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Check out our photos from the press room below.

Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale
Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event") Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event")	Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event

Comic-Con 2010: The Event Panel & Press Room – The Next Obsession?

Lost is over. Alias is gone. To the outrage of both Joss Whedon and his rabid fan base, Firefly has left the building, whether we like it or not.

Make way for the next big thing in serialized storytelling, NBC’s new fall drama The Event. The one hour drama stars Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, Ian Anthony Dale, Scott Patterson, and Zeljko Ivanek, among others. The concept of the show came from the mind of writer Nick Wauters.

We were given the opportunity to watch the one hour pilot during the panel on Saturday, and it intrigued me. The audience sat silent and still, clapping in appropriate moments. As far as I could tell, we were all working hard to keep up. And you will have to keep up, people. This isn’t a police procedural following a formula. It’s not a nighttime soap in the vein of Grey’s Anatomy. It’s a show with a complicated premise and a huge cast of characters, with some science fiction thrown into the mix. You will have to pay attention. You will have to come back next week for your answers. This could very possibly be the show everyone’s talking about this fall.

I had the chance to sit down with several members of the cast, as well as the show’s writers and producers, and ask some questions following the public panel.

Ian Anthony Dale sat first at our table, and confirmed what we already knew: there isn’t much they can say about the show itself. He did talk a lot about the characters, how they are “rich, diverse, and rounded characters inhabiting these varied worlds…all are dealing with a  critical, personal dilemma.”

The writers have gotten through eight episodes but have a bible on the world and mythology for the entire series. The cast members are told only what is necessary to play that week’s dialogue and interaction. According to cast member Scott Patterson, the secrecy is like “James Bond on steroids.” He is impressed with the scripts and the “caliber of people in every department.”

The chats with the writer Nick Wauters as well as some of the producers proved interesting. They promise us that they won’t be “making things up as they go along,” but instead answering some major questions in each episode even as events lead to more questions. They would not, of course, tell us what “the event” is, only that the shocking happening at the end of the pilot was not the event referred to by the show’s title.

At the end of the pilot there is an event, however, that brings a science fiction element into the show. When asked about how big of a role that might play, he told us the original idea and script “had no science fiction or supernatural elements at all…the studio asked us to include it.” Interesting. I guess Hollywood is learning that supernatural sells.

What I liked most about the pilot is the feeling that none of the characters are exactly what they seem to be. Laura Innes is important enough to meet with the President of the United States (played by Blair Underwood), but in a flashback she’s shown in shackles. Leila Buchanan (played by Sarah Roemer) is just a girl on a cruise with her boyfriend. Until she and her young daughter disappear. Michael Buchanan (Scott Patterson) is a guy babysitting his granddaughter, but by the end of the show he’s on a path to take out the entire Presidential administration.

NBC has put together a great cast and a great crew for The Event, and they’ve obviously invested a ton of cash in this project. The writing and what they are attempting to do  is impressive for a television show. At the very least, it’s going to be interesting. Like every new show, you’ll have to decide whether or not to stick with it and hope the payoff is going to be worth it in the end.

The Event premieres on Monday, September 20th at 9 pm (EST) on NBC.

Image courtesy of nbc.com

For more Comic-Con coverage, click here.

Videos:

Check out our photos from the press room below.

Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale
Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event") Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event")	Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event

Season Finale Report Card: Part One

It’s that time of year, when we look back at the year in TV and decide whether all those hours spent immobile on our butts were worth it. For me, it’s no contest, but that still doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion! So like the good ol’ school days, it’s time for our television’s report card. Just as our parents and teachers expect so much from our nubile and growing minds, we expect a lot from season finales. At its simplest, we expect them to entertain us. Then there’s the more complicated. We expect them to leave lasting impressions, to keep us thinking for three or four months, to inspire us to buy DVDs and re-watch with friends who are late joining the party. And so many shows this season left me with all of the above. Be warned. Spoilers ahead!

Who would have ever guessed that Gossip Girl would end with one of our favorite Upper Eastsiders bloodied in an alley somewhere in Prague? But while this ending felt like a random cop out, I actually did appreciate the predictability of the writers putting a kibbutz on all our pairings once again. They were all getting a little stale, and Chuck and Blair are always at their best when they’re loving to hate each other. B

How I Met Your Mother doesn’t seem any closer to finding out who the mother is, but I love the idea of Lily and Marshall thaaaat much closer to having a bun in the oven. The show needs change, and a new and improved group dynamic would be a start. Truthfully, I became hooked on HIMYM about a year ago, but many of the newer episodes have been hit or miss, and I felt the same about the finale. While I wished they’d saved a Doppleganger storyline for an episode where they could devote more funny, it was genius to use Ted’s foray into blond hair as the hysterical foil that stopped him and Robin from making a big mistake and hooking up again. B

Heading to Utah to screen Julian’s film gave One Tree Hill the chance to operate like that carefree show I used to adore. Remember when there were basketball games to fret over, love in the air and some ridiculous humor? (See: Quinn stomping through the mountain and Mouth dancing in a fur coat.) Then, they went a little cuckoo by leaving Quinn’s and Clay’s lives hanging in the balance after a crazed stalker shooting. Couldn’t they have just ended on a happy note? B-

90210 promised a dramatic closing, but compared to its sister shows, two of which ended with gunshots and blood, Naomi’s possible sexual assault by Mr. Cannon, the teacher she’d falsely accused of sexual harassment and Liam’s rage-boy beating of Jasper seemed tame. Then, there’s the Annie hit-and-run story which went absolutely nowhere. I’m sure there’ll be no consequences for her, in the end, and we’ll start next season wondering why we had to waste all that time with Ms. Mopey & Depressed. At least it’s still miles ahead of Melrose Place in quality. C

Grey’s Anatomy used to be my must-watch TV, but this year it was, sadly, relegated to computer viewing. But after getting wind about the killer finale, I caught up on three hours just in time for all the awesomeness. Everyone put on stellar performances as a gunman plowed through the hospital with bullets on a revenge mission against Derek, Lexie and the Chief. Meredith was pregnant, and then she wasn’t. Cristina operated on Derek. We cleaned out some of those Mercy West-ers, and the Chief was as sage as the good old days. I was on the edge of my seat for all 120 minutes. B+

After a near-perfect season of Modern Family, the finale left little to be desired besides more. Kobe Bryant! Being funny?! Julie Bowen was nuanced and so human as Type-A Claire trying to get the perfect family photo. Mitchell vs. the Indoor Pigeon made it clear how absurd I look after seeing a spider or any bug for the matter, ergo I was on the floor rolling. And after seeing Manny and Jay pair so perfectly all season long, I enjoyed Luke interviewing his grandfather for a school report and all of Jay‘s wild embellishments. So rarely is a season stellar from start to finish, but this show gets a much deserved A.

I’ve been consistently surprised by Cougar Town as it has found its footing along the way. Critics may hate how over the top the characters can be at times, especially Cox as the lead, but the heart of the show is the bond these characters have that makes them all family. I appreciated that the writers didn’t string out the Grayson-Jules hookup until the end. Instead, we spent our final hour easing Bobby into the idea of the two of them dating. The hard punches may stick out, but it’s the light touches that make me laugh the most. A-

For a mid-season show, Parenthood certainly left an impression. As a depiction of realistic families that mess up, struggle, yet are always there for each other, I turned to it when Brothers & Sisters started looking like All My Children. While I could leave behind the parental, cheating storyline, I relished the perfect Lauren Graham and Peter Krause as a brother and sister dealing with their warring daughters and everyone finally coming together in the end. B+

So much happened during this season from Cancer to surrogates to thieving boyfriends to miscarriages to repressed assault. Brothers & Sisters truly reached its soapy pinnacle. So, of course, nothing should change for the finale which included a massive car pileup, a not-so-shocking death and AIDS. (Whaaaaat? You say. My thoughts exactly.) I miss when this show was actually semi-realistic and award-worthily entertaining. C-

I’m not sure what drew me back to Desperate Housewives, but I remember why I left by the end. These mysteries of the season never end well, even if they start with some of the most intriguing and best intentions. Add having to tie up two mysteries while introducing a new, baby-switch mystery for next season, made all the wrap up seem rushed and anti-climactic. B-

As you can see, this season has had its fair share of successes and failures, and there are still more shows to report on. And yes, I realize that I grade on a curve. What can I say, scripted television will always make a softie out of me. How would you score the shows above, and be sure to look out for the second half of this report card which will dive into all those sci-fi/fantasy/spy shows you can’t get enough of.

For more television reviews, click here.

Photographs courtesy of ABC/Danny Feld, CBS/Monty Brinton, and The CW/Michael Desmond.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Best. Episode. Ever.

The internet was ablaze last Thursday night as millions held their collective breath witnessing quite possibly the best episode of network television I’ve ever seen.  It was that good.  In fact, it was easily the best episode of the entire series, and that’s high praise considering how great Grey’s Anatomy is.

The writers have been subtly planting the seeds that would lead up to the finale, one that featured the returning character of Gary Clark, a mentally unstable spouse of a patient who died at Seattle Grace earlier in the season.  Clark lost his wife and blames the hospital and Derek in particular for murdering her.  Nevermind the fact that they were bound by a ‘do not resuscitate’ order signed by the woman.  There isn’t a hospital in America that would ignore such a directive, but this fact is lost on Mr. Clark.  When a hearing on the matter proves unsuccessful, Clark’s anger only deepens.  The writers have also been hinting at whether or not Derek has what it takes to be Chief.  His mettle is tested in the chilling season finale, as Clark resurfaces at Seattle Grace on a mission to avenge his wife’s death.

The ominous parental discretion warning is the first indication that the finale is going to be serious.  The terror starts when Clark enters the hospital and begins looking for Derek specifically.  After being rebuffed by a nurse, he finds Reed in a supply closet.  He asks her where to find Shepherd.  When she responds rudely to him he pulls a pistol out and puts a bullet in her head.  And so it begins, two hours of nail-biting tension.  Two seconds after he shoots Reed, Alex comes around the corner and becomes victim #2.  A feeling of dread and despair permeated the entire episode, and my emotions were tested several times as revered characters faced unbelievable terror and sadness.  It was painfully realistic to watch people plead for their lives while Clark methodically murdered his way to Derek Shepherd.  He stalked the halls, coldly dispensing with anyone whom he believed was responsible for his wife’s death, even if only tangentially involved.  The brilliant aspect of this episode was that Clark managed to directly interact with each main character in a way that held the episode together.  I’ll recount the most meaningful, heart-stopping moments.

Derek learns fairly quickly about the shooter and puts the hospital in lockdown mode.  Bailey is with a patient named Mary (played by Mandy Moore) when that happens, and she and Percy must remain where they are.  She steals a glance out the window and sees Clark approaching with the gun.  She tells Mary to play dead and orders Percy to hide.  Bailey is under the bed when Clark enters, and for a second it looks like they might pull it off.  Mary does a great job playing possum and Bailey is undetected.  And then Percy makes a noise and Clark finds him.  “Are you a surgeon?” he asks.  Percy says yes and then we hear him pleading before a gunshot sounds.  We don’t see their interaction, we only see Bailey waiting with her hand over her mouth.  Percy falls to the floor, looking into Bailey’s eyes and gasping for breath.  Bailey stifles a scream while Mary remains silent.  My heart drops when Clark drags Bailey from underneath the bed just like that scene in the movie Taken.  He asks Bailey if she’s a surgeon and she has the good sense to give a different answer than Dr. Percy.  She tells him he’s a nurse and he leaves the room.  Now Bailey must calm Mary and try to save Percy’s life with only gauze and tape.

While Bailey tends to Percy, Lexie and Mark discover Alex’s body in the elevator.  He managed to crawl on the elevator but didn’t have the strength to press a button.  While they attempt surgery on a very much awake Alex, on another floor Owen, Teddy, and Avery perform surgery on a critical patient.  They are insulated from the chaos and are oblivious to the danger around them as they continue to work on the patient.  Derek pulls Avery aside and tells him to apprise the others after the surgery is complete.  When he finally tells them, Owen rips him a new one for waiting so long.  He and Teddy agree to move the patient while the others remain behind.  When they are found by a SWAT team and ushered outside for safety, Owen decides to go back in, symbolically choosing Cristina over Teddy.

Clark’s intentions are to punish everyone who worked on his wife’s case.  This means Derek, Richard, and Lexie.  Damn, all the girl did was pull the plug like she was told!  This guy is a f*cking nutbag for sure.  He can’t get Richard because he’s celebrating 6 months of sobriety at a nearby café.  He’s looking for Derek but finds Lexie en route to his office.  She was getting supplies for Alex and ends up coming face to face with Clark.  But before he can ice Little Grey, SWAT lands a shot to his shoulder.  Which brings me to my only complaint with the finale: Clark manages to continue his rampage, even though law enforcement managed to locate and wound him.  To borrow a line from one of my Facebook friends, this was the worst SWAT team in the history of television.  I understand that they needed a way to keep the storyline going and they didn’t want to kill everybody, but let’s be realistic.  This guy was like the Terminator, the Golden Years.

Another recurring theme that I noticed in the episode was love, quite simply.  Not that “flowers and candy” kinda love, but that “baby imma jump in front of a bullet” for you kinda love.  Owen went back in for Cristina.  Meredith abandons her safe hiding space to find Derek before Clark does.  Owen threatens to kill Clark if he hurts Cristina, and last but not least: Meredith offers her life for Derek’s as true justice for Clark.  She gets the opportunity to do this because eventually Clark finds Derek and confronts the man he’s been searching for all day.  Derek tries to connect with Clark and appeal to whatever humanity he can find in his eyes.  Cristina and Meredith watch from a distance, helpless.  It looks like Derek might actually be finding a shred of hope somewhere beneath Clark’s crazy eyes, but then April makes her umpteenth blunder by bursting through the double doors at that exact moment and jarring Clark back into focus.  He strengthens his resolve and shoots Derek in the chest while Meredith stares in horror.

One of the few fortunate aspects of the finale was that they were in a hospital, which was useful for treating the gunshot wounds that Clark was giving everyone.  Derek is shot, but he’s surrounded by people and facilities that allow him to be treated immediately.  It’s a bit unrealistic that Clark would shoot Derek just once rather than finish him off, but I’ll play along.  Anyway, there are no Attendings on the floor to perform the surgery, so Cristina will have to operate on her best friend’s husband.  Later, Owen finds Meredith and tells her to remain outside the OR while Cristina operates.  Unbeknownst to her, Clark has made his way into the operating room and is ordering Cristina to stop working on Derek.  She tearfully refuses and by this time Owen has come in.  Meredith enters also and tries to offer herself in place of Derek.  Owen jumps in front of the bullet, which lodges in his shoulder.  Clark basically says that he can kill everyone or just Derek.  Avery stops working on Derek and tells Clark that he will bleed out momentarily and flatline.  Sure enough, a flatline appears and Clark is convinced that his mission has been accomplished.  Meredith collapses, bawling hysterically.  Her reaction reassures Clark that Derek is dead, and he leaves.  After he leaves, we see that Avery disconnected some wires but that Derek was never in danger.  They continue working on him.

The last scene I’ll talk about in detail is another involving Bailey, her patient Mary, and Dr. Percy.  Left with meager supplies, they must get Percy to an operating room or he will die.  Percy is a big boy, so they are forced to position him on a blanket and drag the blanket down the hall.  After fighting so hard to save him, Bailey realizes it is all for naught.  The police have cut power to the elevators, and there is no way to get Percy up to an operating room.  He will die right there on the floor, and there isn’t a damn thing Bailey can do about it as the life slowly drains from his body.  This has been a day from hell and Bailey can’t take it anymore.  After the shock of pleading for her own life, the frantic attempt to save Percy, and trying to calm Mary, now she comes to the realization that Percy will die.  And she loses it.  She screams hysterically, yelling at the futility and inevitable doom of the situation.  She has her moment of weakness and then gathers herself, summoning the courage and backbone we know she possess.  This time she tells Percy the truth: he is going to die.  But she and Mary will be with him every step of the way.  At this point I need Kleenex, which should be the official sponsor of Grey’s Anatomy.  He asks Bailey to tell Reed that he always had a crush on her and that he died brave.  *sniffle*

The episode was too intense and intricate for me to relay every detail, but I can say that Seattle Grace will never be the same.  Percy and Reed were killed.  Meredith found out she was pregnant, but the day’s heart-stopping stress was too much to bear and she suffered a miscarriage before she could tell Derek.  Owen was shot in the shoulder.  Alex was shot and nearly died.  Derek was shot in the chest.  These are the lives that were affected and will be changed forever.  This was easily the best episode of the season, and of the entire series, in my opinion.  I’ve never been so enthralled by a network television show.  I’m used to HBO giving me the realness, but not ABC.  Best. Episode. Ever.

Season 6, Episodes 23 & 24: Sensitive & Death and All His Friends (originally aired May 20, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Danny Feld.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: All Hell Breaks Loose

Happy. Fear. Anger. Sad. Tense. Stress. Worry. Shock. Upset. Disbelief. The previous feelings are just some from the rollercoaster of emotions I felt while watching the captivating Grey’s Anatomy finale. It was extremely well-done and the two hours flew by (of course I was somewhat numb and emotionally exhausted by the end).

Pt. 1

We see Richard at a local restaurant with his six-month sobriety coin, Callie and Cristina both hysterically crying eating bowls of cereal at the apartment and learn that Meredith is pregnant! Meredith tries to tell Derek but discovers he is in a bad mood, so she decides to wait until that night.

Teddy is furious with Owen and tells him she “doesn’t want to hear him or forgive him.” Also, we meet Dr. Bailey and Charlie’s likeable patient, Mary (Mandy Moore).

Gary Clark, the man who blames Derek and other Seattle Grace doctors for his wife’s death, is in the hospital and searching for Derek. He questions Reed in a supply room and when she doesn’t tell him where Derek is, Gary Clark brutally shoots her in the head. Alex walks in and is also shot in the chest by Mr. Clark. Alex, who is obviously in severe pain, drags himself into an elevator.

Cristina declines to scrub in on Teddy and Owen’s patient. Owen runs after her and Cristina quizzes him, “do you love her or do you love me?” When he doesn’t answer, Cristina says, “I’m done. We’re done.” I held my breath during the entire scene as Cristina gets on the elevator with Gary Clark, who asks where to find Derek. Cristina gives him detailed directions to Derek’s office and Gary lets her live.

A distracted April trips over Reed’s body and freaks out. In shock and covered in blood, she runs to Derek’s office and tells him “Reed’s dead. Someone shot her.” Derek calls the police and puts the hospital under lockdown.

Many of the docs are questioning lockdown and believe it is a drill. Callie ends up in the pediatrics wing with Arizona while Bailey is on another floor with her patient, Mary.

Derek goes to the OR where Teddy and Owen are operating with Jackson. Derek calls Jackson aside and tells him “there is a shooter in the hospital. Tell them when the patient is stable.”

Meredith and Cristina meet up. Meredith shares that she didn’t tell Derek yet about the baby and then decides to tell him immediately. Cristina admits to breaking up with Owen and tags along with Meredith to see Derek’s reaction to the good news.

Lexie and Mark are talking by a nurses’ station when Gary Clark shows up and begins shooting, killing at least one nurse. Mark protects Lexie and takes her to the elevator to get her out of the hospital but when the doors open they find Alex lying in a huge pool of blood. They carry Alex to a room, examine him and realize the bullet is still inside. Mark must operate to retrieve the bullet while a distraught Lexie assists.

Police and SWAT arrive outside the hospital. Richard also makes it to the hospital, concerned for his people inside, and demands to know what is going on.

Derek sees Meredith and Cristina walking through the hospital and moves them into a supply closet filling them in about the shooter and tells them not to move. While in the closet, Cristina sees Gary Clark wandering with his gun and it dawns on her that he is after Derek, which she explains to Meredith. Cristina blocks the door but Meredith throws her out of the way to search for Derek.

A distracted Bailey is talking with Mary when Charlie rushes in the room exclaiming that, “the shooter is on the floor.” Bailey looks out and sees Gary Clark murder a security guard. She tells Mary to pretend to be dead, covers her with a sheet, tells Charlie to hide while she scurries under the bed. Gary finds Charlie in the bathroom, asks if he is a surgeon and when Charlie responds, “yes,” Gary shoots him. As I watched in a panic, Gary pulls Bailey out from under the bed and asks her the same question. But a quick thinking, even in these circumstances, Miranda responds, “I’m a nurse” and Gary lets her live. A distraught Bailey tries to pull herself together and enlists Mary to help save Charlie’s life.

Arizona and Callie are not getting along at all—Callie informs Arizona, “I tried being friends. I’m going the more traditional route of hating your guts.”

Owen is furious when he learns about the shooter and lockdown from Jackson. He insists on bringing his patient to ICU and Teddy insists on going with him.

Mark announces that Alex needs a blood transfusion. Lexie volunteers to go get the blood.

Unfortunately, Gary Clark manages to find Derek, stating he is there to avenge his wife’s death and points his gun at Derek just as Meredith and Cristina arrive to witness this. Derek attempts to talk Mr. Clark down by telling him he understands his loss because “two guys killed my dad for his watch in front of me.” Derek further explains that he “became a doctor to save lives not to play god.” Gary Clark begins to lower his gun but suddenly April runs toward Derek and Clark shoots Derek in the chest while Cristina holds Meredith back.

Pt. 2

April is able to talk Gary into letting her go. The SWAT team enters the hospital, which prevents Gary from shooting Derek again. Meredith shakes off Cristina and rushes to her husband’s side screaming, “I can’t live without you. I pick you. I choose you. You don’t get to die on me.”

As Lexie is returning with the blood for Alex, she runs into Gary Clark. Mr. Clark explains he came to the hospital to shoot Derek, Richard and Lexie because she unplugged his wife’s machine. We hear a gunshot and Lexie falls to the ground. At first, we think she is shot but it turns out Lexie wasn’t hit, instead SWAT shot Gary Clark. Lexie runs away with the blood and returns to Alex, who is now unconscious. Lexie pleads with Alex not to die and shocks Mark (and me) by proclaiming that she loves him.

Gary heads off in a different direction and ends up in the pediatrics wing outside the room where Arizona and Callie are helping a little girl whose appendix has ruptured. A fearful yet assertive Callie hands him some bandages and tells him to leave pediatrics. Remarkably, he does.

The police have identified that the shooter is Gary Clark and question Richard about him.

Meredith, Cristina and April are able to get Derek to an OR and plan to find Teddy to perform the surgery. However, Cristina can’t find Teddy, and after talking to Jackson, comes to the realization that she must perform the surgery herself.  She insists that Meredith wait outside of the OR.

Alex’s condition is deteriorating. He believes he sees Izzie (really Lexie) and begs her “please don’t ever leave me.” SWAT enters the room and tells them the floor is clear so Alex can be evacuated.

Meanwhile, Richard sneaks in the hospital. Also, instead of taking their patient to ICU, Teddy and Owen bring the patient outside to be evacuated. Owen realizes that Cristina is still in the hospital and Teddy tells him it is okay to choose. Owen makes his choice to go back inside for Cristina.

Charlie takes a turn for the worse so Bailey and Mary drag him on a sheet to the elevator to get him to an OR. However, the elevators have been turned off and Bailey loses it for a minute. She then sits down with Charlie, who asks, “I’m dying right?” In a tear-jerking scene, Bailey responds, “Yes, Charles, you are dying. Don’t be afraid. Mary and I are going to be with you the whole time. You are not alone.” As a final request, Charlie asks Bailey to tell Reed that he always loved her, which she agrees to. Charlie dies in Bailey’s arms.

Owen finds Meredith and goes into the OR to check on Cristina. And as Owen walks in the OR, we see Gary Clark with the gun pointed at Cristina telling her to stop operating on Derek. This was such a shocking scene! I totally didn’t expect to see Gary Clark in the OR. Cristina continues to operate and Owen threatens Mr. Clark saying, “She is the woman that I love. You shoot her and I will kill you.”

Meredith walks in the OR and proclaims, “You want justice. I’m your eye for an eye.” Gary Clark points his gun at Meredith but Cristina divulges that Meredith is pregnant, making Gary hesitate. Owen seizes the moment to try to apprehend Gary but instead ends up getting shot. Jackson then tricks Gary Clark by making it seem like Derek has flatlined and Clark leaves the OR. Cristina yells at Meredith, “I’m trying to save your guy, now try to save mine.” Cristina is able to save Derek. Meanwhile, Meredith, with April assisting, in the other OR is examining Owen and sees the bullet exited. However, in a heartbreaking moment, Meredith realizes she is miscarrying but continues to help Owen.

Richard finds Gary Clark, who explains that, “I was going to kill you and then shoot myself. But I only have one bullet left.” A very strong Richard tells him, “I’ve gone to hell and back. I’ve also known joy and passion. I had a great love. Death for me is not justice but the end of a beautiful journey. I’m not afraid to die. A life in prison or an afterlife with your wife? Me or you?” We hear a gunshot as SWAT is entering the floor. When we see Richard a few minutes later, we realize that Gary Clark has taken his own life.

Later on, Lexie enters a hospital room to see Alex. I assume he is stable but we don’t know.

Outside the hospital and after the ordeal, Callie and Arizona reconcile. Arizona even announces, “I can’t live without you and our ten kids.”

The finale ends with Derek asking to see Meredith and Meredith throwing out the positive pregnancy test.

Wow, what a finale. One of, if not the best I have seen this year, maybe ever. The episode has amazing writing & directing plus superb performances by the entire cast but especially by Chandra Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, James Pickens Jr. and Sarah Drew. Some of these performances have to be Emmy worthy.

A couple of reflections on this intense finale…Richard Webber, in my mind, is still the Chief and deserves his role back—it has always been his hospital. Alex made it pretty clear he still loves Izzie which doesn’t bode well for the Alex/Lexie relationship…could Lexie and Mark still have a shot? Way to go, Jackson Avery, another reason to love you!

The biggest thing that irked me from the finale—Meredith’s miscarriage. Come on, give us Mer/Der fans something! Yes, I love that they are happy and together but they didn’t have a real wedding and are married on a Post-It. My biggest fear is that Meredith will be all “dark and twisty” again next season. Sorry for the mini rant.

Where was Ben? How will Jason George’s role on Shonda Rhimes’ new show, Off the Map, affect ‘Ben’ on Grey’s?

Too many what ifs remain but that’s what finales are all about. So Grey’s fans, I think we’ll have to wait until next season to see how “game changing” this episode was and how many of our favorite doctors are still around or how they have been affected by this episode. Until season 7…

Season 6, Episodes 23 & 24: Sensitive & Death and All His Friends (originally aired May 20, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

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Photographs courtesy of ABC and Danny Feld.

ABC Upfront: Plenty of New Comedy and Drama for Fall 2010

Television shows have an interesting life cycle. Some can last years on the air and gain a strong following; others are lucky if they survive after the first three episodes.

Up Fronts are where new shows are introduced to the world by network executives, and old shows either make a triumphant return or meet their maker. Held every year in New York City on the third week in May, major networks host an Up Front meeting to reveal their fall primetime pick-ups. Press – including Poptimal! – and advertisers are invited to see clips from new series and meet the actors and crew involved with returning and upcoming shows.

Today in New York City, television network ABC unveiled its 2010-2011 Primetime Schedule set to start in the fall. Many changes come to the schedule as the network loses Lost this weekend with the series coming to an end. Along with the end of one of their biggest shows, ABC announced earlier last week that Romantically Challenged, Better Off Ted, Scrubs, and FlashForward would not be returning for another season. Let’s not forget that Ugly Betty, Hank, The Deep End, Eastwick, and the very recent Happy Town have all met the axe of ABC executives in the last year. So what does the network do when they are in need of new shows to fill in the spots? They emulate what works in their biggest shows.

With the reveal of the schedule its clear that comedy and drama are what ABC is aiming for in the upcoming year.

DAY TIME SERIES

MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”

10:00 p.m. “Castle”

TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “No Ordinary Family”

9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”

10:00 p.m. “Detroit 1-8-7”

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “The Middle”

8:30 p.m. “Better Together”

9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”

9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”

10:00 p.m. “The Whole Truth”

THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. “My Generation”

9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”

10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”

FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Secret Millionaire”

9:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”

10:00 p.m. “20/20”

SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”

8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”

10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

Many network favorites return in the fall including Brothers & Sisters, Castle, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, V, Cougar Town, The Middle, Modern Family, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny, and 20/20.

The biggest emphasis for new shows comes off the success of ABC’s original series Modern Family. With a newfound concentration to build on its comedies, the network has picked up three new comedies. Of the three new shows, Better Together will air in the fall Wednesday comedy block at 8:30 P.M.  Happy Endings and Mr. Sunshine will appear on ABC during midseason.

Based off the trailers shown for the three comedies, Better Together, starring JoAnna Garcia, Jennifer Finnigan, Josh Cooke, Jake Lacy, Kurt Fuller, and Debra Jo Rupp, was easily my favorite. The show follows a family of three couples, Maddie and Ben have been dating for nine years and haven’t married, Mia and Casey who have dated for seven weeks and are engaged, and Vicky and Joel, the parents, married for 35 years who have recently adopted a carefree attitude.

Happy Endings, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Elize Coupe, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr., and Casey Wilson, really didn’t set well with me. The show goes for a real feel with a group of friends and dealing with relationships and break ups.

Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry, Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, James Lesure, Nate Torrence, and Portia Doubleday follows the life of a self-employed manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena, who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40^th birthday. The trailer seemed witty and funny for the most part, but if the show does not form an audience behind it quick, I can see this ending just as quick as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

On the drama side, ABC revealed Body of Proof, Detroit 1-8-7, My Generation, No Ordinary Family, and The Whole Truth for the fall schedule, while Shonda Rhimes’ drama Off The Map, will appear midseason.

Body of Proof, starring Dana Delany, follows the aftermath of an accident that ends the career of the brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Megan Hunt. Instead of giving up, Dr. Hunt continues her career as a medical examiner where she is determined to solve who or what killed the victims. My interest after watching the trailer was pretty low. The show comes off as another rehash of a forensic crime drama, but with more of a medical angle.

Detroit 1-8-7, starting Michael Imperioli, uses a documentary style to follow the Homicide Unit of Detroit’s finest. The cast of the show seems promising. In my opinion this show can take off if the characters are developed properly, otherwise ABC will have just another cop drama on their hands.

The Whole Truth, starring Rob Morrow, takes a unique approach on legal dramas. Following both the perspective of the defense and prosecution, the audience is left guessing till the final scenes as they try to piece together the truth to form their opinion if the defendant is guilty or innocent. I personally found this show interesting in concept, but ultimately the success will be decided with its execution.

Off the Map, from Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice creator Shonda Rhimes, brings viewers to a tiny town in a South American jungle where an understaffed and understocked medical clinic resides. Following the lives of young doctors, who are running away from personal demons, I found this trailer to be refreshing even though it is another medical drama on ABC. By moving the location to an anything can happen, worst case scenario location, where the doctors have barely anything to work with, and only each other to rely on, I found Off the Map on my to watch list when it airs midseason.

Aside from these shows ABC prepared a goodbye video for Lost cataloging the experiences the actors had throughout the last six years. With the end of Lost video, Matthew Fox took stage to introduce two new event shows to look forward to this fall.

My Generation, a documentary style show, follows the lives of graduation seniors in 2000 and comes back to catalogue their lives ten years later in 2010. The show delves into the hopes and dreams each graduating student had and where life took them instead. The show comes off as a bit experimental, but appears to have enough to draw in an audience. My hopes might be a bit high on this, but I can see this becoming a hit show for ABC.

The last show left to talk about is easily the show to look forward to this fall. No Ordinary Family takes the life of an ordinary family and gives them extraordinary powers. After the family survives a plane crash while on vacation each member of the family slowly begins to realize they have powers of their own. The trailer really brought back memories of Disney’s Incredibles. I would add this to your must watch list for the fall.

ABC’s Upfront showed off many promising shows. With an aim more towards comedy and drama it will be an interesting year for the network. Hoping to bank on the success of the new shows, ABC could really use a new network showrunner to pave the way Lost has created for it.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Calm Before the Storm

This episode, the last one before next week’s highly anticipated stormy finale, had a little of everything for Grey’s aficionados. Long lost loves who are also patients. A paranoid schizophrenic teenager. Relationship drama. Professions of love. Steamy makeout/sex scenes.

Meredith and Derek have a party where Owen asks Cristina to move in with him—and she agrees to. Later, Meredith confesses to Cristina that she thinks something is going on between Teddy and Owen but won’t tell her everything because she promised Derek she wouldn’t. Finally, Meredith confronts Owen exclaiming, “I know you tried to have Teddy fired and I believe it’s because you’re in love with her. You will tell Cristina, if you’re actually the good guy that she thinks you are.” Owen then confesses to Cristina about trying to get Teddy fired. He also says that he doesn’t know what he feels for Teddy because his memories of her are entangled with his war memories. While Owen and Cristina are talking (in a hospital stairwell), a pager goes off and they see Teddy, below them, who evidently overhead their conversation! At the end of the episode, Meredith and Derek are in bed talking about the new house when Cristina runs in. Derek leaves the girls alone and Cristina tells Mer that she is not moving in with Owen and Meredith replies by letting her know she has her own room “in the new house in the woods.”

Teddy is shocked when she goes to Mark’s apartment and walks in on Reed in his bed because she slept with Mark. Lexie overhears Teddy telling Arizona about walking in on Reed and Mark. Throughout the episode, Lexie tries to downplay that she is not upset that Mark slept with someone, although clearly she is, and not over Mark. Lexie also demands from Alex “I need to know what we are.” Alex responds, “We are a thing. We are together, whatever.”

Later, after being inspired by an older couple, both patients, who found each other at the hospital after not seeing each other for fifty years, Callie informs Mark that he must talk to Lexie because he still loves her. Plus, “you don’t want to let 50 years go by and then realize you let the love of your life get away.” Mark finds Lexie and tells her, “Lex, I’m still in love you with. I tried not to be, it didn’t work. Sloan’s gone. There’s no baby. I don’t want to sleep around. I want another chance.” Lexie is flabbergasted and stammers “I have a boyfriend.” My jaw dropped when Mark said, “I know, I’m saying you could have a husband.” Lexie tears up as she walks away with Alex.

On a side note, Alex deals with a teenage patient (guest star Demi Lovato who had a solid performance) who has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic but insists she is not crazy. Alex advocates for his patient and is able to diagnose a rare small hole in her inner ear that magnifies sounds on the inside plus outside her body. After a surgery, the problem is corrected.

Bailey and Ben finally sleep together! She makes him promise to keep their relationship a secret (no flirting or kissing) at the hospital. But Bailey’s happy mood disappears when she witnesses Ben flirting with a nurse. She even confronts Mark asking, “is one woman never enough for some men?” Later, Ben explains to Bailey he flirts, “bad lazy flirting” with the nurse because she makes his schedule and it makes his job easier. He clarifies that “For you who I actually like, I break out my good flirting. My A game.” “…I’m in this for real.” They get on the elevator and Bailey holds his hand.

Callie struggles with her break up with Arizona this episode. She tells Lexie, “all she wants is for her (Arizona) to change her mind (about a baby) and say yes.” They end up on the elevator together and kiss but Arizona gets off again before Callie can talk to her.

A lot of elevator scenes this week! Finally Mark! I was cheering him on as he gave his little speech to Lexie. Never thought we’d actually see the day when Mark Sloan used the word “husband” when referring to himself. Hope they work it out! Also, Bailey so deserves a happy ending and I’m hoping Ben (and the writers) can make that happen.

Looks like we are gearing up for one hell of a finale next week. Mandy Moore guest stars. If you haven’t seen the promos yet, check out these two links (Promo 1 & Promo 2). I’m bracing myself for what will happen and I am a little concerned about who will die. Any guesses on the shooter or who will get shot? I’m leaning towards Gary Clark as the shooter and maybe one of the Mercy Westers as the victim. Let me know what you think. I’ll leave you with two finale sneak peaks (one & two)! Counting down the hours…

Season 6, Episodes 22: Shiny Happy People (originally aired May 13, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Ron Tom.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: The Setup Begins

‘Tis the season for pre-finale gossip. For weeks, I have been following rumors, spoilers and chatter about how monumental this year’s Grey’s finale will be. Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s creator and executive producer stated, “Look, what is coming up is pretty intense. It’s the kind of finale that changes everything. I know people like to say that, wave the phrase ‘game-changer’ around like a red flag in front of a bull. But dude, this year? GAME. CHANGER.” So this week was a solid episode for Grey’s as the setup begins for the season finale storylines.

Before the arrival of a 700-pound patient with stomach problems, Miranda starts the episode with a brief sensitivity training for the staff so they can “rock their patients’ world.” Bailey expects extra sensitivity with the obese patient and Jackson and Cristina are kicked off the case almost immediately for insensitive comments.

The patient has a severe infection that is eating through his skin and is in need of a risky surgery. The doctors also learn that his wife is pregnant. The patient rejects the surgery at first, choosing rather to die so his child doesn’t have an opportunity to know who he is this way. However, Alex tries to talk some sense into the patient saying that he can’t just give up now for his wife and child’s sake. The pep talk is successful because the patient goes through with the surgery, survives and vows to make a serious lifestyle change.

Since Cristina was kicked off the case, she is told to take care of the young daughter of a heart patient. The girl seems to be driving Cristina crazy, but when the mom is taken in for emergency surgery and the daughter gets upset, Cristina surprisingly makes the decision to stay and comfort the little girl rather than participate in the surgery. Unfortunately, the mom does not make it and Cristina discusses the death of a parent, which sounds like it is coming from personal experience. Jackson offers to talk about it with her, but Cristina asks Meredith to find Owen. Cristina breaks down sobbing in Owen’s arms saying “I miss my dad,” who we learn was in a fatal car accident.

Derek lets it slip to Meredith that Owen “didn’t go to bat for Teddy about the job.” Meredith overhears Teddy thanking Owen for “putting in a good word” for her and a disapproving Meredith gives Owen an accusing look. Later, Owen freaks out at Derek for telling Meredith and expects more from him professionally. Although Meredith explains to Derek that she didn’t say anything to Owen, Derek says that her face must have given it away. He tells her “to do nothing” and not tell Cristina.

Chief Derek had both a busy and stressful episode. He attended a deposition about the wife of Gary Clark who he ordered not to be resuscitated. His lawyer tells him that Mr. Clark has no case. When Derek states that he made the decision in less than a minute, Gary Clark yells that Derek is a “coward and a killer.” After dealing with all of this drama, Derek ends up on the roof with Mark for some “no talking” and hitting golf balls into a dramatic nighttime Seattle skyline.

Lexie overhears Alex and Meredith talking about his divorce papers. Meredith tells him that Lexie cares about him and he should either “make it a thing (between them) or put a stop to it.” At the end of the episode, Alex has made up his mind—(perhaps from some inspiration from his patient), he quickly signs the divorce papers, kisses Lexie and then holding hands they go home together.

A good-looking female patient hits on Callie throughout the episode and gives Callie her phone number. Callie goes home to talk to Arizona and emotionally tells her that she “can’t stop wondering if she (the patient) wants a baby one day.” They both admit to loving each other but Arizona says, “I can’t be the one that keeps you from having a baby” and she goes to pack her things.

Not to worry Calzona fans, Shonda Rhimes tweeted after the episode, “Worry not about Callie and Arizona. This is just a blip in their relationship.” Great news, but I wonder how they will repair this relationship.

Way to go Sandra Oh! A very impressive episode filled with a multitude of emotion! Could this be the year she finally wins an Emmy? Each week goes by and the title of “Chief” seems to be weighing more on Derek. It also appears that he is enjoying his new role less and less. Will Richard be stepping in soon to fill his old position?

Next week: More relationship issues. Demi Lovato guest stars as a troubled teen, plus it looks like Meredith lets the cat out of the bag to Cristina.

For another take on this week’s episode, check out Warm and Fuzzy is the Way by Tanya Lane

Season 6, Episodes 21: How Insensitive (originally aired May 6, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Danny Feld.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Hook, Line and Sinner

After a few weeks off I was ready for some new episodes!  When we last left the fine doctors of Seattle Grace, they were in varying degrees of disarray. This week everyone is in a tizzy because a renowned specialist is visiting the hospital and may be in line for Teddy’s job.  Her contract was never extended, and Derek can choose between her and the Big Shot, Thomas Evans, to head up the Cardio Department.  Teddy is a rock star in the OR, but Derek seems unaware of the considerable skill set she brings to the hospital.  She and Owen are old friends, and Mark is sleeping with her, so he doesn’t have anywhere to turn for objectivity.  Teddy isn’t helping herself by panicking, and on top of that she’s uncharacteristically sick.  She’s been walking around the hospital sneezing, and I assume the writers are setting us up for something.

This week’s crisis involves a father and son who were injured in a boating accident.  The father arrives with a huge hook lodged in his torso.  The surgery is going pretty well until Teddy sneezes in the middle of the procedure, jeopardizing the patent’s life and her chances of landing a permanent gig at the hospital.  Meanwhile, Thomas Evans has managed to make everyone fall in love with him, especially Cristina who follows him around like an adoring puppy.  Teddy reminds her that Evans never let her touch the patient during the surgery she observed earlier in the day while shadowing him.  Conversely, Teddy recognizes that Seattle Grace is a teaching hospital and always involves Cristina in the surgery so that she can learn.  Forgetting her goo goo eyes for Evans, Cristina lobbies Owen to put in a good word with Derek so that he will give Teddy a permanent position.  Unbeknownst to Cristina, Owen and Teddy shared a moment in the elevator earlier in the day, nearly kissing.  He was trying to console her about the sneezing fiasco during surgery and reassure her about her job uncertainty.  They almost kissed, but they didn’t.  It looks like Teddy is now too close to comfort for Owen, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she left Seattle Grace.  Of course he doesn’t share this with Cristina.  He just gives Derek a half-hearted endorsement of Teddy and lets the chips fall where they may.  Ultimately Derek offers Teddy a permanent job, but only because Evans rejected the offer first.

While Teddy tries to hang on to her job, a few other folks have babies on the brain.  Mark’s daughter finally had her baby boy and is waffling about her decision to put him up for adoption.  Mark would love to raise his grandson, but Arizona (who helped the deliver the baby) strongly opposes canceling the adoption.  She and Callie don’t agree on a future that includes children, and I’m surprised that they are still hanging on to the relationship.  That’s a fundamental difference, and forget about being on the same page.  They aren’t even in the same book when it comes to having kids.  I think Arizona, unfairly, harshly projected her own issues when voicing her disapproval to Mark.  It’s really none of her business what Mark and his daughter decide to do about the baby.  Just because she’s dead-set against having children doesn’t mean everyone else has to be.  I was sort of hoping that Sloan would keep the baby because it would mean so much to Mark, but she was completely inept.  I’m sure most young mothers take a while to get the hang of the whole ‘parenting’ thing, but she seems like an especially incompetent case.  She thinks toy cars are an appropriate gift for a baby that can’t even sit up on his own.  She probably makes the best decision when she upholds the adoption agreement.

In one of the funnier moments of the episode, Bailey calls out Lexie for letting Alex treat her like a “scutmonkey.”  Women have a way of being blinded by good lovin’, and it seems like Lexie is letting Alex take credit for her accomplishments around the hospital.  Bailey encourages her to use her superpower to her advantage rather than giving her power over to Alex.  Lexie has a photographic memory, a gift that has served her well as an intern and helped make her an excellent doctor.  Why should she share findings with Alex and let him take the credit?

Callie thinks she makes a breakthrough when she figures out why Arizona doesn’t want children.  As a pediatric surgeon she watches parents mourn dead children all the time, and she also lost her brother when she was younger.  Callie thinks this is why Arizona doesn’t want children: she fears that she will lose them one day.  Arizona firmly tells her for the last time that she isn’t ”broken” and doesn’t need to be fixed by having children.  She doesn’t want them, period.  When the episode ends it looks as if Callie is abandoning her dream of a family, but I predict that this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the issue.

The writers make sure to contrast Derek’s decision making with Webber’s.  A few times I’ve noticed that they have disagreed about the way to handle certain situations, and I wonder if they are planting the seed that Derek will be proven unfit at some point.  Will Webber ever get his old job back?  Are Owen and Teddy going to ‘officially’ cross the line?  I hope ABC doesn’t make me wait another 2 weeks to find out!

For more on this episode, check out Decisions, Decisions by Allison Toner.

Season 6, Episodes 20: Hook Line and Sinner (originally aired April 29, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Danny Feld.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Decisions, Decisions

Wow, it’s been forever since the last new Grey’s episode. Well, really only four weeks or twenty-eight days or six hundred and seventy two hours but who’s counting…

Teddy delivers Little Sloan’s healthy baby in Mark’s apartment and then the baby plus Little Sloan are taken to the hospital. While there, Little Sloan surprises Mark by handing over the number of the adoptive parents and asks him to call them for her. Mark is enchanted with his grandson and Little Sloan asks, “maybe we could keep him?” Arizona is opposed to them keeping the baby and suggests that Mark should call the adoptive parents. Mark freaks out and yells, “This is my grandson. I’m not just going to turn him over to some strangers when I might have a chance at a family.”

Little Sloan may not be so ready to be a mother when she overreacts to her son’s crying and doesn’t feel comfortable feeding him his bottle. Derek reminds Mark that even if Little Sloan decides to give the baby up for adoption, she is his daughter and he’s not losing her. Ultimately, Little Sloan decides to give her baby up. Get your tissues ready to watch the scene when Mark gives his grandson some final advice before he hands him over to his new parents.

The well-known cardio surgeon Tom Evans is at the hospital for a surgery and Cristina is beyond excited calling herself his “groupie.” Since Teddy does not have a permanent contract, she talks to Derek about staying on and realizes that Derek is considering Tom Evans for her job. Since she is now competing for her job, it is bad timing for Teddy to have a cold. During surgery on a ship captain who accidentally fell on a shark hook, Teddy sneezes at an inopportune moment—which startles Owen when he is trying to pull the hook out and causes more damage. Later, Teddy breaks down in the elevator with Owen, who comforts her. The pair come very close to kissing but they stop when their beepers go off and the elevator doors open. Cristina is loving Evans and refers to herself as a “cardiothoracic whore” because she wants both Teddy and Evans as teachers. Mark implores Derek to keep Teddy. Plus, Cristina, after talking to Teddy, begs Owen to also encourage Derek to give Teddy the permanent contract. Surprisingly Owen tells Derek that Teddy will be okay if he doesn’t hire her because she has connections on the east coast. In the end, Derek offers the job to Teddy but only after Evans passed on the position.

Lexie and Alex are still sleeping together but a rude Alex is treating her pretty crappy telling her that she over analyzes everything and calls her names. Bailey advises Lexie that she is “handing her power over to a boy because he is giving you sex.” Alex is angry after Lexie diagnoses a difficult case—a highly contagious disease—in their patient, the son of the boat captain. Lexie tells him, “you can’t be an ass to me all day and then expect me to give you respect or sex.” Way to be assertive Lexie!!

Jackson clues Meredith onto the fact that April “thinks her husband walks on water.” April tries to assure Meredith that it is just professional and that he is only her mentor. Although Meredith is a little concerned because Derek became interested in her when she was an intern. Following some advice from Alex, Meredith shaves her legs, calls Derek “Chief Shepherd” and seduces him. Glad to see this couple is doing well!

We first see Callie and Arizona arguing about having a baby. Nothing Callie says changes Arizona’s mind. A frustrated Callie tells Mark that, “Arizona wants to go to Spain. She’s choosing suntan lotion over family.” However, Callie suddenly realizes that perhaps Arizona’s resistance has to do with her brother who passed away and the pain that her parents suffered afterwards. When Callie tries to talk to Arizona about her brother, Arizona exclaims that, “I’m not broken. My lack of wanting to have a baby is not some pathology that you can pat yourself on the back for having diagnosed. I like my life the way that it is. I thought I liked it with you in it. I hope I’m not wrong.” Later, Callie tells Arizona that she doesn’t need a baby but breaks down into tears.

I felt awful for Mark this week. It was a heart-wrenching scene when he had to hand over his grandson. Also, Derek is clearly not loving his role of “chief.” I wonder how much longer he will remain chief or if Richard may take back his title. Finally, April annoys me! How far will she take this crush on Derek or will she try to act on it? I was glad to see that Meredith didn’t totally overreact about April’s crush. It shows that Mer & Der have a solid relationship.

Overall, the episode was enjoyable. It was worth the wait. Season six only has four episodes remaining. I am curious to see how certain storylines will play out. How are Bailey and Ben doing? Will Mer and Der get pregnant or really get married before the season ends? What is the fate of Callie and Arizona plus the love triangle of Cristina, Owen and Teddy? Hang in there fellow Grey’s fans, there is much more ground to cover.

Next week: An obese patient visits the hospital and a certain case comes back to haunt Derek.

For another opinion on this episode, read Tanya Lane’s review here.

Season 6, Episodes 20: Hook Line and Sinner (originally aired April 29, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Danny Feld.

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