Pete Nowalk on "All By Myself"...

Original Airdate: 12-4-08

So you watch this TV show for a few seasons.  You really enjoy it.  Admire it.  Learn from it.  You even read the writers’ blog every once in awhile – just to see what these writer people are actually like.  Wondering what it’s like to be them.  Dreaming about being them…  And then it happens.  You’re now sitting in a room with these people.  These talented, hard-working, funny writers who you quickly realize you have no business being around. 

This happened to me.  And I freaked out.  Big time.  Going to work everyday was an exercise in panic.  Nausea, nightmares, shaky voice…symptoms of what’s commonly referred to as an all out, no-doubt-about-it, yikes-is-he-sweating, better-start-looking-for-a-new-career, you-don’t-need-to-be-a-doctor-to-diagnose-it FREAK OUT. 

Which is all to say I get Alex in this episode.   (Okay, okay, so I know writing an episode of television isn’t really comparable to what it must feel like to operate on someone all by yourself, but that’s why I’m happy to be a writer and not, say, a second year surgical resident.  I freak out easily.)  It’s kind of a big deal, performing your first solo surgery.   One of two things could happen – your patient lives or your patient dies.  And since this surgery is a very simple, very easy below-the-knee amputation, a dead patient means you killed them.  No wonder Alex freaked out.

Alex is one of those characters who’s still a little mysterious.  He likes sex, yeah.  He has a sick sense of humor, sure.  He’s a pretty rotten communicator, no duh.  But now we know he loves Izzie.  Loooooves her.  Which he finally told her off the thrill of winning the solo surgery.  Alex needed this win.  This is the dude that failed his boards and froze during the heart surgery in the elevator.  Winning the solo – and having Cristina of all people pick him – finally allowed Alex to believe in himself.  And with that came believing in himself with Izzie.  Who makes him better.  Who gives him the warm and cozies inside.  Who is still.  Seeing.  Denny. 

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.   Or I don’t.  But what I do know is that it’s confusing.  Alex loves Izzie.  He’s been good to her.  SO WTF IS THAT GIRL THINKING?  She’s not thinking.  That’s the point.  Because when we think we tend to screw things up.  We over-think.  Or under-think.  Or just think about thinking.  And it’s exhausting.  To the point where it’s easier to just shut your mind off sometimes, to just go with the flow.  So that’s what Izzie is doing.  She’s throwing caution to the wind.  She’s letting it ride.  She’s saying F&$# IT!  And I don’t blame her.  Who knows how long Denny will be here, or when Alex will confront her about the bizarro behavior, or what – if anything – there is to learn from Denny while he’s here.  So like Izzie, I’m choosing to say F%$# it.  Go on, try it.  Shout it.  Scream it to the rafters.   F&%$^&^*^**&*#### IT!!!!!!!!!   Feels good, right?

Now for the people still reading (Don’t give up on me yet.  I know I’m new.  I’ll try to curse less…) I have one word for you.  Hi.  A simple word, yup, but loaded with meaning when you haven’t said it for 5 years.  Sometimes when we research these medical stories I can’t believe what we find out about the world.  How many scary medical conditions there are.  How wrong things can go.  It makes you wonder how the hell any of us are still walking around living.  Which is why it’s a kind of miracle that, sometimes, there’s a surgery to make life better.  Mark Sloan gave this woman back her voice.  Pretty damn cool.  Also cool is Lexie working so hard to get this very stubborn, very scared woman to speak.  Lexie was doing it for the husband, yes, but also for Mark.  She knew how much this surgery meant to him.  He’s not all boob jobs all the time after all (yes, that’s directed at you Dr. Bailey).  So you can imagine how psyched Lexie must have been to tell Mark that the surgery worked.  And, oh yeah, ask him to teach her.  Teach her what??  Um…

I don’t know about you but that moment right before Mark gave in – when he was trying with all his might to not do the thing he knew he shouldn’t do but oh-so-wanted to do – was a pretty great window into the kinder, gentler McSteamy.  Mark was trying to be good, for Derek and for himself, but he’s also human.  And he’s Mark.  And Lexie was there.  All vulnerable.  All beautiful.  All HALF NAKED.  Hell, even I wouldn’t be able to deny her in that moment (and I bat for the other team).   As long as Meredith and Derek don’t find out about these two.   

I guess Meredith’s got her hands full worrying about Cristina anyway though.  She hoped their fight from the last episode would blow over.  Two weeks of civil-yet-heated interactions and all would be fine.  Not quite.  Not even when she tried to apologize in the gallery.  Because Meredith said the one thing that set Cristina off.  She said, “I know why you made it personal.”  And that’s all it took for Cristina to blow.  Cristina who had been working SO HARD all day to keep it together – to hear out each of her fellow residents as they described why they deserved the solo even though she herself had truly won it.  All the Attendings picked her.   Every single one.  Even Derek (who smartly told Mer it was because he didn’t want it to look like he was playing favorites.  And Mer was fine with it.  Let’s hear it for relationship maturity!).  So Cristina blew.  She had to.  No one can keep their feelings bottled up forever.  Thank god Owen was there to show her his secret place…

Ew, not that secret place.  THE VENT PEOPLE.  The cold, dank, dirty-in-a-good-way vent.  My one regret from my time on the set is that I didn’t get to take a test-spin on that puppy.  Cause the vent is real, folks.  You can’t CGI hair-blowing like that.  And it apparently makes you want to kiss people.  Owen has so many tricks up his sleeve.  It’s kinda hot.  And Cristina needed that vent.  Especially after the day which included working with Dr. Dixon.  Dr. Dixon who sees the world in her own very unique way.  Sure, it might have seemed insensitive how she kept pressing this family to donate their daughter’s organs.  But it also didn’t make sense to her.  Embrace the science, leave feelings out of it – that’s what she told Cristina.  Donating the organs would save lives.  So why let feelings get in the way?  Cristina understood this, and it’s exactly what allowed her to pick Alex for the solo.   

Let’s move on to something a little less girl-in-a-coma depressing and more girl-in-a-sexual-awakening fun.  Callie’s like a teenager right now.  Confused, awkward, horny.  And she’s trying to figure out her new, liking-girls life.  Cause girls are different than boys.  They flirt in a different way.  In a way that might not even be flirting.  Like Sadie.  Who is quite a flirty gal.  But is she flirty with everyone?  Is that just her nature?  Or is she actually flirting with Callie?  Or does she just need a new friend because everyone in the hospital thinks she’s flat out CRAZY?  Sadie’s got some stuff going on in that flirty little head of hers.  Now if only Callie could figure it out.  Or figure herself out.  Maybe she should take a page from Izzie and say, “F&#@ IT!”   After all it worked for Alex.  It’s what allowed him to make his first cut on the leg amputation dude.  And since we know he’s going to rock the hell out of the rest of that surgery, it doesn’t seem like the worst idea out there.  So try it.  Do something that totally freaks you out today.  I will too.  First up, posting this blog...

Comments

[Lo]

I enjoyed the episode but I absolutely LOVED the Cristina and Owen scenes. Their relationship is the reason why I have become hooked on Grey's again after drifting away last season. It's really nice to see their relationship grow. It feels real and thats a big part of its charm. Pretty much every other couple on the show started with sex first and then tries to build a relationship. It's great to see a couple try it the other way around for a change.

[Tom]

I am seriously considering not watching this show anymore. I do not understand the Izzie sleeping with dead guy aspect, nor do I understand the Autistic heart surgeon. The last couple of episodes are really far out there and the show is losing me. The writers dropped Erica Hahn to bring on a cuter lesbian love interest(Sadie) for Callie.
I'm not sure I can watch this anymore. I'll try again next week, but it is really more fantasy than it ever has been.
Oh, and the sound quality of this episode was like watching an episode of Las Vegas. The volume kept going LOUD and then soft and then LOUD again. Derrick was also mumbling half of his lines. Etc., etc., very frustrating episode.

[Fanny]

I liked this episode, I really did. but... Denny is starting to piss me off. I used to love him - in the hospital and when Meredith was almost dead. I didn't want him to die in the first place. but now he's annoying me, I'm starting not to like him since he's pretty much destroying for Izzie and Alex who I think are really good togheter.
I hope Denny(and Izzie) moves on soon so I can start liking him again.

Thanks for letting me vent.
I do like this show so I will stop complaining now :)

[Leah]

Why was it necessary to pair up Lexie and Mark Sloan? That pairing is unbearable, and just not necessary. Why can't people just be friends and not always take it one step further? There seems to be a lot of focus on coupling than people just being friends and being there for each other and supporting each other.

[MindyM]

Hi Pete,

That's a good way to start off. I needed to come on here right away to post my thoughts.

I just have to say that Denny coming back from the dead, is really interfering with the progression of each episode. It's jarring to see him show up and take the attention off all of the stuff going on with the characters on this show who are still among the living. I just do not get it at all. It's such a shame, because there are some really interesting story lines developing with the characters and he is just this bizarre distraction. We don't know if Izzie is hallucinating, is certifiable or what.

What I dislike most is that Denny has come back at a time when Izzie and Alex are connecting in a wonderful and exciting way. Alex is really opening up and finding out that it's okay to trust someone, it's okay to love again, to care. But look who keeps popping up - why it's none other than Denny the ghost! Alex has discovered that he loves Izzie and finally has the strength and confidence to say it. You see the look in his eyes and it's like he has been reborn. Is he destined to be a victim of the ghost of Denny? Does he have to be destroyed because the writers have decided to resurrect the dead? That would not be okay with me. Alex has had enough grief and pain in his life already. The guy deserves some happiness. Let him and Izzie have it, for heaven's sake!

I loved Cristina in this episode. She was like the glue that held it together. I think the chief was wrong to punish her this way. But she was never more magnificent than when she faced one of the most difficult decisions of her career - awarding the solo surgery to someone else. Watching her face as all the others came to talk to her to plead their case in various ways, was truly amazing. Sandra Oh can do absolutely anything. She can say a lot with her eyes. It's marvelous to watch her at the very top of her game. She and Owen are definitely made for each other. He understands Cristina in a way that no one else can. Not even Mer. Mer couldn't see that Cristina made her decision without any emotion or personal bias. Oh Mer, I guess it will always be all about her. She did try in her clumsy, awkward way to communicate with Cristina, to make it right. But she said exactly the wrong thing. She's learning. She'll get there.

I am not happy about Mark and little Grey. I guess I like that nickname for Lexie. You could see it coming a mile away, but I still don't like it. It will mean nothing but trouble. Mer and Der will most certainly find out about it. Nothing stays a secret in that hospital. What's even worse is that this is just what Lexie does NOT need right now. She is a bit of a mess. This girl needs to find herself and she's not going to do it by going to bed with every guy she meets. She was at her best when she helped that woman to talk for the first time in five years. Seeing her husband's reaction brought tears to my eyes. But I think that Mark is bad news for her. He's bad news for just about any woman, except maybe Callie. Those two have a real friendship. But Lexie can't handle an intimate relationship with a man, especially Mark Sloane. Or does this mean that he is going to be an actual human being and not just use Lexie as an object? We will see.

I assume that Sadie is Erika's replacement for Callie. That didn't take long. It would be nice if we could just get to know this young woman. But with Callie and Sadie making eyes at each other already, an intimate relationship can't be far behind.

Each episode that compells me to see Denny the ghost, just reinforces my belief that it's a huge mistake. He is taking the focus off the other characters. For those who will post the old refrain that everything happens for a reason on this show, I have this answer - I don't want to know the reason, because whatever it is will not justify the insanity that is going on. It just feels all wrong to me. That's what my gut says and I always trust my gut. There are some really interesting things happening here, but Denny just gets in the way. That's too bad.

[nililah]

you made excellent job in this episode :D Alex was so love in this episode and his speech was my fave of all time :)

[helen]

HI PETE!

WELCOME.

(don't worry, i know what it's like to be new.)

i love the vent...genius idea.

also, i am only 15, and a few weeks ago i had to have an MRI in a hospital in a foreign country, with nobody i knew there.......scariest thing ever.....

but if there had been docs like shepherd and bailey and all the others, who cared so much that she was 16, it would have made it a whole lot better.

:D

[Kristin]

Dear Pete
You seem like a nice guy and this is a good blog. But, overall, I am really truly disappointed in the direction of Greys.

First, like so many other fans, I can't fathom why we get so little progress and storyline for Meredith and Derek. I don't want to be one of those mer/der whiners, but honestly, I can't understand why they have so little screen time. There is so little left of what we fell in love with and yet I keep hoping. But, you know, tonight I didn't finish the episode because I realized that this may never change and I'm not sure there is enough other stuff to keep me invested.

Second, I can't undrestand why Derek has so little to do episode after episode. Even apart from Meredith, I always really enjoy his scenes and yet there are very few of them. Strange.

Third, I'm not even going to touch the Denny stuff. That storyline - no matter how you explain it -- is STUPID.

Fourth, i HATE SADIE. I'm counting down the days until she is gone.

Sorry to be so critical on your first time out.

[Uma]

OK Mark and Lexie is way too rushed for me to like them. Plus he looks like her dad, come on. Put him with Callie and her with George.

If Gexie doesn't happen, give us Gizzie again. This episode showed that George is the one that loves her the most.

[ali]

Yay! Really really good episode.

And YES let's defiantly here it for relationship maturity. I've really been appreciating those little (though important) Mer Der scenes it there... really been appreciative that, for once, they're just allowed to be a couple; that, for once, we get to see the progress they've spent five seasons making.

I'm also super intrigued by where the other relationships are going. Still defiantly kind of sketched out by Denny, but I'm wiling to hang in there and see where things end up. Certainly, this whole thing with Alex has been very interesting... and charming, and sad. If you had me doubting about Denny before (if I'm still rather skeptical now), I am, after this episode, at least defiantly on board to see how this plays out for Alex and Izzie. As with Meredith and Derek, I appreciate that, in the midst of all these struggles, we see character growth--it was, so, so gratifying to see Alex's speech to Izzie, to see him feeling, to see him communicating.

Cristinia has also been super interesting these last couple episodes. While her interactions with Owen have been crazy intimate (they feel really right on), the fight with Meredith has been equally intriguing; it makes sense that, as such close friends, they would fight--and so this feel legitimate; it's been interesting watching them as they adjust their relationship to their growth; as they work through their mistakes in the context of this very close, critical bond.

And this is just a tiny little note, but yay, too, for bringing back the other "background" third year residents that we've had since season 1. Yay for continuity!

So thanks for a fantastic episode. I'm really going to miss Grey's over this little holiday hiatus. Only a month and three days to the next new episode...

[Anon]

Dear WRITERS:

I'm not sure why I'm writing tonight because I didn't watch the episode. This is the first Greys I have ever missed, but after reading a few reviews, I decided I just couldn't take any more Denny, no mer/der, no Derek, etc. It sound like the Lexie/Mark pairing is disturbing in a pedophile kind of way.

I don't know what happened to my favorite show. Season 5 started out so strong and wonderful, but now it is all Denny all the time. I don't care if Izzie is sick and has problems. The storyline is still awful and screentime suck.

Mostly, I'm just sad and disappointed that mer/der get 30-60 seconds each episode. That just isn't enough for me. I know it is your show and you get to decide the storylines. That's fine. Maybe I'll tune back in sometime next season.

For now, Happy Holidays and SO LONG GREYS!

[Liz]

The episode was average. Not bad, but not great. In a weird way that's good, because lately all the episodes have been sucking. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it.

Again, who's the lead character of the show? I'm asking myself that question, because all this season it seems that Izzie or Cristina are taking over Meredith in screentime and storylines.

Where's Derek? He's slowly vanishing. Are him and Meredith ever going to have a storyline? And screentime? Seriously? I've been waiting FIVE YEARS for this. And this is what we get? I'm so tired of waiting for something to come.

Why the need to bring new characters? Use the original ones! Are you so uncreative that you ran out of stories to tell about them? The best you can come up with is dead people and multiple additions and guest stars? Maybe it's time other people run the show.

[Sparks NV Mom]

Greys has been my favorite show since your 3rd episode and I still love it, but Denny needs to either go back to being dead or spin off to his own ghostly show. His character does not fit on this show anymore. Also, has Ellen and Patrick cut back to being part-timers???? Please give your viewers more view time of the people who made this their favorite show.

[Jessica]

Callie and Sadie had more screen time tonight than Derek and Meredith. WTF? Don't even get me started on the worst story I have ever seen Denny and Izzie. She has more scenes and sex with a GHOST than Derek and Meredith. WTF x2??

[B]

-Love Owen & Cristina. Period. Love how he kind of helps her along without belittling her. Plus, that man looks like a great kisser.
-Hate that there's so little Mer/Der. We have been saying this all season.
-Hate the whole Denny storyline, period, whatever the explanation is behind it.
-I like Lexie a lot; I like Sloane a lot; I have liked their story together, a lot, but he is way too old for her. Sorry. Would you have a woman his age with a boy her age? Doubtful.
-Hate the fact that Callie is now assumed to be gay. She likes men. She happened to be attracted to Hahn and it confused her. Yet now she's interested in women generally? Hate that. Hate when the entire previous life is discounted. Say something about how now she feels no barriers, how she can be with either sex and wow that gives her so many more choices, but otherwise, I do not buy this switch in the least.
-Love Alex. Hope Denny goes away soon. I'd say I hope Izzie goes away soon, too, but then that would hurt Alex. You screwed up a really good pairing with this ridiculous ghost nonsense. If Izzie is going away, you could have found a better way. This is cheap.
-Love Bailey, always. Poor thing. She's so desperate for something to pull her forward.
-Odd that it seemed odd to see George this episode, really being George. Just shows how long it's been since he actually was George, and since we've seen much of him at all.
-Don't care much for Sadie. Sorry.
-I like Dr. Dixon so far; she's interesting, and Mary McDonnell is terrific playing her.

[Mare]

You have Derek actually thinking that Cristina is a better surgeon than Meredith. This is the woman that diagnosed Katie Bryce when he couldn't, won the sparkle pager, and created a clinical trial that MADE HIM FAMOUS...and he picks Tremorgate Cristina. Yeah, real trustworthy, Derek.

And then Meredith and Derek act like strangers during their 30 seconds of time together on screen.

I'm really glad that Derek and Meredith seem to be non-existent these days...those are they days I don't have to even wonder if I should bother to watch.

No Derek, No Meredith, No MerDer...no viewer.

I was told there would be a relationship, a house, a future...too bad I have to imagine it offscreen. I don't have to watch GA's horrible, idiotic storylines about interns and Dead Denny and Annoying Izzie and the grosstasticness that is Sloan and Lexie...VOMIT.

No more.

Bring back Meredith, Derek and MerDer...or this show can kiss it's ass goodbye.

[Joel]

I only watch now because it's something my wife and I watch together. The only excusable reason I can come up with for Denny's return is that Izzie will prove to be schizophrenic and this is your way of writing Katherine Heigl off the show. Please end this. Seriously. Also? STOP F&!$%*# with Alex! He's one of the two characters I've never hated (the other being Bailey) and every woman he's loved has turned out to be crazy. Leave him alone. Grey's was already a pretty soap-operaish show, but it's just getting ridiculous now.

It's not even just the Denny thing. What about the previous episode. These are smart kids. Smart and ambitious kids. You're telling me these smart and ambitious kids wouldn't just go above the heads of their residents to ensure they received the training they needed? That these residents wouldn't be teaching them in the first place at a so-called "teaching hospital?" That the best solution they could come up with was to operate on each other in an unused and unsupervised ER? I'm sorry, but it stretches my credibility to the limit.

I get that relationships are a critical part of the show's DNA. But, when it started out, so were intelligent characters and well-written dialogue. I've only seen that in flashes over the past two seasons.

Here's hoping you guys can turn it around.

[dlferriola]

I just have to say that you wrote an amazing episode. I liked everything about it except for the Izzy dead guy sex. It was so touching when Alex professed his love for Izzy. Now if you could just give Denny his wings back and make him fly out of here. Owen and Cristina are great together. He is so caring and comforting to her and gets her.It was sweet how he kept showing up all day everywhere she was.Their last kissing scene was fabulous. Sloan and Lexy was by far the biggest surprise and got me screaming. He is in love with her and could never resist her when she came knocking on his door. He did try briefly. Now if she starts feeling the same way, it will be great instead of saying teach me. Mer and Der together and hopefully a little more screen time next episode.Dr. Dixon was even likeable by the end of this episode.Mer and Cris fighting again was good. Cris has been in Mers face too much lately and this will make her back away and get a life of her own. It was just a great episode.

[mamaloa]

It was an intersting blog you wrote. A bit on the cussing side though, which isn't necessary. I LOVE THE NO MERDER ACTION. KEEP IT UP. Mark's a bit old for Lexie. He needs an Addison type. I love the Christina/Owen relationship taking it slowly. It's nice to see people that don't jump the bones right away. I love Bailey and Mark's moment in the surgery where she gave him a big compliment. I like what you are doing to Mark. You are making him softer, and more human. I love Derek, and I hear the rumor that he's going to be doing the cross-over with Private Practice, and I LOVE IT!!!!! I love Derek and Addison. I always have. That's the couple that really should have worked out. I know Shonda and company insist on MerDer, but not everyone is a MerDer fan. I for one, would have loved to see Derek and Addison work out. Maybe Derek should stay over there with her. Although, I do love him at Greys, but Addison can come over to Greys once in awhile too. GREAT IDEA WITH THIS CROSS-OVER. I hope it's true.
Now, as much as I love Denny, it's getting tooooooo weird. What's up with that? I love what you did for Alex tonight. I was starting not to like him anymore, but now I'm all for Alex and Izzy. He was wonderful, and Meredith actually seemed more grown up this episode. Good job!!!! Maybe Mark should be with big Grey instead of little Grey. I love Lexie, but she's a baby. Sadie needs to go. I'm starting to like Dr. Dixon a little better. Callie needs to be with a man, and stop thinking about girls. She was never, ever that way in almost 4 seasons now. Why all of the sudden? I DO MISS HAHN!!!!!! Bring her back!!!!!

[Sarah]

I loved tonight's episode.
Cristina is now once again my favorite character. I love her storylines this season.
Cristina and Owen are beautiful. I think it's the best couple you've come up with yet.
Alex is now officially my dream guy. He's wonderful with Izzie.
George and Izzie need to have more best friend screen time. I miss them.
I have nothing against Denny but seriously? Izzie needs to wake up and smell the coffee. There's something wrong with her.
The Chief is an ass. That's all I'm saying on him.
And Finally:
Mark and Lexie are wonderful together. I've always enjoyed Mark's scenes but never liked any of the romantic pairings he's been in until now. It's fun. It's interesting. It could possible go somewhere great. It's just good tv. Thank you for putting them on my screen.

[Araceli]

I commend you on a beautiful episode, Alex's "I love you" speech alone has made my entire month. It was beautifully written, congratulations. Now on the eve of this, I really really hope that Denny is going away soon. And now I feel kind of sad for Alex because moments before Izzie thought she was having sex with Denny. So technically she is cheating on him still with a ghost.....he tells her he loves her is being incredibly sweet to her and yet you make it seem like she would pick Denny over Alex in a heartbeat. Denny is just getting annoying, he has no place in the hospital, if he was alive there is no way he would be hanging around there. The only that could have made the whole "I love you" speech better was if Denny wasn't there to open his mouth after saying something dumb as usual. I hope you writers are reading all the critics remarks on this storyline and seriously considering the repercussions of this. This is going to go down as the worst storyline in the history of GA. That said if DVRs included a feature that allowed for you to make certain characters in a show disappear while you watched it, I would say you wrote the best episode so far this season. But as that has yet to be created, I will merely say, at least the episodes are getting better.

[David]

I think Cristina is right and Meredith still needs to grow up. Alex rocked with the knowledge of the operation specifics. Denny needs to go away or explain what kind of nuts is Izzie, poor Alex another wack job girlfriend. George actually is the only one noticing the talking to herself Izzie, wow.

[CanuckFan]

I'm laughing that you're probably going to be up all night, reading EVERY. SINGLE. BLOG. COMMENT. lolol Cuz you just seem that type... :-P

Well welcome aboard Pete! I loved your episode! Great job! I've been a fan from Day One and have enjoyed the ride immensely. I long ago just placed my unconditional trust in the writers, and while there have been a few finger-knawing episodes, you guys never let me down.
Keep up the great work! I hope you're around for the long haul!

[SakeenahQ8]

YOU KNOW how long Denny will be there. MAKE IT STOP!GO and read the message boards, everyone hates him and wants him to go. He is creepy, dirty nasty, icky. NEED I say more?
Please stop this ghost ridiculousness.
Thanks,

[maxine]

When is the attendings sleeping with interns madness going to stop? For anyone with half-a-mind, this is not entertainment. It is not romantic, sexy, or cute. When is someone at SGH going to lose their job over this behavior? Now that would be interesting to watch, because at least it would be realistic. When is the Chief going to have some balls and start enforcing some common workplace rules at SGH? When is GA going to grow up so that the adult population can once again enjoy this show?

That said, the best things about this episode were Alex getting the solo surgery, Mark and Bailey working together, and Mark and Callie being there for each other.

The obvious worst things were Izzie/Denny and Mark/Lexie.