Sooo… episode 11 of the Grey’s Anatomy season opened less dramatically than I expected, given last week’s cliffhanger in which a woman had just given birth to a set of very high-risk quintuplets. I figured the first few minutes of this week would be a veritable playground of shrieking and placentas, but alas, we open with the five babies already in incubators, enjoying their little baby-size oxygen masks and baby-size iPods. Baby Lucy, who has brain swelling, has appropriately been assigned to enormous-headed intern George. Charlotte (lung problems) is Meredith’s; Emily (heart defects) is Izzie’s; Julie (the most fun one, organs outside of her body) is Cristina’s. Kate, the baby who’s doing pretty much fine, is given to Alex, which seems unwise since he’s lazy as shit and will probably kill the damn thing anyway. How COINCIDENTAL that there are five babies for five interns! And one for each surgical specialty! Bravissima!!Speaking of Alex, he comes up to Izzie because he wants to talk about last week’s incident in which she walked in on him, oh, bonking the syphilis-bearing nurse, Olivia. Izzie tells him in so many words to F off. Angry and embarrassed, she goes on and on to the other interns about how upset she is and about how mindblowing she is in bed. Yeah yeah yeah, you were an underwear model. Congrats! Anyway, the others say Izzie dodged a bullet and is better off without Alex. Izzie says they aren’t being supportive. So Meredith, attempting to be a true friend to Izzie, says, “What it is, girlfriend! You’re totally right! What could be better than getting hitched to a slimy, syphilis-carrying asshole who failed his medical boards and thus will be unable to provide you with the luxurious lifstyle to which you’ve become accustomed? OMG could I be your maid of honor??!?” Actually, in her voiceover, Meredith declares that the whiny/philosophical theme of this week’s episode is loneliness. This is bound to be a hoot.
Boundless loneliness ensues. Cristina, after staying over at Dr. Burke’s for the night, avoids him in the morning, declines the breakfast he prepared, and rushes out the door without saying goodbye. Back at the hospital, George asks Meredith tentatively about maybe going to get a drink later, but she clearly isn’t listening cause she’s distracted by the sight of the Drs. Shepherd arguing. IIIIINTERESTING.
First patient of the week is a guy who had melanoma and is having circulation problems on the areas where he had reconstructive surgery. Elementary, my dear Watson, let’s put leeches all over his face to thin his blood and drain it out. Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton LOVE this episode. Next we move back to MOST ANNOYING PATIENT EVER from last episode, the thirsty, delusional, whiny guy with a pituitary cyst. Alex basically killed this guy last week by giving Olivia, the syphilitic nurse, some incorrect dosing info that essentially shriveled up the guy’s brain. Dr. He-Shepherd kicked Alex off the case as a result.
Back in the preemie patch we learn that external-organs Julie needs another operation, brain-shunt Lucy is cruising, heart-defect Emily is in serious trouble, underdeveloped-lungs Charlotte is having trouble breathing, and just-peachy Kate already left the hospital to go shopping at Baby Prada. But WAIT!! We have a new patient! It’s guest star Rosanna Arquette, a prisoner from the local jail who just got herself out of solitary confinement by swallowing a bunch of razor blades. Never mind how the hell she got all those razor blades in prison, WRITERS. Anyway, this crazy combative bitch won’t tell Cristina and Dr. Bailey how many razor blades she swallowed—somewhat understandably, though, since she’s losing her mind in solitary confinement and wants to extend her stay in the hospital as long as possible. Apparently she’s in prison because she murdered three people. In related news, Billy Bob Thornton wants her number.
Meanwhile, nurse Olivia is having trouble getting the leeches to attach to melanoma guy’s face. Apparently the leeches are nervous. Well no shit Olivia, they can tell you were once VIRULENT WITH SYPHILIS. George, though equally acquainted with the crotch rot, has no trouble getting the leeches to stick. Hmm, this guy might have a promising career in leech husbandry. That would make a great sitcom. Anyway, post-leeches, Izzie and Olivia get stuck in the elevator together. Seriously, this place has more awkward elevator rides than a high-rise sperm bank. Overly apologetic Olivia talks herself silly trying to make it up to Izzie, but the more she talks, the worse it gets.
Back in low-birth-weight land, the babies’ mother is suffering from some severe postpartum depression. Izzie, ironically, wasn’t the SUPPORTIVE FRIEND that the woman needed last week, and it’s clear that Izzie’s judgmental words about the mother’s use of fertility drugs got under the woman’s skin. As Cristina walks into the nursery, she catches Dr. Bailey bonding with the preemies and babbling to them like a damned fool because she thinks nobody’s watching. But Dr. Bailey insists that her own pregnancy hasn’t made her soft. Sho thang, sista. Meredith takes the opportunity to display her sensitive side, comforting the babies’ mother and bringing her into the nursery so she actually has a chance to spend time with the infants. But as soon as the mother comes in, baby Charlotte stops breathing and has to be resuscitated.
“And I name YOU Oprah.”
Emily, the baby with heart problems, undergoes surgery, but it turns out her aorta is so underdeveloped that the doctors can’t really do anything and have to halt the operation. Izzie gets upset and thinks the doctors aren’t doing all they can, but Dr. Burke and Dr. She-Shepherd smack her down. Cristina and Dr. Bailey, meanwhile, have discovered that the woman from prison swallowed FOUR razor blades, so they have to perform dangerous emergency surgery to make sure she doesn’t suffer a perforated intestine. The melanoma patient, for his part, is getting attached to the leeches—emotionally, not just physically—and has given them names. He even named one after George. If I were George I’d think that was some creepy shit. In another voiceover, Meredith goes on and on about loneliness. Oh yes, Meredith, water water everywhere and not a drop to drink, etc. Woe is you.
Since Alex has the easy preemie, he’s using the time to study and try to find out anything he can to help the patient he almost killed last week. Meredith senses that he’s lonely and feeling shitty about, well, having basically fried his patient’s brain, so she sits down and offers to help. COINCIDENTALLY, Izzie walks in just at that moment and sees Alex and Meredith together, immediately thinking Meredith is trying to shoplift her non-erectile pooty. When Meredith protests that there’s no way she’s sleeping with Alex, Izzie retorts, “Why not, you slept with everyone else.” Whoa, Izzie, judgmental streak… why don’t you DROP IT LIKE YOU DROPPED YOUR PANTS FOR THE LINGERIE SHOOT?
Cristina, meanwhile, tells her murderess patient that her recovery will take only 36 hours. The patient is really lonely—I’m sensing a theme here—and admits that she was high on meth (ooh, how current!) when she killed the three people. Moreover, the whole thing was started by her then-boyfriend, who had planned a robbery and said he would leave her if she didn’t help. So essentially she killed the three people in an attempt to avoid loneliness. Cristina, pretty much the most jaded, unfeeling person in the intern corps, doesn’t want to talk about it so leaves the woman alone. Back in leechville, Olivia and George have a little spat in front of the patient. Olivia blurts out that George’s crush on Meredith is obvious to everyone in the hospital except Meredith herself, which should tell him something. In front of the patient, George retorts that Olivia gave him syphilis. Ooh SCHWING! A good STD comeback is the royal flush of the joke world.
Drama is building back in obstetrics, where Dr. She-Shepherd is telling Dr. Webber that she’s about to give a lesson to Izzie that Izzie isn’t gonna like. Through the cafeteria window, Meredith sees Dr. She-Shepherd giving what appears to be very bad news to the quintuplets’ mother. Dr. She-Shepherd, as she leaves for the day, informs Izzie that she has to stay overnight at the hospital again—she already stayed the previous night—and that the baby better be alive in the morning when she gets back. I’d insert a Sleepless in Seattle joke here, but I’m saving it for a later episode. Trust me, when I come out with it it’ll be GOLD, JERRY, GOLD!!!
Now that Izzie is pretty much screwed, the psycho murderess in Cristina’s room starts seizing up because she’s choking on something. Oh great, turns out now she swallowed a LIGHT BULB. I sure hope it wasn’t one of those GE Reveal bulbs, cause those things are expensive. Anyway, she’s choking, bloodily, so it looks like it’s emergency throat surgery time, which Cristina has never done. Call Dr. Burke!
Rosanna Arquette wasting valuable scarce energy resources
Izzie’s baby Emily keeps crashing and needing resuscitation, foreshadowing impending baby doom. The babies’ mother, unable to deal with all the problems her infants are having, wants to leave the hospital, though Meredith tries to get her to stay. It suddenly dawns on Meredith that the babies are lonely—no shit Meredith, it’s the theme of the episode—so she decides to move baby Charlotte into one of her sisters’ incubators so they can be together. Apparently preemies often benefit from such cobedding, and it works again this time, as Charlotte improves markedly. But Izzie’s baby keeps crashing, and Izzie gets increasingly frantic because she’s running out of treatment options.
Meanwhile, the leeches, like Will & Grace, are still sucking. As George finally removes the last leech, the (married, male) patient hits on him unabashedly—the second time that George has been hit on by a male patient. Shortly after he leaves the patient’s room, George happens to catch Meredith and Dr. He-Shepherd having a personal moment. He seethes, like a leech in jealousy.

“George, please be a husband to my leeches.”
We then see Izzie in obstetrics looking drowsy as all hell. It turns out she fell asleep and baby Emily died while she was sleeping—since Dr. She-Shepherd had instructed everyone not to wake Izzie up. Dr. She-Shepherd calls Izzie into her office and says that the baby’s death wasn’t her fault, since she had virtually no aorta. So why did she make Izzie stay the night when it was futile? Dr. She-Shepherd says that the whole thing was intended to teach Izzie to get some distance from her patients. Ooh IRONIC given that this episode is all about loneliness.
While Dr. Bailey is officially impressed with Meredith for cobedding the preemies, Izzie sits utterly miserable in the intern locker room. Meredith suddenly has an idea and takes Izzie out of the hospital. Dr. He-Shepherd, meanwhile, talks to Alex, this episode’s offical bench-warmer. Dr. He-Shepherd tells Alex the story about the first patient he ever killed (as a second-year resident) and says that it happens to every intern. He tells Alex to go home, but Alex puts on the puppy-dog face and says that nobody should die alone. It’s amazing how they manage to wring pathos out of this asshole. Wait—pathos, asshole, does that sort of rhyme? “I’m a poet / And I don’ t know it!” AS IF ON CUE, the show immediately goes poetic, with Meredith reciting John Donne’s famous lines about how no man is an island. Ooh, maybe next week Dr. Bailey will recite the opening lines of The Canterbury Tales in authentic Middle English.
Psycho murderess has seemingly recovered from the light bulb incident, and Cristina tells her that her recovery will take about ten days. But Cristina keeps too much distance from the patient and won’t comfort her or even hold her hand. Jesus, doctors are supposed to have distance but also not have distance? No wonder they’re highly paid. Fortunately, Cristina realizes she’s being a little callous and comforts the patient a little bit.
The episode ends with a sweeping montage of loneliness and attempted loneliness-alleviation. Dr. She-Shepherd tells Dr. He-Shepherd that she’s lonely. Cristina and Dr. Burke hang out in his apartment and look to be actually bonding a little bit. Cristina even eats the toast that he made for her. OMG SHE ATE THE TOAST!! Meredith and Izzie adopt a dog from the pound. In a subtle nod to realism, next week’s episode will show how the dog, despondent that its owners spend 99% of their waking hours at the hospital, runs back to the pound after three days.
“I could really use some Pinot Noir to wash this down.”
All in all, not my favorite episode from this season, but not bad. What did everybody think?
If you like it, spread it!:
43 Comments
You know, I’ve never seen an episode of this show. But I may just have to watch now.
I thought it was good, although I’m becoming more frustrated with Dr. McDreamy’s continued flirting with Meredith. His wife should slap him! My question to the writers is: How did a handcuffed patient get a lightbulb? Or was she uncuffed after her first surgery. Did anyone notice? Also- I know it’s TV and I know how Cristina’s character is supposed to be, but if I had a gorgeous doctor cooking breakfast for me I’d sit my skinny ass down in the morning and eat something!
I found the episode solid. Thankfully this wasn’t an episode when someone’s death is written to pull at the heart-strings because that has happened to me at least three times this season. (I hate crying over network tv). I like this show because it doesn’t try to be this pulitzer-style drama that takes itself so seriously. It’s entertaining and cheesy and that’s why I’m hooked.
Good episode, EXCELLENT recap m_ruv!
LMAO-”And I name YOU Oprah.”
Okay, this is only my second episode of the show, and maybe this was explained in the porn chart, but i’m confused about who initially had the STD and who it got spread to. my other question is, does Izzy know old dude had syphillis? i mean, im not sure i’d be getting quite so worked up over a guy if I knew he had been a one man epidemic a short while earlier.
Alex gave the nurse the syphillis and then she gave it to George.
Man, when Dr. She-Shepard (awesome, BTW) said, “I’m lonely,” I actually felt sorry for the witch! It was so heartfelt. She does a great job.
I am so over the ubiquitious Arquette family.
My favorite line from ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. So lyrical. So poetical. So ironical.
ha!
P.S. She seethes, leeches by the seashore. Whoa. It’s me! It’s me!
I wasn’t crazy about this show when it started, but now I find myself sitting through Desperate Housewives thinking, “It’s almost time for Grey’s Anatomy. Hurry up, already!”
LOVE IT! Yay for TVgasm for realizing that this show is totally worthy of being tv-gasmed! Was it just me, or did the previews of next week’s episode seem to show that the Dr. Shepherdes might be on the skids?
Great job! I missed this episode and now I feel better. Looking forward to more.
Does anyone else think that the Shepherds are wasting their time? I mean they seem so different. He obviously is still stuck on the fact tat she cheated on him, he obviously still has feelings for MEredith (seems we see more of that next episode). AddiSatan (Mrs. Shepherd) wants to live in some posh estate, while he wants to live in the woods in his trailer. Which by the way, I live near Seattle, and there is no such place IN seattle that requires a ferry ride.
I agree about the dog, when are they going to take care of it being they are at the hospital ALL THE TIME.
Christina obviously isnt concerened with how HOT her boyfriend is. Clearly she has issues with being alone and its hard for her to connect with someone as Burke wants her to connect with him. Its surprises me that they have moved them along so fast. They cant even have dinner together outside of the hospital and he already thinks she should move in.
And yes, how did Ms.Arquette get the razor blades, and light bulb? Not to mention she said that she has swallowed razor blades before at the jail… HELLO, not very good supervision obviously. She must have Jedi mind powers, that woudl explain the light bulb… I love this show, but they do a lot of research on some things in seattle, but not on the major things like the FERRY RIDE.
Did anyone else notice that the actor who plays Alex was in the Wedding planner with J-Lo?? hehehe
CB, haven’t you ever watched Prison Break or Oz? Inmates can get ahold of anything!
I know, movies and TV suggest that its easy to obtain these things, so be it. That doesnt explain how she got the light bulb…its no big deal, its a TV show… No i havent watched those other shows…
They could hypothetically be on Vashon or Mercer Island….however since the show is filmed in Vancouver, I would guess they are using a little poetic license.
I’m absolutely in love with this show. I can’t wait for Sundays now (well, I don’t have school Mondays anyhow, so no matter).
Great recap and my favourite line: “Trust me, when I come out with it it’ll be GOLD, JERRY, GOLD!!!” Haha, the ovaltine.
The Svan is in medicine and this show is so unrealistic it’s a joke.
Do Vashon or Mercer Isalnd have Lakes? I dont care its just a bit funny, Im sure they do this on shows that are supposedly in other cities, and only those who live there or close by would notice. I dont care how unrealistic the show is, its fun to watch.
I wonder if The Svan is such an ass that he/she refers to themself in the 3rd person in reality…
Unfortunately, my local station decided to preempt in order to run a holiday telethon. Am I going to hell if I really wanted to see this episode instead of listening to Kenny Loggins sing “Christopher Robin” for the 8 bazillionth time!!!???
Thank you so much for deciding to recap this show! It is, by far, my most favoritest show in the world.
I find myself counting down the days until Sunday!
they explain how the prisoner gets the lightbulb or allude to it briefly at least. apparently there is a lamp next to the hospital bedside. she apparently knocked it down and obtained the light bulbe from the lamp. how she did all of that while handcuffed to the siderails is another question.
Good episode. I agree it wasn’t the best, but it was alright.
Though they really need to find a new way to end it other than slow motion montages and James Blunt in the background. I think that’s 3 in a row.
You’re so right on with the dog thing. It’s pretty much screwed.
Was George’s patient really hitting on him, or was he just being (creepily) sincere?
I am thrilled you are recapping this show, I have been watching since the first episode aired last year. I love Meredit with McDreamy and can’t for that two-timing wife of his to go home. I believe the main reason she stayed is because the Chief of Surgery offered her a great position, getting to work with McDreamy and trying to win him back was just gravy. I remember Alex from the Wedding Planner, I was wondering how he learned English so quickly!! I’m waiting for Izzy and George to go at it. She’s complaining how all she wants is sex and George is the only guy in that house sooooo, I’m telling you one night, she’ll go down the wrong door to the bathroom and there you go.
vashon is an island in the San Juans, and Mercer Island is surrounded by Lake Washington. Seattle is surrounded on 3 out of 4 sides by bodies of water.
Sorry. failed to make my point – I just meant to say, of course you could live on one of the islands in the San Juans, namely vashon, Bainbridge, or Whidbey, and commute. If you lived in Seattle, CB, as you just said you do, you would know that HUNDREDS of people take the ferry to work every day. Over half of the people in my office in downtown Seattle live on Bainbridge.
No offense to m_ruv at all, but I just don’t think this show lends itself to recapping. It’s so good by itself and I don’t think trying to add tvgasm humor to it makes sense, somehow it just makes the show seem worse. Somewhat
Grey’s Anatomy is definitely one of my new favorite shows of ’05, and this episode just further cements it. I like the way Christina is (slowly, but surely) developing as a person, and becoming a little nicer. Izzie definitely needs to leave Alex alone though, let him be with Syph-Nurse.
uh – last time I looked Bainbridge, Vashon, and Whidbey are not part of the San Juan archipelago . . .
Check your map . . .
Great recap m_ruv! Look forward to the next ones.
Actually I didnt say I live in Seattle, I live near Seattle, POulsbo actually, so Yes I know that hundreds of people, probably more, make the ferry trip every day. And, like Bonnie says, since when are those islands in the San Juans? My point is this, the ferry that they are supposedly riding to work is either more than likely a Bainbridge Ferry, considering its one of the more newer ones. Last time I checked none of the places you mentioned (ie: Bainbridge, Whidbey, Vashon) are considered “Seattle” as McDreamy stated he has prime real estate in Seattle (not actual phrase). They would be communting TO Seattle on the boat.
Yeah Ben actually I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of George’s patient. But the second time he laid hands on him it seemed a little aggressive. Plus whenever possible I always try to err on the side of irresponsible assumption.
This show is the best!!!
Thanks for recapping it.
Desperate Housewives used to be my fav but Grey’s takes 1st place by far!
I prefer my recaps to have no less than three Billy Bob Thorton references.
Billy Bob is very current. Did you hear that he and Angelina Jolie are together?
Dont’ listen to Mr. Negativity! recap recap reeeeecap!
Seriously m_ruv- for me, this was the BEST recap this week. PLEASE keep it coming!
Don’t people watch this show for great drama, dr. mc dreamy, etc… and not for the accuracy of Seattle? Who really cares about the ferry rides…
Just wondering, why isn’t anyone recapping Nip/Tuck? Oh well, it’s almost over for the season anyway…
Really I was just asking a question about the ferry rides..I htought it was funny that the show does research on some things like land marks in seattle, but doesnt do their homework on soemthing so simple (and reoccuring) like the ferries. I could care less…I too watch for the great drama and all the little things that make the show so great. It REALLY is no big deal…Thanks Lauren…
yay!! i’m so happy tvgasm.com has finally started to recap Grey’s! Thank you thank you!
You have no idea how freekin stoked I am that you guys are recapping this show! Thank you, it… it was wonderful!
m_ruv – great recap – and even great comments too!
“Plus whenever possible I always try to err on the side of irresponsible assumption.” I love it!
And B-Side – you DEFINITELY need to add this show to your viewing roster – it really is a good good show.
Dr. McDreamy lives on Bainbridge Island and he commutes on the ferry to downtown. I think the reason the include this shot (of the ferry heading into Seattle at Coleman Dock) is because it is one of the most beautiful views of the downtown skyline no matter what time of day you ride it. I have lived in Seattle for many years and its one of the places I always take out of town guests because of this reason.
On another note, I have lived other places in the country and no one seems to know of any city in Washington except Seattle (thank you Nirvana and Pearl Jam). So if I said I’m from Paulsbo, people respond with “is that by Seattle?” So it’s just easier to say you are from Seattle.
In the movie Under the Tuscan Sun Sandra Oh (Dr Christina Yang) and Kate Walsh (Dr She-Sheppard) play lesbian lovers. Just thought that was interesting, now that they are both on GA.
Having worked in a hospital I can guarantee that any patient/prisoner, especially one who committed a triple murder would be under strict police surveillance round-the- clock. I guess the writers decided to leave that out since it would have ruined the Rosanna Arquette lightbulb swallowing storyline.