Grey’s Anatomy: Colorful Metaphors

Chief Cranky-pants continues his modified reign over Seattle Grace as Bailey gives out new assignments to residents who waste no time complaining.  Alex and Izzie are paired together, which can only prove to be trouble if you consider the recent direction of their relationship. He ends up stealing a big surgery from her, and they bicker like petulant children until Izzie takes George’s advice and uses her own natural personality to reclaim the patient.

The reassignments are actually pretty funny, because the doctors are taken out of their element.  Izzie frequently forms inappropriate attachments to patients, blurring the line between doctor and friend (remember Denny?), while Cristina is cold and unfeeling and could use a little more compassion in her beside manner.  The new patient assignments attempt to round out the residents’ experience and force them to adapt to new types of patients.

Meanwhile Callie and Erica deepen their relationship and make plans for a first official date, which sends Callie into a frenzied panic as she contemplates the uncharted territory of her new love interest.  Lets just say that there are certain things Callie’s never done with a chick before, and she’s nervous about it.  This is where the writers really shine and flex their comedic muscle as they broach a risqué topic with colorful metaphors.  Bailey reassures Callie about the date by drawing a comparison between her own desire to visit Africa and performing oral sex.  That’s a fine line to walk, and they addressed it in a funny, innocuous way.  It was a brilliant, understated scene.

The characters on Grey’s are fairly stable.  Oh sure, they are complex and well-written, but for the most part there is no huge deviation in their behavior from one week to the next.  Thus, some of the richest storylines involve the patients of Seattle Grace who exemplify both the best and the very worst of human beings.  The patient that Alex stole from Izzie was a man admitted with a scratch on his forehead, but who ended up having a tumor. His wife berated him for falling asleep on their vacation, calling him boring and unexciting.  Neither of them realized the reason for the fatigue, and she failed to give him the benefit of the doubt.  When he was diagnosed with the brain tumor, she realized the extent of her callous attitude.  I may not be doing this scene justice in my synopsis, but it was very realistic. Sometimes we say and do hurtful things to the ones who love us the most, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t redeem ourselves.  This is what Izzie beautifully conveyed to the patient’s wife and I could totally relate.

It’s no fluke that Grey’s Anatomy won two Golden Globes, and it remains to be one of the most well-written, well-acted shows on television.  I hope the writers can maintain the level of excellence they’ve established.

Season 5, Episode 4: Brave New World (originally aired October 16, 2008)

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Photographs courtesy of ABC