Jenna Bans on "Sympathy for the Devil"...

I will admit it. I have what you would call a doctor fetish, a sort of hero worship if you will. I trust them implicitly and wholeheartedly, if they say I need antibiotics, I do not question their judgment. When they tell me to pee in a cup, I dutifully hold it all day so that I can produce a sufficient amount and not disappoint them. When my husband berated me for not telling my beloved internist about a certain issue I was having, I said, “But what if he thinks it’s gross? And then doesn’t like me anymore?” You see, I lurve doctors. Because they are smarties who save lives. And I like to pretend they have all the answers to explain every possible anomaly of the human body, that they learned all these answers in a very popular med school course called “THE ANSWERS!” Sadly, this is not the case. There is no such course. And so they graduate and become doctors without having all the answers. They learn how to use good judgment to get close to the answers…and then they guess. And sometimes they’re right. And sometimes they’re wrong. And sometimes it’s too close to call, which brings me to…

Meredith’s judgment as a doctor.  Man, was it tested thoroughly tonight. When adorable serial killer Eric Stolz makes his argument, that this dying kid needs organs, that he is a match for said dying kid, and that he is about to be lethal injection toast in a mere five days, Meredith sort of… agrees. As much as she doesn’t want to agree with a serial killer, as much as Derek makes a very good argument that the guy’s trying to screw the system and it’s not their job as surgeons to help him do it…she still agrees. Because a kid is dying. Because Bailey, unflappable Bailey, is out of ideas and seems utterly broken by that. Because perfectly good organs are going to waste. So she betrays Derek and the oath she took to do no harm, and she does harm. She does harm for what she tells herself, is the greater good - and she helps a patient try to kill himself. Which is why I love Mer in this episode – agree with her or not, she makes a bold, consequences be damned, choice in the end. She just can’t help doing what she thinks is right even if it seems so, so wrong. Even if it comes back to bite her in the ass HARD in the next episode – and by the way, I can’t wait ‘til you all see what happens, because it is truly awesome.  She does this because, like Carolyn Shepherd points out to Derek at the end, she doesn’t just see things in black and white, she sees the grey.

Carolyn Shepherd has arrived.

Nothing was more fun on set than to watch Tyne Daly become Derek’s mom. Because she did BECOME Derek’s mom. She was tough and no-nonsense and I don’t blame Mer for being scared out of her mind. I’d wear an absurdly high ponytail too if Carolyn came sniffing around me, checking me out, making sure I was good enough for her son. But as steely as the former military nurse that raised a bunch of little Shepherd babies seems, she’s got a soft underbelly. She immediately recognizes Owen’s pain, even though he’s a fully functioning kick ass trauma surgeon, he’s not okay. He’s not over what he went through in the desert. And she sees that. She sees that Mark Sloan’s finally picked a good girl – even if Lexie lives in an attic like a sorority girl and still drinks from a juice box. And best of all, she sees through the ponytail and the frozen robot smile and the crazy and realizes that Mer’s the one for her son. Personally, I think Carolyn spends a lot of time thinking about how Derek’s father’s death has affected Derek. I think she feels it’s hardened him, made him a man who can’t be swayed from his convictions, sometimes to his detriment. Sometimes at the expense of his humanity. And I think she sees the exact opposite qualities in Meredith. Mer doesn’t see the same line separating right and wrong that Derek does. In fact, I don’t know if she even sees a line at all. Probably more of a blurry smudge. And I think Carolyn feels Derek needs a little of that in his life, needs a little grey (ew, I know, sorry, couldn’t resist). And by the way, that scene at the end when she gives Derek the ring off her finger, and tells him Mer’s the one?? I love the way they played that scene. I didn’t script the tears or Tyne resting her head on Patrick’s shoulder…they just came to that naturally and it kills me every time I see it. Because every son has his issues with his mother, and Derek’s no exception, but at the end of the day, these two are in a really good place – they have a pretty healthy relationship and you hardly ever see that on TV.  Speaking of which, I’m going to call my Mom right now…

Okay, now onto relationships that aren’t so normal. Izzie’s been enjoying herself lately, living it up, she’s got two boys on the hook, granted one’s dead, but she’s trying really hard not to let that bother her. But suddenly there’s all this real life drama going on around her – Derek’s Mom is coming and Mer’s freaking out, Cristina’s getting asked on first dates, and suddenly Izzie’s finds herself living vicariously through her friends, and can’t help but notice how her own life isn’t measuring up. Sure, she’s got two boyfriends, double the doting, double the kissing, but I think this is the first time Izzie’s actually comparing them to each other. And it pretty much boils down to this - one is clumsily and sweetly asking her to road trip to Iowa to meet his mother – and one is invisible to the rest of the world. And no matter how much Izzie loves Denny, how grateful she is to have him “back”, she has to admit, in the end, there’s no future with Denny. And there is one with Alex. And it kills her to do it, but she takes action, she chooses Alex. And I’m really proud of her for that. I love the break-up scene, because Denny may not be real, may not even be alive, but in that scene, he still gets dumped, he still gets the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech from Izzie. Which, and I may be in the minority here, was a little funny to me. In a sad/funny way. Because you can see on his face in that moment he sort of can’t believe she dumped him. CAUSE HE’S DEAD.  But she did. Even dead guys get dumped. Now the next move’s up to him…

Cristina and Owen are really having a rocky time of it, aren’t they? Boy meets Girl, Boy kisses Girl, Boy goes off to War and comes back all effed up, Forgets who Girl is, Remembers Girl, Asks Girl on Date then shows up Wasted.  Now Cristina’s still not talking to Mer, still blames Mer for not having her back in the whole interns gone wild debacle, but if things were normal between them, these ladies would have A LOT to talk about. Like the fact that Owen asked Cristina on a date and then showed up drunk. (But, if you noticed, still brought beautiful flowers - even intoxicated, Owen’s still the consummate gentleman) And the fact that he then proceeded to get in her shower FULLY CLOTHED and tell her about his best surgery ever – which was pretty much a tragic horror story. It’s becoming pretty clear that this guy has been deeply broken by his Iraq experience, and I think Cristina’s finally realizing the extent of the breakage. But it’s not gonna scare her away. Because it takes a lot to scare Cristina Yang. And because she feels drawn to Owen, despite the warning signs of trouble ahead, despite him wearing shoes in her shower, and when she gets in the water with him at the end, we see something on Cristina Yang’s face that we hardly ever see – the complete absence of judgment. Total acceptance of Owen, battle scars and all. Because we all know that when it comes down to it, when it counts, Cristina’s anything but a robot. For me, that was probably the most important scene in the script to get right. And Jeannot, our amazing, adorable French director with his adorable French accent, nailed it. (to be perfectly honest, he could have shot his own toes for 42 minutes and I probably would’ve loved that too – seriously, he’s that adorably French) Kevin and Sandra nailed it too. And even though Kevin had to stand in a freezing cold shower for about three hours in an Armani suit, he did not complain ONCE. That guy is game.

Anyway, back to the white coats.

I suppose you could argue that they’re just human, just like the rest of us. They don’t rely on super-powers, they rely on years of training and educated guesses. But I will not stop obsessively loving/stalking them and here is why. The thing that blows my mind is that they have to trust their own judgment, every day, make snap decisions and go with it – and when a life is on the line – that takes guts.  When was the last time you ordered a latte and didn’t immediately wonder if you maybe wanted a cappuccino instead? For me, it was this morning and if people’s lives depended on me making timely, confident decisions and not looking back… well, they’d be dead as doornails. So I’m gonna go ahead and say that while they may not be gods, they may not be flying around in capes, the people in the white coats are still pretty damn special. And yes, maybe just a little more special than the rest of us. 

Comments

[Mari]

Just one thing more: why Derek didn't kiss her mother when she arrived? I missed that! And Mark neither...
But it was for sure a solid show!!!

[Chantal]

Oh, I SOOOO LOVED this episode!! My favorite players were awesome! Tyne Daly as Carolyn Shepherd was the right pick, she's marvelous. I would have expected the woman who's Derek's mom to recognize "the one" for her son. And she did, not because Meredith was fake but because she was honest and doesn't see things black and white. Amazing! This scene with Derek and Carolyn outside the hospital, their talk, the emotions - it's one of my all time favorite Grey's moments. Thank you for that! Now I only hope Derek will understand Mer's point of view and that by giving the serial killer this specific information she proved seeing things in grey. I know he's hurt and she took away Derek's control here, but he must also 'get there', to the point that things aren't always black and white and that Mer also can have her point of view. That being in a relationship means trying to understand the other one's point of view, feel empathy. But I'm confident you will handle that job.

My next favorite thing here: The great writing surrounding Mark. Who's hiding from also kind of 'his' mom, the woman who knows he thinks too little of himself. Who sees right away that Little Grey is a good woman, and that Mark needs that. She's so right! He needs to lift his standards, his self esteem. There's no need to be self-destructive, he has a lot of good qualities. Now I only hope you will make him get there at some point, and make this Mark & Lexie thing work. That's my new BIG wish. The first was: Mer & Der happy together for ever - got that, THANK YOU - now it's a good relationship for Mark & Lexie. Oh, I so hope you feel the same way! "Walk tall." - another one of those great Grey's quotes. I'm going to remember that one!

Bailey - I have to talk about her next. It's nice to see her being vulnerable and firm in the same episode. She didn't want to be referred to that one nick name ever again so I won't do that, but it's fun to see she still can kick intern a ss. I'm not interested in Sadie but this was a good scene for Bailey. I'm curious what will happen next, with this kid.

Cristina & Owen: Love how you are handling this. Laughed about the scene where he asked her out, by the way. I loved the way you wrote Burke & Cristina back then, and now again things are growing slowly but steadily. Owen's a truly special man, but he's hurt deeply so it will be a huge challenge for them to have a relationship. Cristina isn't a standard girl either so it's a challenge. But so far, so good, it's nicely written and I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this journey! Anyone who gives it just a little thought can understand it's a long journey but they are in fact walking. Great. Loved that she reached out to him, after first being annoyed that he showered there, in his shoes nonetheless! It showed she deeply cares. Amazing that you can catch that on film! Because in real life too things aren't always clean. Your heart understands the guy and chooses the guy, no matter the package that comes with him. Beautiful! That's what Grey's Anatomy is about.

Izzie, Denny and Alex: I also really like this storyline. I get the feeling we won't be able to enjoy this much longer, I'm waiting for the moment Alex will find out there's something very wrong with Izzie. I'm happy that Izzie doesn't lose Denny to this brain condition but that she's choosing Alex, although it's indeed sad and funny to break up with a dead guy. How this all will play out - I'm confident that it's a good story, so... lots of reasons to watch next week again!

Thanks again for the brilliant writing. Love love love Mer/Der, love love Mark/Lexie, love Bailey, Denny, and thanks for these great guest appearances. Arizona's a good woman, too. She fits in very well.

PS I'm glad Mer can handle her life very well herself, without having Cristina there to hold her hand through every bump in the road. It shows she really matured. I didn't mind their friendship but it wasn't healthy and when it's not, a blow-out is inevitable. So I can understand that. I wasn't healthy so it got cut out. It can grow back on but it must grow healthy now.

[Robyn]

Jenna (love that name, my favorite (and only!)ha! neice is a Jenna) :-)
Anyway, AWESOME BLOG & AWESOME EPIPSODE!!!! Every story line was amazing! I HATE!!!!that Denny (JDM) has to leave but he IS dead! (See, I KNEW you should not have let him die in the first place!) By the way, can I just say how FINE that man is!!! Oh my gosh!! I mean SERIOUSLY!!!!! I am so jealous of his wife, can he just SMILE at me?!!?! Have mercy.... Anyway, back to the ep.. Jenna you are right that Sandra & Kevin PLAYED that scene! GREAT scene, PHENOMINAL acting! What an intimate moment!!! I LOVE them together & I too was a Christina/Burke fan... but I think they are even better! Sandra you looked beautiful in that scene, makeup, etc. Very pretty.
I also love the short man / Callie connection- very well done. Love the actor playing the prisoner! That whole story line is awesome! OK.. do you get the idea that I LOVED the ep & that since day one I have been a HUGE GA fan & will remain (no matter what you do with our wonderful characters - I am going to TRUST YOU) till the end. Lastly, LOVED Denny telling Alex they "need to talk"
You guys rock!!!!
Keep up the great work!!!

[Lauren]

Best episode of the season.
Welcome back to the real Grey's Anatomy.

[Tammie]

Did anyone catch what Denny said to Alex when he sat down next to him on the bed?! He said "We have to talk!" . What does that mean! Denny knows something, even though he is dead, he still knows something and he is here for a reason! Eric Stolz is amazing! I have always loved him, ever since "Some Kind Of Wonderful"!! It is great to see him on screen again! Derek's mom is fantastic!! Great to Tyne Daly again!! I hope she stays around for awhile! Loved how she knows Owen is damaged and broken. The shower scene broke my heart!! He just makes you feel everything that he is going through!! Loved the perfect flowers!! Can't wait til next week! Is it just me or is Grey's a little dark and twisty this season or what?!!

[Melinda]

I really enjoyed this episode! Much better than last week. Tyne Daly was perfect as Derek's mom and I'm glad she was the "good mom" not the annoying critical kind. Love Izzie choosing Alex. I can speak for everyone when I say DIE DENNY DIE! I still wish there was a little more creepiness to the prisoner's character. I can't wait to see how this story and the rest of the season pans out! Are we ever going to hear from Adele or Bailey's famiy?Just curious! That's all for now!

[maryland fan]

Love this episode! Grey's is back with a bang! I loved everything about this episode, especially Tyne Daly. She becomes her characters so quickly and realisticly, in my opinion, that I'm just in awe of her talent! Hope she comes back for more episodes. I love Alex and love how he & Izzie are together and building on their relationship. I may be in the minority here, but I love Mark and Lexie - and he's not that much older than Lexie and they have great chemistry. My favorite character has got to be Owen, he's the best new character they've added to the show ever and love him with Christine. Can't wait for next week!

[Christy]

I really love the growth we see in all of the characters this season. I loved the conversation between Derek and his mom where she basically gives her approval of Meredith, tells Derek he needs to get past his father's death and let go of his anger. Beautiful when she handed over her engagement ring as her final signal of showing how much she approves of Meredith for Derek, that she does make him think outside the box he normally likes to stick with.

The scenes with Owen and Cristina were wonderful, he really is interested in her and doing everything he can to get her to hear him. The whole shower scene was just powerful, it tells so much about what Owen has been living with. What I thought was the wonderful was when Cristina opened the door she was wearing a pair of black dress pants with a beautiful grey sweater that accentuated her features and made her look absolutely stunning and sophisticated, whereas her first date with Burke she wore that purple dress that looked like something she'd wear to a highschool dance. The maturity she's showing in her relationship with Owen is marvelous. She's taking him for the person he is not the title he possesses.

Interesting how Mrs. Shepherd's questions threw Owen's demons in his face. I don't think it was just nerves that had him drinking before his date with Cristina, him vividly explaining in detail his first surgery tells us that he has so many issues. Cristina climbing into the shower was an excellent way of showing that she wanted to be there with him and for him as he worked through his traumatic experiences.

Poor Mark was so tormented about being a disappointment to Mrs. Shepherd when she found out that he was sleeping with Lexie, but it's wonderful for her to take it in stride, intimidate Lexie by asking her some highly embarrassing questions and then give her nod of approval. He needed her approval to move forward with Lexie. I just hope that Derek and Meredith are Just as approving.

Derek and Meredith didn't have much to say this episode to each other, but I really think that that was a good thing, so much going on in each of their heads, they may have just said the wrong thing to each other and hurt their relationship.

Alex and Arizona's conversations on the airplane really got Alex thinking, interesting that on the way there he didn't know what the future held, and by the end of the episode he was asking Izzie to take some of their vacation days and go see some corn in Iowa, oh and to possibly meet his mom since she's there too. This is a huge step in their relationship, huge step for Alex and his growth.

I'll stop gushing now, I just really enjoyed the whole episode.

[Sandy]

PD and Mer were great tonight. Eric Stoltz and Tyne Daly are golden. Sloane and Lexie getting great. Thanks for a wonderful episode.

[Carolyn]

Oh how I love those Dalys. Tyne and Tim all in one night. You guys know how to do it right:) My favorite parts of tonight's episode were Owen/Cristina and Lexie/Mark. So much potential there. Soft Alex, I'm not liking so much.

[Rachel]

Can I just say how much I love all of the mothers on the show? Mamma Shepherd, Mamma Yang, Mama Burke, Mama O'Malley!!!! Heck, Mer's mom was even perfect as an explanation of where Mer gets her dark and twistiness from! Tyne Daley has always been fantastic in whatever she does, I love, love, loved her as Derek's mother! Could not have been a better casting choice! Bravo to your casting people! Oh, and how much did I love that she picked up on Owen's PTSD right away?! Please have Mama Shepherd back on!

[morgen]

So, I’m loving this whole serial killer arc. Lots of good stuff to talk about. Especially that RING!

But first things first, Mer trying to get all ready and make a good impression on MamaShep? It’s hard to be much more adorable than that. Freaked out, tequila hugging Meredith is one of my favorite Merediths. “Izzie can’t fix a feeling.” Hee. I loved all the little moments of Izzie trying to help Mer. Sure Iz can be selfish sometimes and she sleeps with dead people, but she is also such a caring friend. She’s so sweet at the mothering, and I love that she was taking the time to fix the house and coach Mer. However, Show? The condoms in the cookie jar? Hee. If Meredith and Derek have enough sex in the kitchen to warrant a permanent stash down there (which seems impossible given just how freaking many people are rooming with MerDer these days, but whatever, I’ll go with it), my point is, they keep condoms in the cookie jar, so why haven’t we gotten to see kitchen sex yet?!

I’m very relieved that there was some sort of logical explanation for the ponytail. Well, assuming we overlook the fact that Izzie had such a hideous, poofy pink scrunchie on hand with her at work… Maybe she stole it from peds. Maybe she keeps it in her cubby to be prepared for any and all visiting mothers. She is Izzie, after all. Either way, Mer managed to make it look cute. Not that I wasn’t glad when she finally took it out, but it fit her very, very nervous, smiley mood. And I loved that even Derek seemed a little disturbed by it. The alarmingly high ponytail. Hee. It was alarmingly high.

But yeah, I adored MamaShep, and I thought it was great that Mer was trying so hard to impress her. We haven’t really seen her excel at saying out loud to Derek just how much she cares for him. Pretty much all the romantic speeches seem to fall to him. But, all you have to do is look at how desperately she was trying to make MamaShep like her to see how much she loves Derek. She doesn’t do families, yet there she was, trying to be the sort of good girlfriend that mothers approve of. For Derek. Although I absolutely loved that, in the end, it was Mer actually being Meredith that got MamaShep onboard. Dark and twisty Mer is a perfectly likable person in her own right. Also, a lot more fun than alarmingly high ponytail Mer.

What else? Mark and Lexie continued to disturb me as much as ever. Playing up the age thing didn’t help at all either. A juice box, people? Seriously? They had to show her drinking a freaking juice box?? This is only making them seem more and more ick to me. All the talk of forbidden fruit and how she’s just so young and amazing and la de da… *headdesk* I really, really want this plotline to just be over with already. Also, MamaShep? I liked you pretty much the whole night, except just because Mark acts like a fifteen year old boy doesn’t mean the solution is to date the very (very, very, very) immature twenty-four year old. Maybe the solution is for Mark to finally grow up himself. With Callie.

Also? So much love for the annoyed looks Izzie was giving Denny tonight. That guy has got to be the most annoying, clingy boyfriend I’ve ever come across. Always popping up with little comment after little comment. However, Izzie broke up with him!!!! We’ve got time for a very brief happy dance, people. Show…if you were smart? This is where you’d just cut your losses with the whole Denny storyline and have him be a vision that Izzie is now ready to let go of. Because that would GET HIM OFF MY TV SCREEN ALREADY!!! But no. You had to go plop him down on the bed next to Alex. If Denny is supposed to be a SYMPTOM of something wrong with IZZIE, how is Denny even able to sit down and converse with Alex when Izzie isn’t around?!?! They’re treating the guy like he’s an actual GHOST at this point, and just…no. THIS ISN’T FREAKING GHOSTBUSTERS, SHONDA.

Ugh. In other parts of the show that made me considerably less hateful...there was Alex. I swear my love for this guy just continues to grow and grow. He’s so incredibly perfect these days. I loved his screaming “SHUT UP!” at bickering Dr. Idaho and Bailey only to immediately follow that with, “respectfully shut up.” Hee. This guy. And he loves Izzie so much. Even though he started the eppy out in typical Alex mode, not making plans for the future because why would HE deserve good things, he gets there at the end. He wants the good things. The future with Izzie. Because she’s his good thing. As much as the Denny insanity has been frustrating me, it’s also incredibly clear that what Alex said is true. Izzie makes him want to be better. And, well…how cute would the two of them going on an Iowa Meet the Parents vacation be? Absolutely, completely adorable.

In other adorable couples, there was Owen and Cris. I loved how clearly nervous he was when asking her out. And Cristina awkwardly blurting out the favorite surgery question and then running away was just as cute. (Also? She looked so very, very pretty in her date outfit. I want that belted sweater combo.) But just… Poor Owen. He was so worried about not taking her on a good enough date that he got all drunk first. And then showed up with lovely orange flowers. And went a little crazy in the shower. I’m not sure how they’re managing to simultaneously be so adorable and so intense, but they are. Also, they have nice, sizzly chemistry together. More of this, please.

I’m still finding Arizona to be surprisingly fun and enjoyable. Her very, very pretty braid in the ponytail thing definitely helped her out a bit, but all in all, I just like her a lot. I find her to be a very believable, genuine character. There’s something likeable about her. Even with all the friendliness and the talking about relationships and whatnot. (Though I’m glad she was pissy when Bailey paged her at 2am just to talk about treatment options. Made her seem like a normal person.) It’s got to be incredibly difficult to be a peds surgeon and work with so many sick kids dying all the time. She’s got to have some killer coping strategies or she’d go crazy. Jackson’s just one kid, and the thought of him dying has more than taken its toll on Alex and Bailey. But Dr. Florida has to see kids like him every single day, and I think her experience is being shown nicely here. She’s learned how to live with the tiny, tiny coffins while Bailey and Alex haven’t yet. Bailey’s gotten so attached to Jackson over the years she’s been treating him that his potential death is eating her alive, and it’s so, so heartbreaking to see. I’m really, really hoping that Jackson can get SK’s organs because I’m going to end up bawling like a baby if that adorable little boy dies.

Also, SK? Glad to see you’re still incredibly creepy. Although…given that SK ended the eppy attempting to bash his brains in, am I to assume that he’ll be unconscious for all of next week’s eppy? That makes me sad. I want him to have more scenes with Meredith. Those were absolutely haunting. The two of them played off each other so well. The part where she was explaining what would happen when they executed him gave me goosebumps. And Ellen did such an excellent job of showing how Mer felt bad for the SK and felt a bit confused and upset with herself for feeling that way. That final scene was great as well. So much love for the way she told him what to do. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Oh, Meredith. You are so very dark and twisty.

Although I am worried about what will happen between MerDer if/when Derek realizes Meredith told SK what to do. I can see him being very upset with her over that. The poor guy is having so much trouble with this case. He nearly bit her head off when she wouldn’t sign the form to authorize the surgery. I’m enjoying all the angsty, angry Derek though. He looks very hot when brooding. That said, I wish he’d realize that SK is needling him with all his little comments and just find a way to let them roll off his back. The one SK made at the start of the eppy about wanting to stay in the hospital for the pretty females definitely seemed to be about Meredith to some extent, especially with that look he gave Derek after he said it. I think SK is having some fun getting a rise out of him. Oh, angry, angry Derek. I hope you eventually come around to the idea of letting SK die so the little boy can get the organs. How does letting an innocent child die just so that the SK can get his official execution make anything better?

Speaking of Derek, I loved his scenes with MamaShep. I swear half of why they cast Tyne Daly had to be that hair. I mean, she and Dempsey have THE. EXACT. SAME. HAIR. It is amazing. They looked very believable together as mother and son. That scene with the two of them outside had me in tears. And not just because there was ring giving. But…there was ring giving, you guys. RING GIVING!!!!!!!!! And it was WONDERFUL. There was hugging, and MamaShep was approving of Mer. Derek was all teary-eyed, and it was pretty much perfect. Plus, he didn’t get the special MamaShep ring with Addie, but he gets it for Mer. Oh, MamaShep. You are very wise. He DOES need Mer. So very, very much. And yes, she sees the shades of gray while he sees only black and white. He’s not so good at listening to her about those shades of gray, but there’s plenty of time for him to get better at that because…MARRIAGE. AHHHHH…I LOVE THESE TWO.

There really wasn’t enough actual Mer/Der time tonight. The hand squeezing at lunch was very cute, and it was nice to see how proud and protective he seemed of her, but…I would’ve liked a scene of just the two of them at some point. Him warning her about the mother coming. Or calming her down. Something. Anything. No worries, though, Show. I am very forgiving tonight. BECAUSE OF THE RING.

[Maya]

My blog response is primarily going to be about the amazing performance of Kevin McKidd and Sandra Oh. We all knew how messed up Owen was, but much like Cristina I dont think any of us really knew how badly.

We see that guy from the premiere waltz in and ask Cristina out on a date because she said she didn't want to play hot and cold so he decides to play hot. I loved that he ended it with an enema, if that's foreshadowing I dont know what is.
Owen's PSTD being triggered by Derek's mother was interesting. She can read people like a book. She's a pro. she's seen it all. She knows when she's seeing BS like what Owen was trying to pull on her, with what little words he had to say for what he experienced.

Cristina asking Owen about his best surgery was kind of cool how it all tied into this final moment in her shower. I have to say when he showed up there, we all had to know that he was going to be messed up. Like you said he is still trying to be that guy. The one who brings you flowers on your first date. When he was telling Cristina she didn't deserve this, she deserved better, that he was going to make it up to her, it was so moving you could really see how messed up he was.

The scene in the shower was just amazing. The expression on Cristina's face as it changes right before our eyes, she is no longer that girl who freaked out when Burke got shot. She is literally all in with Owen, not just in the shower. Ilove that he tells her about his best surgery, its like we get to see old owen for a second. In that moment it is just so raw and real, and at the end when she gets in the shower with him and helps him take off his tie, we just know the extent of his distress, but also that she sees it and feels it. That for whatever reason she has to take care of him. I love Cristina so much but Owen has really brought out something I haven't seen from her before. And you can see that this just isn't some flirty hot and cold thing between them, its something that runs deep, that they can't even conceptualize yet but for some reason tthey want to find out. Owen is full of holes and he needs Cristina to get through this mess.

Kevin gave a heartbreaking performance I was a emotional wreck watching that scene. Thank you so much for bringing him on to Grey's and for tackling this storyline with such great integrity. Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd are gems.

I also love the new character Arizona. She's just so loveable and she had me at rainbows and crap. I love how she is just herself, Bailey is trying hard to find a reason not to like her but she can't. Its kind of like the thing I have with Jennifer Garner. She's so cute, adorable and sweet you just can't hate her and in one second she will break your heart. I can't wait to see what happens when she meets Callie. They will be a great match together.

Derek's mother was aweomse I lvoe Tyne Daley. Her reading of people is amazing. I love how Mark just turns back into that little boy she knew years ago when she comes to town. It remidns me of when I go back home for a visit and we all seem to revert back to our child hood roles. His advice to Callie was just awesome, it makes me believe in this show again and that what people have been saying about the writing is really just crap. Mark is being developed so well lately and I have to say I love the friendship with Mark and Callie. Poor Callie though she is about to give up. I had no idea she was so broken.

Derek was just amazing too, I love that they are tying the serial killer in with something from his past. I'm sad that Meredith isn't more supportive of him. It seems like she just dismisses anything with family issues. I am gald his mom likes her though. It will be a piece of cake compared to her own mom.

I also love the whole thing abut Crisitna and Mer needing each other, but not being able to. Well Cristina was there for Mer in her wierd way in the end telling her the pony tail was ridiculous was such a Cristina thing. Its like they are slowly making their way back but you could see in their faces, they really did want to be there for each other.

Izzie and Denny, let's just pretend that isn't going on. I have issues with Alex for not taking it more seriously, but it is cute that he's trying to make it a real relationship. I liked when he freaked out on Arizona. She reminds me of a friend of mine in highschool, someone who talked and talked and talked in the most inappropriate moments. LOL

Thank you for such a wonderful and amazing episode I really feell that this will prove those critics wrong.

Kevin McKidd and Sandra Oh should submit the shower scene for emmy consideration.

[Canada Loves GA]

Best episode of the season. Loved every scene, so funny and sad. Finally some Derek and Mer.Thanks, can't wait for more.

[Lauren]

Best episode of the season.

Welcome back to the real Grey's Anatomy.

[Nicole]

I have to say that I was for the most part impressed with last night's episode. However, there are a few things that still bother me.

1. Denny. I know a lot of people are complaining about him on the show, but my issue is no longer the fact that he is dead and getting the best one liners on the show. Now my issue is the fact that his presence is really taking away from Alex's growth as a person. We are finally starting to peel back the layers to Alex and are seeing more sides of him, but those gestures are being taken away by Denny and that's a shame.

2. Callie. I have been looking at the comments for the past few weeks as well as checking out the forums on different sites and they are a great majority of fans that would like to see Callie and Mark together. It's sad to see that it might not be the case. I am totally against Mark and Lexie for several reasons.

It's not that she is too young, it's that their relationship is too unconvincing. I'm not buying Mark falling for a woman like Lexie and I don't see any chemistry between the two of them.

Also, how can Mark continue to say that Lexie was incredible in bed when Alex didn't even remember sleeping with her?

He told Callie to walk tall, the problem with that is the one person she should be walking with went to Denver. Callie is the only one that can handle Mark and they are fire on screen together.

Also I can't believe that Mark would fight so hard to get his bro-mance back with Derek just to mess it up by messing with Little Grey.

Oh, and the whole intern sleeping with an attending thing has been done, twice. It's getting old. PLEASE GIVE ME MARK AND CALLIE.

On to a better topic: Cristina and Hunt. I love these two together. They have magic that is just incredible to watch. The final scene was so endearing. I love how Cristina is now the complete opposite of what she was when she was with Burke. Now she is the mature one that is more together than her partner. Perfect pairing with these two.

It was great to see the old Bailey back. I'm surprised that Arizona had the gall to stand up to her, that's rare. I've missed Bailey and was happy to see her last night.

All in all, I give the show a 7/10. Add some Mark/Callie and get rid of Denny and add George for more than five minutes and you will be back to being the most amazing show ever.

[Kirsten]

Much better episode, my faith is being restored. I adore Mark Sloan, he's quickly becoming my favorite character. Loved how he fessed up to Mrs. Shepherd. "She's the one with the juice box" was a priceless line. I have absolutely hated the entire Denny saga...it has been stupid and annoying. So glad Izzie is moving on. Now get rid of him for good and bring credibility back to the show.

[Lacey]

I have to admit that last week I was pretty disappointed. There hasn't been that 1st season Grey's excitement lately. This episode has redeemed Grey's. Everyone had an awesome story line. I couldn't stop watching! I can't wait to see what happens next week. Keep up the great work everyone!!!

[greysfan65]

Loved this episode. Love Tyne Daley as McMom. Hope we see more of her. She plays wise and all knowing beautifully. Just fabulous.

I must say, I miss the relationship between Cristina and Meredith. I hope this is resolved soon. Knowing the strength of both these characters I understand why they are doing this dance.

Cristina and Dr. Hunt are wonderful. Dr. Hunt is wounded emotionally from his experience and Cristina is going to be there for him. There must be something in her past that insists she can be the fixer. Burke and his hand and now Hunt and his trauma. It would be nice to know Cristina more.

Izzy and Alex........I hope they will get together without DENNY, WHO IS DEAD. I along with most of the viewers are tired, tired, tired of DEAD DENNY. I like Alex and the way he has grown and he deserves some happy.

Sloan and Lexi are fun and good together.

I miss George and although he has been around, it is in miniscule moments. I wish there could be more of a story line for him.

The friendship between Sloan and Callie is really great. I'd like to see something nice happen to Callie. I don't care, since she seems to be bi-sexual, which way it goes, just not a series of one night stands.

Loved your blog and love the show.

[Milla]

The good old greys!!!! Finally you are back!!! We´ve MISSED you SO MUCH!!
This episode was amazing!!! Everything about it...everyone in it...EVERYTHING!! Good job guys..keep doing what you are doing and forget about the mistakes you made ;) ;) ;)

[Tina]

Loved the episode. Best one in a long time. Loved the scene with Lexie and the juice box. Perfect. Everything just worked so well together in this episode, like the old Grey's.

[Ashleigh]

Tyne Daly was amazing. I wish we could keep her forever.

I really enjoyed last night's episode and I am really happy that it looks like we may be seeing an end to Denny. Please? Pretty Please? He was the only dark smear on last night's ep.

[rg]

Beautiful episode! Well done!

[Cara in NJ]

All I can say is WOW!!!! This episode rocked!!!!! There are so many great things about it!! I cannot pick just one!! Mer, Der, Mark, Der's mom (can we make her a regular?? LOL), Callie, Christina, Owen.... ALL OF IT!!!!! Definately my fav of this season (by the way, I love them all). Cannot wait for next week!!!!

[Nichole]

i love the denny and izzy story. i cried my eyes out when he died and was so happy to see hi "back". i dont care how it plays out i wish he could stay. i hope it doesnt come down to " iz got a bump on the head and now denny is gone". or maybe this is an izzy dreamand he was never here? plz tell me it will be way better then that when he has to go. i would even be happy w/ him possesing alex and maken alex "denny like" and have'n izzy see denny thru alex sometimes.. uh! i want to hold on to the denny story i know... but there is another part of this i love too. i want calie to walk tall and i love that "death and die" story line. at one point she told mere she missed her "as a friend". does that mean something has gone on between those two? i heard she is leaving though and i hope if that is true she dont get involved w/ poor calie. calie has been thru alot and needs to be stable.. with a man or woman..