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Finalewatch: 'Grey's Anatomy' -- Ask and Ye Shall Receive
I need some help. Because I just got done watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy where lots of people had happy endings, and I think I may have stumbled into a parallel universe.
Before I go any further I want to say thanks to Liz Pardue for doing such a great job last week. With a two-hour finale there's no way I can be as concise as she was -- so hang on to your hats.
Spoilers coming up in 12 parsecs....
There were a lot of moving parts on tonight's Seattle Grace-athon; definitely some more throwaway than others. But even if they did tie up maybe just a little too neatly in the end -- destiny, old ghosts affecting your present life and being brave enough to ask for (even demand) what you want were huge themes -- this was a far more coherent episode than, well, many, and it felt like each character was coming into his or her own in a way they haven't since the first season. Heck, partly because of the script and partly because Katherine Heigl was so spot-on, I'm even retiring the Izzie Annoying Scale.
Onward. In the midst of grappling with their as-yet unsuccessful clinical trial, Meredith's in therapy, recalling her mother's suicide attempt when Richard left her. Ellis Grey told her daughter not to call 911, took a scalpel, and slit her wrists. Meredith sat on the kitchen floor in a pool of her mother's blood, waiting unitil she passed out before calling the paramedics. OK, no wonder she's screwed up. In my mind, this story alone gives her a pass to be twisty and twitchy and dark and freaked out. But really, underneath it all, she's angry. And she doesn't even realize how much.
There are two patients this week in the Der/Mer clinical study: Beth and Jeremy, two teenagers who happen to know one another because they went through chemo together at the Mayo Clinic. They've... bonded. Which worries her parents, because they're convinced that she'll lose her will to live if he dies. The board that reviews clinical trials, meanwhile, has noted that there have been 11 deaths in this study -- and has said they'll shut it down if they lose one more patient. Derek's having doubts, and their inability to save any patients is wearing on him. The scenes about this issue in particular between Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo are really nicely played -- she urges him on, choosing to be the optimist. If there's a better means of conveying that these two are yin and yang, I'm not sure I've seen it.
Tonight's trauma: 18-year-old Andrew, in a bid to impress Lola, the girl he loves, takes a dare from her two idiot friends and lays in a bed of cement at a construction site. They let him sit there for an hour before calling the police. The poor kid is encased, and no one -- Bailey, Torres, Hahn, Sloan, or Yang -- can agree on how to approach his treatment first. There are circulation issues, chemical burn issues, cardio pulmonary issues, toxicity issues.
Side note: At around 9:30 an unfortuante commercial for the Honda Pilot -- two guys are taking a third one, who's encased in cement, away from a construction site in their shiny new pilot. The equivalent of the contextual ads in your Gmail? Tasteless attempt to capitalize on the show? Creepy coincidence? Whichever it is, I won't be getting a Pilot. Even if I could afford one.
Back to Andrew, a.k.a. Cement Boy. They figure out a treatment plan, which leads to one of the single best Grey's Anatomy scenes ever. The poor Andrew likens himself to Han Solo, encased in carbonite. But he berates himself as a loser who's dumb enough to get himself into this mess. Apologies for the length, but there is just no other way to do justice to Bailey's speech, which I have rewound and watched multiple times and will do so again.
Bailey: "You need to be proud of the whole picture. Han solo is not a loser. Yes he got encased in carbonite, but that’s not what he’s remembered for. he’s remembered as the guy who made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. And who braved the subzero temperatures of the ice planet Hoth in order to save someone he cared about from the big ugly wampa. He is remembered as the guy who swooped down at the last minute and blasted Darth Vader out of the sky so that Luke could use the force and destroy the damn Death Star. Princess Leia saved him from the carbonite. And they fell in love, and they saved the universe, and had twin Jedi babies that went on to save the universe again. That’s the whole picture. The carbonite was just a piece."
The looks on the other surgeons' faces while this is going on, and the looks they give Bailey afterward: Priceless. To quote my fiancé, I almost don’t even care what happens the rest of the episode. This is 40 minutes into a two-hour television event. I totally agree. I am satisfied.
In the OR, Andrew develops a clot in his heart, and Cristina, who the Chief finally seems to be noticing has been getting shunted aside by Hahn, jumps in. She's done this procedure before with Burke. Hahn comes in and starts nitpicking Cristina's technique, and the Chief backs her up. Andrew survives -- and ends up getting what he really wanted: a kiss from Lola, who seems to have seen the light and 86'd her moron friends. Later, the Chief tells Hahn that if she wants to work in this hospital she'd better learn to be a better teacher.
George is still stuck being the Chief's intern -- doing scut work, being Meredith's intern for the day, and generally working like it's purgatory. He is also absolutely brilliant, allowing his seething rage to come out in bursts of staccato chipperness. I loved how T.R. Knight played his scenes all through this episode, from his frustration to his outburst at Lexie and finally his move to stand up for himself. In the end, he's goaded partly by what he learned from Lexie when she stole the residents' confidential files from the Chief's office: He failed his intern exam by 1 point, and is being held back because of it. From Andrew's bedside, he makes a great case to the Chief for why he deserves the same kind of second chance that every other person in the hospital has gotten. And whaddya know? The Chief says he can re-take his intern exam. When George bursts into the apartment to tell Lexie, he gives her a kiss. Uh oh -- we've seen that look on a girl's face before after an O'Malley buss. Oh, Lexie.
Alex is taking care of a mostly catatonic Rebecca, and an increasingly worried Izzie practically stands on her head trying to get him to see reason -- or at least the fact that he can't help her. He's stubborn, and Izzie, who's lost her mojo, turns to Bailey for advice and gets none. Rebecca goes steadily downhill, and ends up slashing her wrists. Izzie's trying to walk a line betwen caring for her patient and being careful with Alex, but even when it's clear that this woman is in crisis, it's unfathomable why Alex would cling to the idea that he can handle this -- it's totally contrary to his character. Finally, after Izzie stands up to him and threatens to have him arrested if he interferes with her treatment plan (Heigl plays her nervous and unsure, but determined, and hits all the right notes), we learn that as a kid, Alex cared for his psychologically disturbed mother like he's caring for Rebecca. But now, since he's a man and not a kid any more, he'll do it better. Oh, Alex. His final scene with Izzie at home is quiet and sad and pitiful and great. We also find out that Rebecca has an underlying borderline personality disorder.
A quick look at the B storylines before heading into the big finish:
- Bailey has a kind of sixth sense going on. She's trying to see the big picture. Ultimately she realizes that what means the most to her is surgery. And her family. And she makes a choice: she hands the keys to the clinic over to Izzie.
- The Chief and Adele get back together. The Chief does some internal wrestling and finally realizes that he's a good guy who wants his wife back. It's about time he spoke up and did something, Adele says. Kissing ensues.
- After teasing Callie the whole time about her and Hahn, he finally pushes her to explore the Hahn relationship. Kissing ensues.
Back in the clinical trial, Beth and Jeremy share an extremely touching moment, after they've been ... alone ... and he's getting ready to go into surgery. They talk about the possibility that they could both die. She tells him how he's changed her life. He tells her she'd better not die, because they're not finished yet. It doesn't feel like the patented Grey's patients-saying-what-doctors-are feeling moment, and it works. Unfortunately, Jeremy doesn't make it off the table. Derek all but gives up, counseling Beth to cancel her surgery. Meredith encourages her to go through with it, which results in a bitter, awful Der/Mer conversation, with Derek basically accusing her of forcing him to kill patients with this trial. When the surgery's over, he tells her, he never wants to work with her, see her, or talk to her again. I really want people to stop kicking the hell out of Meredith -- it's hard to watch this show feeling like a sadist.
As Beth heads into surgery, Derek talks to Rose about how this trial has made him a failure, and how he just fails her over and over and over. Rose, who up until this point had been wasted with a weird speech to Meredith about how she's intimidated by the Der/Mer legend, basically calls him out. Beth makes it out of surgery alive, but her prognosis is still uncertain. Until she wakes up. Her tumor is shrinking. The virus is working, and she can use the right hand that had been limp before. "It's not just for show any more," Beth says to Derek.
Meredith finally has a breakthrough in therapy, after angrily confronting the Chief about her mother's suicide attempt. Ellis tried to kill herself, but she didn't die. She was an excellent surgeon, and she knew better than to kill herself by cutting her wrists when the carotid artery would have done the job. She didn't want to die. And when she told Meredith to be an extraordinary woman, she wasn't talking about surgery, she was talking about life.
Because Derek and Meredith come to the good news separately, they spend a good deal of time running around looking for each other. She can't find the champagne. He goes to her house; she's not there. She goes to his trailer; he's not there. He finally makes it back to his trailer, and evidently she's taken the time to go to Pier 1 and buy about 500 candles, which she uses to outline the floorplan of their dream house. He finds her cursing herself for being such a "lame-ass loser" for doing something so corny and humiliating. "I got all whole and healed and now it's all ruined because you didn't show up," she says. "And I couldn't even find the bottle of champagne." Which he has. They kiss, and he leaves to go and tell Rose it's over. Please let him get there and back safely.
What did you think? Are you happy with the Derek/Meredith storyline? Did Bailey make the right call? Were you happy Cristina finally got more screen time? And that Izzie got to be interesting and sympathetic? Thoughts on how the Callie/Hahn storyline will play out?
Yea! Thank God that Derek and Meredith are finally back together!!!
Ellie | May 22, 2008 10:54:54 PM | #"And they fell in love, and they saved the universe, and had twin Jedi babies that went on to save the universe again"
Wasn't the other way around?
Wasn't Leia one of the twins, not the mother of the twins?
No, Leia and Solo had twins too, then one more. Jaina Jacen Anakin.
| May 22, 2008 11:23:02 PM | #They had twins as well.
Jonathan | May 22, 2008 11:24:37 PM | #i havent seen any of the newer star wars....but i am pretty sure leia was one of the twins. wasnt natalie portman the mom?
this episode was good...but way too long. the alex storyline was heartbreaking. who knew he had it in him?
i liked the candle outline of the house up on the hill....BUT..as a seattle resident, the inacuracies of the geography they portray on this show drives me INSANE!!! where does he live that has a hill/view like that, and he needs to ride a ferry to get there? NOWHERE IN SEATTLE LIKE THAT EXISTS!!!
s | May 22, 2008 11:33:06 PM | #Han and Leia had three children in the Star Wars books, Anakin and Jaina and Jacen who were twins.
I think I can finally say that Grey's is finally back up to par and will probably will be must see viewing again for me next season.
Dee | May 23, 2008 12:09:27 AM | #how great was MARSHALL ALLMAN aka JEREMY WEST and the cancer girl who used to be on FULL HOUSE.
i say they brought the house down.
cancer girl (CG): what if you die
marshall allman (MA) (prison break): i wont
CG: what if i die
MA: you wont
CG: okay but you changed my life jeremy west
you made it better you made it brighter full of joy
and if i die
MA: dont you dare die
were not finished yet
im not finished loving you
With Callie and Dr. Hahn exploring their love options ( which seems ridiculous in this situation), what is to happen to Mark "McSteamy" Sloan?
Ellen | May 23, 2008 12:19:38 AM | #What's with throwing all the gay in our faces? And why is it that the two fat, ugly chicks are the ones who go gay? For a show that considers itself "progressive," they stereotyped that one a little, didn't they? It's no wonder this show's ratings are going down. It has turned into a gay show and most people don't feel like having that nonsense shoved down their throats.
Michael | May 23, 2008 12:28:38 AM | #Umm, seriously, Michael? "Two fat, ugly chicks are the ones to go gay"? Seriously? He doth protest too much...
Andrea | May 23, 2008 12:41:53 AM | #I loved the Bailey/Star Wars Analogy. Just so everyone knows, in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Han Solo and Leia get married and have twins, those twins go on, become Jedi and save the universe, not unlike their paretns and uncle, but I digress.
I love the Hahn/Torres affair, this could really be some point of friction next season with Callie and George. By the way, Hahn and Torres aren't "fat, ugly chicks," The actress who plays Callie is an accomplished actress who happened to win a Tony in Spamalot on Broadway playing "The Lady in the Lake" deffinately not a "FAT" part. And the actress who plays Hahn is also very sexy and has been many, many things. I think someone is a bit homophobic.
Finally, I think it is about time we learn more about Alex and what makes him tick and why Meredith is so angry all the time. Not that her mother's suicide attempt explains it all.
Overall, it was an amazing two hours and I can't wait for the fall.
Finally, just a bit of irony, my sister's name is Meridith and I am Alex. I feel connected to this show.
Alex | May 23, 2008 1:24:57 AM | #I'm not commenting about anyone being fat, but I think Michael has a point. I thought I was watching a show called Grey's Anatomy, but i think i fell into the alternate universe of "Gay's Anatomy."
(But anyway the other storylines were better there than most of this season.)
Alex, was your comment about why Meredith is so angry all the time serious? If so, I'm really amazed. I realize not everyone has the insightful abilities of a therapist, but empathy shouldn't be that hard to come by as a human being. The whole sitting in a pool of her mother's blood thing is beyond horrifying, and in my eyes, Meredith could do anything and I would still love her character.
Anyway, thanks for this great review of this amazing season finale! =) I can't wait for next season.
Emily | May 23, 2008 3:08:25 AM | #Okay, Callie and Hahn are the only two gay people on the show. T.R. Knight is gay is real life but that doesn't make the show full of gay people, and what does it matter anyway. And if you think those two women are fat, you are what is wrong with society.
Anyway, that was a fantastic episode. I cried on about 5 separate occasions. All I could think about at the end though was that something would happen to Bailey and Tuck on their way home or that something would happen to Derek on his way to/from Rose's. I hope I'm wrong.
But this episode just showed that you can have a great and satisfying season finale without having to have a cliff-hanger that will drive you crazy for months.
okay, i loved the finale, every second of it! i loved how we learned more about alex, and how george will finally get his shot at being extraordinary. i think my biggest fear for the fall season is what about derek??? i'm thinking he never makes his way back to the hill and the candles and meredith...there's a BIG twist sitting there and i can't wait all summer to find out!!!!
cam | May 23, 2008 5:04:30 AM | #Wow. That was one of the worst episodes of any TV show I've ever seen. Complete garbage.
Steve | May 23, 2008 5:12:32 AM | #The kiss between Callie and Hahn was just too much. It was interesting (a little) when she did it to goad Mark, but there's now way Callie is lesbian.
I loved everything else... especially the candle house, and just the part that it appears Meredith and Derek are together again.
The kiss between Callie and Hahn was just too much. It was interesting (a little) when she did it to goad Mark, but there's now way Callie is lesbian.
I loved everything else... especially the candle house, and just the part that it appears Meredith and Derek are together again.
WOW - That was on of the BEST shows I have ever seen. Complete Heaven!
Aaron | May 23, 2008 5:35:36 AM | #I loved the Callie and Hahn scene at then end and I cant wait to see more of it. It just goes to show you that love is love and you never know where you will find it. Bravo Grey's!
Baby B | May 23, 2008 5:36:56 AM | #"What's with throwing all the gay in our faces? And why is it that the two fat, ugly chicks are the ones who go gay? For a show that considers itself "progressive," they stereotyped that one a little, didn't they? It's no wonder this show's ratings are going down. It has turned into a gay show and most people don't feel like having that nonsense shoved down their throats."
Im sure there is a rerun of 7th Heaven somewhere for you to watch Freak!
Bob | May 23, 2008 5:38:21 AM | #The kiss between Callie and Hahn was just too much. It was interesting (a little) when she did it to goad Mark, but there's now way Callie is lesbian.
I loved everything else... especially the candle house, and just the part that it appears Meredith and Derek are together again.
Speechless after last nights show. I loved it and like another comment said, Grey's Anatomy is back to what is use to be like.
I was worried at the end that something bad was going to happen to Baily.
Ray | May 23, 2008 5:39:44 AM | #I know what going to happen
next Derek has a car accident and then goes into a coma. Then saga will continue... Grey's has really changed this season it is predictable.
The kiss between Callie and Hahn was just too much. It was interesting (a little) when she did it to goad Mark, but there's now way Callie is lesbian.
I loved everything else... especially the candle house, and just the part that it appears Meredith and Derek are together again.
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