Grey’s Anatomy: Wish granted.

I’ve been trying to figure out what went wrong. There are so few shining stars this season, and all my favorites seem dull compared to last season. I can’t put my finger on exactly what changed. I still believe a lot has to do with the writers’ strike although I’m not sure exactly why anymore. So I started thinking. . .

What if an extended television break has made us into tougher critics? Since we missed what we love so much, we ended up inadvertently setting the bar higher than we had before. Forced to find other forms of entertainment besides primetime TV resulted in a greater demand for a better show when it returned. All I know is that after this most recent hiatus, I was eager to see how my favorite shows would jump back, and I’m happy to say I have nothing to complain about when it comes to this week’s Grey’s Anatomy episode.

(Yes, that even includes the doomed Denny/Izzie storyline.)

I would say it’s standing on solid ground. Yes, this season of Grey’s Anatomy has been decidedly less-than, but I felt genuine waves of happiness and sadness as I watched this week’s episode and that should be the goal. I’ve stated before that Grey’s does its best when we care about its characters, even the ones that only come into our lives for one episode. I laughed and I cried. I cared about the patients and the docs. I felt like I was watching real human emotion and being able to feel it in my bones. I felt like I connected with Meredith’s overarching theme in her voiceover. And that has not been the case in a long time.

So this week, we were asked to think about the wishes we make. (I know that I at least got one wish granted in this fantastic episode.) Meredith and Christina are still on the outs. When I say outs, I mean it’s like the Arctic between the two former BFFs. Their hot other halves are between them when Derek, Owen and the ladies are put on a very hush-hush case, but more on that later.

Returning to form, Mark and Callie struggle to remain professional when it comes to the very sexy interns that surround them. I gave the writers a lot of flack when it came to the exit of Erica as well as their storyline, but I do love Callie best when she’s single and bumbly and all cutesy. Mark is having a hard time keeping his eyes off Little Grey post-seduction, and Sadie clearly makes Callie loco so she creates a one-step program (step one: No sex with interns) to keep the two on the straight and narrow. This group of lovers works with a patient who’s broken almost every bone in her body in the last year and repeatedly screams to God in exasperation. When they find a tumor that’s causing the breakdown of her bone calcium, it’s the final straw. She’s given up everything in her life to make her world safe, even the love of her life who moved to Denver. (She knew broken bones and ice don’t go too well together.) By removing the  tumor, the patient has the chance to follow her heart to Denver. With this romantic ending, Sloan’s one-step program lasts, oh, one work day, and most likely not much longer for Callie.

Elsewhere, Izzie is acting a bit more normal but that doesn’t mean there’s less Denny. It just seems like she’s gotten more used to having him around. Since Alex has said those three special words, (big deal and she knows it) she feel compelled to tell him what’s been going on. This was an unexpected twist. Though she can’t be exactly upfront about it, she does hint to the fact that she sees Denny, minus the whole sex part. He doesn’t flip out, but instead jokes sweetly with her about it and says he’s willing to share her. It also happens to be her birthday, so his nonchalant response is like the perfect present. She doesn’t even have anything more to wish for when she blows out her birthday candles.

In another hospital wing, Bailey meets a difficult day when one of the doctors dies while treating a patient close to her heart who has experienced chronic stomach and liver problems. A new, young doc named Arizona, wearing those roller skate sneakers in a hospital (really?), takes over the case. When Arizona wants to stop treatment and put the kid on the donor list, Bailey flips, and the Chief is not around because he’s sulking about how far the hospital has fallen. The most touching part of this storyline is the quirky kid who want to be one of those Make-A-Wish kids even though he’s not terminal. When his sickness takes a turn for the worst, the Chief not only rallies to help Bailey brainstorm and support a friend, but the kid gets his chance at a wish which is obviously bittersweet.

Now back to what I began earlier. This episode began a 3-episode arc featuring Eric Stoltz playing a charming, creepy serial killer.  (Stoltz has also directed past episodes of Grey’s.) He forces differing opinions by our docs regarding the treatment of people who maybe don’t deserve the same treatment as others. (At least,  those who don’t kill for fun!)  Meredith’s on the side of treat without judgment while Christina and Derek are on the opposite side. It dredges up a lot of drama in the hospital, personally and professionally, and it won’t be the last of it, I’m sure.  After the long, hard day of battling with her best friend and boyfriend, Meredith is defeated, but Derek confides that his father was murder which might skew his view to a particular side. All is forgiven as he takes the position of temporary BFF and dances it out with Meredith to make her feel better. (I need to find me a McDreamy that’s for sure.)

Rhimes must have some kind of plan because the crazy triangle between Izzie, Denny and Alex is seeming a lot less insane. Plus this bitter battle between Meredith and Christina is turning out to be some seriously intriguing drama. I didn’t think it would last long, but I’m actually glad it has. It’s adding a different dimension to both characters and their friendship.

And lastly, will this Stoltz arc pan out as one of the better storylines? It’s definitely shaping up to be, and as I’ve said earlier, Grey’s is back on top! Hopefully there’s no stopping it.

Season 5, Episode 11:  Wish You Were Here (originally aired January 8, 2009)

For a different point of view, read Tanya Lane’s take, Wish I Wasn’t., here.

For more Grey’s Anatomy reviews, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC
Photographs courtesy of ABC