Grey’s Anatomy: The Blame Game

Two words to describe this week’s episode: bloody chaos. This was a fast-paced, complicated and intense episode that focused on the unexpected death of a burn victim. The episode was comprised of flashbacks from each doctor’s point of view. I liked this technique of telling the story by revealing new details with each doctor’s recollection.

There is a thunderstorm raging outside, which matches the stormy environment in the hospital and the episode begins with a bang as Alex and Jackson Avery, a Mercy West resident, come to blows. Then the Chief announces that the loss of the patient “was inexcusable” and that he will conduct interviews with each doctor to discover who was at fault. He interviews Hunt, Bailey, Cristina, Alex, Lexie, Jackson, Reed, April and Charlie.  As the episode unfolds, each doctor describes their evening and defends their actions, in hope of not losing their job.

Hunt begins and states that there was a hotel fire and the ER was swamped. We first meet Cathy Becker, the patient in question, and her son Danny through Cristina’s recounting. However, as Cristina gets called away, Reed and April take over the case. April examines Mrs. Becker while Reed deals with Danny. The doctors are distracted by other patients, such as the victim with the fireman’s ax lodged in his chest and their discussion about how the Seattle Grace doctors hate them.

Next, we discover through April’s interview that she left Cathy Becker with Sloan and Lexie to help Bailey after Charlie faints and accidentally pulls the ax out of the patient’s chest. Sloan also gets called away to assist Arizona with a teenage boy who had severe burns on most of his body. Lexie cleans and bandages Mrs. Becker’s burns and both she and Reed leave Mrs. Becker and Danny to help with other patients.

We then learn about other patients’ injuries and the next time we hear about Cathy Becker is during Jackson and Cristina’s interviews which indicate that she was in pain. Cristina assumes it is from the burns on her chest and prescribes her morphine. Cathy is left alone so the doctors can help with the other victims (are you seeing a pattern?).

After that, Lexie is with the burned teenage boy but is forced to leave the room when she breaks down in tears because she feels bad that he is in so much pain (I don’t blame her). Mrs. Becker’s son finds Lexie and tells her that his mom cannot breathe. Lexie and Jackson discover that her lung collapsed and dramatically insert a chest tube. Once again, Cathy is left alone but it is soon noticed that she is not breathing and the doctors discover that her airway is completely closed. It takes Charlie, Reed, and then Alex, who has been upset for the entire episode about Izzie’s disappearance, to perform a tracheotomy. Unfortunately, it goes down hill after this, her organs begin to fail and it ends with her bleeding out, as the doctors in question desperately work to try to save her but to no avail. Another dilemma was that none of the doctors were quite sure whose patient Mrs. Becker really was.

Finally, with the help of Reed’s memory, the Chief discovers that April did not initially check Cathy Becker’s airway, in which she would have found soot and could have intubated her to avoid the whole tragedy. The Chief then fires April. Derek tries to persuade the Chief to stop being naïve and see the negative effects of the merger on his staff. Derek believes that the doctors involved in the case are all good doctors but they don’t know or trust each other and are afraid of losing their jobs. Also, since the merger, “chaos is the new system” and that the Chief is really to blame.

For those huge Meredith fans out there, she is seen only in one of the opening scenes preparing for discharge and then at the very end leaving the hospital and oblivious to what has happened.

The episode was dramatic, detailed and uniquely presented. It required the viewer to really pay attention for fear of missing something. The episode perfectly illustrated how the merger has fueled competition between Mercy West and Seattle Grace doctors and left them vulnerable, struggling to stand out, and too busy hating each other instead of working together for the good of the patient. I agree with McDreamy, the merger has left the hospital in turmoil and the Chief must install some order instead of hiding in his office.

I liked the fact that the episode was different but I didn’t love it nor would I say it is my favorite episode of the season thus far. For me, the ensemble cast and their relationships are one of the reasons why the show is special and why I love it. I have a concern about the Seattle Grace vs. Mercy West doctors theme and hope the fighting wraps up somewhat soon. I don’t mind some friendly competition but I’d rather learn more about and see the Mercy Westers (that they decide not to fire) further developed. I can say that I am looking forward to the rest of the season to see how the Mercy Westers are further included and watch the growth of my favorite characters.

For another take on this episode, check out Mystery at Seattle Grace by Tanya Lane.

Season 6, Episodes 6: I Saw What I Saw (Originally aired October 22, 2009)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Ron Tom