Grey’s Anatomy Season Finale Review: Tears and Gore Galore

Season 8, Episode 24: “Flight” (original air date May 17, 2012).

Images courtesy of Danny Feld and ABC.

ABC Upfront 2012: New Shows, New Schedule

 

ABC has unveiled their new primetime schedule for Fall 2012, shifting some of their returning shows to all new nights. Fans of Revenge will find the series airing on Sunday nights at 9, taking Desperate Housewives’ old spot in the Fall. Tuesday nights will feature a brand new comedy hour as Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 will ring in the 9 o’clock hour.

Joining the schedule in the new season will be 666 Park Avenue (Sundays at 10), The Neighbors (Wednesdays at 9:30), Nashville (Wednesdays at 10),  Last Resort (Thursdays at 8), and Malibu Country (Fridays at 8:30 starting in November). Midseason will see the return and premieres of The Bachelor, Body of Proof, The Family Tools, How to Live with you Parents (for the rest of you life), Mistresses, Red Widow, Wife Swap, and Zero Hour.

MONDAY
8/7c Dancing With the Stars
10 pm Castle

TUESDAY
8 pm DWTS Results
9 Happy Endings
9:30 pm Don’t Trust the B—– In Apartment 23
10 pm Private Practice

In January
8 pm HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
8:30 THE FAMILY TOOLS

WEDNESDAY?
8 pm The Middle
8:30 pm Suburgatory
9 pm Modern Family
9:30 THE NEIGHBORS
10 pm NASHVILLE

THURSDAY
8 pm LAST RESORT
9 pm Grey’s Anatomy
10 pm Scandal

FRIDAY
8 pm Shark Tank
9 pm Primetime: What Would You Do?
10 pm 20/20

In November
8 pm Last Man Standing
8:30 pm MALIBU COUNTRY
9 pm Shark Tank
10 pm Primetime: What Would You Do?

SATURDAY
8 pm Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY?
7 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 pm Once Upon a Time
9 pm Revenge
10 pm 666 PARK AVENUE

“666 PARK AVENUE”

At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that’s home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.

 

“LAST RESORT”

500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, the U.S. ballistic missile submarine Colorado receive their orders. Over a radio channel, designed only to be used if their homeland has been wiped out, they’re told to fire nuclear weapons at Pakistan.

Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) demands confirmation of the orders only to be unceremoniously relieved of duty by the White House. XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) finds himself suddenly in charge of the submarine and facing the same difficult decision. When he also refuses to fire without confirmation of the orders, the Colorado is targeted, fired upon, and hit. The submarine and its crew find themselves crippled on the ocean floor, declared rogue enemies of their own country. Now, with nowhere left to turn, Chaplin and Kendal take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of the Colorado to an exotic island. Here they will find refuge, romance and a chance at a new life, even as they try to clear their names and get home.

 

“MISTRESSES”

Welcome to a provocative and thrilling drama about the scandalous lives of a sexy and sassy group of four girlfriends, each on her own path to self-discovery, as they brave the turbulent journey together.

Meet Savi (Alyssa Milano), a successful career woman working toward the next phase in her life — both professional and personal — simultaneously bucking for partner at her law firm while she and her husband, Harry (Brett Tucker), try to start a family of their own. Savi’s free-spirited and capricious baby sister, Josselyn (Jes Macallan), couldn’t be more different – living single, serial dating and partying, and regularly leaning on her big sister along the way. Their common best friend, April (Rochelle Aytes), a recent widow and mother of two, is rebuilding her life after tragedy and learning to move forward, with the support and guidance of her closest girlfriends. And friend Karen (Yunjin Kim), a successful therapist with her own practice, reconnects with the girls after her involvement in a complicated relationship with a patient goes far too deep.

 

“NASHVILLE”

Chart-topping Rayna James (Connie Britton) is a country legend who’s had a career any singer would envy, though lately her popularity is starting to wane. Fans still line up to get her autograph, but she’s not packing the arenas like she used to. Rayna’s record label thinks a concert tour, opening for up-and-comer Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy future of country music, is just what Rayna needs. But scheming Juliette can’t wait to steal Rayna’s spotlight. Sharing a stage with that disrespectful, untalented, little vixen is the last thing Rayna wants to do, which sets up a power struggle for popularity. Could the undiscovered songwriting talent of Scarlett O’Connor (Clare Bowen) be the key to helping Rayna resurrect her career?

Complicating matters, Rayna’s wealthy but estranged father, Lamar Hampton (Powers Boothe), is a powerful force in business, Tennessee politics, and the lives of his two grown daughters. His drive for power results in a scheme to back Rayna’s handsome husband, Teddy, in a run for Mayor of Nashville, against Rayna’s wishes.

 

“RED WIDOW”

When Marta Walraven’s (Radha Mitchell) husband is brutally murdered, her first instinct is to protect her three young children. Her husband’s business partners – Irwin Petrova (Wil Traval), Marta’s scheming and untrustworthy brother, and Mike Tomlin (Lee Tergesen) — were involved in an illegal drug business deal with rival gangsters, and Marta’s husband paid the ultimate price. She already knows the violent world of organized crime; her father, Andrei Petrova (Rade Sherbedzija), and loyal bodyguard Luther (Luke Goss) are gangsters too. She and her sister Kat (Jaime Ray Newman) had always wished for a safer life without bloodshed and fear. For a while Marta lived happily as a stay at home housewife in San Marta’s cooperation, FBI Agent James Ramos (Mido Hamada) now promises justice.

Marta discovers a tenacity she never knew she had, and takes on the gangsters and the FBI to unveil the truth about her husband’s death. As she digs into this dark underworld, she’ll test her own strength, relying on her resourcefulness, determination and family ties like never before. To get out of this mob, she needs to beat the bad guys at their own deadly game.

 

“ZERO HOUR”

As the publisher of a paranormal enthusiast magazine, Modern Skeptic, Hank Galliston has spent his career following clues, debunking myths and solving conspiracies. A confessed paranormal junkie, his motto is “logic is the compass.” But when his beautiful wife, Laila (Jacinda Barrett), is abducted from her antique clock shop, Hank gets pulled into one of the most compelling mysteries in human history, stretching around the world and back centuries.

Contained in one of his wife’s clocks is a treasure map, and what it leads to could be cataclysmic. Now it’s up to Hank to decipher the symbols and unlock the secrets of the map, while ensuring the answers don’t fall into the wrong hands – a man they call White Vincent (Michael Nyqvist). With his two young associates, Rachel (Addison Timlin) and Arron (Scott Michael Foster), in tow, along with Becca Riley, a sexy FBI agent (Carmen Ejogo), Hank will lead them on a breathless race against the clock to find his wife and save humanity.

“HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS (FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)”

Polly (Sarah Chalke) is a single mom who’s been divorced for almost a year. The transition wasn’t easy for her, especially in this economy. So, like a lot of young people living in this new reality, she and her daughter, Natalie (Rachel Eggleston), have moved back home with her eccentric parents, Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) and Max (Brad Garrett). But Polly and her parents look at life through two different lenses. Polly’s too uptight. Her parents are too laid back. Polly’s conservative when it comes to dating (no action, whatsoever), while her parents are still sexually adventurous. They think Polly turned out okay, so what’s the big deal? Well, they say it takes a village to raise a child…and in Polly’s case, this village is on fire. But with help from her best friend Gregg (Orlando Jones), her lovable yet irresponsible ex-husband Julian (Jon Dore) and her cool and fun assistant Jenn (Rebecca Delgado Smith) Polly takes her first steps toward getting a life, starting with a social one.

 

“MALIBU COUNTRY”

When Reba Gallagher (Reba) discovers that her husband, Bobby, (Jeffrey Nordling) a country music legend, has a cheatin’ heart, her world is turned upside down. Reba dreamt of becoming a country star herself, but put her career on hold to raise a family. Now she’s questioning all of that, big-time. With the ink on her divorce barely dry, Reba packs up her sharp-tongued mother, Lillie May (Lily Tomlin), her two kids and the U-Haul and heads for sunny California to begin a new chapter. Leaving Nashville in the rear view, they start over at their Malibu residence — the last remaining asset they have. Reba gets to know her new open and loving neighbor Kim (Sara Rue) and her son, Sage, but also discovers that relocation to Southern California is going to be quite an adjustment for a traditional southern belle: the West Coast seems like the polar opposite of Music City, and Reba feels like an outsider. Still, with the support of her family she sets about finding her voice, jump-starting her music career with the help of her new music agent, Geoffrey (Jai Rodriguez), and embracing this chance to begin again.

 

“THE NEIGHBORS”

How well do you know your neighbors?

Meet the Weavers, Debbie (Jami Gertz) and Marty (Lenny Venito). Marty, in hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in Hidden Hills, a gated New Jersey townhome community with its own golf course. Hidden Hills is so exclusive that a house hasn’t come on the market in 10 years. But one finally did and the Weavers got it!

It’s clear from day one that the residents of Hidden Hills are a little different. For starters, their new neighbors all have pro-athlete names like Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye), Dick Butkis (Ian Patrick) and Larry Bird (Simon Templeman). Over dinner, Marty and his family discover that their neighbors receive nourishment through their eyes by reading books, rather than eating. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is comprised of aliens from Zabvron, where the men bear children and everyone cries green goo from their ears.

The Zabvronians have been stationed on Earth for the past 10 years, disguised as humans, awaiting instructions from home, and the Weavers are the first humans they’ve had the opportunity to know. As it turns out, the pressures of marriage and parenthood are not exclusive to planet Earth. Two worlds will collide with hilarious consequences as everyone discovers they can “totally relate” and learn a lot from each other.

 

“THE FAMILY TOOLS”

Mixing family with business is never easy, and Jack Shea (Kyle Bornheimer) is about to learn that lesson the hard way. When Jack’s father, Tony (J.K. Simmons), has a heart attack and is forced to hand over the keys to his beloved handyman business, Jack is eager to finally step up and make his father proud. Unfortunately Jack’s past career efforts have been less than stellar, so everyone seems to be waiting for him to fail. His new job isn’t made any easier by Tony’s rebellious, troublemaker assistant, Darren (Edi Gathegi), and Darren’s flirtatious sister, Liz (Danielle Nicolet), who works at the local hardware store. Yet with the support of his Aunt Terry (Leah Remini) and his oddball yet endearing cousin Mason (Johnny Pemberton), Jack Shea may just find his true calling right at home.

 

Videos courtesy of ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Growing Pains

Last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy continued the fallout from the Oral Boards.  The residents have big decisions to make regarding their futures, and there is a good chance that things will look much different around the halls of Seattle Grace in the near future.

Most of the residents are fielding offers from very respectable hospitals, with Cristina (Sandra Oh) entertaining the most prestigious opportunities, until Alex (Justin Chambers) surprises everyone with an offer from Johns Hopkins.  It doesn’t look like most of them will be returning to Seattle Grace.  Loyalty is nice, but at the end of the day they need to advance their careers and realize their full potential.  Alex was the lone confirmation for Seattle Grace, but when Hopkins comes calling he can’t pass up the opportunity.  Derek wants to head to Boston, but Meredith wants to stay at Seattle Grace.  She has an offer from The Brigham, and Derek has very promising career-defining opportunities in Boston too.  Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) doesn’t want to be far from Cristina, but it’s time to grow up and move on.  Sometimes they act more like fifth graders than adult women, and they are too involved in each other’s lives.  Surprisingly, it’s Cristina who comes to this realization before Meredith.  I guess being an adult doesn’t exclude you from having growing pains.

On a personal level, there are some interesting things going on besides the residents’ career choices.  Ben (Jason George) and Miranda (Chandra Wilson) have been dating for a little while, but she never seems to make adequate time for him.  Despite the romantic gestures he’s made, she always seems a little distracted and has blown him off many times.  This time he wants to just hang out and enjoy her day off, doing crossword puzzles and enjoying each other’s company.  He makes her a romantic breakfast in bed, but before he can give it to her she is fully dressed and ready to head in to the hospital.  She thinks it’s silly that he wants to do crosswords when there are more exciting things to do, like removing a tapeworm from a patient.  She doesn’t realize that he embedded a marriage proposal in the crossword puzzle until she makes a mockery of the activity in the O.R. and he has to ruin the surprise because she wasn’t game.  It’s a snapshot of their relationship: they are rarely on the same page.

Owen is completely out of the loop when it comes to Cristina and doesn’t know any more about her future plans than Teddy or Meredith.  Everyone is clamoring for her to make a decision, and they all hope that she sticks around.  She has relented somewhat in her anger towards Owen, and for a second it looks like they may reconcile.  Cristina cuddles with him briefly after coming home from a party, and it confuses Owen.  Later, she comes to him in the hospital and they make love.  He thinks it’s a good sign and is willing to be patient as they repair their relationship.  Unfortunately, it was farewell nookie, because as soon as he came she was gone, telling Owen that she’s leaving Seattle Grace for another hospital.

In the beginning of the episode it’s mentioned that the staff will be taking part in the surgical separation of conjoined twins at Boise Memorial Hospital.  When Alex changes his mind about staying at Seattle Grace, Arizona completely flips out on him and bars him from representing Seattle Grace in the high-profile surgery.  She had a rough day with her late brother’s best friend, the dying cancer patient.  She unfairly lashes out at Alex, but he takes it in stride.  As it turns out, the tongue-lashing might be a blessing in disguise.

Towards the end of the episode I began to grow suspicious of Meredith’s ubiquitous narration and the juxtaposition of the scenes of them flying to Idaho.  I thought to myself, “don’t tell me this plane is going down…” and sure enough that’s what’s going to happen.  Grey’s Anatomy NEVER disappoints in the season finale, and next week’s episode should be a doozie.  There’s no way that all the residents are leaving Seattle Grace, as it appeared.  I suspect that this crash will end up making them reevaluate things and that they will stick around.  Unfortunately, I think someone may perish first.  Who will it be?! Stay tuned!

Season 8, Episode 23: “Migration” (original air date May 10, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Images courtesy of Randy Holmes and ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Moment of Truth

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the Oral Boards.  All of the residents’ preparation has lead up to this moment, and they each are dealing with a unique mental state.  Jackson, Cristina, and Meredith are cool.  April is predictably freaking out.  And Alex seems reluctant to physically leave Seattle Grace and go take the exam.

After giving Morgan the cold shoulder a couple of weeks ago, now all of a sudden Alex (Justin Chambers) wants to be involved in caring for her son Tommy.  In my opinion Alex is just avoiding the exam.  Morgan understandably tells him that she doesn’t need his help, and Arizona pushes him out the door.  He goes to the testing site, but eventually goes back to Seattle Grace after he gets a grave update from Arizona about the infant’s condition.  This is arguably the biggest day of Alex’s professional life, and he’s blowing it off.  I have sympathy for Morgan’s character, but give me a break.  Alex just stomped all over her feelings a minute ago; now he wants to be the hero doctor.  I couldn’t believe it.

Cristina and Owen (Kevin McKidd) have had a few awkward exchanges since the demise of their relationship.  He wants to support her and offer a word of encouragement before the exam, but their relationship is strained and he doesn’t have the opportunity.  He just seems really sad, all around.  Remember that Teddy still hates him.  Fortunately, he finds an unlikely ally in Dr. Bailey.  You might think girls would stick together, but not so.

Owen and Teddy’s relationship has been acrimonious ever since Henry died on Owen’s table.  To say that she’s given him the cold shoulder would be an understatement.  They used to be best friends, but now they only communicate when it’s work related.  They are unpleasant to be around, so much so that Callie warns Bailey.  They have a teenaged trauma patient and will need to work together.  Eventually Teddy and Owen have a spat across the operating table and he walks out.  Teddy later rants about how Owen is fighting her at every turn out of spite.  With Callie’s encouragement, Bailey finally tells Teddy like it is.  Owen isn’t fighting her; she’s fighting him.  She blames him for Henry, and they both know that’s not fair.  He allows her to punish him for it in the hopes that it will make Teddy feel better.  He’s lost Teddy and now Cristina too.  Bailey finally puts Teddy in check, and it was long overdue.  Owen doesn’t deserve to be her lifelong punching bag because her husband died.

The episode closes with some truly out-of-character behavior.  While away at the testing site, April (Sarah Drew) lets Jackson (Jessie Williams) de-virginize her after they get into a drunken barroom brawl.  Richard and Jackson’s mom Catherine bump into each other also.  Recall that Richard refrained from an earlier dalliance with her while she visited Seattle Grace.  With Adele estranged because of her Alzheimer’s, Richard probably doesn’t feel like he’s really cheating.  Adele is cheating, though she can’t help it.  Debbie Allen and James Pickens are some good-looking older actors, but I didn’t really wanna see them get it on.  They’re my parents’ age.

Jackson finds out about their hook-up but still has the presence of mind to be ready for the Boards.  April is freaking out because she’s not a virgin anymore, and Meredith is battling a stomach flu she caught from baby Zola.  Those might sound like stressful situations, but at least everyone showed up for the Boards.  Everyone but Alex, who inexplicably got delayed by his abrupt return to Seattle Grace.  Arizona practically had to beg him to go take the Boards.  What’s up with that?  This was a fantastic episode, but I don’t know why the writers would have Alex behave so stupidly.  Why would he risk his career for a woman he blew off just a short while ago?  It doesn’t make sense.  The only thing I can think of is that he cracked under pressure and is looking for an excuse to skip the Boards.  The teaser for next week reveals that someone from Seattle Grace did in fact fail.  Was it Alex, because he never showed up?  Was it April, because she couldn’t pull it together?  Or was it Jackson, because his good luck charm was destroyed right before the oral exam?  Stay tuned!

Season 8, Episode 21: “Moment of Truth” (original air date April 26, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Images courtesy of Richard Cartwright and ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: The Girl With No Name

Last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy took my breath away.  I was really drawn in by the storylines and what was happening to the characters.  Both the singular storyline, featuring one of the hospital patients, and a recurring plotline were heartbreaking.  

The staff is challenged this week by a high profile, tragic patient.  In recent years we’ve seen news stories about abducted children who were discovered alive after many years of torture and captivity.  A girl named Holly is being treated at Seattle Grace for life-threatening injuries sustained while being held against her will by a child predator.  At first the doctors aren’t sure that their patient and the missing girl are one and the same.  She was taken as a child and is a teenager now.  But the surgeons remember the details of the abduction, which received national attention.  Bailey, in particular has a tough time recounting the painful details.  She can’t help thinking how devastated she’d be if something happened to her son.  Meanwhile, the girls’ parents are at the hospital but have been kept away from Holly so they don’t overwhelm her psychologically.  She has gravitated to Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and shares some of the horrors of her captivity.  Meredith keeps those details from the girl’s parents, who are later shocked to learn that she bore children for her captor.  She has a long road of recovery ahead, but at least she survived and has the love and support of her family.

In the midst of all the excitement at Seattle Grace, the residents are frantically scheduling interviews with prospective hospitals.  I guess this is the next step in the process as they await their Board results.  Cristina ( Sandra Oh) is the cream of the crop and has several hospitals vying for her services.  Bailey pulled some strings to get Meredith an interview at Brigham, but she seems like she wants to stay at Seattle Grace.  She seems to be stalling and has rescheduled her interview three times.  Teddy would love if Cristina stayed at Seattle Grace, but it appears unlikely.  Desperate, she implores Owen to convince Cristina to stay.  She’s made it painfully clear that they aren’t friends, so this line of conversation is inappropriate. Owen, though, stands up for himself and says that if Teddy can’t convince her own attending to stick around, she shouldn’t expect him to do it.   At least Teddy hasn’t resorted to sabotage.  Arizona has been sandbagging Alex (Justin Chambers) by sending him to crappy hospitals.  He finally confronts her and she reluctantly agrees not to stand in the way of his opportunities.  He should stay because he wants to, not because he feels trapped.

Even though one of the patients was one who had been repeatedly abused, the saddest aspect of last week’s storyline was Richard and Adele.  Her Alzheimer’s worsens by the day, it seems.  He already had to place her in an assisted living facility, but now she barely recognizes him.  When Richard (James Pickens Jr.) visits her at the home, he discovers that she has “fallen in love” with another patient, a man who also suffers from the devastating disease.  At first Richard wants to blame the man and accuses him of taking advantage of his wife.  Eventually he comes to realize that the man makes Adele happy, and she welcomes his advances.  Richard never displays any anger; he still tries to comfort Adele – even when she is breaking his heart.  I’m sure this portrayal rang true for anyone who has a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s.  This was a powerful episode, and I hope the writers finish the season strong.

Season 8, Episode 10: “The Girl With No Name” (original air date April 19, 2012.)

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Images courtesy of Randy Holmes and ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

When we last saw Grey’s Anatomy, Owen was dropping the hammer on Cristina. Since his admission of infidelity, it is Owen who is begging Cristina to talk.  He’s so desperate that he tries to confide in Meredith, who promptly shuts him down.  Just as she tells Owen that he can’t confide in her, Derek tells Lexie that she cannot ask him for advice about Mark.  That’s not the nature of their relationship.

After her last debacle, Lexie’s worried about her readiness in the operating room.  Derek doesn’t hold her previous mistake against her, but he lets her know that they need to focus on professional matters, not personal ones.  Despite his tough talk, he eventually gives her the advice she wants.  She had been wondering whether or not to approach Mark and make a move, even though it seems like he has moved on.  Derek tells her that if she really wants Mark that she can still have him, but that he’s happy and she shouldn’t ruin that unless she’s serious.

Teddy has joined a support group for widows, but her disdain spills over in the first meeting, and it seems like the therapy will do more harm than good.  She has the typical type A personality of most of the doctors at Seattle Grace, so she doesn’t want to discuss her feelings in a room full of strangers.  She’d rather work her way through the pain than talk about things.  That’s better than moping around, but if you don’t deal with your feelings, eventually they will erupt.

Teddy’s patient this week is an elderly man who suffered a heart attack after he and his wife came across an escaped lion.  Derek and Meredith witnessed the same lion while driving to work in the morning.  As expected, the lion gave the patient quite a scare, sending him to the emergency room.  The man and his wife are an adorable old couple, still in love after years and years of marriage.  You can tell that they share a genuine friendship.  Teddy and Alex promise to do their best, and reassure the woman that her husband is in good hands.  Things get a little dicey during the procedure, but Teddy saves the patient.  Their joy is short-lived, because when Teddy goes to tell the man’s wife the good news about a successful surgery, she finds that the woman has expired in the waiting room. This hits home for Teddy, and when she’s alone she says the words that she could not utter in group therapy, “I am a widow.”

Alex has been growing closer and closer to his intern Morgan, especially after taking an active role in the care of her newborn baby.  The other docs warned him that Morgan had feelings for him, and now he can see for himself that the line between them is getting blurred.  He wants to detach himself from her but can’t find the words to do so.  Instead, he abruptly cuts her off, right when she has to make a difficult choice about Tommy’s care.  Alex is right to distance himself, but he should still be compassionate about it.  In the end, tough love wins out.

Best of the episode: Callie’s reaction to hearing about Arizona’s ex lovers

Worst of the episode: The freeze between Owen and Cristina

What to watch for next: Owen spills the deets

Season 8, Episode 17: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (original air date April 5, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Images courtesy of Richard Foreman and ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: One Step Too Far

Last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy was heart wrenching.  It also illustrated why most couples don’t work together and why professional and personal lives should be kept separate.  Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has been trying to narrow her area of concentration while preparing for her Boards.  Derek (Patrick Dempsey) wants her to return to neurology, and she considers it.  He and Lexie have been working with a 27 year-old patient, a bubbly recent law school graduate with a promising future.  She has a cyst in her brain that has been causing dizziness and seizures, and Derek and Lexie can easily remove it.  It seems like a relatively minor procedure, as far as brain surgeries go.  The patient also has a brain tumor, but it’s benign and Derek wants to leave it alone.  If it causes a problem later, they’ll deal with it at that time.

Derek, Lexie, and Meredith perform the surgery, but Derek is called away to help with another patient.  He leaves Meredith in charge, and she does an excellent job until they see the tumor.  They have already successfully drained the cyst, but the tumor is right there.  Even though they said they’d leave it, neither Lexie nor Meredith sees the big deal in removing it now.  They try to page Derek, but he was pulled in to help Alex’s intern’s premature baby.  Using their best judgment, they remove the tumor.  When Derek finds out, he’s livid.  He tells Meredith that they won’t know if the surgery was successful until the patient wakes up.  When the patient regains consciousness, her parents are there.  She recognizes them and smiles, but when she goes to speak she cannot articulate any words.  A lawyer who cannot speak has no career.  I mean I’m sure there are some deaf attorneys out there, but you get my point.  It’s heart breaking!! Lexie and Meredith really screwed the pooch.  They should have left the tumor alone, because it was benign.  That was NOT the reason they were going in there.  Meredith and Derek learn the hard way that they should not work together.  It takes a toll on their professional interaction and their marriage.

While Meredith has a professional setback, Cristina (Sandra Oh) suffers a personal one.  She thinks Owen (Kevin McKidd) is cheating on her with Emily, one of the nurses.  She’s wrong, and she’s projecting her own insecurities on to him.  Granted, some of his behavior is suspicious, but he’s avoiding Cristina because he’s unhappy at home, not because he’s cheating.  Cristina and Emily clash at work over a patient who is reluctant to disconnect his husband from life support.  Emily has built a rapport with the patient’s husband and is more sensitive.  Cristina wants to just pull the plug.  Once again, the personal and professional worlds collide, with bad results.  Eventually Cristina confronts Emily and realizes that nothing is going on.  She tells Owen what happened and he says that while he did not cheat on her with Emily, he did cheat on her!!

Owen and Cristina aren’t the only ones facing infidelity.  Jackson’ mom returns to Seattle Grace, and she has a thing for Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.)  It’s understandable.  They are around the same age and are similarly accomplished.  Richard has been caring for Adele, so when the senior Avery invites him to a black tie event, he thinks it would be a nice change of pace.  But after Bailey warns him not to let things get muddied, he realizes he doesn’t trust himself around her and backs out.  This was a great episode that left many teasers.  I can’t wait for next week!

Season 8, Episode 16, “One Step Too Far” (original air date March 15, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Images courtesy of Vivian Zink and ABC.

 

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Lonely Rose

It’s feels like just yesterday that I was recapping Grey’s Anatomy for Poptimal, so I was glad to step in for the fabulous Ms. Tanya Lane to cover this week’s episode, which had our residents still fretting over the Oral Boards, while also dealing with some emotional issues of their own.

Karev may finally be getting a meatier story than the “I’m an asshole” hat he’s been wearing lately. We’re not going down undiscovered territory, but I’ve always loved Karev most when he realizes something worth changing for, and this time it was a premature baby born to two doctor parents. Last week’s Morgan (whose name Karev will forever remember) and her boyfriend Chris, who works at another hospital, agonizing over their baby boy, “the size of a soda can,” 14.3 ounces and with a 13% chance of survival according to Chris’ nifty iPhone app. Morgan wanted to try anything, even if it had a high mortality rate, if it meant a chance at saving her baby, but Chris crumbled under the pressure, believing that they were doing more harm than good and should let the child go in peace. Chris believed they weren’t stating the obvious, which was that the baby was an accident in the first place. The two were at odds, and instead of fighting it out, Morgan gave him an out. She told him to leave and not worry about them, and he did! Or so we thought, until Karev gave him an update on the baby, post-surgery, outside of the hospital. He’d made it through and was still hanging on. Chris tried to give Karev more excuses, but he wasn’t hearing any of them, turning his back and leaving him with a look of disgust, before heading back to support Morgan and the baby. To me, this was the perfect setup for another woman Karev could better himself for, and it’s been so long since I’ve seen that Karev, I’m wholeheartedly not opposed to it. Please just don’t let the baby die, as unrealistic as that may seem!

There were two soft storylines; at least, they appeared this way at the onset. Christina walked around the hospital in a zombie-like state stalking a nurse, played by Summer Glau, worrying that she and Owen were having an affair. She had no proof and was slowly driving herself crazy, and it seemed like she knew it. Meredith noticed the awkward behavior and got her to admit her suspicions, but even Meredith wasn’t buying that he could be cheating. Christina barked at her friend, “I know that!” but went quickly back to her snooping ways, reading his email, checking his phone records and sniffing his laundry. Where’d this come from? When Owen arrived home, you think there’d be some screaming confrontation, but instead she turned off the lights, snuck into bed, and Owen walked directly to the shower. Was this “washing” conspicuous? I’m not sure. I’m just as confused as Christina is at this point. “Cheating or not cheating?” is still definitely the question.

The other soft storyline was linked by a medical case involving an exploding espresso machine that burned a female barista and shrapnel-ed a male customer. Christina took on the male customer who was infatuated with the barista and saw something where there was nothing. She didn’t even know who he was.  Avery had the barista who’d burned half her face. She was definitely more worried and overly chatty about that than the man nearby who kept asking about her at every turn. Christina yelled at him to shut up and smell the coffee—alluding to her own “in my head, not in my head theory”—while Avery snapped at her because, well, he was “frustrated”. The Boards were wearing down on him since he had the pressure of living up to the Avery name, and Sloan decided the boy needed to get laid. The matchmaker that he is tried hard to get sweet Kepner to bite, but in the end, he realized that Avery’s still in love with Lexie. Can’t this triangle be put to bed already?

Then, there was the completely throwaway, but adorable, storyline of Derek and the black baby. Women in the hospital were staring at him carrying Zola. He thought it was because they were racist, but Bailey set him straight. He’s white. His baby is black. He has nice hair. Her hair looked like “31 flavors of wrong!” It was funny, even if I saw the storyline coming from the first five seconds of the episode. As a black woman, I noticed immediately her hair looked CRAZY, but it must have been a sweet surprise for many other viewers who just don’t notice those kind of things. I’m just happy that Meredith and Derek are happy at this point, and I hope they stay that way. Not to be forgotten was also Teddy snapping at Owen who’d secretly helped her gain a huge grant for stem cell research. Callie told him that he should tell her the truth and it might mend their bond, but he knew she needed someone to blame for her husband’s death. Callie offered that he’d still need to get her in check as her superior.

I didn’t mind most of the less substantial, more relationship-oriented storylines, especially since they were supported by such a hefty, emotional one centered on Richard and Adele. In the beginning of the episode, Richard was awoken by a shrill beeping noise, which he later discovered was a smoke alarm set off by a stove fire. He put it out, suffering burns on his arm, but Adele was nowhere to be found at first. The look of relief on his face when he found her confused, but okay, was heartbreaking.  Of course, Meredith cared for Richard, letting him know that if the burns were worse, he wouldn’t have been able to perform surgery any longer and suggesting Rose Ridge, the same facility that housed her mother. They visited the place, but Adele quickly regressed into their early married years, telling Richard that they could afford something bigger on his doctor’s salary, and he’d promised her a house, which he affirmed, so they left. Meredith and her mother’s Alzheimer tribulation were difficult to watch and definitely informed on Meredith’s character early on in the series, however, we’re seeing these struggles through different eyes, and Richard made no qualms about letting Meredith know that their situations are different. He said vows to Adele in sickness and in health, and even if Meredith thought Rose Ridge was the next best option, Richard wasn’t leaving his wife without a fight. And that’s what he got, when he came home to find her chucking things at her caretaker, and then at Richard, who kept telling her that he was her husband, but she’d regressed to a child-like state before she’d even met Richard. When the mental fog dissipated, Adele noticed the disarray of their house and Richard’s bandages and knew she had hurt him without meaning to. She also knew he would never leave her so she pulled away, insisting that Rose Ridge was a nice place and that she’d feel better there. Man, did I want to cry at that moment, both realizing the horribly difficult situation they are in and trying to do the best by the person they love.

That final scene between the two made up for all relative filler of the rest of the episode like Karev’s potential new love interest, Christina and Owen’s potential cheating confrontation, and the possible re-set of  the triangle between Lexie, Mark and Avery. Everything felt like it could be but the audience wasn’t completely let in, while the finiteness of Richard and Adele’s storyline was so firm and painful.

Did you tear up at the end for Richard and Adele? Do you want Lexie and Mark or Lexie and Avery to even try again? Is Christina going crazy? Or is Owen really cheating? Will Teddy ever forgive Owen? Can Meredith and Derek stay happy forever and ever? Sound off below!

Season 8, Episode 16: “If Only You Were Lonely” (originally aired February 23, 2012)

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Images courtesy of ABC and Vivian Zink.

Grey’s Anatomy Review: Have You Seen Me Lately?

Last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy featured a familiar sight: freaked out residents left and right.  Last season it was the race for Chief Resident that had everyone in a tizzy.  This time it’s the Oral Boards.

The residents must manage their rotations and workload while squeezing in study time.  Jackson and April are study buddies, and Cristina and Meredith are study buddies, but Cristina is preoccupied with Owen.  Alex’s study plan involves hazing an intern and getting her to quiz him with hypothetical scenarios all day long.  If you know Alex, you know that he is equal parts nice guy and a-hole.  In this particular situation, it is the latter part shining through.  He’s so focused on his own situation that he doesn’t even know his intern’s name, let alone the fact that she is several weeks pregnant.  Everyone else knows, but he’s oblivious.  When she collapses during surgery from a heart attack, he realizes that he has been running her into the ground.  Ultimately she and her baby are okay, but Alex realizes that he needs to dial it back a notch and show some compassion not only to his patients and friends, but everyone he encounters at the hospital.

Webber notices that Meredith hasn’t been studying and enlists a reluctant Callie to help her with a tried and true method she created.  He vouches for Meredith, but Callie is skeptical and makes Meredith earn her assistance.  If she can successfully handle a trauma patient who shows up with his arm in a meat grinder, Callie will help her.  Callie and Meredith have never exactly been friends, even when Callie was with George.  By episode’s end Meredith has earned Callie’s help, but more importantly, her respect.

As mentioned, Cristina hasn’t had time to study because she’s dealing with her crumbling marriage.  She and Owen have opted for couple’s therapy, and it isn’t going too well.  He blames her for the abortion and sees her as self-absorbed.  On the other hand, Cristina does not feel loved and supported.  I do think Cristina is selfish, but Owen is dead wrong for making her feel like a freak for not wanting children.  She’s not the warm and fuzzy type and has never displayed the faintest hint of a maternal instinct.  She’s brilliant, successful, and independent.  It can’t be totally shocking that she doesn’t want children.  He is wrong to assume that some latent desire will kick in and she’ll change her mind.

The best part of the episode to me was the witnessing of something I’d never seen before: Dr. Bailey being put in her place.  Actually, she ends up getting “dressed down” in front of the entire operating room.  She and Mark clashed over a patient’s treatment.  The woman is a cancer survivor and has been Bailey’s patient for 8 years.  She wants a lymph node transplant, but Bailey doesn’t approve of the risky procedure.  Sloan and Avery would like to proceed.  Bailey relents, but during the procedure she hovers over Avery and interjects to the point of distraction.  Avery tells her to leave because he can’t concentrate.  Bailey is a sputtering mess, she can’t believe his audacity, but Sloan backs him up and she’s ousted.  Priceless! She had it coming.  Great episode!

For more on Grey’s Anatomy check out our other reviews.

Season 8, Episode 15: “Have You Seen Me Lately?” (original air date February 16, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Images courtesy of ABC and Randy Holmes.

 

Grey’s Anatomy Review: All You Need is Love

Last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy was great, but it’s time to snap back to reality.  When we last saw Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Cristina in real time, they were having a monumental screaming match.  They haven’t really spoken in a couple of weeks, since he banned Cristina (Sandra Oh) from being on Teddy’s rotation.  Cristina puts up a cocky front and tells Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) that she thinks Owen might break up with her and she doesn’t care.  When Meredith suggests that she plead her case for forgiveness, Cristina dismissively says that if Owen doesn’t want to stick around, so be it.  She’ll be singing a different tune by episode’s end.

It’s Valentine’s Day and love is blooming in some places, while dying in others.  Cristina and Owen (understandably) will not be having a joyous occasion.  Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Ben, however, have scheduled a romantic dinner if she can get off work at a reasonable time.  Things look doubtful when she and Meredith experience an unexpected obstacle with a tumor patient.  Ultimately the patient survives, but it wasn’t a happy Valentine’s Day for another couple. 

In a heart-breaking storyline, a man and his girlfriend show up in the ER after being struck by a vehicle.  They had been having dinner when the woman became upset and he ran after her, getting hit by a car and suffering massive internal injuries.  The woman was upset because they have been together for eight years and he hasn’t proposed to her yet.  Each year he gives her a benign piece of jewelry, and lately it has been necklaces instead of the engagement ring that she so desperately desires.  He had given her a heart-shaped locket this year, and she just can’t take the false hopes anymore.  But as her boyfriend’s condition worsens, she realizes belatedly that she doesn’t care about a stupid ring, she just wants him to be ok.  He dies from his injuries and while collecting his belongings; Lexie comes across the locket, and opens it.  It says, “Will You Marry Me” inside.  If the patient’s girlfriend had just opened it, her wish would have come true.  He did propose.  This was a heartbreaking storyline, but a cautionary tale to be compassionate and thankful for what you have.

One cute Valentine’s storyline involved ten-year-old soul mates, Clementine and Nico. Unbeknownst to Nico and his mom, the Valentine candy he dropped off for Clem contained peanuts, and she has a severe allergy.  She has a reaction and they take her to the emergency room.  When Clem’s mother arrives, she is understandably furious, but Nico is really a sweet boy who only had good intentions.  When Clem’s emergency becomes a referendum on helicopter parenting (Clem’s mom) versus too much freedom (Nico’s mom), Karev intervenes.  Clem eventually needs to be admitted, but Nico refuses to leave her side.  Ahhh, love was pretty simple in the fifth grade, and Nico’s “love” and devotion is sweet.  Alex agrees to deliver Nico’s message to Clem, verbatim.  All is well that ends well on Valentine’s Day, at least for one little couple.

While riding the elevator together, Owen informs Cristina that he will be moving out.  Now her false bravado disintegrates.  Cristina is a brilliant surgeon, but she seems to have stunted development when it comes to relationships.  She didn’t grasp the severity of the situation with Owen, and seems to have thought it would blow over, judging by the dismissive way she described her feelings to Meredith.  The episode ends with her reaching out to Owen on the rooftop.  Will he stay or will he go? 

This was a rough day for Owen at Seattle Grace, as he has yet to mend fences with Teddy (Kim Raver.)  He tries to extend an olive branch, offering to buy drinks for his old friend and talk.  In blistering fashion, Teddy tells Owen that she’ll never forgive him for putting the needs of his hospital before her husband.   She said she lies in bed at night and wonders why a good man like Henry is dead and Owen isn’t.  She hates him and tells him so.  “Please don’t speak to me unless it is work related,” she says. 

I can’t begin to fathom what it’s like to lose a spouse (or even have one LOL), but Teddy is out of line.  Eventually she has to forgive Owen.  Let me remind you that Owen was NOT responsible for Henry’s death.  Henry had a terminal illness.  Henry would have died on anyone’s table – whether he was at Seattle Grace or not.  We’ve already established that Cristina was handpicked for the surgery and that she and Webber operated without error.  Owen was not involved in the procedure.  He made the decision not to inform Teddy in a timely manner, and that was arguably wrong.  But he is not the reason Henry is dead.  Will Owen and Teddy salvage their friendship?  Stay tuned.

Season 8, Episode 14, “All You Need is Love” (original air date February 9, 2012).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC .

Images courtesy of ABC and Richard Cartwright.

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