Well praise be to Oprah, because this was a great episode of Grey's Anatomy. All the hallmarks that were missing from the last few episodes—surprise revelations, touching deathbed scenes, interesting new characters, hearty borscht-belt humor—were back in force. So take that, you Desperate Housewives bitches. Nonetheless, though this turn of events is most welcome, it does not exempt the characters from bitchy commentary.
Meredith begins by observing that there's a red line on the floor of the hospital denoting the boundary between the public area and the inner sanctum of surgery and syphilis to which all medical residents aspire. Crossing the line is not tolerated. Outside SGH is a line of another sort—the much-feared picket line of nurses, who have made good on last week's strike announcement and are demanding fair hours and fair wages.
As the interns arrive for their shift, George refuses to cross the picket line; Izzie, reluctantly, says they have to. Cristina says screw the nurses, she needs her daily fix of surgical blood and carnage PRONTO. As she indignantly breaches the picket line, the nurses bombard her with food. Does she look like she needs food? What this ho wants is LIQUOR, so next time throw some of those little bottles from the EconoLodge minibar. Anyway, Izzie sees the nurses' assault as an affront to all that is good and Jesuslike, so her sympathy instantly hardens into old-fashioned Christian disdain. She breaches the picket line also and likewise gets pelted with food.
"I thought I was auditioning for Grey's Anatomy, not MISS SAIGON"
Meredith drops by the nursing home to visit her mother and is surprised to find that Dr. Webber is there visiting too. The sight of her old flame has Ellis sparkly of eye, rosy of cheek, and incontinent of bladder. Meredith notices that Dr. Webber initiates a little mild hanky-panky, touching Ellis's hand flirtatiously. She thinks Dr. Webber is crossing the line—ooh, a theme!—and watches them for a little bit before leaving.
Back at the hospital, the temp nurses are proving wildly inept, while the interns are trying to figure out who's been assigned to replace Dr. Bailey during her maternity leave. Before long, this replacement enters. I didn't catch her name—I think it's Dr. Sydney Heron—but she's played by Kali Rocha (of Meet the Parents and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who's essentially an older, American version of Kate Winslet but, more important, ANIMATED AND BOUNCY AS SHIT. She greets the interns like she's head counselor at Fisher Price My First Bowel Surgery Camp and is SUPER excited to meet them—it's "awesome" and they'll "have fun." Yes, nothing screams fun like bedpans and abscesses. To top it off, Dr. Heron's philosophy is "heal with love." HA, Cristina will adore this.
All the interns scramble to avoid Dr. Uppers, but Izzie gets stuck with her. Just as the doctor is nicknaming Izzie "Izzie McGee" because she likes "rhyming"—oh great, not only is she annoying as shit, she's also DEAF—Izzie is rescued by Dr. She-Shepherd, who has some new little bastard child for her to deliver in obstetrics.
Cristina walks in on her first patient hooking up with her husband on her hospital bed. She has little sympathy for the fact that they're newlyweds and asks them to "dismount." Ha HA, I love good Sandra Oh moments. Meredith, meanwhile, is walking in the hall when she overhears some poor old woman calling out for help. The old woman is disoriented and having trouble breathing, but no nurses are around to assist. So Meredith, despite a temp nurse's best efforts to kill the patient, inserts a breathing tube to stabilize the old lady.
Outside the hospital, unclean nurse Olivia tells George it's okay if he wants to cross the picket line. But George says his parents were both union workers—his father was played by George Dzundza, after all, how much more union can you get. George takes a picket sign from the nurses and marches into the hospital to commence his own campaign for fair wages and pansiness.
Dr. She-Shepherd's patient is a young pregnant girl whose unborn baby has a spinal tumor. They plan an "exit surgery," a C-section to half-deliver the baby while the tumor is removed. The patient's family isn't well off, and the mother is worried about the expense, but Dr. She-Shepherd has some contacts that will make the surgery free. The mother leaves the girl in Izzie's care to go work her night shift.
« Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey | Main | Apollo Gets What He Pays For »
Comments (18)
"Just don't read Measure for Measure next, cause that play's all about syphilis and we already have plenty of that here."
FAVORITE LINE OF THE RE-CAP!! My English Lit degree really appreciated that one. I heart you m_ruv. And I too thought this was a great episode. If anyone else was really touched by the song that was playing during the scene of the baby being born/old woman passing/Meredith crying in the closet, it's called "Scratch" by Kendall Payne. What a great song. You have to admit--the music director of this show really knows how to put beautiful songs at some beautiful moments.
...keep up the good work m_ruv!! Can't wait for next week's "Code Black"!
1 of 18 | Posted by medlover
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 11:15 AM
Great Recap! Loving the Dr. Bailey's replacement. All I could think was that she needed to pull the chop sticks out of her head and clean out her ears, because Christina is a person with feelings and all she has to do is what she wants to do and she wants to do is hold onto her bone saw and not listen to her!
2 of 18 | Posted by kelley
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 11:18 AM
I used to work at a hospital in Toronto, Canada and a code black refers to a bomb threat. It is possible that they may also use this distinction for terrorism because I don't remember any other colour for that type of situation. Either way, I'm hoping for another great episode!
3 of 18 | Posted by srsdal
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 11:36 AM
I really thoguht the older women were so cute. The way they kept saying the daughter was a lesbian had me cracking up...The one is Timmy's Mom from Lassie!!
Dereks eyes just made my heart break. I think Mr. Dempsey plays this part so well. You can really see how hard this whole thing is for him, even though he is really trying to do the right thing.
Izzie did say at the end to George that they dont know everything about each other with Meredith replying "yet".
4 of 18 | Posted by CB
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 12:20 PM
McDreamy sooooooo made me cry in that closet scene. The look in his eyes. The desire to just love her was so palpable. It's such a rare and powerful thing when writers allow actors to convey inner dialogue without the aid of words in a scene. We saw the same wordless dialogue from Christina when Burke made the relationship comment. Brilliant moments both. Kudos to the writers, directors and actors.
Those who are as obsessed with this show as I am might find this site fun:
http://www.greyswriters.com
It's a blog written by the show's writers. Apparently the next episode is going to be awesome. (Sunday's can't come soon enough for me!!)
5 of 18 | Posted by Meesh
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 12:43 PM
Meesh, in the defense of the writers, because of many actors inability to move their forheads these days, especially Ellen Pompeo and her botox saturated face, it's hard for them convey anything without the use of words.
6 of 18 | Posted by hog island
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 12:57 PM
I kept laughing hysterically during Meredith crying jag, because Ellen Pompeo is the worst fake crier ever. My god, it was horrid. And the McDreamy thing is starting to get old, can't we get her a real love interest?
And I personally love Izzy's character (alleged mental illness be damned), I'm waiting for her heart patient to come back.
7 of 18 | Posted by Laurie
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 2:04 PM
I agree about Meredith. I like her character but Ellen really doesnt cry well.
8 of 18 | Posted by CB
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 3:11 PM
This was the first time that I watched more than 15 consecutive minutes of Grey's Anatomy, and I can say that I will be popping back in from time to time.
I loved the old ladies. The one on the right in the picture made me think she was Lucca Brazzi's sister or something.
9 of 18 | Posted by J Unit
|
Posted on February 1, 2006 7:33 PM
It was a good episode. I'm gonna have to tape the big post-Superbowl show b/c I'l be at the sportsbar celebrating a Steelers win!
10 of 18 | Posted by zoobabe
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 4:01 AM
The old lady on the left used to be on Laverne & Shirley = she dated Laverne's dad- I think (but am not certain) that her name was Edna Babbish on L&S.
(ok enough weird trivia for one morning - best be shovin off for work now)
11 of 18 | Posted by TinkerbellAPixie
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 5:15 AM
"HOW DARE YOU ask me to handle money on the Sabbath!"
Too cool, too cool.
Also, the glasses the lesbian girlfriend is wearing look awfully similar to the glasses that Audrey is wearing over on "24." Could this is a shocking secret at CTU at some later point??
12 of 18 | Posted by Acton Bell
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 6:10 AM
I love this show!
13 of 18 | Posted by Emily
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 8:06 AM
Haha Kelley! Nice Meet the Parents reference!! I personally don't think Meredith did too terrible a job of crying while in the closet. And I do loves me some McDreamy. m-ruv, hilarious picture captions!!
14 of 18 | Posted by stella
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 10:09 AM
This was indeed a very decent ep.
I personally love Joe the bartender... good to know being on My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance doesn't kill your career.
15 of 18 | Posted by redhaiku
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 11:26 AM
oh i forgot he was on that show, and I watched it(hangs head in shame)
can't wait for next week....
16 of 18 | Posted by hardly@work
|
Posted on February 2, 2006 11:58 AM
I am so frustrated!
My DVR schedule was off by half an hour, so I got thirty minutes of inane football talk followed by 30 minutes of what looks like it was an awesome episode!
Can I borrow someone's tape?
Thanks!
---Kayvan
17 of 18 | Posted by kayvan
|
Posted on February 6, 2006 5:35 PM
I'm surprised you haven't done a new Grey's Anatomy recap yet! It was a big episode!!
18 of 18 | Posted by SoCalLove
|
Posted on February 8, 2006 4:37 PM