From Zoanne Clack, writer of "Break on Through"

Original Airdate 1/29/06

I think some of you may not know that it usually takes about eight days to film a one hour show.  And that’s just the filming.  The whole process includes writing, rewriting, notes (from the studio, network, consultants, each other)… and that all takes a couple of months. 

Here’s a glimpse into what it was like on the set during the shooting of my episode:

Day 1:  Strike line.  It wasn’t as I imagined but it worked.  They used a crane to get the overhead shots, which was cool.  I played Sudoku with producer-extraordinaire Rob Corn’s son, Ethan.  That night we had some drama while filming our drama:  a bomb threat!  We actually had to shut down a few scenes early.  We were able to use the hospital where we film on a weekday because it was also Veteran’s Day so the clinics were closed.  So, a bomb threat, at 11 o’clock at night, on Veteran’s Day, at a public facility.  No small thing, right?  It took like a gazillion years for anyone besides the hospital security/police to show up.  Apparently there were all sorts of players involved:  do they call police or sheriff?  County or city?  FBI or bomb squad?  When it was clear that we weren’t going to be able to do anything else for the night, they slowly let people start going home.  A bunch of people had to come back to pick up their stuff the next day (all the cameras and equipment had to be left inside!!).  All’s well that ends well, no bomb was found, but it didn’t help our schedule much. 

Day 2:  Kali Rocha was a great pick for Sydney!  She’s funnier on the set than I think it even comes off in person.  There was a great idea circulating around that she come back as one of Bailey’s best friends.  But Kali is off to shoot her own show I think.  Good luck Kali!  Awesome job!  Don’t worry, Bailey’s just on maternity leave.  She’ll be back.  Oh yes, the bar fight.  There wasn’t enuf dialogue so the actors ad-libbed portions.  Funny stuff.

Day 3:  There was a lot of stuff with Addison and Derek in the airstream that got cut out.  Boy, was it fun, good stuff.  Wish I could tell you what it was but we might use it for another show sometime down the line.  Hmmm…

Day 4:  Kind of a hodgepodge of a day.  Lots of different scenes filming today, none that were especially riveting to film. 

Day 5:  USA Today and KABC local news was on set today.  The local news was there to do a story on Linda Klein, our on-set medical advisor.  Excuse me, our awesome on set advisor.  She was very busy orchestrating the EXIT surgery on Cheyenne’s baby and the surgery on poor Claire “flesh-eating-bacteria”-lady’s leg, so in the meantime, they interviewed some of the cast and yours truly.  My interview was about being the doctor-writer.  The marketing for the interview (to be shown after the show that aired the following Sunday) said that they were highlighting the behind-the-scenes medicine so a lot of my friends and co-workers in the ER were looking for me to be on TV (and thank God I didn’t tell anyone I was going to be on!).  As it turned out, they used a few of the cast members and the fabulous Peter Horton but the piece was about what they had initially come there for: Linda Klein.  I think people might think I’m actually lying about being on the show (sure you’re a “writer”).  Ha!  Anyway, I didn’t get my name in USA Today either.  Blah blah blah.  Such is the fate of the behind-the-scenes people…  Oh, what was filmed today, you ask?  The OR scenes.  Real baby, fake baby switch.  Good acting, long day.

Day 6:  Usually we’re saying “poor George” but this time I have to say “poor Izzie.”  She just can’t catch a break.  First her modeling career was outted by Alex.  Then the “psychic” patient outted her psychic-loving, trailer park-living, cupcake-baking mom.  Now she’s outing herself—she’s got a daughter!!  Somewhere out there is a little Izzie.  Wonder if we’ll be seeing her…  I also must give kudos to Regine Nehy (Cheyenne) who’s making her first network TV performance as Cheyenne.  She did a great job playing off of Katie (Heigl).  Some beautiful scenes of Cheyenne and Izzie together.  Barely a dry eye in the house.  Katie was a little under the weather and trying to get home for the holidays but you’d never know it.

Day 7:  It’s Monday again, had to be there at 6:45 am.  Always a pleasure.  Fortunately my commute is about 7 minutes.  Yahoo!  Grace’s friends were a hoot!  Robin, the actress that plays Patricia, was amazed when she walked in and saw that she’d be working with some of her true childhood idols.  She grew up watching these ladies on TV.  Some of you who are old enough might remember June Lockhart as the mom on both “Lassie” and “Lost in Space.”  She was also in Petticoat Junction.  Betty Garrett was the neighbor in “All in the Family” and the girlfriend of Laverne’s father in “Laverne and Shirley” (Edna Babbit!).  Rae Allen is herself a Tony award winning actress.  We were in the halls of greatness, watching how they worked it.  They were pretty great.  Still on their game, working hard after all these years.  Then there was the moment in the linen closet where Ellen/Meredith left us speechless.  And there was Derek (“P. Demp” as I like to call him).  There’s really nothing to say except that it was definitely a moment.  I’d venture to say it was an incredible moment.  Especially if you’re a MerDer fan.

Day 8:  There was more with the seasoned actresses today, a lot of Grace dying.  Solemn.  Long day.  Donna, the actress that played Grace, was looking for direction on how to die because she had never done it before.  Good point, I thought.  Word on the set was that she’s 90 years old, but imdb.com says she’s 81.  Who’s lying here?  Or was it just a vicious rumor?  Oh these TV people… Grace’s story was based on a case I had.  In the ER, you have to make decisions quick.  Once they’re made, it’s hard to go against the Hippocratic Oath (first, do harm doesn’t sound right). 
Usually, just one crew does everything, but today they called in a second unit to shoot some of Burktina’s scenes on another stage while the first unit filmed more scenes with Grace.  Efficiency.

Day 9:  Ahh!  The last day!  Yay!  Days on set are long – I don’t see how the crew does it day in and day out but I commend them.  They do a fantastic job.  My 8 or 9 days on set is nothing compared to the hours they put in.  Today is the day before Thanksgiving and we all got a lobster and steak meal for company lunch, complete with a lot of fixins.  Yum!!  Today we got to meet the newlyweds doing it in the ER.  All kinds of talk about how they should be positioned.  The actor that played Wade would literally pick up the actress that played Claire and move her around as we talked about different, ahem, “positions.”  And they had just met 10 minutes before.  Oh, the life of an actor.  It was a good feeling on set today, everybody for the most part had good spirits, the holiday started the next day, and this was the end of a long episode. 

Good night, and good luck.

Comments

[Jenn]

Please Help! Am I reading into this and racking my brains to figure out the symbolizm with the old lady being named Grace (Seattle Grace Hospital) and Alice the daughter (as in Alice Grey)?

Could it really be a coincidence??

Somebody, anybody?

Thanks!

BTW - I live for Sunday night TV!! I rarely watch TV but I am HOOKED! Great episode.

[Judie]

Way to go Zoanne!!!!! What kind of name is that anyway? Actually I love it. Thank you so much for giving me hope that this show is back on track after that???? whatever last week's episode was. Characters back on track, surprises in just the right place, and the super, super writing, acting, directing, etc. that drew me from the beginning. Shonda can trust you to write any episode as far as I'm concerned.

My thoughts are almost word for word with Ali. But I will add a few comments of my own. I continue to be amazed by the acting talent
of the main characters on this show. Just when you think that one of them, such as Sandra Oh is becoming the dominant force, the others step right up to the challenge and up the ante with very compelling performances of their own. I'm sure that they all have to admit that they have made each other better actors because of it.

Katherine Heigel? must be a director's dream for digging deep into those places that produce such high quality portrayals of the emotional depths of her character. The scenes with her and Regine? last night--just awesome!(not to mention the excellent scripts) It was so reminiscent of the crying scene with Justin Chambers on the Christmas show, which I still replay, and it leaves me speechless.

And speaking of Regine, what an emerging talent! I will certainly keep an eye out for her in TV and Film land. Also, what chemistry between her and Izzie--it seemed as though they were each drawing from each other in making those
scenes work so perfectly.

As for Bailey's replacement, you are so right that she did an awesome job. And she gets big time kudos for that scene with Burke and Christina in the OR. Again perfectly written, and flawlessly executed.

Sorry Baylink, but Burke was right. He and Christina both crossed a line that they should not have. I think Christina did approach Burke as her boyfriend, believing that she could convince him to do just what he did.
Otherwise, why not go directly to the Chief in the first place? I think a lot of her behavior of late reflects what she thinks she can get away with because of her relationship with Burke. But even if she didn't approach Burke as her boyfriend, her whole attitude of disrespect for Kali's character, Sydney, not just in the OR, but almost from the moment they were together in the patient's room was enough to warrant an apology at the very least. It was just as Sydney indicated, that based upon their initial meeting, Christina in her usual arrogant style, immediately sized her up as a "bimbo cheerleader" who didn't have a clue about what she was doing, and couldn't possibly be as smart as Christina at being a doctor. Just skip the fact that she is a fourth year resident who's been around the hospital a little longer than Christina and seen a few more cases to base her judgements on than Christina (even if they weren't of the flesh-eating bacteria kind). And slipping in that part of the dialogue with Burke to let Christina know that even Burke probably had seen a case of this type and therefore couldn't be of any help to defend her position, was priceless. Frankly, I'm surprised that Sydney was as gracious as she was in her responses to Christina, especially in accepting that insincere half-hearted apology forced upon her by Burke.

And I applaud you Zoanne for adding that bit of reality in terms of someone confronting Christina about her behavior towards a superior, contrary to the writers totally ignoring it in last week's episode.

Thanks again for your work on this episode. It was masterful to say the least. And I too like the timeline approach to your blog. I'm like Burke--" I want to KNOW things."

[Elaine Forbes McCallum]

I have enjoyed Grey's Anatomy greatly until the Izzy adoption story line. I am a lawyer and often compare the issues that these young doctors face with issues that I and my friends faced as young lawyers.

But I am also a natural mother of a child given up for adoption and nothing about what Izzy said rang true.

Giving up a child for adoption is an incredibly truamatic event. No woman does it unless she feels completely powerless and hopeless to do anything else.

No woman who has lived through the experience of giving up a child would encourage any other woman to do the same.

The storyline maybe also did not ring true because I am a Canadian and if an American would not be a Republican. The writer of that story line must be a a junior Republican.

The concept that a woman must chose between being a mother and working as a waitress in a diner or giving up one's child in order to have a career is a terrible comment on American Society.

There might be some truth in it but one would think that it would be depicted with some degree of criticism, rather than almost with an endorsement. "Give away your kids so that you too can achieve the American dream."

We like to think in Canada that we have a more egalitarian and kinder society where woman can have a career without giving her children away.

But if one is to deal with the grittiness of American Society accurately, I suspect the truth is that the young black woman's baby might not be adopted easily. Izzy's blond and blue haired baby would certainly be snapped up, however.

The young republican bent can also be seen in the fact that the girl from the trailer park is the one that was given the birth mother story line and not the daughter of the doctor.

In real life doctor's daughters are just as likely to get pregnant as the girls from the trailer parks.

[Betsy P]

amazing.

[ariella]

Let me first make two confessions: 1) I have never been so in love with a television show as I currently am with Grey's (it’s the only show I watch consistently – some might say religiously) and 2) patience is not high on my list of virtues.... Waiting for a moment that would give some real hope for Mer/Der has been much harder than I could have anticipated. Thank you so much for that beautiful scene between them. Ellen showed such great depth of emotion, and Patrick was able to convey so much without words. The connection between those two characters is so beautiful and so strong; one can feel the warmth through the screen.

Having said that, I am not an Addison hater. She is obviously a good doctor and could be a strong character for the series. Right now though I only see a woman too self involved to realise that her husband does not love her and isn’t going to magically come back around. I don’t think that I was reading too much into the final bedroom scene (ugh, Derek and Addison in bed together – bad enough as a concept… didn’t need the visual). I saw Addison looking smug as can be, as if all was right in her world, and Derek staring into space as if he would rather be somewhere else – or more specifically *with* someone else.

I would dearly love to see the intelligent sassy woman who showed up at Seattle Grace realise that Derek is truly trying but is miserable, and that he loves and needs Meredith. Then *finally* give in and step aside, sign the papers and deliver them to him. Addison has plenty of dramatic value as an ex-wife working in the same hospital.

I’ll try to leave you alone on the topic of my absolute favorite couple for the moment (after all, the Mer/Der relationship is the reason I became addicted to this show in the first place and is still the primary reason I’m here) and move on to other topics. I loved, loved the development on Izzie. Such lovely scenes with that teenage mother. So telling that she had left for the evening and felt compelled to come back and share what is obviously a very well protected secret. I feel much closer to her character as of this week.

And what can one say about George! Loved his comment in the dark, and the way he stood up to his superiors. His character is an underlying foundation to the group – his relationships with each of the girls, his constant loyalty, his sense of fairness and morality. I do hope he finds some nice girls to play with, as long as Meredith's not among them!!

Meanwhile, I’m not sure you could have made the temp Bailey any more annoying. I loved Christina’s “ow… no, you’re touching me” response. Heal with love?! Making us glad that Bailey will be back soon!!!

Well, needless to say my hopes are flying high for Superbowl Sunday. I am one of those happy that Mer was true enough to herself to leave Der before anything happened in the closet. But I am holding out for an admission of love in both look and words coming up soon from Derek directly to Meredith. And of course for Addison to finally know this isn’t going to work and get out (of the relationship, not the show). Then we can finally begin the slow battle back to happiness for Mer/Der. Cause I’m sure you won’t make it easy on us! Just please god keep it moving forward and keep giving us some hope along the way. A determined man can make one h*** of a flame from one good spark. In like fashion, I can keep the flames of hope alive from small moments. Please please please keep giving them to me.

[Cookie B.]

So exciting to see this episode finally aired. Awesome. Better than I could have imagined. Totally loved Izzy and her secret revealed. Never suspected for a minute. I disagree with the fan who said Izzyy made light of giving up her baby for adoption. It was very apparent that Izzy was lying when she said that she had no second thoughts about doing it.
George is the best. I adored him tonight, as I always do, on that picket line and playing that gameboy in bed. Terrific job. Thanks again Zoanne for everything.

[Michelle]

I was saddened by this episode. It was the same old adoption story at work. Why would a hospital employee (regardless of their position) convince a patient to relinquish a baby for adoption? The girl wanted to keep her baby, and the parents wanted their daughter to keep her baby. Just because Izzie's character lost her child to adoption doesn't mean she should be advising others to do the same. I am an adopted person and find it really disheartening to still see adoption portrayed as a viable choice for anyone. Children should not be separated from their mothers and families. This girl had support - and she wanted to keep her child. Why is the assumption that her lfe will be ruined if she keeps her baby? Who can predict that?I've yet to meet a natural mother who did not regret losing her child to adoption. Adoption is about loss, not joy. Why not have a show about the long-term effects of adoption - how the majority of adoptees and mothers search for each other and reunite? This Izzie did not once wonder how her adopted-away child grew up wondering what her original identity was, who her mother and father were, what her ethnicity and ancestry was. How she could never compare herself to one other human being in appearance, personality and temperament. That is was against the law for her to have knowledge of her own birth and natural parents -- and how, because of adoption, she was never able to answer any questions about her true identity... It's time to stop sending the message that having a baby can dsetroy your life. How does that make adoptees who are watching the show feel? It would be much better to show adoption for what it is - 4-billion a year industry that convinces vulnerable women that their babies would be better off with other parents.

[Courtney]

Holy crap. That was a crazy episode. It made me laugh and cry. A lot. Fantastic. And totally moving. Most emotional and real episode yet. Thanks for making it real and not just unicorns and rainbows and superficiality (sp?). You are a totally talented writer.

[Judie]

Responding to Bloggers:

Jenn, your theory may apply to Grace, but not Alice. Meredith's mother's name is Ellis Grey, not Alice.

Cat Mc: were you watching the same scenes that I watched when Izzie was talking about the baby she gave up?? It was clear to me in the first of those scenes that she had some very strong emotional feelings about her decision. The fact that she was carrying a picture of her daughter and knew things about her says that she had probably done quite a bit of thinking about her choice. In the second scene she was asked if she ever wished that she hadn't done it, and she said no. So perhaps she had come to grips with it in a way that she could move on and still believe that it was the right thing for her to do at that time. I don't mean to trivialize your feelings and I don't think that this episode of Grey's trivialized Izzie's feelings. These kinds of decisions are very personal and we all deal with them differently, and come to terms with them differently. This was Izzie telling her story, not yours or anyone else's. And just as Bailey told Christina a few episodes ago in discussing her decision to have her baby you have to do what you can and when you can and why you can. No one else has anything to say about it.

Jennifer Grant: Did you watch the Christmas episode scenes with Christina caring for Justin, and trying to convince him to live???? Did you watch Christina crying in Burke's arms after she lost her baby? Did you watch her when she told Burke about what she had planned to do about the baby? Did you watch last week's episode where she was obiviously torn about lying to Burke about moving in, or letting Meredith know that she understood how Meredith still felt about Derek even though she (Christina) was upset about it? I'd say that these were some softer sides of Christina.

Yes, she is all those other things that you described too, but that's what makes her character so intriguing. And what makes Sandra Oh such a great actress. She carries it off in such a way, that like Burke, you still want to love her. Even her fellow interns have come to accept her and I believe like her for who she is. You know that softer side is there, you see glimpses of it from time to time, and when you do, you just want more of it. And what a challenge trying to get through to it.

BTW, I read something where Sandra Oh actually said that she hopes that the writers don't turn Christina into a nice person, because she really isn't.

[CJW]

Have grown to love the show. And I love this blog. It is, really, quite brave of you. A comment on the music--I like it, but I think it is overpowering the show. It is distracting and makes it appear that the show is using it as a crutch.

[Kodi]

I loved this episode because of the rotation of stories.

LOVED Mer/Der in the closet. Best scene for me! I also enjoy seeing Ellis. (love p.demp! he's so sexy!)

I just love George. I like like that he's understanding where the nurses are coming from. fair hours fair wages! and the end of the show when he's says anyone wanna have sex! lol

I was cracking up at the whole Christina/Sydney thing.

And whoa! Izzie has a daugher! I have more respect for her character because she chose a better life for her daughter and worked really hard to do something for her life.

way to go sandra oh for winning the SAG award sunday!

hooked on grey's. waiting for the next eppy! looks great!

[JoJo]

All due respect to Cat Mc, but it was obvious to me, that there was a reason Izzie delivered her "no regrets" line while looking away from the patient. Izzie appears to experience regret every day (hence her choice of specialty), just as it was redundant of this bright, promising young lady (reading Shakespeare, no less), to ask the question. Everyone in that room knew there would be regrets, but making a choice for the baby was the issue.

Thanks again, for the superb writing!! The characters' "humanity" is bittersweet. No one dimensional characterizations here!!

One more post for dear, "Irish" (as I prefer that nickname to his screen name :-) ). God love him. Bet his a Guinness man.

[tina]

excellant episode. right up there with into you like a train.....could mcdreamy get any more mcdreamery?????

[Amna and Molly]

We LOOOOVE the MerDer scene in the linen closet. The writers should focus more on those kinda scenes; it made us cry, we were "BALLING." i was astonished by Izzie having a baby--we could have never seen it coming. and i loovvee the song that came on during the merder scene: "scratch" by kendall payne; that song was perfection! george is toooo cute! i loved his union scene. can you kill dr. webber? i don't like him and i really hate his scenes w/ alice grey. CHRISTINA NEEDS TO HAVE COMPASSION! she's got a great man which is so hard to find nowadays and she needs to take advantage of it. the scene in the bar was hilarious and its even cooler that sandra oh ad-libbed dialogue like "i will kill you" and when mer said "we were just leaving" and christina says "yeah i gotta go save LIVES" THAT WAS FUNNIE!--HAHA. Where do you film this show? Do you have studio tours bc I SO want to get one and meet these actors because we are in love with them!!! What about a special appearance? Pleaseeeeeeee! I only think of Grey's Anatomy ALL the time and being on the show would be my WILDEST DREAM COME TRUE! In fact, I am thinking of writing to Oprah so I can be on the show bc she does that Wildest Dream thing!!!! We are only high school students but we could be like mini interns or family members of the characters or cases that come in..ANYTHING..I'd be an extra!! Ok, so, we're obsessed, anyway..what a great show..its def. my favorite show ever! Keep it coming and cant wait until next episode because it looks like its going to be crazy amazing. Let's see mer/der get back together already! LOVE

[Finally, a show worth some tears and cheers!]

A well written extravaganza! Yes, there is a mutual attraction between MerDer, but, come on...this show has the potential to be on the air for years...don't give in just yet. Will it ever come about that the "Chief" is really Meridith's father? That would be a unique twist. I think that Christina already getting pregnant and losing the baby was a huge story line. It really makes me wonder what lies ahead, in terms of writing. Big story lines in only the first 2 seasons. Izzy's character must come to meet her daughter. It has to be written in that "Hannah" comes in needing some sort of blood transfusion after a serious accident. Knowing there has been some sort of traumatic flaw with the blood supply already in the hospital, the doctors begin to donate blood, only to find that the only donor who can give to "Hannah" is her mother, Izzy. That would make for a real tear jerker. Christina, should not become compassionate. She has shown, with the loss of her child, she can move on. She should have shown a softer side then and didn't. Why start now? There really needs to be some more with Burke then the whole "I am your boyfriend" whining. Was there ever a thing between he and Bailey, back in the day? hint* Keep George sweet. He should be approached by a male companion however, just to test the waters. That is when he can prove to viewers he is soft, not gay,(but keep us wondering for a week or two) and that he does indeed pine for Meredith. Maybe he should go so far as to out MerDer to the good doctors wife. Keep up the good work!!!

[Julie]

Hey, I liked the quirky student nurse. Any chance bringing her back as a romantic interest for George? She'd be perfect as a young innocent looking up to him.

[KM]

First, in response to the two previous bloggers who thought that Izzie didn't seem to feel regret for her decision to give up her baby. Did you miss the shot where she turned around toward the camera after telling Cheyenne that she had named her baby Sarah? Massive regret, sadness and, I guess, acceptance were written all over her face. Props to Katherine Heigl for her acting in that one lovely moment. Absolutely beautiful. And, I've been waiting for Ellen Pompeo to deliver on the incredible promise she showed in the film Moonlight Mile. She did so in spades in that supply closet scene. It was one of the most believable crying scenes I've ever seen. I was incredibly touched. Kudos to all the actors and writers of GA. Don't let any bloggers tell you that your work it not consistently stellar. I can't imagine what it takes to create a show as good as this is week after week.

[Lydia]

Thanks for a great episode that advanced the storylines and character development in subtle, subtle ways. My only point of contention is that, while the writers have succeeded in making Addision a more sympathetic character, I've actually started to dislike Derek Shepard. The man is cheating (emotionally) on his wife, and that's just not cool. I'd like to see more backstory on him and Addy. Why were they drawn together in the first place? What was their marriage like, before Seattle? What keeps them together now?

[Alichia]

First I just want to say I (like everyone else on here) LOVE Grey's Anatomy. This week's episode was fantastic, though it's weird not to have Bailey around, she's one of my favorites.
I agree it was awful to watch Sydney play favorites with Alex (the whole time you could see that look in his eyes saying "haha she likes me better.") Sometimes he's such a weasel - I'll never understand what Izzy saw in him.
But what confused me the most was the build up from the commercials about the Burke/Christina situation. I expected something extremely dramatic from this - although she was out of line to ask him to take her side - it sure did seem like he got over what she did super quick.
And of course as always George was so lovable - especially at the very end, the very last line when Izzy & Mer got into his bed. Too cute :)
Thanks for a superb episode!

[Adam N Eugene, Or]

Fantastic episode. George's character cracks me up every show. Kudos on fleshing out Izzie's sacrifices, to get where she is. As to where she came from... 2 minutes of research would have told you that Chehalis is not 3 hours away from Seattle. It's an hour and a half. People from Seattle are very particular about little things like this, when shows are based there. They must be acurate. That's my only bad thing to say about the show so far. Great work!! I've been hooked since the first episode!!

[laura]

I really loved the whole merder thing <3 it was awsome. I was balling of course. But you could tell that she loves derek so much and its hurting her not being with him. And you can tell derek lover mer and that he just wanted to comfort her more than sitting there with her. I really think that they should get to together. Even if meredeth find sumone else she likes, it seems that she is in love with derek.

[Lacy]

Okay, first off, I have a new favorite writer! And now for some random thoughts:

Chief Webber is an idiot for not capitalizing on George's good relationship with the nursing staff. If he were smart, he'd extend George's "sponge duties" to include the whisperings of the nurses and use him as a liaison or a nurse advocate on the surgeon staff, someone accessible and likeable the nurses can go to when they have small issues before they compound into big issues.

Best lines of the episode belong to George, hands down. “Anyone want to have sex?” Great parting shot! And his awkward exchanges with Webber and Burke were excellently written and delivered.

This show has a really special brand sybolism and this episode featured some of the best of the patentned Grey's parallels ever!

Anyone who thinks Ellen’s crying in the closet seemed fake (as I’ve read on some of the boards) has definitely never had a real nervous breakdown. My compliments.

The chemistry between Chief Webber and Meredith was really muted. I liked it. It helped create a good emotional baseline for the heightened drama of the closet scene.

I think Haron is too smart to buy Alex's act that isn't an act.

Haron’s whole explosive scene in the OR where she totally puts Burke in his place without being unreasonably mean about it totally caught me off guard. It made me do a complete 180. I think I might have to like her after all.

I, for one, was totally blindsided by the Izzy teen pregnancy. Way to go for keeping us on our toes! I love the fact that I can voraciously consume every spoiler I can get my greedy little hands on and STILL be surprised by the talented writers.

I like Izzy when she's being strong and not flipping out over tiny, little, inconsequential things. I hate it when she goes off on one of her Izzy Fits. It makes me want to smack her and give her a good, long "don't sweat the small stuff" lecture. I also like her when she's being all cute and bubbly and baking things.

How cute was it to see the Doctors Shepherd in surgery together? Despite all their personal issues, they really work well together. And even though Addison is selfish and narcissistic and possessive and pushy and cocky, you have to respect her abilities. And how is it she can be such a good doctor and such a rotten person? She only wants what's best for her patients, but she could give a crap less about what she can do to make her husband happy.

It was also great to see Christina get a big slice of humble pie. And way to go, Preston for handling her so expertly. She can be pretty volatile, but Burke's ability to handle people so well makes me wonder if he just wouldn't make a great chief. (Even though I still secretly think Miranda would make a better chief than either Preston or Derek.)

It was gratifying to see Meredith take ownership of her grief. I thought she showed real strength of character by undoing her lifesaving intubation.

[Leslie]

Thanks for another great episode. I loved the closet scene and that it was Derek that calmed Mer down, not the bag. The look they both had, they miss each other so much. And I do hate that every moment that Der/Mer talk here comes Addi to interupt.
I am sorry for those who are adopted or have given a child up for adoption, but I didn't see Izzie being at ease about giving her daughter up and being that I had my first child at 29, at 16 what in the world would I have done.
We all have opinions about topics of this nature; what about Season 1 with Christina not giving a second thought to an abortion... abortion is something I would never do, but I am not going to ball out the writers of a show and accuse them of being "Republicans" because of a story line.
No one responds the same to life situations and BTW... it is just a TV show.. not reality TV.
Back to the show... loved it and I love that Izzie has sacraficed so much to be where she is today.
George standing up for his family and where he comes from was awesome since at Thanksgiving he was embarassed.
Christina was a little too cocky and to me she did go to Burke to tattle and she should have apologized. She is an intern and has far less experience and she should have been put in her place about that.
Alex is back!! Yes, he is cocky, but I still like him.
Can't wait until next week... great episode.

[An]

Once again, another great episode of GA! Loved the scene in the linen closet- and Izzy's story was very powerful.
Can't wait for next week!

[Karen]

Wow.
I love that you did a sort of...day to day(?) type of thing.

I knew it took a lot to make one episode...but this was really neat/fun to read.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THE DER/MER MOMENT!!!!

I don't think I can express my feelings completley.

I have to say that and when George, Mer, and Izzie were all in the bed were my favorite parts.