“Grey’s Anatomy” Haunt You Every Day
“I love passing judgment on people!”
Last week on Grey’s Anatomy, real life kicked my ass, the Callie-Izzie-George triangle erupted, Lexie was less annoying, Mer and Der don’t go away for the weekend, and the Chief’s niece reappeared (different actress, natch). And a few seasons ago, Dr. Hahn from Seattle Presbyterian operated on some hearts and Alex fell in love with Ava / Rebecca.This week’s ABC-mandated Halloween episode opened with a Mer mid-dream: “Pick me, choose me, love me.â€, mean Mommy, corpse Mer, ect. While this isn’t Grey’s first use of a dream sequence, it was one of the best. But then maybe I am biased because of the “Pick me, choose me, love me.†inclusion—which really is a better representation of Mer’s psyche than her dreams—and that the nightmare that the ghost of Ellis Grey is haunting her prompts Mer to finally get her mother’s ashes out of the closet. More after the jump…
The Resident Foursome begin their day at work freaked out by Mer bringing the said ashes in a plastic baggie to work, but things really got going when Callie nonchalantly tells them that Izzie slept with George and goes about her business. As they all do. It was a busy day at Seattle Grace:
- Bailey was excited about a chain saw pumpkin carving contest that would surely bring injuries (and surgeries) to the hospital
- McSteamy found out he has a club in his honor—Nurses United Against Mark Sloane
- The Chief’s wife finally filed for divorce
- Norman, a.k.a. the old intern, had a stroke
- Lexie maintained her status quo, but the pigtails were annoying
- Mer and a young boy went trick-or-treating at Seattle Grace for doctors and nurses that would operate pro bono so he could get new ears
- And two (well, three) faces returned.
The first one was minor as super, chipper resident Sydney hit on Derek. Ava / Rebecca showed up because she loves / misses Alex (and is a needy bitch according to my roommate), so they had sex in the on-call room. And Dr. Hahn arrived to perform a heart transplant. Also, with Burke out of the picture she was offered a full-time attending position at the hospital.
It was a perfectly paced and well-written episode, thanks to Krista Vernoff’s writing credit. But what made this easily one of the show’s best hours was the final act. A beautiful monologue by Chandra Wilson embodied the greatness and pathos of Bailey the surgeon and Bailey the mother, and an equally emotional scene was Mer’s realization of her mother’s final resting place—in the OR’s wash room.
May the show’s season 4 redemption continue during November Sweeps.
Tags: ABC, Grey's Anatomy
October 28th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
I agree with you on every level of your assessment. This was a tremendous episode. It’s the one I’ve been waiting for all season to remind me why I keep tuning into this show every week.
And yes, Bailey’s monologue gave me goosebumps because I think it was one of her strongest (and ironically most vulnerable) moments in the whole series. Chandra Wilson’s delivery really made it go straight to my heart and essentially showed her character turning a corner and expressing the frustration that comes with being so good at what she does. Everything seems to have been building to that moment.
I also liked how the chief aided Meredith in washing their hands of the ashes of her mother. He was very much a part of her life and needed that closure as well.
Wonderful.