Pete Nowalk on "Perfect Little Accident"...

Original Airdate: 3-4-10

I got in a car accident while we were filming this episode. Don’t worry, it was just a fender bender, no one was hurt. And even though it wasn't my fault there’s some part of me that blames myself. I chose to write an episode about accidents. One of which happened to be a car accident. It's the kind of logic that makes me wish I wrote about love or money or cupcakes that burn fat and build muscle. That said, this episode was actually about HAPPY accidents, so I have a little confession to make. In those first few moments after the crash, when I was sitting there, dazed, wondering what the hell just happened, a very small part of me was hopeful that the guy in the other car was actually the love of my life and this was one of those stories you submit to the NY Times marriage column after your fabulous barefoot wedding in the Maldives. Sadly, that fantasy died the minute I realized the guy who just hit me was actually drunk at 10:15 on a Friday morning. Not husband material. But there was still hope! The witness. A very polite, well-groomed gent who pulled over to check if I was okay. This is it, I thought. It’s just like people always say. You can't go looking for love, it happens when you least expect it. Sure, this was advice I’d normally hate to hear (especially when it comes from happily coupled up friends), but in this moment there was no denying they were right. My witness and I were going to have so much fun in the Maldives! The witness, though very nice, was not into me. Or so I gathered when he took off two seconds after I shouted “I’m fine!” across the street. By the time the hairy tow truck driver with the tribal tattoo and chewing tobacco breath arrived I realized I had to give up. This car accident was just an accident, nothing happy about it. And trying to turn it into a manhunt was clearly a sign that I needed to get out more. I’m kinda like Teddy that way… (Yes, I just did a lazy segue. Get ready for more). So. Teddy. Poor girl came to Seattle for one reason. Owen. Even if she didn't admit this to herself. But then she got here and reality set in. Owen didn't invite Teddy here because he loved her. He brought her here because he loved Cristina. That's gotta suck. I'd probably be on the first plane back to Iraq. But not Teddy. She stuck to her word and stayed through her contract, even if that happened to be torture. And slowly, with time and hard work, she's seeing that there's more to Seattle than just Owen. There's a great job. Good people (like new BFF Arizona). And there's this amazing student – Cristina. What I love about these two is that they're like an old couple. They fight, make up, fight, make up...and it makes them both better doctors. Cristina's a maniac when it comes to surgery, stealing lungs and taking crazy risks in order to do something that will go down in the record books. Teddy's brilliant, but more careful and experienced. Together they're a force to be reckoned with. In this way, coming to Seattle for Owen and getting Cristina instead is Teddy's happy accident. What was Cristina's happy accident in this episode? Well it could've been getting to operate on Harper Avery's bowel obstruction but homegirl screwed that up the minute she treated him like a batty old man in the ER. Like all of you, Cristina didn't know that Jackson's grandfather was Harper Avery (a family tree dreamed up by Shonda way back when we were planning out our new Mercy West characters). Jackson wanted to keep this little tidbit a secret. He's like Meredith that way. Both of them were born into surgical legacies, a twist of fate that makes them both very lucky. But with that luck also came some crappy parenting. Ellis was a bulldog of a mother and Harper Avery seems to be the same kind of grandfather. You don't become one of the world's most successful surgeons by being nice. You claw your way to the top, working nonstop and neglecting your personal life to get there (as we saw Ellis do in the last episode). I imagine it'd be pretty hard to turn this killer instinct off when you step into your house each night. There might be some residual meanness left over for your family. If you're Mer or Jackson you can deal with this in one of two ways – become resentful and angry, or be all half glass full and grateful even though you'd rather just whine. I love Meredith for knocking some sense into Jackson at the end of this episode. Harper Avery's old and set in his ways. Dude's not gonna change so why not just give in and take him for who he is – an arrogant jerk who can teach you MANY MANY things. Sadly, I'm not sure Meredith would've been able to say this to Jackson if her mother were still alive. Dead parents put crappy parents in perspective. Whine all you want, but you're gonna feel pretty dumb the minute they're not there to kick around. Let’s move on to Mark, who is nothing but a hot mess these days. He’s sleeping around, yelling at Alex, taunting Derek... He’s old Mark basically, which is understandable considering he just had his heart broken. Twice. Lexie dumped him and Little Sloan took off for God knows where. If the guy didn't have abandonment issues before, he's definitely got them now. Still, as much as he's trying to find pleasure in his old, bad habits, Mark's a changed man. He's no longer satisfied by rolls in the hay with strangers. Heartbreak was good for him. Don't believe that? Watch what happens with Mark in the next few episodes. What other happy accidents did we see in this episode? Well there's Richard, who's slowly beginning to realize that getting ousted as the Chief can maybe be a great thing for him. As Harper Avery reminds him, he's more than just a great Chief. He's an innovative surgeon who does groundbreaking research – research he'll now have more time to work on now that he's not bogged down in board meetings and contract negotiations. Lemons into lemonade, people. You know, just like hearts in vaginas… Okay, worst segue yet, but I need to move on to Lexie. A girl whose heart lives in her vagina. Krista Vernoff gets credit for this line (as well as Cristina's follow up, "My heart lives in my scalpel.") It came from the idea of whether it's possible to have sex without feelings. We'd all like to believe this is possible, and for some people, it definitely is. But not Lexie. Girl's as touchy feely as you get. The anti-Meredith really. Which is why I love her. Because even though Lexie's going through this episode acting all blonde and badass and feeling-less, there's no doubt she's a feelings-kind-of-girl. Look at her face in the scene when Alex says, "I'm all about not feeling." She knows he's talking about Izzie – about all the crap he's been through in the past few months, years, life... And she feels terrible for him. Same goes when she sees Mark's face after catching her with Alex outside the on call room. As much as she can pretend to fight it, Lexie is nothing but one big ball of mushy feelings. In fact, I’m guessing that’s why she didn’t make it to Girls Night. She needed to go home and have more feelings. I love me some Girls Night. In fact, Girls Night pretty much sums up my adolescence. And college years. And...well my entire life really. So you can imagine my excitement when Shonda pitched a Girls Night baseball scene as the way to end this episode. A location shoot! At night! With the ladies!! I was psyched. But then came the rain. "It never rains in LA." That's the lie people tell you when you move here. Just like the traffic's not that bad. Bull. Cause it does rain and there is A LOT of traffic. What really sucks, though, is when it rains and you're scheduled to shoot at a baseball field. Cause that means our amazing Exec Producer Rob Corn comes to you on set and very gingerly asks if there might be an alternative setting for your Girls Night scene. One that can take place inside, for instance. Everyone on the crew had ideas. Bowling, mani pedis, pool, game night, pottery night, cooking class, sex class...and pretty much every other activity any normal group of ladies would do for a night on the town. Our ladies aren't normal though, which is why it really had to be baseball. One, because this was a callback to episode 603, when Owen, Derek, and Mark took the girls there to get their mind off the merger. Two, because I don't believe Cristina and Meredith would ever agree to do anything the rest of the world would do. Spa day? Clubbing? They'd rather be operating. Fortunately, the rain soon ended and thanks to a very accommodating, adventurous crew we made it to the muddy baseball field a few days later. We got to see Bailey swing a bat, Arizona complain, and Teddy knock the hell out of the ball…without any accidents happening. I, for one, was happy with how it all turned out. You?

Comments

[Soph]

Very good episode, thank you! I particularly enjoyed the lighthearted scenes, I feel these have been lacking recently and they are what make Grey's great!!! Ladies night was so SO good, I love the scenes outside of work, just showing the characters as themselves, and I'm sure many others agree with me. Obviously we love the drama too, but these moments can be just as meaningful if care is taken over them- as in this case, it was!

[Hope]

Sorry, Pete, I have to say I was NOT very happy with how it turned out. You say there is some reason for Mark's regression into a manwhore - - fine. But almost every character regressed this episode - we got bad boy Alex, whiny Lexie, competitive robot Cristina. Only Mer and Derek seemed to be portrayed as the adults we've been told they now are. All the growth we thought we had seen this season in the other characters was thrown over for a plot device.

And the other thing I wasn't happy about - and I expect I'm not alone in this - is that the triangle between Owen, Cristina and Teddy is STILL being dragged out. You want to show Teddy and Cristina forming a personal friendship in addition to a professional partnership, fine; not very credible, but fine. But Teddy is still staring at Owen longingly; they are still awkward with each other; Cristina is, as I said, becoming the surgery robot she was in the first season instead of the grown woman capable of love and empathy that she was becoming in her relationship with Owen - - you are beating this stupid triangle device to death and beyond. It doesn't make Teddy more sympathetic, and it undercuts the characters of Owen and Cristina and the beauty of their love story. So no, with apologies to you personally, I'm really not at all happy with how it all turned out. End the stupid triangle, definitively, once and for all, and maybe I, and a lot of the other viewers who are sick of this, will be happy. And hopefully that will happen before the damage being done, particularly to Cristina and Owen, is beyond repair.

[Linda]

Good episode!

I loved that Cristina and Owen are having a moment away from the "angst" to act like a couple! I actual love angst/tension between these two as long as they are fighting it together as a couple! The first scene, showed how much Cristina trust and loves Owen by encouraging him to be friends with Teddy. As a woman, I don't think I would be as generous. Just PLEASE don't bring back the "romantic" tension part to the O/T friendship! The O/T friendship is hard enough to like because there is just no spark even friendship wise between these two. I don't know if it just the acting but it just not good and awful to watch. I love KMK, but opposite Raver the acting is just not that good. SO and KMK, pure screen magic even when they are just walking together or having a simple conversation! You have pure gold with this couple, hopefully you all see it too! Again KR opposite SO shows her inferior acting skills but I buy that working relationship. My point is, please give us more Cristina and Owen without Teddy.

[astrobot702]

I don't know what's worse than hearts in vaginas or car-crash daydreams, but I was kinda hoping for a 'unhappy, fuzzy moment' that's the kind that liberate you in such a way that had they not occured you still be trapped or cornered. So if Jackson's grand dad had keeled, no love lost....LAWL

[Kate]

What's with Derek's hair? It was getting some gray for a while but now it's all black. Or maybe this has more to do with the actor's personal life/film roles?

[Natalie]

I loved this episode!!!! I loved the Meredith and Lexie scene at the beginning, because I always hated how although they're sisters Meredith was so mean to her in the beginning. Have more Mer and Lexie scenes. I loved how Richard made the shot in the hoop at the end, I was really worried that after last week's (well a fortnight ago) big speech that Richard might leave, and I love Richard. I felt so bad for Mark when he just walks away, and poor Lexie, haha you're right, she's definitely a touchy-feely type, which is nice for Grey's. And OMG the lung transplant was amazing, as was Harper Avery showing up, I'm surprised I didn't think of any relation seeing as Jackson's last name is Avery. Still missing Izzie, but it was a really good episode! Can't wait for next week's one already! The other writers on this blog have sworn there are good episodes to come (though Grey's is always good) so I can't wait!!!

[Cara]

I'd be happier if I knew Mark and Lexie were geting back together any day now, because I can't stand watching their character assassination apart, but otherwise it's all good.

[mnb]

I loved this episode. I loved Meredith telling Lexie that she wasn't capable of not falling in love and that Alex was her three years ago. Then Mer and Cristina bantering in the hallway with the same conversation. It was great! The episode was fun! LOVED IT!

[Sophie]

I'm slightly confused by the Mark and Lexie storylines. I love them, so it's heartbreaking to know that last night could have been that final nail in the coffin. I don't want to think it, at all, but these days it's hard to find something positive to cling onto.

If Lexie develops feelings for Alex, because she is a feeling type of girl, I still feel like it'd be completely out of character. How can she be completely in love with one person the next but then easily develop feelings for someone else? It wouldn't be right.

The changed Mark would try to work things out with Lexie. That's the changed Mark. He wouldn't be running away. The changed Mark wouldn't try to seek companionship with someone else when clearly he's still in love with Lexie. And because Lexie is STILL a feelings kind of girl, as you noted, she should still be in love with Mark.

And if Mark is a changed man, because of Lexie, why should anyone but Lexie get to reap the benefits? I think it would be kind of unfair to be honest.

There's still so much that has been left unsaid between the two of them. She doesn't know what's going through his mind. He OBVIOUSLY doesn't know what's going through hers. And it's all just one big huge misinterpretation after the next.

Also, if Mark will be above rolls in the hay with strangers, than what, rolls in the hay with non-strangers? The changed and mature thing would be to try to communicate with Lexie. Why is so easy for people on Grey's to walk away from love? Every scene between Mark and Lexie post-break up has been indifferent. They act indifferent. As if they weren't completely changed. As if they haven't spent days or nights trying to numb their pain with sex. So I'm confused...really confused. If you could unconfuse this confused girl, I'd appreciate it greatly. Thanks. :)

[Brenda]

This episode had me at my most vocal, talking to the screen, laughing at (nearly) every word that Arizona uttered. It almost seemed like Grey's Anatomy: The Farce.

You, my dear, made me a happy Grey's fan last night. It was all there, great structure, good themes, fabulous writing, and bare emotions.

Thank you.

[Lauren]

Does changed Mark apologize to Lexie? Cause I think changed Mark would apologize to Lexie. Or at least, understand her. Old Mark, no. New Mark, yes. So how about it?

In other news, good episode. I liked Derek in tonight's episode. Fun dialogue. All around, pretty good.

[Kristen]

Thanks you for the organ donation stuff! The organ donation community appreciates it! :-)

Best show on TV!

[Iris]

Sorry, Pete and all the writers, I have already tried very hard to understand and like this triangle storyline, but still can't, and this endless triangle storyline just makes me exhausted. I don't how long you all are going to continue this, if you still want to put Teddy in the middle of Owen and Cristina, I'm out.

The O/T's awkwardness, and C/T's metorship or Cristina's so called issues just make me sick already. Don't get me wrong I love Cristina very much, she is my favorite, but can you please just bring up some much deeper issues than just being hungry about scaple? What happened about her dad issue and trust issues? Those are more appealing than just making Cristina being crazy about surgeries for 6 seasons.

Can you also please once do a couple drama without bring the third person or making people cheat around? Pretty please?

[Danielle]

I loved it. Classic lines. Bailey hanging with the girls. Arizona was so sweet and Im glad she reached out to Teddy. Would have been good for Lexie to be there.Yay Girls Night! Owen looked a lil jealous or left out:( No bad so sad. Girls Rule!! Boys Drool!1

[stargazer89]

oh, thank god it stopped raining! I loved the baseball scene! Arizona's complaining was adorable XD

overall I just loved this episode! with such a large main cast there are often episodes where a few characters are suspiciously absent and then I miss them, or worse - episodes where everyone gets equal screen time but nothing actually happens to any of them. This one was neither of those things, I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure everyone had a nice sized part (or maybe I just feel that way because my favourites did? I can't tell) either way, I think this episode has made my discriminating list of best episodes ever!

PS. Sorry to hear about your not getting to go to the Maldives! =P

[Jan]

I was bored. I fell asleep. May have to check the DVR for the baseball scene, though!

[Raloys]

No comments yet?
I really enjoyed the blog but as for the show it was just ok. Something is missing, some spark. I catch myself on the computer and just listening to the show lately. Hope it gets better soon.

[Marcy]

Great episode. I loved Derek acting like the Chief and Richard taking some responsibility. Was riveted. Thanks for the break from my kids :)

[Karen]

I want to know what happens with Mark in the next few episodes! You've got me all worried. Does it have to do with Lexie? By golly, I hope it does. Does Lexie have a mini breakdown next week? I saw the promo pics. Hmmm. Miss Mark and Lexie!

[BornAgainFan]

Yep, I'm happy with this episode, too. Another episode in which we see characters moving from one stage into another in ways that make sense.

What I like best about this season is that you writers have gotten away from throwing implausible curves just for the sake of shaking things up and have re-centered on plot lines that naturally flow from who the characters are with the curves coming from reactions to plausible accidents, changes, growth and challenges.

Giving Richard a road to redemption, Jackson more screen time and reversing Teddy's march to dragon lady status are all welcome developments.

Giving some of our favorite couples a break from one dramatic blow up after another is nice too. This season is the kind of engaging mix of drama, hot sex, romance, soul searching and humor that got me hooked in the early days.

Really like the current cast. Once again, don't miss Izzie or George though they were initial favorites. It seems like all their charm had been written out of them and they had become the source of the most aggravating plot choices. The present bunch and what you are doing with them is much more satisfying. It's my favorite TV treat again.

[Lexie]

I really enjoyed the epi. Im exactly like Lexie Grey in the feelings things. Anyway, I thought the storyline with Avery was really intresting because he and Meredith shared a connection that noone else in the hospital does.
Girls night was cool also :)

[Claire]

Could you please put paragraphs in your blogs? As in separating that extremely long body of text into more manageable chunk so I don't go crazy trying to figure out which line I was reading when I have to scroll down?
PLEASE??

[Lisa R]

Last night's episode was great! I know a lot of viewers on this blog complain about Teddy but I LOVE her. I think she brings so much to the show. I love that she is this fantastic teacher that not only challenges Cristina and raises Cristina to a higher level but is also CHALLENGED BY Cristina. I LOVED the scenes with the two of them last night where they were fighting but also doing groundbreaking medical stuff! I really love their dynamic because they are both women. This is really cool because in the history of the show the "great" teachers were men (i.e. Derek, Burke) and it always turned into a love story. I know Teddy and Cristina are a weird kind of love story in their own way but I am really digging their storyline. I think it is so awesome and very different than anything else I see on TV elsewhere. It's a great message that great women can work together (even in spite of the whole messy love triangle) to do great things.
Please don't send Avery away! I love his character and would love to see him fleshed out but I guess he is leaving to join his grandfather at Mass General. I'm bummed about that.
I love what you're doing for Richard--instead of making this the worst, most humiliating thing in his life it is actually opening doors for him that might not otherwise have opened while he was consumed with being Chief. From last night's episode it would appear you guys will be reinventing him and I cannot WAIT to see how that goes.
I love Derek as the hardcore Chief ("Take note"). I want to see more of Mark Sloan now that he is a changed man and also I really want to see more of Meredith kicking ass as a surgeon. I love the transformation she's made personally--so gratifying as a longtime viewer--but I really want to see her grow now as a surgeon--the way Cristina is!

[mj]

I’m glad you included a good sister bonding moment between Lexie and Meredith in the beginning of the show. But seriously, doesn’t anyone knock at this house? And Derek is out of his element in this frat house. Let’s get to building on his land soon!

Loved Meredith’s face when she is trying not to laugh at Cristina’s misfortune with Harper Avery. And they were priceless when making fun of Lexie.

Derek, as chief, needed to counsel Mark about no sex with the reps. He is behaving so juvenile. It was great the Derek had Richards’s back the entire episode. And I’m guessing there was a reason at the end that Richard was the only one to make the shot in Derek’s office.

I think you blew an opportunity to redeem Derek, IMO, with Harper Avery. When he asked Derek if he was the one behind the clinical trial, I was hoping Derek would step up and give Meredith credit for her idea and her hard work.

Nosedive served no purpose. I was hoping he was gone. Loved the bonding and conversation between Meredith and “Jackie”. They have a lot in common and both are good people.

Owen asking Teddy to dinner with him and Cristina? A disaster waiting to happen. I have a feeling that Owen will feel left out with the girls just talk shop. So Teddy is in the club now that Cristina “loves” her and Arizona feels sorry for her? I liked girls night out but been there, done that, with the baseball field.

If you watched this episode, having never seen Grey’s before, you wouldn’t even realize that Meredith and Derek are a couple. Is that deliberate on your part? So much for lot’s of this couple in the back half of the season.

[Asha]

Thank you for giving the viewers a well rounded episode that wasn't heavy on the angst.

However, I could really do without the pimping of Teddy in every episode. Enough already! She's pathetic, loony, pathetic, irritating, pathetic, creepy and did I mention pathetic? Nice try with Cristina declaring her love for Teddy just so the fans will like her too. Not gonna be fooled by that. Teddy still needs to be shipped off to Iraq. She's a waste of air, space and screentime. Can't you people just put her and Owen together (and ship both to Iraq or to the parking lot) and leave my girl Cristina out of it.

Speaking of Cristina...the more I see her with Jackson the more I believe they should really be together or maybe be friends. Both actors have an amazing chemistry with each other whenever they're in the same scene. Shame the writers don't see this gold mine though.

Alex being dumped on for doing exactly the same thing that everyone in this hospital does is just ridiculous. He and Cristina (and sometimes Callie) are really the punching bags of the writers. Do you guys get dibs on who you want to punch on when it's your turn to write an episode?

Lastly, Meredith and Cristina are AWESOME! These two really are the love story for Grey's. Keep that up and don't ruin it like last season with the awfully contrived fight.