as Meredith. They talk and she finds out that he’s decided to stay with his wife. She is crushed. One patient is removed from the pole in a delicate procedure and then the team tries to save that patient but there is no hope. The other patient is then operated on and does survive.
Alex is
despondent over the events in E. R. and is sitting outside questioning whether
he should be a doctor. A paramedic approaches Alex and tells him he has the leg
they have been searching for. Alex
immediately recognizes the significance and takes the leg to Webber and becomes
the hero of the hour and is allowed to scrub in on the surgery, much to Cristina’s chagrin. And that's it until
the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo
(Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley);
Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Guest Stars:
Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Michelle Arthur (Brooke); Cynthia Ettinger
(Jana); Karen Law (Dr. Hoffman); Juliette Jeffers (Mary); Kym Whitley (Yvonne);
Monica Keena (Bonnie); Bruce A. Young (Tom); Michael Barreta (Danny); Chad Fish
(Medical Tech #2); Rigo Sanchez (Stan the Paramedic); Brooke Blanchard (Jill the
Paramedic); Derek Alexander (Lab Tech); Yvette Cruz (Scrub Nurse); Branden
Weslee Kong (Intern); Kerry Carney (Intern); Kerry Carney (Intern #2); Patricia
Bethune (Nurse Ginger); Moe Ivins (Nurse Tyler); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia);
Linda Klein (Nurse); Rik Deskin (Pedestrian #1 ).
Music:
B.C. Camplight’s "Blood and Peanut
Butter;” The Hereafter’s "Back Where I Was;" Umbrellas’ "The City
Lights" and Emiliana Torrini’s "Today Has Been Okay."
Episode 2.7 At A Glance:
The hospital is abuzz with gossip about Meredith and Derek. Some people are aghast that Derek didn’t tell her the truth then dropped her as soon as his wife showed up. Others believe Meredith got what she deserved for dating an attending. Another segment feels sorry for Meredith being the object of gossip and having to work with her ex-lover and his wife. Izzie and Cristina become very protective of Meredith’s mental well being and devise a way to keep Meredith occupied and distracted so she won’t have time to concentrate on her love life. Cristina has stolen a patient from psych that appears to be evidencing the symptoms of a hysterical pregnancy. The kicker is that the patient is a man and was sent to psych when he came to the hospital with his pregnant wife. Meredith, Cristina and Izzie are fascinated by the case because they believe the symptoms are physical not psychological and a pregnancy tests that comes back positive proves them right. The man has a teratoma. The news of this unusual case quickly spreads throughout the hospital and in short order everyone is talking about it and even the most remotely connected to the case are crowding into his room. The curiosity factor is so high that Cristina and Izzie are able to sell tickets to gallery seats to watch the surgery to remove the teratoma. Meredith, however, becomes increasingly disturbed by the amount of attention directed to the patient’s abnormal condition and how little is directed to his emotional well-being as a patient. She finally explodes and gains some measure of peace for the patient and his wife. The patient specifically asks Meredith not to let them put the teratoma in a jar and pass it around. She agrees and takes responsibility for disposing of it after the surgery.
George is assigned to work with Burke on a patient scheduled for her fifth open-heart surgery. The woman is extraordinarily rude to everyone especially her meek and attentive husband. When she finally pushes her husband too far, he explodes and rants about her and she promptly has a heart attack. She is rushed into surgery and what was viewed before as simply another extraordinary bit of surgery is elevated into hospital legend when the woman’s heart literally catches on fire during the surgery. George remains calm and assists Burke as everyone else rushes out of the O.R. Against all odds, the patient survives, but when they inform the husband his reaction is anything other than expected. The husband is fed up. He has been waiting for her to die for ten years and he is now convinced that nothing will ever kill her. Five open-heart surgeries haven’t. Her heart catching on fire didn’t. He’s giving up and leaving. He shoves his wife’s travel bag into George’s arms and walks out with a wave.
Alex is assigned to work with Derek on a case of a young college bond patient in a wheelchair. The patient has pain in her legs that surgery can correct but Derek has more extensive surgery goals in mind. He wants her to have surgery to enlarge her bladder so she doesn’t have to wear a bag to collect her urine. He believes it will improve the quality of her life and give her more independence as she goes to college. Her mother though is adamantly opposed to that surgery and fears her daughter, who she has devoted her life to, will no longer be so dependent on her. Since the girl is eighteen, Derek elicits Alex to spend time with her (under the guise of taking her for tests) and to keep her away from her parents so she will have an opportunity to consider the advantages of the surgery without her mother’s emotional blackmail. Alex wheels the patient around with him and they develop a witty, snappy connection that eventually leads the patient to decide to have the surgery and leads Alex to reconsider his decision to not kiss Izzie. At Joe’s after a long day, Izzie, George, Cristina and Meredith gather at the bar and split their spoils from selling seats in the gallery. Alex walks in and spots Izzie. He walks over to her determinedly, wraps her in his arms, swings her back and kisses her, then leaves. Izzie is thrilled.
Burke has had enough of having a secret relationship with Cristina. What happened to Derek and Meredith is an object lesson for him, so over Cristina’s objections he goes to see Webber and tells him the truth and says he is willing to accept whatever form of reprimand Webber is giving out to Derek. Webber, though, is surprising warm and understanding. He appreciates Burke’s forthrightness and says it is obvious that Burke cares about Cristina and unlike Derek he isn’t married. Webber lets him know there will be no repercussions.
Addison and Derek are in marriage counseling and one thing
that is revealed is
that their marriage is chocked full of problems.
In answer to the question of what each wants from the other, Derek says
he wants Addison to move to Seattle, and Addison says she wants Derek to give up
his girlfriend. Neither is particularly enthusiastic about the other’s
request. Later when Addison asks Derek to meet her for lunch, he comes but acts
so prickly and put upon that she is reduced to asking him if there is anything
at all that he still likes about her. Derek has little to say and she wonders
why she should give up her practice in Manhattan and move to Seattle under those
condition. In fact when Addison
talks to Webber later she tells him that Derek’s attitude gives her little
reason to stay in Seattle. Webber
tells her to forget about Derek and stay for herself.
He’ll throw money at her to create the best neonatal department west
of Manhattan. In the next therapy
session, Addison indicates that she has decided to move to Seattle,
although she fails to mention Webber’s offer as having played any part in her decision.
When she reaches for Derek’s hand, he pointedly ignores her
outstretched hand. Derek says that he’s given up his girlfriend, which
doesn’t seem to be even remotely true as he’s spent much of the episode
trying to get close to Meredith. When
he then reaches for Addison’s hand she either doesn’t see it or ignores it.
And on that moment of discord another visit to Seattle Grace ends and we are
left hanging until next week's visit. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda
Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R.
Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and
Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Guest
Stars: Steven W. Bailey (Joe); Moe Ivins (Nurse Tyler); Tyrees Allen (Dr.
Saltzman); Reni Santoni (Mr. Griswold); Elaine Kagan (Mrs. Griswold); Patti
Yasutake (Mrs. Verma); Francis Gaiman (Mr. Verma); Michelle Ongkingco (Nicole
Verma); Joe Sikora (Shane Herman); Alison Ward (Tina Herman); Cathy Lind Hayes
(Debbie); Larry Weissman (Psych Patient #1); Granin Loffler (Psych Patient #2);
Kersey Carney (Intern #1); Peyton Hinson (Intern #2); Keeshan Giles (Intern #3);
Maile Flanagan (Tech);
Music:
The Faders’ "Better
Off Dead;" Annie’s "Chewing Gum;" Rosie Thomas’ "Since
You've Been Around;" K.T. Tunstall’s "Other Side Of The World;"
and Mark Joseph’s "Get
Through."
Episode 2.8 At A Glance:
Cristina and Burke go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant for their first real date. They become painfully aware that they don’t know a lot about each other and seem to have a sneaky suspicion that what they learn on this date might not endear them to each other. Burke, for example, is shocked to realize that Cristina eats red meat and butter and Cristina is shocked that he doesn't. Just as a cloud passes over Cristina's face seemingly indicating she's decided that maybe the date and possibly their relationship was just not going to work out, someone on the other side of the restaurant yells for a doctor. Cristina and Burke swing into action. The man has a heart problem and when the ambulance comes Burke directs them to take the patient to Seattle Grace. Burke and Cristina scrub in and as the surgery begins, Burke allows Cristina to handle the saw. She is surprised and thrilled and everyone on the team stares at her in amazement because they are aware of the significance of Burke's gesture. Burke looks on proudly and helps her guide the saw. The surgery is a success. Afterwards Burke sees Cristina just as she jumps on an elevator and apologizes because they really didn’t get to have their date. Cristina though is pumped. She says that was the BEST date she had ever been on in her life!
Meredith and Derek happen to get on the elevator at the same
time. It’s the first time they
have been alone in days. Facing
away from him, she breaks down and tells him that she misses him.
He moves close and sniffs her hair but then the door opens and he sucks
it up and says simply, “I can’t” and walks away. And that's it
until next week's visit to Seattle Grace.
~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda
Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R.
Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and
Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Music:
The Chalets’ "Sexy Mistake;" The Faders’ "No Sleep
Tonight;" Gabin’s "Bang Bang To the Rock N Roll;" Nouvelle
Vague’s "I Melt With You;" Joe Purdy’s "Far Away Blues;"
and Anya Marina’s "Miss Halfway."
Thanks for the Memories
Air Date: November 20, 2005
Writer:
Shonda Rhimes
Director: Michael Dinner
Episode 2.9 At A Glance:
It’s Thanksgiving and Izzie has decided that she’s cooking a big traditional dinner and everyone is going to help her. They are supposed to meet in the kitchen at 9 am sharp and Izzie is there well ahead of time defrosting the turkey and poring over cookbooks. Yet in the tradition of the best laid plans going astray, Meredith indicates she is just not in the mood to be thankful and over Izzie’s protests she elects to go to the hospital instead of helping with dinner. George’s family arrives and hustles him out to participate in their family tradition of shooting a turkey on Thanksgiving. Izzie is left alone.
At the hospital, Bailey is on duty and is grateful that Meredith volunteered to work so she didn’t have to choose an intern to torture. They will be working with a temporary attending, Dr. Kent, and Bailey gets Meredith to come along to welcome him and help him get oriented. Dr. Kent proves to have little interest in getting oriented. He is rude and dismissive toward Bailey and tells her the only resident he is interested in is the one they call the Nazi—a guy with a stellar reputation and "balls the size of Texas." Bailey and Meredith glance at each other then Bailey indicates she doesn’t know him but she’ll keep a look out. Bailey then proceeds to spend the rest of the episode running circles around Kent and confining him to doing sutures in the E.R. At the end when he finds out she is “the Nazi,” Bailey just smirks at him and wishes him a Happy Thanksgiving.
Meredith is assigned a patient who has been in a coma for sixteen years and was dropped on his head when the orderlies were turning him in the bed. Meredith is to take him for tests to determine if there is any brain damage. She is actually envious of his serenity and tells him so. He opens his eyes and stares at her. No one, including Derek who is brought in for a neural consult, believes that the patient was actually looking at Meredith. He, as does everyone else, assures her that it was just a reflex. When Derek is examining him, however, and Meredith begins to talk, the patient again looks at Meredith and Derek sees it. It turns out that the patient’s brain has been trying to heal itself for sixteen years and he has been minimally conscious instead of in a coma. Derek is able to use a course of drugs to give the man a fighting chance of waking up but his family is not thrilled with the news. His wife has remarried and is expecting a baby and his son is now seventeen. They have moved on and in fact they don't stick around to see if the patient will regain consciousness. He does and is taken for further tests. Unlike the X-ray, a MRI reveals the fall resulted in a hematoma and it is serious. The surgery to remove it is dangerous but not having the surgery will most likely be fatal. When the patient learns he has been out for sixteen years and his family has moved on without him, he decides to take his chances with the surgery, hoping he can put the trauma behind him and then move on with his life. Unfortunately, the operation is not a success. It does give Derek and Meredith an opportunity though to talk about what they would have chosen to do under the circumstances. Meredith would have chosen the surgery. She would have wanted to be either fully awake or asleep but nothing in between. In what seems to be particularly telling, Derek says he has no idea what he would have wanted.
George finds the hunting trip with his brothers and father almost intolerable. They all have a hard time understanding what George really does as an intern and elect to tease him instead of grappling with their discomfort. George, in turn, has little interest in what his father and brothers enjoy talking about—cars--and has few qualms about letting them know that.. George’s father is accidentally shot in the behind and taken to Seattle Grace. While George works on extracting buckshot from his father’s wound, they talk. George it seems has always felt like an outsider in his own family and thinks his brothers treat him like he’s stupid. His father, however, reminds George that he is the one who always makes sure they know he’s a surgeon and that they do try to include him as much as possible. In the end, his father says, they are his family and George should cut them some slack.
Cristina shows up at Meredith’s to help Izzie with Thanksgiving dinner and brings Burke with her. Izzie is mortified at first because she has no idea what she’ll have to talk to “Dr. Burke” about. As it turns out though, despite all of her big plans, Izzie can’t cook! Luckily, Burke can. He guides her through the dinner preparations the way he would mentor her through surgery. Joe and his boyfriend, Walter, arrive and everyone gathers in the kitchen. The holiday spirit, warmth, teaching, friendship, sense of family and so on are just too much for Cristina, especially since Meredith has absolutely no alcohol in the house. She escapes by declaring she is going out to get liquor and goes immediately to the more comfortable environs of the hospital. She is thrilled when she gets to assist Bailey in surgery on a guy who swallowed a wishbone whole. In the meanwhile, Alex is hiding out and ignoring calls from Izzie asking where he is and if he’s coming, while he studies for the Medical Boards. George, Cristina and Meredith eventually hit the locker room at the same time and realize that no one is home with Izzie. George notes that they are in deep trouble. He and Cristina rush to the house two and a half hours after dinner was supposed to start and find Izzie and Burke sitting at the table waiting for them. Izzie is obviously beyond irritated but decides not to berate them. Instead she suggests they just eat. Alex comes but Meredith can’t bring herself to join them. After dinner and on the way home with Burke, even Cristina admits the evening turned out nice. Meredith is unhappy and lands at Joe’s bar. She lets a guy hit on her once she makes triple sure that he’s not a brain surgeon or a doctor of any kind.
Addison is persistent if nothing else in fighting for her marriage.
She meets Derek on the ferry to work that morning and suggests they get
together and celebrate Thanksgiving then have sex.
She realizes it will be weird but she thinks it’s best to rip the
bandage off and get it over with. Selecting passive-aggressive strategy #314
(page 654 of the Handbook of Passive-Aggressiveness), Derek agrees less than
enthusiastically to meet Addison at the hotel at twelve and then doesn’t show
up. He has an excuse. He was drawn
into the case of the patient who had been in a coma for sixteen years and ended
up having to do surgery on that patient. Of course that doesn’t explain why he
never found the time to at least to call Addison and tell her he wasn’t coming.
He and Meredith though get to spend some quality time together and he confesses
to her after she asks that he doesn’t know if he still loves Addison.
Magnanimously, Meredith tells him that she is glad he is giving his
marriage another try because it means she wasn’t wrong about him. Later when
Derek finally goes home, he finds Addison waiting for him.
She wants to know if he’s through stabbing her in the heart because if
not she needs to get a thicker skin. Derek
answers by kissing her. And that's it until next week's visit to Seattle Grace.
~~Tessarae
Guest
Stars: Michael Mathys (Dr. Kent); Greg Pitts (Jerry O’Malley); Tim Griffin
(Ronny O’Malley); Brian Kerwin (Holden McKee); Andrew James Allen (Colby
McKee); Dee Nelson (Cheryl Leonard); Peter Howard (Hal Leonard); Gregor Mannis
(Levi Johnson).
Music:
Fannypack’s "Nu Nu (Yeah
Yeah);" Dressy Bessy’s "New
Song (From Me To You); “ Mark McAdam’s "Too Hard;" The
O.A.O.T.’s "Dance;"
Emilia Torrini’s "Serenade;" Keren Ann’s "Not Going
Anywhere;" and Josh Rouse’s "Sad Eyes."
Much Too Much
Air Date: November 27, 2005
Writers: Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werkman
Director: Wendey Stanzler
Episode 2.10 At A Glance:
Lots of interns and attendings are getting loving on this particular night in Seattle: Meredith and Steve, her bar date, Cristina and Burke, Alex and Izzie, and Derek and Addison. But then things are not always what they seem and making love is not always the same thing as filling up that empty space in your heart. This becomes clear the next morning when Meredith tells Steve that his fifteen minutes of basking in the glow of her One-Night-Stand loving is way over and dismisses him, Derek gives a tepid "Yeah" to Addison’s gush that last night was amazing, and at the breakfast table Izzie confesses to George that Alex had performance difficulties last night. At Burke’s, Cristina freaks out when she finds he has left her a key to the apartment. She believes it’s too much commitment, too soon and that Burke doesn’t really know her. He assures her that he does know her and that there is nothing about her that he doesn’t want to know.
As the workday starts, Alex is assigned to work with Derek on a patient who is highly delusional. It turns out the man has a pituitary tumor, which is causing his delusions and also making him excessively thirsty. Derek can operate but the man cannot be allowed to have water until after the surgery and he leaves Alex in charge of making sure the man doesn’t drink anything. Alex fails and when he tries to rectify the damage, he compounds the problem by prescribing the wrong dosage of a corrective drug. Despondent, Alex finds comfort in Nurse Olivia’s arms and Izzie, who earlier he had failed once again to satisfy, walks in on them.
Meredith is mortified to have her One-Night-Stand, Steve, show up at the hospital with priaprism. She tries to stash him away so that no one will find out but of course that strategy is successful for about two seconds. Bailey is skeptical at first that Steve’s problem is not the result of overdosing on erectile dysfunction drugs but he swears he’s clean. A series of tests and procedures confirm that there is indeed something medical causing the condition and it turns out to be neural, which means Derek is called in to consult and finds out about Meredith and Steve’s tryst directly from the One-Night-Stand’s mouth. Never one to hide his tendency to be passive-aggressive and self-centered, Derek tells Meredith as they operate to remove Steve’s tumor that he’s hurt by her behavior.
Addison has officially signed her contract with Seattle Grace and immediately has a high profile case: quints. Izzie is assigned to work with Addison and can’t quite manage not to be expressively judgmental of a woman with triplets choosing to give birth to quints. The quints will need enormous medical resources to correct a number of deficits once they are born: one twin has water on the brain, another quint has a heart defect, and another has organs growing outside of her body. Everyone is put on call for the birth of the quints and indeed once the births begin everyone is needed. Addison is fully in charge though and Derek seemingly can’t help being a tiny bit impressed. And that's it until the next week's visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda
Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R.
Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and
Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang).
Guest Stars: Sunkrish Bala (Steve Murphy); Curtis Armstrong (Mr. Martin); Jon Hershfield (Doyle); Margaret Welsh (Dorie Russell); Pat Healy (Tom Russell); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia).
Music: Roisin Murphy’s “Night of the Dancing Flame;” Green Keepers’ “Lotion;” Get Set Go’s “Crying Shame;” Lifehouse’s “You and Me;” and James Blunt’s “High.”
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Air Date: December 4, 2005
Writer: Mark Wilding
Director: Daniel Minahan
Episode 2.11 At A Glance:
Meredith is lonely and she speculates that the answer to the Beatles' question from forty years ago—Where do all the lonely people come from?—is that a lot of them come from the surgical wings of hospitals. But there are different kinds of loneliness and this episode sets out to show that. It picks up where the last episode left off. The Russell quintuplets all survived the birth process but there are serious complications in three out of the five girls and less severe problems in one other quint, yet they’re all alive and Bailey says that means it’s a good day and sends all of the interns home for the night, except Izzie who is on call. The next morning, each intern is assigned a quint to monitor. Alex has Kate who is relatively healthy with no specific problems other than those that naturally accompany premature birth. George is assigned Lucy who has water on the brain that requires a shunt to be inserted to relieve the pressure. Subsequent surgery is successful. Christina is assigned Julie whose major organs have developed outside of her body. The first operation is successful but another operation would be necessary to finish the process. Meredith is assigned Charlotte whose lungs have not developed adequately and must wear a special mask. Later her lung collapses but Meredith is able to quickly inflate it again with Derek’s help, which gives them an opportunity to bond while leaning on the incubator. Charlotte does not improve as quickly as expected though and finally Meredith decides it is because the baby is lonely. She co-beds her with another of the quints and Charlotte improves dramatically.
Izzie is assigned Emily who has an undeveloped chamber in her heart. When Burke and Addison open her heart during surgery they close her chest almost immediately. It turns out that the baby has no chance of survival. Addison, however, does not tell Izzie this and instead assigns her to watch the baby all night to teach her a hard lesson--a surgeon has to learn to distance herself from her patients in order to make the best decisions (a hard lesson Webber taught her as an intern). When Emily dies, despite heroic efforts on Izzie’s part and she finds out the truth about the baby’s prognosis, she is livid with Addison, who expected that reaction but was not looking forward to it. Addison believes that Izzie shows more promise as a pediatric surgeon than anyone she has seen in a long time and she was hoping they could have a friendly mentor-student relationship but that is not to be and it makes her sad. Webber tells her though that she is not there to make friends. She’s there to make better surgeons. And being a teacher can be a lonely business.
For the quints’ mother, Dorie, the reality of the quints’ medical problems is fully settling in and the knowledge is devastating. She regrets not listening to the doctors who advised her not to carry five babies but feels there is nothing she can do now and no one else to blame. She tries to leave the hospital instead of staying and watching them die. Meredith, who has been assigned to keep an eye on Dorie, tries to convince her that more than anything the babies need to know they are not alone, but Dories emotions are all over the place and the wisdom of that simple truth is hard for her to see.
Alex is once again odd man out since everyone is mad at him for hurting Izzie by sleeping with Nurse Olivia. Although he tries to apologize to Izzie and is rebuffed, what is really bothering him is the bad decision that he made in caring for Mr. Martin, when he over prescribed medication that essentially dehydrated the man’s brain. Alex pores over books to try to find a solution to save the day but Derek explains to him in very blunt terms that there is nothing he can do and he has in effect killed Mr. Martin and he has to live with that. He may as well go home. Alex chooses to sit with Mr. Martin instead because no one should die alone, he says.
Izzie is just having a bad day so when she sees Meredith being a little bit chummy with that lying cheating Alex, she blows. Meredith tries to explain to Izzie that she was just trying to help Alex find a solution to Mr. Martin’s coma, but Izzie is not convinced and accuses Meredith of trying to sleep with Alex. She has after all “slept with everyone else.” That was ugly but by the end of the day they’ve made up and Meredith, George and Cristina rally around Izzie to comfort her when they learn that Emily died. Meredith has an idea about how to cheer up Izzie. She and Izzie go to the pound and get a four-legged, fuzzy haired friend who you can depend on, play around with, and who will never let you be lonely.
Cristina is assigned a patient who swallowed razor blades to get a vacation from prison. The woman was in solitary confinement and took drastic action to come to the hospital to have someone to talk to. Cristina is less than sympathetic, especially when she finds out that the woman had murdered three people while high on drugs. When the surgery to remove the razor blades is successful and it appears that the woman will be taken back to prison in thirty-six hours, she eats a light bulb and must be rushed into surgery again because she perforated her windpipe. Burke is able to save the day and Cristina thaws a little toward the patient when she sees the devastating psychological pain and desperation that isolation and loneliness can cause. As a result she becomes a little bit less willing to take Burke’s attention for granted.
George is assigned a man who has serious wounds on his nose and fingers from multiple skin melanomas and reconstructive surgery. The areas are not receiving enough blood flow and the solution is to use leeches to get rid of the dead tissue and because they secrete a substance that acts as a blood thinner. Nurse Olivia works with him and George can’t help letting her know how disappointed he is that she slept with Alex again. They argue in earshot of the patient who believes they are a couple, but the truth about George’s unrequited crush on Meredith comes out when Olivia yells at him that he dumped her for someone who doesn’t even know he’s alive. The patient advises George that the loneliness of being in a relationship with someone who can’t love you back is worse than being alone.
The message that not being alone is not the same thing as not being lonely also seems to be the message Derek is sending to Addison in his own unique passive-aggressive way. Meredith overhears Addison and Derek arguing about whether they should live in the trailer or not. Addison, the big city girl, is not enamored of the simple life. Meredith, however, makes it her business to make sure that Derek knows how upset she would be if he gave up the trailer because that’s who he really is. Derek assures her that after only a few weeks she knows him better than his wife of eleven years and he has no intentions of giving up the trailer. Meredith is thrilled. George watches them from a distance—alone. Later, Addison approaches Derek who is happily reviewing papers in the empty surgery gallery and tells him she’s lonely. He just stares at her with a half smile on his face. And that’s it until next Sunday at Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring:
James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick
Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda
Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R.
Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and
Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Music: Jim Noir's "I
Me You;" Gemma Hayes' "Two Step;" James Blunt's "Tears &
Rain;" Emiliana Torrini's "Sunny Road;" and Moonbabies' "War On Sound."
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Air Date: December 11, 2005
Writer: Krista Vernoff
Director: Peter Horton
Episode 2.12 At A Glance:
Meanwhile at the hospital, Addison tries to get Derek to help her with catalog shopping especially in choosing a gift for her mother-in-law, who Derek assures her loves her, but with whom she says she knows she has a lot ground to make up. Addison is bubbly and happy and reminds Derek that he loves Christmas and Christmas shopping. Derek, on the other hand, seems to love nothing about this situation. He tells her he’s just not in the mood then escapes as soon as he can and rushes off to consult with Izzie on a case.
As Cristina grabs her coat and prepares to rush out of Burke’s apartment, he studies her with a smile on his face and she smiles back. He is obviously happy she is there and she seems happy too until she spots an unadorned Christmas tree. Burke explains he thought they could decorate it that night together and celebrate their first Christmas together. She responds and adds one more piece of information to the tiny pile of Cristina nuggets Burke has been slowly collecting—she’s Jewish.
In the meanwhile, it seems that Webber has pushed Adele about as far as he can and she gives him an ultimatum relayed to him by Patricia that unless he comes home and attends their niece’s school pageant as promised, an event he has known about for weeks, then …. Patricia feels uncomfortable relaying direct quotes from that point on but does note that the word divorce was mentioned in light of the crap he pulled at Thanksgiving. Alex is franticly studying for his Medical Boards retest, which is the next day, and is convinced he is going to fail. And Bailey is having to balance the demands of her unborn child with the heavy demands of a surgery scheduled ratcheted up by the “idiocy” of behavior during the holidays, and the fact that seven surgeons are on vacation and “The Chief” is now off to watch a school pageant after asking her to cover his scheduled surgery.
The first case presented on rounds is a man, Mr. Epstein, who fell off his roof while stringing Hanamus lights. His wife sits by his side and his three young and rambunctious children, who are engaging in joyful mayham, surround him and demand his attention. Bailey suggests he might want to ask them to step out of the room for a little quiet time but he begs that they be allowed to stay because he doesn’t want to miss a minute of the holidays with them, which delights Izzie.
Derek has been called in to determine whether Epstein has sustained any brain injuries and Izzie enthusiastically volunteers to work with him on the case. It turns out Epstein has a subdural hematoma and his brain is bleeding as a result of injuries he sustained in the fall. Derek operates on him. During the operation Izzie chatters on about how wonderful he and his family are because they enjoy celebrating together so much, including Chanukah, Hanamus & Chrismukah, but Derek plays Scrooge and dumps facts on her about why the holidays are particularly busy for neurosurgeons—including people falling off roofs and hitting their heads such as the patient, going ice skating for the first time in a decade and cracking open their heads, going to parties and kissing germy strangers on the cheek then driving home after drinking too much, crashing, and hitting their head on the windshield and so on. Izzie is sobered by the negativity. After the surgery, it is expected that Epstein will fully recover but it quickly becomes obvious that a seeming side effect of the surgery is an alteration in his personality. He is suddenly short tempered, impatient and nasty, where before he had been very easy going, loving to his family, extremely patient and genial. Izzie suggests it might be Derek’s fault for flooding the O.R. with negative vibes while Epstein’s brain was open and exposed. Derek doesn't respond and instead allows her to quickly see the ridiculousness of that statement on her own.
When Derek and Izzie dig for an explanation for the personality change, they find the Epstein has a tumor in the frontal lobe of his brain that had originally gone undetected because such injuries sometimes delay in presenting symptoms. After hearing about the necessity of a second brain surgery, the wife asks Derek to treat the problem as seriously as if it were a fatal cancer, because the man who had emerged from surgery was not her husband, who was the love of her life, or the man she had shared a very happy family with before the accident. During surgery this time Derek asks for music, Christmas carols or Chanukah carols if such thins exists, which makes Izzie happy. The second operation is successful. Derek later reports to Addison that Epstein woke up smiling.
Cristina is assigned to work with Burke on a heart transplant case. The young patient, Justin, has had a previous transplant two weeks after birth, but for the last two years that heart has been failing. Burke is thrilled to tell he and his mother, Marion, that a heart has just become available but Justin is surprisingly angry about it. His mother tells him how happy she is that Santa Claus has brought him a new heart but Justine suggests that she tell “the fat ass” to give it to someone else, because he doesn’t want it. Cristina takes an instant dislike to the mother who refuses to acknowledge her son’s dislike of Christmas and hostility toward the idea of Santa Claus. As Justin is being prepped for surgery he tells Cristina that he doesn’t want the operation. “You could make a run for it,” she says, “but with your heart you wouldn’t get very far.” She explains that until he is eighteen his mother is the one who makes the call. He says his mother is a liar and has no right to make decisions about him because she lied to him about Santa Claus bringing the first heart.
During the operation Burke is pleased because the donor heart is a perfect fit but indicates he is worried about the impact of Justin’s depression on his recovery. Cristina speculates he’s depressed because of his mother, who is too much like her own mother in her mind for comfort. Burke though says it’s not the mother—she loves him and never leaves. Cristina counters that she may love him but she never listens to him. Burke is afraid that if Justin doesn’t really want the heart, his body will reject it. He believes there is a mind-body-spirit connection. Cristina scoffs: “Let me get this straight. You don’t just celebrate Christmas, you believe in Santa Claus?” The surgical team is obviously shocked by her comment. Burke dismisses her from the O.R. and tells her to go and make an appointment for a psych consult for Justin. Chastened she leaves the O.R. Later Burke confronts her about mocking him and disrespecting him in his O.R., which “cannot happen.” She apologizes but is clearly disturbed by Burke “religiousness.” He is not religious, he explains, but spiritual. Cristina sees no difference and then wonders why they are even together since they have nothing in common. Belief in science, she declares, was their one point of commonality. Later, Cristina hears Justin talking to a priest. He says he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and his mother lied when she told him that Santa Claus brought the last heart because he heard the nurses talking and heard that another kid had to die for him to get a heart. The priest tries to comfort him by saying God’s wants him to live that’s why the heart became available, but Justin says he doesn’t believe in God either and his mother has been praying for two years for another child to die so he could get a heart and wants to know how God feels about that. His mother and the priest are briefly at a loss for words and before they can respond Justin goes into cardiac arrest.
Cristina is able to resuscitate Justin but she is shaken by the turn of events and thinks that maybe the heart was bad, but Burke tells her that it’s not the heart and the problem can’t be fixed by a medical intervention--unless Justin wants the heart and is willing to fight for it, his body will reject it. Cristina is thrown by the sense of helplessness she feels. Later she visits Justin. He’s awake but his mother is asleep. She tells him that she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus or God either. She believes in medicine and the idea that some surgeon figured out years ago how to help someone like him live by transplanting a heart was “cooler” than Santa Claus. She tells him to believe in medicine if he wants to and that choosing to die was not the best revenge. He should live to grow up and become a surgeon who figures out how to do a heart transplant where someone doesn’t have to die. Or to have children he raises not to believe in Santa Claus just to drive his mother crazy. Or whatever. He should choose to live. And he does. That night when she goes home, Burke has decorated the tree and has a menorah in the window. She crawls in bed next to him and tells him that Justin has stabilized. Burke smiles ever so slightly and knowingly and wonders what turned things around.
George is assigned to work on a case of a woman with a bleeding ulcer. She has been in the hospital for three days because her condition, though serious, is not immediately life threatening and her surgery has been rescheduled when emergency surgeries had to be rushed onto the scheduled. She is surrounded by her rather intrusive and obnoxious family—her mother, father, husband and son. The room is in audio chaos with the TV blasting, the son playing a loud video game, the mother complaining about the hospital and crying copious tears over Christmas being ruined because she hasn’t had time to go shopping, and the husband being openly hostile toward and dismissive of the doctors. The patient is obviously under enormous stress from her family but none of them notice or seem to care. Instead they are belligerent and confrontational and very upset that the surgery has been postponed. Webber assures them the surgery will happen that morning but then has to leave and asks Bailey to cover it for him. The patient understands about the postponements but what she wants or feels seems to be of little interest to her family. When George tries to ask her questions, her mother or husband answer for her. When George suggests the son turn down the volume on the game, he wants to know who George thinks he is. When George asks questions about her medical history, the husband questions whether George has even looked at her chart. The patient apologizes to George quietly and explains she has no questions because she has had five ulcers before.
When a couple of emergency cases are brought in through E.R., despite Webber’s assurances that the surgery will happen that morning, the ulcer patient’s surgery once again is rescheduled. Later however the ulcer perforates the wall of the abdomen and she begins to cough up blood. The woman is rushed into surgery. Although Bailey has been swamped all day and is nauseous, starving, and her feet hurt and the baby is kicking, she performs the surgery admirably. During the surgery it is discovered that the patient has both a bleeding ulcer and a perforated ulcer. George speculates that one reason things went from bad to worse was because of her family’s constant pressure on her. He then regrets not demanding the family leave her room to give her some peace and quiet. When after the surgery, Bailey informs the family that the surgery was successful, they are not the least bit grateful and instead bristle about all of the perceived injustices they have endured and threaten to sue the hospital for keeping them waiting then demand to see the patient immediately. George, with Bailey’s encouragement and tacit approval, finally decides to assert himself and says what he wished he had said earlier that they will not be allowed to see his patient because she needs peace and quiet and an opportunity to recover and they need to get their act together and consider just shutting up. George walks away then Bailey says most insincerely to the stunned family: “Interns. Too emotional. Apologies.”
Alex and Meredith have been assigned to work in the pit. Alex is disappointed because he has clearly decided he is going to fail his boards tomorrow and therefore thinks this is probably his last day as an intern. When an “exciting” surgery comes into the E. R. that will involve stomach surgery Meredith tells Alex he’ll have to fight her for it, he simply steps aside and says it’s a going away gift. Meredith realizes he is deeply depressed and needs help. She tells Bailey what’s going on and Bailey agrees to let Meredith go help him study. When Cristina discovers them, she is roped into taking Meredith’s place when Meredith is called away. George has scrubbed into surgery with Bailey and when he makes a joke about calling in Alex to put a patient out of his misery, Bailey blasts him. She tells him that he doesn’t have to like Alex but he has to be on his side because they are studying to be surgeons and when they make mistakes someone dies. Later when a duly sensitized George discovers Cristina helping Alex study, he is pulled into service to help and agrees as Cristina is called away. When Izzie finds George helping Alex she blows a gasket. She accuses him of betraying their friendship and subsequently accuses Meredith and Cristina as well, but Meredith tells her they are like family and in the end you help family and Izzie should consider living some the religious values she has been shoving down their throat. Later Izzie goes to help Alex because that’s “what Jesus would freakin’ do.” While role-playing a patient he is trying to diagnose, she starts crying and can’t stop. Finally, Alex sees how much he hurt her and apologizes again. Izzie claims the crying is just part of the symptoms she is presenting. Alex gets the right diagnosis when he adds crying to the list of symptoms, but even he knows there was more to it than that.
Derek has been in a blue funk all day. He and Meredith greet each other and realize that something is wrong and need to say nothing more than “It’s the holidays” to convey a world of meaning. Addison, however, is excited. Christmas is she and Derek’s season. When he doesn’t have time to help catalog shop for gifts for his mother that morning, she suggests they have a French dinner that night and catalog shop then. She tries to generate some excitement in him but he is not having it and gratefully escapes to consult on the Epstein case. Addison tracks Derek down in radiology where he and Izzy had just discovered the frontal lobe tumor in Epstein that required a second surgery. Izzie rushes off to schedule the surgery and ignores and refuses to speak to Addison as she goes by. When Addison calls out to Derek, who’s now alone in the viewing room, he ignores her as well. When she finally gets his attention, he explains there has to be a second surgery on Epstein so that means no dinner or catalog shopping tonight. He tells Addison he’s sorry about that but she calls him on it and tells him that he’s not unhappy about not being able to meet her and she wonders why. She wants to know if he’s angry or what. He blows off her concerns and questions and says nothing is wrong and that he’ll see her at home later then rushes off.
Later he and Meredith walk out of the hospital at the same time and both agree that holidays are disturbing. At the door they wish each other Merry Christmas and walk in opposite directions. Derek goes to Joe’s and gets a stiff drink. He is obviously upset over his brief encounter with Meredith. Addison happens to be in the bar sitting in a booth with a stack of catalog on the table in front of her, sipping a drink. She calls out to him. A flash of annoyance crosses his face. He takes a big gulp of his drink then walks over to her. Once again Addison tries to ignite the Christmas spirit in Derek by reminding him how much they love Christmas or at least use to. “Used to” seems to be the operative phrase. He tells her that Christmas makes you want to be with people you love and then tells her that he loves Meredith and that didn’t just go away because he decided to stay with her. Addison looks stunned and hurt. He slides into the booth next to her.
Meredith goes home and finds Izzie stretched out on the floor of the living room looking up at the Christmas lights. She stretches out next to her. George comes in and wants to know what’s going on. He slips next to Meredith and the three of them stare up at the lights. Doggie comes bouncing in and snuggles next to George. Meredith’s voiceover indicates that family is sometimes who you choose it to be. That's it until our next visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: C. J. Sanders (Justin Davidson); Michael Hyatt (Mariann Davidson); Troy Curvey, Jr. (Father Mike); Helen Slater (Nadia. Shelton); Jenny O’Hara (Nadia Shelton’s Mother); Richard Jenik (Jimmy Shelton); Alex Stamm (Josh Shelton); Andre Bilgore (Tim Epstein); Kathe Mazur (Julie Epstein); Sean McDermott (Jake Epstein); Sarah McDermott (Leah Epstein); Steven W. Bailey (Joe); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia); Kathleen M. Darcy (Anesthesiologist); Alan Fudge (Ernie); Linda Klein (Scrub Nurse).
Music: Holidays On Ice’s “Here Comes Your Ride;” The LeeVees’ “Latke Clan;” Sixpence None the Richer’s “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear;” Nat King Cole's "A Christmas Song;" Lou Rawl's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town;" Mascott's "This Christmastime;" Jet's "Back Door Santa;" Catie Curtis' "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming;" and Maria Taylor's "Christmas After All."
Straight to the Heart
Air Date: January 8, 2006
Recap Episode Seasons 1 & 2
A recap episode of Season 1 Episodes 1-9 and Season 2 Episodes 1-12. The episode traces Meredith’s first encounter with Derek as a man she picks up in a bar to her subsequent declarations of love for him and the arrival of his previous unknown wife, Addison. It traces the interns first days at Seattle Grace and their budding friendships and disputes. It traces Cristina and Burke’s trajectory from on call room buddies to lovers.
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Begin the Begin
Air Date: January 15, 2006
Writer: Kip Koenig
Director: Jessica Yu
Episode 2.13 At A Glance:
A mandatory work load limit has been enforced on the interns so that they cannot work more than 80 hours a week. The net effect is that the nurses’ work load will increase and the interns are frustrated by not being able to work as much as they would like. A heart transplant patient receives good news that a heart has become available. Burke prepares him for surgery and sends Bailey to personally oversee the heart transport. Cristina, who is disturbed by not being able to avoid Burke’s curiosity about what she would have done if she hadn’t lost the baby by hiding behind work, talks Bailey into letting her tag along to retrieve the heart. On the private plane they talk about hard decisions and Bailey confesses that for a moment she too thought of not having her baby. When they return Cristina tells Burke that she hadn’t planned to have the baby. He is gracious and tells her that he just wanted to know. He wants to know as much about her as possible.
Izzie and the heart transplant patient, Denny, flirt shamelessly and it is obvious that they are attracted to each other. Denny is afraid to hope too much that the transplant will come through but the possibility of starting something with Izzie inspires him to hope. Unfortunately, the heart turns out not to be viable. Denny leaves the hospital knowing his days are dwindling down. Izzie watches him leave with regret for what is likely to happen and for what might have been.
In the meanwhile, George works with a young patient who it turns out is a hermaphrodite although neither she nor her parents were aware of it. Addison and George discover that her medical problems are the result of a tumor on her testes. Her parents are adamant about not telling her about her condition, but George is just as adamant that she has a right to know and creates a situation where the patient suspects the truth and asks pointed questions which forces her parents to reveal the truth to her.
Addison and Derek are living
in the trailer, but it appears not happily. Addison is less than thrilled about
the cramped quarters or about the supposed delight of having fresh fish for
breakfast. Webber asks Derek to visit Ellis and assess whether he believes she
would be a good candidate for a new Alzheimer’s program/protocol. When Meredith
happens to visit and finds him there she thinks he is just being “McDreamy” and
looking out for her and she begs him to cut it out because her heart can’t take
all of the double messages. He doesn’t bother to correct her impression but
after she refuses to allow her mother to be considered for the program, Webber
tells her he asked Derek to go and that he is not looking for a miracle for her
mother—just a few more days where she is lucid. Meredith reconsiders and agrees
to let her mother participate. And that was it until the next week’s visit to
Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring: James Pickens Jr.
(Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek
Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen
Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George
O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina
Yang).
Guest Stars:
Kate Burton (Ellis Grey); Stephen Spinella (Malar Pascowitz); Lauren Tom (Audrey);
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny Duquette); Becca Gardner (Bex Singleton); Shannon
Cochan (Mrs. Singleton);
Music: The 88s’ “Mootron;” Kraak and Smask’s “One of These Days;” Carly Brothers’ “Ride;” and Slow Runner’s “Break Your Momma’s Back.”
Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
Air Date: January 22, 2006
Writer: Joan Rater & Tony Phelan
Director: Adam Davidson
Episode 2.14 At A Glance:
Everybody is lying to each other at Seattle Grace, especially Derek who is lying to Meredith, Addison and himself. Meredith and Cristina meet in the surgery gallery and initially lie to each other about their respective relationships with Derek and Burke. Later though Meredith admits that Derek is back to being McDreamy in her book and they are more than friends. Cristina admits she is letting Burke believe they have moved in together but she is in fact keeping her apartment. After his surgery, Derek and Meredith meet in a cubicle where he draws her blood, which is required as part of the background information for the Alzheimer clinical trial study her mother is participating in. They lie to each as they pretend the only reason Derek had to be the one to draw the blood was because he initiated the contact with the clinical trial and that, despite the deep, meaningful looks they shoot at each other, everything between them is professional and they are just friends. In the meanwhile, Cristina lets Burke believe happily that they are actually living together and as a result he invites a shocked Meredith to come over for dinner one night. He wants Cristina to feel comfortable inviting her friends to their home and Meredith, he says, is her best friend. In the meanwhile, Izzie and George have had enough of Doc, aka “Cujo,” who peed on Izzie’s bed among other things. George issues an ultimatum. Either the dog goes or he moves out. Meredith clearly does not want to give the dog away and a hurt George declares he is moving out that day.
Cristina is assigned to work with Derek on a case of a rock guitarist who severed three fingers on his right hand. As Derek questions him he asks if he smokes because smoking will drastically reduce the possibility of the grafts being successful. The patient claims he doesn’t, but Cristina, who is examining the fingers, confronts him bluntly about the truth of that statement. “You may not smoke but your fingers do.” She is abrupt and her manner disturbs Derek. Later when she is alone with the patient she catches him with a pack of cigarettes given to him by one of his bandmates. He swears she can just take them because all he wanted to do was hold them but Cristina is dismissive and agrees with him when he accuses her of believing he won’t be able to quit. Later, a livid Derek confronts her and tells her that she has messed with his patient’s head. He wants to know where her compassion is. It is important, he declares, that the patient believe he can quit or he is doomed to fail. He demands that Cristina go back into the patient’s room and “lie” to him about her feelings. The confrontation serves as a catalyst for a blowout between Cristina and Derek over Meredith. Cristina wants to know where his compassion is concerning Meredith. She accuses him of waiting until Meredith has just gotten back on her feet emotionally and then swooping in and lying to her again. “You have her calling you McDreamy again.” Derek states boldly that he has NEVER lied to Meredith. Cristina scoffs. She tells him she recognizes him as a liar because she’s a liar, too. Then she says if he wants her to lie to the patient, she’ll lie to the patient. She leaves Derek somewhat stunned by the slap of her version of brutal honesty.
Meredith works with Burke on a patient whose replaced heart valve is failing much sooner than expected. The woman is preternaturally upbeat and Meredith believes the woman is on drugs, although the woman swears she is not. Meredith believes she is lying but Burke tells her that he doesn’t. Some people in the world don’t lie, he says, and he believes the woman is one of those people. Meredith, though, is in full cynic mode and wonders what planet he is living on. As if to underscore her suspicions about Burke’s rationality, Burke then invites a stunned Meredith over for dinner. Cristina it seems has convinced Burke they are living together and Burke is particularly grateful to Meredith who he assumes encouraged her to move in. The tox screen they run on the patient comes back negative for drugs but Meredith is still not convinced. She goes behind Burke’s back and has a second set run by forging his signature (which Burke gladly overlooks because he is so thrilled that Meredith convinced Cristina to move in with him; an impression that Meredith doesn’t bother to correct). That second tox screen also comes back negative, which gives Burke an opportunity to smirk, but then it turns out that the screen does reveal extremely high serotonin levels. The woman, they realize, has a tumor in her lungs, which presents itself with a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms, including valve failure and extremely elevated serotonin levels with the resulting exaggerated euphoria. Both Burke and Meredith feel vindicated. He was right that the patient was not lying, she was right that no one is normally that happy.
George is assigned to work with a seventy-eight year old woman, Sophie, who wants to be considered anything but old. She has been in the hospital for a month recovering from hip surgery but was ready to be released a couple of weeks ago. She refuses to leave, however. Although there is a room for her at the Shady Maple Nursing Home, Sophie claims she is waiting for her daughter to finish converting her den into a room for her—a pink room. Webber clearly wants her to leave but doesn’t want to be the one to throw her out. After all, she sang for the troops in WWII. He suggests that George take charge and find a way to send her packing. Sophie, though, is a formidable foe for George because she is upbeat, gay, warm and a shameless flirt. It only takes a few minutes before George is on her side and tries to find a way to keep her in the hospital. The problem is that the surgical nurses are extremely overworked and feel as if surgery has become a dumping ground for all sorts of non-surgical patients. Indeed, Webber suggests one way to handle the problem is for George to find a way to pass Sophie off to another service. A couple of attempts by George to pass Sophie off to another service are ultimately unsuccessful but through the process George bonds further with Sophie. She learns about Meredith and advises George that he should fight for what is his. No woman should choose a dog over him. Sophie’s daughter finally comes to the hospital and it turns out that Sophia had been lying about her daughter wanting her to live with her. Sophie admits that she doesn’t want to go to the nursing home because she knows the place will make her feel old. George assures her that he can’t imagine any place ever making her old and kisses her hand. Sophie is touched and seems resigned to leaving the hospital.
Alex and Izzie are working with a woman who is a celebrity in Japan because she a competitive eating star. She does not speak English but her coach serves as her translator. Her manager brought her into the hospital because she had hiccups that would not stop. Bailey sends the woman for tests but her manager is insistent that she just get some more medicine that will allow her to participate in a competitive eating challenge later that day. Bailey points out that she got medicine before and it didn’t work. Her manager is not persuaded by the wisdom of that statement and lies to the patient about her condition. Bailey is suspicious of him and sends Alex to find a translator but by the time he returns the manager has taken the woman out of the hospital. Later, the patient and her manager return after she has been injured further by the competition. It turns out the woman has a torn esophagus and needs surgery. The manager regrets his decision to lie to her but it is too late to save her career.
Several other story threads run throughout this episode. For one thing, Bailey is obviously struggling with the demands of her pregnancy. She has contractions that turn out to be Braxton-Hicks but Addison tells her that often such contractions are the body’s way of indicating that the woman needs to slow down. Bailey listens but is still determined to carry on and get as much surgery in as possible before the baby comes. During the surgery on the competitive eater, however, she is not able to continue operating because of the Braxton-Hicks contractions. Webber is called in to finish the surgery. Bailey finally agrees to take a leave from the hospital. Another story thread centers on Alex and his medical board exam. As rounds start, Webber gives Alex a letter that contains the results of the exam. Alex decides not to open the letter right away and instead keeps it unopened in his pocket throughout most of the episode. Finally, he asks Izzie to open it for him. The good news is that he passed. And finally, the grumbling, frustration, and rumbling undercurrent of dissatisfaction and discontent from the nurses comes out into the open. During his surgery on the competitive eater, Webber is informed that the night shift nurses are not coming in (temp nurses have already been called) and he is presented with a letter indicating that the nurses intend to go on strike in ten days.
In the end, George confronts Meredith about not being supportive of him when he has always been there for her. His friendship should matter more to her than a dog, he says. Meredith decides to give the dog up to… Derek…and Addison. Izzie, George and Meredith take Doc out to the Shepherds' trailer. Addison is gracious in accepting Doc and they seem to bond instantly. When Meredith becomes emotional and thanks her, Addison tells her reassuringly not to worry, “It’s just a dog.” But, of course, it’s not just a dog. It’s Meredith’s way of trying to stay connected to her McDreamy. As Addison takes the dog into the trailer and Izzie and George return to the car, once again Derek and Meredith pause for a moment to share deep, meaningful looks and claim they are just fine. As Meredith turns and walks away, she acknowledges she is lying about her feelings about Derek because sometimes admitting the truth hurts too much. And that was it until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae.
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Carole Cook (Sophia Larson); Nancy Linari (Sophia’s daughter); Jill Holden (Naomi Cline); Christopher Boyer (Tom Cline); Cathy Lind Hayes (Nurse Debbie); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia); Kate Anthony (GI Nurse); Tyshawn Bryant (Friend #1); Donovan Leitch (Rick Friart); Ricardo Molina (ID Resident Amir); John O'Brien (Jeffery); Rigo Sanchez (Paramedic); and Yutaka Takeuchi (Kamaji).
Music: St. Etienne’s “A Good Thing;” Metric’s “Monster Hospital;” Mike Tarantino’s “Wienermobile Girl;” Sam Winch’s “ I Got Some Moves;” Carey Off’s “Am I Just One;” and Adrienne Pierce’s “Fool’s Gold.”
Break On Through
Air Date: January 29, 2006
Writer: Zoanne Clack
Director: David Paymer
Episode 2.15 At A Glance:
The nurses go on strike at Seattle Grace. George refuses to cross the picket line because he comes from a very pro union family (his mother is a teacher and his father is a truck driver). Cristina has no such qualms and braves the gauntlet first. She is showered with flying doughnuts. Izzie, after unsuccessfully cajoling George to join her, follows suit and deals with her own onslaught of flying food and heckling from Nurse Olivia who Izzie then suggests should enjoy her syphilis. Cindy, the anti-Bailey, takes charge of the interns but her bubbling upbeat personality and healing with love philosophy sends them psychologically running for cover.
Cristina and Alex gladly rush off to consult on a rash case in the pit, and to escape Cindy Izzie gratefully agrees to work with Addison on a difficult pregnancy case. When the simple rash/infection turns out to be flesh eating bacteria, the patient is taken into immediate surgery. The infection is so aggression that the only reasonable option seems to be to remove her leg, but she is a newlywed and her husband begs the doctors to consider a less radical procedure so that she can retain some capacity to engage in the hiking, climbing, running activities she loves so much. Cindy agrees to remove all of the damaged flesh and to try to retain as much of the leg as possible but Cristina is convinced that is a bad decision. During the operation she is argumentative and Cindy sends her away. Cristina responds by rushing to Burke and telling him that a resident is jeopardizing a patient’s life with a foolish decision. Burke rushes into the O.R. to support Cristina and is roundly put in his place by Cindy. Later Burke is mortified by his behavior. He tells Cristina that he has never before taken on anyone in his or her own O.R. He asks Cristina to apologize to Cindy and she does so begrudgingly and only after wondering why he too isn’t apologizing. It turns out that attendings don't apologize to residents.
Addison’s case involves a teenage mother whose baby must be operated on prior to birth. Izzie is struck by the fact that the girl seems to have little idea of what will be involved in raising a child, as evidenced by the fact that she has made no arrangements for the baby and makes an offhand comment that the nine months had gone by so quickly. Izzie is so touched and concerned about the patient that she confesses to her (after swearing her to secrecy) that she had a baby at sixteen that she gave up for adoption and it was a decision that she never regretted. She encourages the girl to consider all of her options. When the girl’s mother finds out what Izzie did, she is livid. Izzie, however, convinces her patient's mother that she made the comments out of respect, not disrespect, and that she understands first hand the struggles of having to work long hours to make ends meet. She then wonders if the patient's mother might not want more for her daughter.
In the meanwhile, Meredith has stumbled across an older female patient and who is struggling to breathe and calling out for someone named Lenny. She intubates her and only after that finds out that the patient was a Do Not Resuscitate patient. Meredith’s actions create a sticky situation. The tube that is now allowing the patient to breathe cannot be removed without the permission once again of the patient’s immediate family, although the patient’s close friends all assure Webber that the patient was ready to die and go to be with her much beloved husband, Lenny. Even so, the patient’s daughter who is out of town must be brought to the hospital to approve the procedure. The daughter does come and, surrounded by friends and family, the patient’s tube is removed and she dies. Meredith, who insisted on removing the tube although Webber offered to take over for her, is overwhelmed by a panic attack afterwards and rushes into a linen closet to try to catch her breath. Derek sees her and follows her. He comforts her as she explains the situation made her aware that her mother might die alone, a thought that terrifies and saddens her. Derek is more than sympathetic and makes it clear that he is willing to take his gestures of comfort from the point of hugging to kissing and maybe beyond, but Meredith breaks away and leaves the linen closet.
The nurse’s strike is settled when Webber is forced to see that he is being pennywise and pound foolish by spending money on a robotic surgery arm when the funds could be used to pay for more nurses to actually keep the hospital running. And that was it until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Kate Burton (Ellis Grey); Kali Rocha (Dr. Cindy Aaron); Dona Hardy (Grace Bickman); Rae Allen (Ruth); Betty Garrett (Eleanor); June Lockhart (Agnes); Pamela Roylance (Alice Bickman); Regine Nehy (Cheynne Wood); Monica Calhoun (Mrs. Wood); Leisha Hailey (Claire Solomon); Kenneth Mitchell (Wade Solomon); Cathy Lind Hayes (Nurse Debbie); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); Moe Irvin (Nurse Tyler); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia) and Steven W. Bailey (Joe); Kate Anthony (GI Nurse); Branden Weslee Kong (Visitor); Amy Cale Peterson (Nursing Home Staffer); and Jeremy Rabb (ER Resident).
Music: Aqueduct’s “The Suggestion Box;” Vassy’s “Wanna Fly;” Kate Earl’s “Someone To Love;” Landon Pigg’s “Sailed On;” Kendall Payne’s “Scratch;” and Leeroy Stagger’s “Just In Case.”
It’s The End of the World
Air Date: February 5, 2006
Writer: Shonda Rhimes
Director: Peter Horton
Episode 2.16 At A Glance:
Bailey is back (sort of) and all seems right with the world but Webber believes that a quiet surgery board portends that hell is just over the horizon and sure enough it was on the way screaming toward the hospital in a ambulance transporting a patient with an unexploded bazooka shell in his abdomen and a terrified inexperience paramedic unknowingly holding it steady with her hand inside his wound. The interns are thrilled to see Bailey who fusses at them for being “Rosemary’s babies” while she was gone and running off two other residents who called her at HOME to complain about them. George reacts to the tirade by hugging her. He, as are the others, is thrilled to see her. Bailey quickly hands out assignments, which include Meredith, Cristina and Alex waiting for the incoming ambulance, Izzie going to get a wheelchair, and George going to page Addison. It turns out Bailey is in labor, which becomes patently obvious when her water breaks all over George’s shoes.
When the doors to the ambulance swing open, Meredith, Cristina and Alex are greeted by the sight of a blood covered and screaming woman, a patient on a stretcher covered in blood and two paramedics, one who has her hand in the patient’s wound. The patient wounded by the ammunition and the paramedic are rushed into the ER and then the OR where Burke is ready to do surgery that will allow the paramedic to remove her hand and not have the patient bleed out. In the meanwhile, Alex is left alone to attend to the patient’s wife, who is literally screaming her head off, when Izzie and Cristina run to meet another incoming ambulance carrying a car accident victim.
The car accident victim has head wounds and Derek is called to the ER. Izzie and Cristina are working with him. In the meanwhile, Bailey is now in a room and Addison is trying to help her reduce her pain naturally because Bailey refuses to take pain meds or have an epidural. She is afraid an epidural will increase the possibility that she will have to have a C-section and declares that women around the world have babies at home all the time. She is upset though that her husband is not there yet. George offers to find her husband and Bailey gives him her husband’s cell phone number. Derek’s patient is being prepped to be rushed into an OR when his phone rings. The patient has been asking if his wife is at the hospital yet and when the phone rings he becomes agitated and wants to answer it. Derek directs Izzie to get it. When she answers it, George is on the line. George wants to know what she is doing answering Bailey’s husband’s phone. Izzie tells him he is crazy but then it dawns on her what has happened. The accident victim is Bailey’s husband, whose last name is Jones not Bailey. Addison, having heard the news about Bailey’s husband, Tucker Jones, confers with Derek as he and Burke scrub for surgery. Derek suggests that Addison not say anything to Bailey about her husband’s accident until he has had a chance to assess the degree of Tucker’s brain damage.
Alex finally calms down the wife of the first patient and begins to get the story of what happened. It seems that along with his best friend, her husband built a replica of a WWII antitank gun in their garage and decided to test fire it. When the bazooka didn’t fire he stepped in front of it to see if he could determine the source of the problem. Unfortunately at just that moment, the gun fired. Alex immediately realizes the significance of the fact that there was no explosion and no exit wound in the patient. He rushes to the OR and gets there just as Burke is about to start cutting. He calls Burke away from the operating table and explains the situation to him. Burke sends Meredith to the nurses station with the instructions to walk (don’t run) and tell the charge nurse that there is a Code Black and that he is sure and to call the bomb squad. He then tells his team that there is a Code Black and instructs everyone to leave except for the paramedic, Hannah, whose hand inserted in the patient’s wound is still keeping the patient from bleeding out, and the anesthesiologist who is needed to manually pump air into the patient’s lungs because the ventilator must be cut off. Everyone leaves the operating room. Later, Burke calmly explains to Hannah and the anesthesiologist, Dr. Milton, the specifics of the situation, while they wait for the bomb squad to arrive.
The news about the Code Black spreads throughout the hospital. Webber announces to the staff that only the surgical wing is in jeopardy but anyone who stays at the hospital should do so voluntarily. Meredith and several other members of Burke’s team refuse to leave the floor and he directs them to wait by the elevator for the bomb squad and then they will decide how to take it from there. When Derek receives word of the Code Black he wonders aloud if it is a drill and tells his team they can leave if they want to but he can’t leave his patient at that critical moment with his brain exposed. When the bomb squad arrives the leader, Dylan Young, is under the impression that the whole surgery suite of rooms had been evacuated, but his team informs him that there is another room that is occupied. He stomps into Derek’s OR and tells him to leave. Derek refuses but the rest of his team leaves except for Cristina.
Addison learns that Derek did not evacuate the surgery wing and she is clearly worried about him. Izzie and George are irritated because of course Cristina and Meredith are right in the center of the action. Izzie concludes that things always turn out that way because Cristina and Meredith are “doers” while she and George are just watchers. She vows to change that starting immediately. Izzie’s idea of becoming a doer is to go find Alex and coax him into the on call room and forcefully indicate that she wants to have sex. After two seconds of hesitation, Alex grants Izzie’s request. In the meanwhile, Bailey has become increasingly worried about her husband. She asks Addison one more time where he is and Addison almost on the verge of tears confesses that Bailey’s husband is with her husband. Bailey realizes the implications and doubles over in pain. Later, alone with George, Bailey breaks down and pleas that she can’t have the baby alone. She tells George she is instructing the baby not to come until tomorrow and she is going home.
Burke and Dylan exam x-rays of the shell in the patient’s cavity. They discuss possibilities of what could happen. In the meanwhile, Cristina and Meredith peak into viewing room and wonder what’s going to happen. Finally, Cristina goes near Burke’s OR and glances in, despite being told to stay away from the room. Cristina realizes that Hannah is alone. Indeed, Dr. Milton has deserted her and literally left her holding the bag after explaining he had children to worry about. Cristina and Meredith enter the room and ask Hannah where Dr. Milton is. She explains he left and that she is also now going to leave. She puts down the ventilator bag. Cristina picks up the bag and Meredith moves next to Hannah to try to calm her down. But Hannah has had about as much as she can take. Cristina calls out for help and Burke and Dylan rush into the room then freeze. Burke tells Cristina and Meredith to leave but they refuse. Hannah becomes increasingly agitated. Both Burke and Dylan try to calm Hannah but she has passed some critical point of no return. She yanks her hand out of the man’s wound and runs out of the room, leaving her bloody hand print on the door frame. Cristina, Burke and Dylan hit the floor but when nothing happens they look up and realize that Meredith has stuck her hand into the wound to replace Hannah’s. She is quietly muttering: “What have I done? What have I done?” And that was the end of Part I and we were left hanging over the edge of a cliff until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Christina Ricci (Hannah Davies); Cress Williams (Tucker Jones); Jillian Armenante (Mindy Carlson); John Bishop (James Carlson); Kyle Chandler (Dylan Young); Larry Clarke (Paul); Marty Lodge (Dr. Milton); Moe Irvin (Nurse Tyler); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); Cathy Lind Hayes (Nurse Debbie); Kathleen M. Darcy (Anesthesiologist).
Music: Montotypes’ “Dead Streets;” K. T. Tunstall’s “Miniature Disasters;” Ursula 1000’s “Kaboom!;” and Michael Stipe & Chris Martin’s “In The Sun.”
(As We Know It)
Air Date: February 12, 2006
Writer: Shonda Rhimes
Director: Peter Horton
Episode 2.17 At A Glance:
Everyone at Seattle Grace is dealing with the threat of an explosion and its collateral emotional damage in their own way. Izzie and Alex have yet another session of unbridled lust in the linen closet, which will be followed later in the episode by a couple of more such tryst. Addison is beside herself with worry over an irrational Bailey, who is still insisting that she will not push, is not having a baby on this day and wants someone to drive her home. Addison tries to hide how terrified she is that both Derek and Bailey’s husband, Tucker, are in true mortal danger. Derek continues to operate on Tucker in an O.R. in the evacuated wing of the surgical suite. Meredith and Cristina are still directly in harm’s way. Meredith is trapped because she essentially took Hannah, the paramedic’s, place when she stuck her hand into Mr. Carlson’s body cavity to hold the unexploded ordinance steady when Hannah fled. Cristina is manually resuscitating him. Alex, George and Izzie commiserate in the locker room as they try to wrap their mind around the idea that Meredith might actually die. Izzie wonders if they should call someone—Meredith’s family, but George reminds them that they are Meredith’s family. Izzie is so stressed out and consumed by remorse because she was jealous of Meredith getting the better surgery earlier that she laughs inappropriately. When she rushes out of the locker room, Alex follows in order to take care of her.
Burke goes into Derek’s O.R. and wonders why he didn’t evacuate. Derek explains that he doesn’t want to be the one who let Bailey’s husband die. Burke counters that he doesn’t want to be the one who lets them all die. In the meanwhile in the O.R. where Carlson is located, Dylan, the head of the bomb squad, carefully straps a flack jacket on Meredith. Burke returns and tells Cristina that it is time to begin the procedure and asks her to leave. When she hesitates he tells her that he cannot do his job if she is around—he can’t think knowing she is in danger. Cristina obviously doesn’t want to leave Meredith and Burke but Meredith tells her to go and Burke insists. She leaves but not before telling Burke to take care of himself. Dylan is called down to the Chief’s office just when they were about to begin the extraction procedure. Webber has bad news. It turns out that the operating room where Carlson is located is right over the main oxygen line. Although the oxygen to the O.R. is turned off, if the shell explodes in that particular operating room it will ignite the line and blow up the entire hospital.
Instead of leaving the operating wing, Cristina scrubs and goes to assist Derek with Tucker’s surgery. When Derek asks about the girl with the bomb, she doesn’t tell him that it is now Meredith. Dylan returns and explains the new situation to Meredith and Burke. The only solution is to move Carlson to another operating room, despite the danger associated with moving him. Burke goes to prepare the new operating room and Meredith, Dylan and a bomb technician slowly push the gurney out the door and down the hall toward the new location. Cristina glances out of the window of Derek’s operating room just as they go by and sees them. She rushes out without telling Derek what’s going on. She and Meredith talk to distract themselves from the danger that is so obviously inherent in the situation. Meredith demands that Cristina tell her something. Anything. Talk about her life. Cristina tells her that the night before Burke told her he loved her while he thought she was asleep. They discuss the implications of a sleep-confession and wonder whether it means that Cristina is obligated to say it back. Dylan raises his eyebrow at the news that Burke and Cristina are a couple, but Cristina tells him to mind his own business. No one notices that there is an elevated lip across the hall. The gurney bumps into the lip and everyone freezes. Luckily the shell does not explode, but no one can ignore or escape the fact that they are caught up in truly dire circumstances.
Meredith and the bomb squad guys make it to the new operating room in one piece and Burke says it is time to begin the procedure or Carlson will bleed out. Meredith collects herself by imagining that she is talking to Derek who reassures her that she can do it. She pulls out the unexploded shell as instructed and passes it to Dylan carefully. He walks slowly from the room and Burke immediately begins to operate on Carlson. Meredith drifts as if in a daze toward the door following Dylan’s path and then out into the hall. She watches Dylan walking away and then starts to follow him but at that moment the shell explodes. She is knocked several feet back and lands on her back. Dylan is killed.
In the meanwhile, Addison is at her wits end. She tells Webber that unless she can get an O.R., if necessary somewhere other than Seattle Grace, Bailey is going to lose her baby. Webber tells her that no O.R. is available. Overwhelmed by the stress of the situation, Webber has what appears to be a heart attack. Izzie and Alex are there and take care of him. The test results reveal that instead of a heart attack it is a severe stress reaction. Adele is there to comfort Webber when he receives the news.
George is upset about Bailey. He questions Addison about what they are going to do. He asks if they can drug Bailey or declare her incompetent. Addison blows up at him and tells him to stop asking her stupid questions when she is doing everything she can think of and the answer to all his questions about what to do is “I don’t know.” Chastened, George goes into the stairwell to lick his wounds. He finds Hannah there hiding out. She is mortified that she ran and left two people to die. George patches her up and then realizes that the answer to dealing with a problem is not to run away. He returns to assist Addison just as she has decided that she can wait no longer and must transport Bailey to Mercy West for a C-section. George, though, tries a different strategy. He challenges Bailey’s pride. He tells her that he is surprised by her behavior. After all she is Bailey. He tells her he understands that so many things out of control on this day, but there is one thing they can control. She can have this baby. Bailey seems to come out of her terror induced trance. She sits up and agrees to push. George positions himself behind her and says, “Let’s have this baby.” George acts as Bailey’s coach and Addison delivers a healthy baby boy. In the meanwhile, Tucker is crashing in the O.R. but Derek refuses to let him go. He beats on Tucker’s chest until he is revived. The operation is ultimately successful. Later Bailey goes to the recovery room and touchingly introduces Tucker to their son, William George Bailey Jones.
After Cristina returns from talking to Meredith in the hall as Carlson was being moved to the new operating room, Derek asks her how the girl with the bomb is doing. Cristina tries to dodge the question but then breaks down and tells Derek the girl is Meredith. Derek is shocked. After the danger has been contained and the surgeries are over, Burke and Derek come into the lobby where everyone is waiting to see them. Burke informs Mrs. Carlson that her husband will survive. Derek says Tucker survived then wants to know where Meredith is, but Webber misunderstands, either deliberately or innocently, and points him to Addison who rushes out and hugs him. Adele though picks up on the Derek’s seeming lack of interest in Addison and says, “I don’t think she’s the she he was asking for.” Cristina and Izzie take care of Meredith gently. Later that evening Derek comes to Meredith’s to see her. They have a brief conversation where Meredith admits that she is disturbed because she can’t remember the last time they kissed and were happy. Derek describes the last time and then leaves. In bed at their apartment, Cristina calls out to Burke softly to reassure herself that he is asleep then tells him that she loves him too. And that was it until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~TessaraeStarring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Guest Stars: Christina Ricci (Hannah Davies); Cress Williams (Tucker Jones); Kyle Chandler (Dylan Young); Jillian Armenante (Mindy Carlson); John Bishop (James Carlson); Loretta Devine (Adele Webber); Larry Clarke (Paul); Marty Lodge (Dr. Milton); Moe Irvin (Nurse Tyler); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); Cathy Lind Hayes (Nurse Debbie); Tom Hanks (Bomb Squad Technician); Scott Lusby (Med Tech); Michaela Watkins (Nikki)..
Music: Correatown's "I Tell Myself;" Ambulance LTD's "Stay Where You Are;" The Weepies's "World Spins Madly On;" Greenslackers' "Back In The Wild;" Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2AM);" Kate Havnevik's "Unlike Me (Acapella Mix);" and Foy Vance's "Homebird."
Yesterday
Air Date: February 19, 2006
Writer: Krista Vernoff
Director: Rob Corn
Episode 2.18 At A Glance:
Seattle Grace seems to have weathered the after effects of the terrible day when Carlson’s tank ordinance caused so many people so much pain and misery. Bailey is at the hospital with “Tuck” securely strapped into a baby carrier balanced on her chest. A quick confab with her interns reveals that Meredith is doing okay, the operating suite has been repaired, and Bailey is taking Tucker home from the hospital the next day. She then sends them off to heal people.
Earlier, Cristina’s day starts in a whirl of dancing as she listens to music on her iPod while brushing her teeth in the living room/kitchen of her and Burke’s apartment. Burke arrives back from his morning jog and Cristina cajoles him into a joyful dance with her until the phone rings and he answers it. It’s Cristina’s landlord calling to tell her that there has been a minor flood in her apartment—“her other apartment.” Burke delivers the message in an icy tone and Cristina realizes her secret is out. Meredith is having her own problems. Her day starts out with a confession from her mother that she was having an affair with a man that made her purr like a kitten when he wasn’t making her growl like a lion and Meredith’s father was such a wuss he wouldn’t even take the hint and leave. Meredith is shocked by the confession and by the wantonness of her mother's behavior and her gleefulness in describing it. At the hospital, Cristina rages to Meredith that Burke was acting like she’d kept the apartment to perform illicit surgeries and sell organs. Meredith wonders if maybe he was just upset because she lied to him. Cristina wants to know what is wrong with her and Meredith explains that her “mother is a dirty whore.” Cristina gives her and an “Okay-y-y-y” look and then goes back to changing into her scrubs.
Meredith is assigned to work with Burke on a cancer patient who needs a tumor removed from his lungs. The probability that he will survive the operation is only 25%. As she stands next to the nurse’s desk and reviews the folder a stranger looks over her shoulder, reads the file and then says the patient is essentially a goner. He is a very handsome man and he and Meredith casually flirt. Derek glances over and sees him just as Addison rounds the corner and spots him too. Meredith and the man continue to trade lightweight quips unaware of the storm that is brewing. Just as Meredith takes his hand and introduces herself, Derek flies into view and punches the guy out. Meredith is shocked and wants to know: “What was that?” Derek tells her: “That was Mark”.
In a conference room, Webber is livid that his two million dollar surgeon is punching people out in the lobby. He demands to know what is going on. Addison tells Webber that she, Derek and Mark used to be close friends in New York until Derek caught her in bed with Mark. Webber immediately calms down, wonders if Derek put his weight into the punch, and when Derek says he did, Webber indicates that was a good thing then leaves Addison and Derek alone. Derek curls his lips and demands to know what the hell Mark is doing in Seattle. Addison swears she doesn’t know.
Meredith is still reeling from Ellis’s confession and later she questions Webber about what he knows about why her father left. Webber disingenuously says he thinks Thatcher left because Ellis asked him to then beats a hasty retreat. Things only get more complicated for Meredith when Mark tells her that he believes Derek is in love with her and not Addison because when Derek caught Mark with Addison he just walked away. It is hard for Meredith (with Mark's kind assistance) not to read some significance in that comparison. Meredith’s emotional landscape becomes even more complicated when her patient asks her to assist him in making videotapes to send to his friends and family. The patient declares that he has never been lucky and with odds like one chance in four of surviving, he knows he is not going to live. Meredith is glad to help until she realizes that his mild mannered persona is a mask for unexpressed rage. The tapes he leaves for his family and friends are full of accusations and vitriol. The man’s unexpressed rage spurs Meredith into action. She declares that she doesn’t want to have to make tapes on her death bed to let people know how she feels. She decides to look up her father. She arrives on his doorstep and wonders why he left without fighting for her and her mother. Thatcher is a muddled man who has nothing to offer even by way of explanation or comfort. He doesn’t even invite Meredith into his house and instead closes the door behind him and steps out onto the porch landing to talk to her. He asks if there is anything she needs and she realizes that is at best a rhetorical question and says there is nothing she needs from him and walks away.
Izzie and George are assigned to work with Addison on a woman who is having spontaneous orgasms seven or eight times a day. Neither George nor Izzie seem to appreciate the soul stripping embarrassment the “episodes” cause the woman. Izzie can’t help thinking of the somewhat frequent “episodes” she is having with Alex these days and George can’t help thinking about how his love life is in neutral. Meredith doesn’t even listen when he talks, he complains to Izzie. She encourages him to say his piece to Meredith and he spends all day screwing up his courage but when he finally approaches her and asks to take her out so they can talk, a distracted Meredith ignores him.
Cristina is assigned to work with Derek on a young teenage patient, Jake, who has tumors growing under the skin on his face, which is misshapen as a result. He wants to have surgery to remove the tumors but his parents are worried about his safety since the operation is considered very risky. Medically, however, there are problems even without the surgery since there is a possibility that if the tumors are not removed they will grow into his brain. Mark, who is the “go to plastic surgeon on the East coast," goes behind Derek’s back and consults with Jake and tells him that he can perform plastic surgery after the tumor removal surgery and as a result give him a more normal appearance. Jake is thrilled at the prospect and even more determined to have the surgery as a result but Derek is livid that Mark interfered. Derek and Mark take their dispute to Webber who reluctantly agrees that Mark is a “jackass” but if Jake wants the procedure and his parents agree he will authorize the surgery. During surgery, however, Jake dies. Afterwards a shaken Cristina and Alex who had bonded with Jake bemoan the fact that he never got a chance to have his face fixed. Mark agrees to perform the procedure post-mortem. When his parents view his body after the plastic surgery, they both agree that he looks peaceful.
It turns out that Mark has come to town to get Addison. He misses her and his best friend (Derek) as well. He wants her to come home. He wants her to face up to the reality of her current situation—Derek does not love her; Derek’s in love with Meredith. Addison tells him she is in love with her husband. “But he’s not in love with you,” counters Mark. Later, after a long dispiriting day, Derek walks to the Elevator of Lust and gets on. Addison jumps on just as the doors are closing. She mentions that she hasn’t seen him all day and he tells her he hasn’t wanted to see her. As if on cue, the doors open and Mark is standing there. He gets on and tries to reassure Derek that what happened to Jake wasn’t his fault. Derek couldn’t care less what Mark thinks and is quickly overwhelmed by anger. He jumps off the elevator and says he’ll take the stairs. Both Mark and Addison try to stop him, but he is having none of it. When Mark wonders aloud why Derek could forgive Addison but not him, Derek hisses that he hasn’t forgiven Addison and unlike with her he’s not even obligated to try to forgive Mark. Derek storms off and the elevator doors slowly close. Addison is stunned by Derek’s confession, Mark though points out that it just proves what he’s been saying all along: Addison’s marriage is over and if she’ll just accept that she can come on back home with him. He tells her he’s going to Joe’s and asks her to think about his proposal and to meet him there.
Burke’s patient survives the surgery on his lungs. He is happy to be alive and immediately wants to know if Meredith mailed his tapes. She proudly says she didn’t and asks if he wants her to throw them away for him. He tells her that he wants her to mail them. He explains simply that there just comes a time in a man’s life when he has to say his piece. Burke is inspired by this and goes home and demands to know why Cristina won’t let him love her. She listens to his tirade and then tells him that she gave up her apartment twenty minutes earlier. Recognizing that was a huge admission of commitment from Cristina, he ends the conversation and they both simply go back to what they were doing or planned to do.
At Joe’s, Mark runs into Meredith. She wants to know what he’s doing there and he tells her he’s waiting for Addison. Meredith is shocked. She’s surprised he’s still in love with Addison and that he expects her to leave Derek. Mark counters that she’s still in love with Derek, so what’s the difference? At the Airstream, Derek lies in bed alone and stares at the ceiling. Addison sits alone with her knees pulled to her chest in the kitchenette area, sipping a cup of tea and staring into space. Later at home, Meredith stares out of the window of her bedroom. It has been a hard day. Her mother’s indiscretion is wearing heavy on her heart as well as the fact that Ellis seemed to have little regard for what was best for Meredith back then. Her father’s seemingly total lack of interest in and support for her shattered any illusions she had that he had a good reason for abandoning her. And even with his wife’s “partner in crime” in town stirring the mix, Derek still didn’t leave Addison and run to her. At this critical point George knocks and enters and professes his love for her. Meredith reacts by reaching for his t-shirt and lifting it over his head. They kiss. And that was it until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~TessaraeStarring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Kate Burton (Ellis Grey); Jeff Perry (Thatcher Grey); Eric Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan); Jesse Plemos (Jake Burton); David Grant Wright (Mr. Burton); Deborah Geffner (Mrs. Burton); Arlene Tur (Pamela Calva); Carlos Cervantes (Mr. Calva); Julio Oscar Mechoso (Chuck Eaton); Stephen W. Bailey (Joe); Brooke Blanchard (Jill the Paramedic); Ariel Felix (CT Tech); Chad Fish (Anesthesiologist).
Music: Corrine Bailey Rae's "Like A Star;" Joshua Radin's "Closer;" The Chalets' "Night Rocker;" Diplo's "Diplo Rhythm;" Devics' "Just One Breath;" Rosie Thomas' "It Don't Matter To The Sun;" and Headlights' "Everybody Needs A Fence To Lean On."
What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Air Date: February 26, 2006
Writer: Stacy McKee
Director: Wendey Stanzler
Episode 2.19 At A Glance:
Things, it seems, did not go well for George and Meredith the night before. George is huddled in the bathroom and Meredith is lying in bed fully dressed waiting for her alarm clock to go off. Both George and Meredith try to tip out of the house without running into the other but they hit the upstairs hallway at the same time and just in time to bump into a half dressed Alex rushing to the bathroom and an obviously flushed and satisfied Izzie grinning at them from her bedroom door while admitting that yes she and Alex were getting it on. "I'm a horny whore,” she says with a big grin on her face.
Derek and Addison are in bed when Doc bounces in and demands to be taken out. Derek moans and tells him to hold it while he gets up. Addison jumps up and offers to take Doc for his walk even though it is not her turn unless Derek wants to talk. Addison is obviously anxious and is trying to connect to Derek. But he is emotionally offline and definitely doesn’t want to talk, so she takes Doc out. Later at the hospital, Addison tracks down Bailey who is there to take Tucker home. She asks for a private consult and Bailey realizes something is up and agrees. It turns out that Addison was so upset by Derek’s refusal to engage in any kind of substantive communication about Mark and what happened the day before while being more than willing to shoot her dirty and recriminating looks, when she was walking Doc and had to go to the bathroom she decided to squat outside instead of going back into the trailer just so she could have a few more moments of peace. That turns out to have been a very bad decision because she squatted too close to poison oak and developed a very bad rash on her thigh and private area as a result. Bailey treats Addison on the sly and agrees not to let anyone know what is going on. Once things were controlled to some degree, though, Bailey lets Derek know where Addison is. Addison shows Derek the consequences of her bad decision and wonders if it is yet another example of karma kicking her in the butt for sleeping with Mark. The absurdity of the situation makes them both fall out laughing.
It doesn’t take long for everyone to realize that something is wrong between George and Meredith. They are obviously uncomfortable around each other and Meredith is doing everything she can to avoid George. Both are claiming that nothing is wrong however. Alex speculates that George walked in on Meredith "doing" Mark or Derek. Neither Meredith nor George though will tell any of them anything. George, however, can’t help trying to dig for information about what Meredith is saying by probing Cristina for information. Cristina, as ever sensitive, tells him to either tell her what’s going on or leave her the hell alone.
George and Cristina are assigned to work with Burke on a man who appears to have a mass around his heart. His determinedly “no bad news” fiancé informs everyone within earshot that he is healthy as a horse and nothing can possibly be wrong because they are getting married and she has her dress and all the arrangements have been made. The man’s condition, however, is very serious. It turns out not to be a mass but a heart aneurysm that is so fragile it can burst at any time. Burke wants to operate immediately but the man’s fiancé is resistant. She talks him into waiting until after the wedding, but Cristina throws cold water on the idea by explaining the reality of situation in no uncertain terms. The man finally agrees to the surgery but his fiancé leaves him explaining that she is simply not strong enough to go through anything like that. George tries to encourage her to stay but she says she can’t. No one tells you when you are planning a wedding and a life together it can just end in the snap of a finger, she explains. Just as she’s leaving the man crashes and must be rushed into surgery. He survives but is beyond hurt when he realizes that his fiancé left and didn’t come back. What kind of person does that, he wonders. When George tells Olivia about what happened, she says the man dodged a bullet. There is nothing to be gained by loving someone who can’t love you back the way you deserve to be.
George and Meredith’s secret spills out when Meredith mistakenly believes the joke Alex makes about her sleeping with George was Alex repeating what George actually told him. Of course George walks in just in time to hear Meredith trying to do damage control and assumes Meredith told Alex. He yells at her and storms off into the stairwell. Everyone follows him and is there to hear him accuse Meredith of telling everyone that they had sex. Everyone is shocked. George is so discombobulated when he realizes that Meredith hadn’t spilled the beans but he had just yelled it out for all to hear, he falls down the stairs and knocks his shoulder out of alignment. Alex laughs but Meredith, Cristina and Izzie are truly worried. They all stand outside the examination room while George waits for an orthopedic resident to arrive. He tells them to go away and they disperse, but not before Cristina calls Meredith on picking on one of the “weaker kids” and Izzie declares if Meredith can’t make it right, she’s on George’s side. The orthopedic resident arrives. Her name is Callie Torres and she is clearly impressed when she realizes who George is—“the heart in the elevator guy.” She seems immediately smitten but George is oblivious to her interest.
Later Cristina tells George to cut out the whining and if he wants to be treated like something other than crap he needs to stop accepting crap and demand more. George realizes it is over between he and Meredith. He goes to Meredith’s and packs his bags. He left his t-shit in Meredith’s bedroom so he goes to retrieve it. While there he flashes back to the night before. It turns out that Meredith realized while having sex that sleeping with George was a terrible mistake. She started crying and George assumed she found sleeping with him repulsive. He was devastated and his ego was crushed. It ended horribly for both of them. Just as he’s leaving Meredith’s bedroom, she arrives. She tries to get him to not move out. She wants things to return to the way they were before but George says that’s not going to happen. He leaves but obviously has not formulated a plan about where he’s going to go. He is sitting outside the hospital with his suitcase when Callie spots him and wonders if he’s going on a trip. He says, “Sort of.” She doesn’t press for more information. She gives him her phone number and tells him to call her when he gets back then walks away. Burke comes out and sees George. He studies him for a long time.
Meredith is devastated by what happened with George and becomes convinced she will lose all of her friends. Just as she gets on the Elevator of Lust, Derek jumps on. She tells him she is about to lose all of her friends and he says she’s not going to lose him. He’ll be her friend. She asks how and he suggests since he walks Doc every other morning on a specific trail in the park, she could meet him there and they could watch Doc play and have meaningful discussions about existence. Later that night in their bedroom, Cristina is complaining to Burke because he brought George home and George is happily ensconced on the couch in the living room. Burke explains that George is her friend and needed her help. Cristina scoffs and says she is not a nice person. Burke assures her that she is and then snuggles with her in bed. She tells him goodnight. He tells her goodnight. George calls goodnight from the living room. The next morning Derek and Meredith meet on The Trail of Lust to ostensibly watch Doc play while they have deep existential discussions and tempt fate. And that was it until the next week’s visit to Seattle Grace. ~~Tessarae
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Jeffery Dean Morgan (Denny Duquette); Cress Williams (Tucker Jones); Sara Ramirez (Dr. Callie Torres); Noah Gray-Cabey (Shawn Beglight); Ann Cusack (Amy); Mark Harelik (Keith Polace); Matt Roth (Michael); Jonathan Slavin (Rick); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); Cathy Lind Hayes (Nurse Debbie); Jeremy Rabb (ER Resident); Ray Ford (Ray the Paramedic)
Music: Boy Least Likely To's "Be Gentle With Me;" Brandi Carlile's "Throw It All Away;" Madeline Peyroux's "Careless Love;" Get Set Go's "I Hate Everyone;" and New Moscow's "Slow Down."
Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole
Air Date: March 12, 2006
Writer: Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.
Director: Julie Ann Robinson
Episode 2.20 At A Glance:
* Cristina is stuck taking care of Bailey's baby, which is her worst nightmare. Izzie continues to flirt with Denny and grows closer to him, while at the same time dismissing Alex's attention. George and Burke are getting along too well as far as an irritated Cristina is concerned. A hockey player wants his hurt finger to be amputated so he can play in the big game and impress the scouts and then have his finger reattached after the game. A woman with an inoperable brain tumor is resistant to the idea of potentially life altering surgery because the reality of her illness has led to a renewed intimacy in her marriage. (*Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars:
Music: The Urbs' "So Weit;" Jem's "Flying High;" Tina Dico's "One;" Sing Sing's "Come Sing Me A Song;" and The Last Town Chorus' "Modern Love."
Superstition
Air Date: March 19, 2006
Writer: James D. Parriott
Director: Tricia Brock
Episode 2.21 At A Glance:
* The hospital is on edge after a string of deaths activates a heightened sense of apprehension and brings the staff's superstitions to the forefront. In the meanwhile, Izzie is terrified that Denny is going to die and her anxiety pushes Alex over the edge. He confronts her about her feelings for Denny. Cristina finds herself dealing with a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose odd ticks drive her crazy and frighten her because she can see glimpses of her own behavior reflected in his disorder. Webber's old AA sponsor is brought into the ER and it is revealed that the ramifications of Webber's affair with Ellis drove him to drink. Callie demands to know why George hasn't called her. Burke seems to enjoy having George live at the apartment but Cristina most definitely does not. (*Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Anjul Nigam (Raj); Michelle Watkins (Nikki); Mary Kay Place (Ollie); Sara Ramirez (Callie).
Music: Luke Doucet's "Free;" Jamie Lidell's "Multiply;" Greenskeepers' "You Don't Know Me;" The Fray's "How To Save A Life;" Anna Nalick's "Catalyst-Acoustic;" and Foy Vance's "Gabriel and The Vagabond."
Name of the Game
Air Date: April 2, 2006
Writer: Blythe Robe
Director: Seith Mann
Episode 2.22 At A Glance:
* Cristina devises a plan to get George out of her apartment. Meredith learns that her father not only remarried after her parents divorced but that he has two other daughters, one of whom is in medical school at Harvard. Bailey is worried that she has been "mommy-tracked." Alex takes it upon himself to bluntly deride a patient for not being honest with her daughter about the seriousness of her condition.( *Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Chris O'Donnell (Finn Dandridge); Laurie Metcalf (Beatrice); Mare Winningham (Eileen); Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny Duquette); Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres); Jeff Perry (Thatcher Grey).
Music: Sunshine's "C'mon Yeah;" Anna Nalick's "Wreck Of The Day;" Gnarls Barkley's " Crazy;" Joshua Radin's "Columbia;" and Dressy Bessy's "Girl, You Shout!"
Blues for Sister Someone (Rhythm of Life)
Air Date: April 30, 2006
Writer: Elizabeth J. B. Klaviter
Director: Jeff Melman
Episode 2.23 At A Glance:
* Izzie is disturbed by the distance between she and George and tries to insert herself into his private life. Addison agrees to perform a tubal ligation on a patient without informing the patient's husband. Alex, though, is incensed and as a result deliberately puts Addison's reputation in harm's way. Derek treats one of "Seattle's finest divorce lawyers," who wonders if he needs her services. Burke is devastated when he is not able to save a man who he admired, a classical musician whose discipline and work ethic inspired Burke through medical school. George moves back into Meredith's and brings Callie along for the night. (* Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Chris O'Donnell (Finn Dandridge); Sara Ramirez (Callie); Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny); Kathleen M. Darcy (Anesthesiologist); Noelle McCutchen (nurse); Albert Hall (Eugene Foote); Jayne Brook (Gwen Graber); Andrew Borba (Mr. Ward); Bryce Robinson (Timothy Ward) and Jean Louisa Kelly (Rose Ward).
Music: James Morrison's "Better Man;" Hotel Lights' "Follow Through;" The Sunshine's "Love;" and Metric's "Police and The Private."
Damage Case
Air Date: May 7, 2006
Writer: Mimi Schmir
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Episode 2.24 At A Glance:
* Derek suspects that Meredith is moving on with Finn and he lashes out at her and questions her morals. The interns treat a family involved in a car accident caused by a sleep deprived intern from Mercy West. The daughter, who was pregnant, dies. Meredith is sobered by the realization of the amount of damage one moment of carelessness can cause. Burke suggests a new procedure to Denny that could prolong his life, hopefully long enough for another heart to become available. Izzie and Meredith are put off by Callie's hygiene habits, which causes a riff when they inform George of their concerns. (* Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Frances Fisher (Betty Johnson); Graham S. Beckel (Jim Johnson); Gabriel Tigerman (Noah Reynolds); Sarah Lafleur (Melanie Reynolds); John Cho (Marshall); Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres); Chris O'Donnell (Finn Dandridge); Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny Duquette); P. D. Mani (Anesthesiologist); Maile Flanagan (CT Tech #1); John O'Brien (CT Tech #2); Wayne Lopez (Paramedic #2); and Maria Elena Maglaris (nurse).
Music: Inara George's "Oh My Love;" Kate Havevik's "Nowhere Warm;" Brandi Carlile's "Tragedy;" and Regina Spektor's "On The Radio."
17 Seconds (Season Finale Part 1)
Air Date: May 14, 2006
Writer: Mark Wilding
Director: Dan Minahan
Episode 2.25 At A Glance:
* Doc is not doing well. A disgruntled employee shoots up a restaurant and sends several people to the emergency room. Addison accuses Derek of simply using her. A heart (one of two) becomes available for Denny. Burked flies to the other hospital to retrieve the heart but in the end the heart is not viable. Burke vigorously makes the case that Denny should get the other available heart. Izzie is not willing to take the chance that Denny won't get the heart so she deliberately (with Denny's consent) makes his condition worse and counts on Burke, who has become suspicious of the reports Izzie is conveying and decides to return to SGH to assess the situation himself, getting there in time to save Denny. Unfortunately, the disgruntled employee makes his way to Seattle Grace to take another shot at his primary target, the manager who suffered only minor wounds. Burke is caught in the crossfire and is shot as he tries to enter the hospital. (*Summary will be posted soon).
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn); Chris O'Donnell (Finn Dandridge); Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres); Jeffrey Dean Stanton (Denny); Ken Marino (Brad); Jesse Head (Will); Sydney Tamia Poitier (Deborah); Michael Arden (Neal); Michael Melhoan (Doug Thomas); Toby Meuli (Chaz); Robin Pearson Rose (Patricia) and Steven W. Bailey (Joe).
Music: Snow Patrol's "Somewhere A Clock is Ticking;" and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Gold Lion."
Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response (Season 2 Finale Part 2-A)
Air Date: May 15, 2006 (Monday, 9-10 p.m.)
Writer: Joan Ratner & Tony Phelan
Director: Rob Corn
Episode 2.26 At A Glance:
*Derek operates on Burke and fears that Burke will have permanent damage to his arm and hand. Cristina distances herself from Burke. The interns rally around Izzie and try to save Denny as well as Izzie's medical career. The available heart is assigned to Denny and Alex convinces Dr. Hahn to operate on Denny. The operation is a success. (*Summary will be posted soon)
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars: Loretta Devine (Adele Webber); Jeffery Dean Stanton (Denny Duquette); Chris O'Donnell (Finn Dandridge); Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres); Halle Hirsh (Claire); Tessa Thompson (Camille); Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn); Tiffany Hines (Natalie); Charles Duckworth (Brian); Jeremy Rabb (ER resident); Sarah Utterback (Nurse Olivia); and Linda Klein (Nurse Linda).
Music: The Coral Sea's "Look At Her Face;" Au Revoir Simone's "Through The Backyards;" Gomez's "How We Operate;" and KT Tunstall's "Universe and U."
Losing My Religion (Season 2 Finale Part 2-B)
Air Date: May 15, 2006 (Monday, 10-11 p.m.)
Writer: Shonda Rhimes
Director: Mark Tinker
Episode 2.27 At A Glance:
* Webber and Adele learn their beloved niece, Camille, is no longer in remission for ovarian cancer. Camille's diagnosis comes on the eve of her senior prom and most of her friends gather at the hospital, but Webber sends them away, which prompts an irate Adele to insist that he throw a prom for Camille right at the hospital. Webber tries to get the interns to admit who cut Denny's LVAD wire but they all confess and do not allow Webber to break them in individual interrogation sessions. Webber punishes them by making them responsible for planning and executing the prom for Camille. In addition, everyone is expected to attend the prom, even an irritated Bailey. Derek waylays Addison's concerns and suspicions by asking her to the prom and not disputing her idea that she had simply overreacted before. Meredith asks Finn to come to the prom with her and he readily agrees. At the prom, Derek's jealousy overwhelms him and he entices Meredith into an empty examination room and they have sex. Izzie is late arriving at the prom because she changed dresses several times looking for the perfect one to impress Denny. When she arrives at the prom she heads immediately to Denny's room, where she finds he has quietly died. Izzie is distraught. The interns once again rally around Izzie, but Izzie tells Webber that she was the one who cut the LVAD and then quits the surgical internship program. When Finn tells Meredith he will take her home, she hesitates when Derek calls out to her. (*Summary will be posted soon).
Starring: James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber); Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke); Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd); Kate Walsh (Addison Shepherd); Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey); Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey); Justin Chambers (Alex Karev); T. R. Knight (George O’Malley); Katherine Heigl (Isobel “Izzie” Stevens); and Sandra Oh (Christina Yang).
Guest Stars:
Music: Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars;" Pete Droge's "Under the Wave;" Dressy Bessy's "Side 2;" Kate Havneik's "Grace;" Amos Lee's "Colors" and Masha Qrella's "Destination Vertical."
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