It is unbelievable to me that it is time for a new season of Grey’s Anatomy. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been waiting for this, but this was one heckuva fast summer, and I can’t believe it’s here already. So, last I remember, I was sitting on my couch crying because Izzie in her prom dress stepped out of the death elevator to be greeted not by Denny, but by George in an Army uniform. It was straight up devastating.
And, the start of the new season isn’t really much better. I know it’s more than kinda sad that I’m this wrapped up in a television show, but here I am. In the first few minutes of the show, we see two teams of the core doctors working on two patients – one Izzie, one George. Meredith gives her monologue about the stages of grief, and it’s clear that one of them is NOT going to make it.
Suddenly Izzie’s eyes pop open, and the other team decides that it’s time to let George go. In a nasty little twist, Miss Shonda tries to trick her loyal viewers into thinking it *might* not be George-y after all – but Callie confirms it with a Texas-shaped freckle on his hand.
In the only non-upsetting moment of the show thus far, a mom and her son come in to see Callie’s lesbian lover (I can’t remember her name yet) and I realize the mom is none other than Martha Plimpton - Goonies shout-out!
None of the doctors at Seattle Grace are handling George’s death well, and when his mom shows up and can’t decide if his organ should be donated or not, they all decide that they have to tell the extremely fragile Izzie, because she should be making the choice. I guess that sleeping with a married man gives you the right to make life-altering decisions. Not that organ donation is really life-altering. I don’t get how this is a hard choice – because it seems like ANY doctor would automatically be an organ donor. I’m not a doctor, but if I die in a horrible accident, and someone else can use the organs that I’m not using anymore you can bet that I’m willing to let them go.
At some point in all of this, Derrick was approached by the hospital board, offering him the Chief’s job. Being the stand up guy that he is, he lets the chief in on the secret. The chief goes to the surgery to remove George’s vital parts, and Cristina tempts Owen with sex, but he refuses because his Therapist says it’s not time yet. I guess everyone deals with grief in their own way.
At the funeral, Izzie seems to have a break down, but she really laughing. Alex, Cristina and Meredith follow and they end up cracking up over the absurdity of their lives.
Back at Seattle Grace, Lexie has a mini-breakdown to Mark (yes, the guy she’s sleeping with) over her abandonment of George because he didn’t dig her like she dug him. The ever-insensitive Dr. Sloan stays true to form and admits he can’t figure out why such a dorky little guy bagged so many hot chicks (Meredith, Izzie, Callie, Lexie) and wants to know if George was hiding his secret in his pants. Lexie is appalled, but can’t help but laugh. Me too.
The Chief starts acting like a jerk because he fears for his future, Lexie deals with a bitch-y patient who can’t see the good fortune that comes with living because her arms don’t work anymore, and Owen has to tell George’s mom why he was joining the Army.
And we move on to the next episode…
The second half of tonight’s premiere begins on Day 20 after George’s death. The bitch-y patient is feeling better, until she finds out she has an infection in her bowel that might require her to have a “poo-bag” (that’s a colostomy to us grown-ups). Then she freaks and refuses surgery. She also continues to send not true emails to her mum back in Australia. Eventually, Lexie bullies her into doing the surgery, but Bailey stops talking to Cristina for divulging the whole poo-bag issue. The patient gives up for awhile, but eventually tries to walk, and contacts her mom.
Callie gets pissed at the Chief and gets a job at Mercy West. The good news is Martha Plimpton and her son that can’t be diagnosed show up at MW asking for Callie at Arizona’s (that’s the Lesbian lover’s name) request, but Callie feels a little odd about doing the tests. She ends up doing it, but they can’t find anything wrong with the kid. After getting the MRI from Mercy West, Martha P brings her son back over to Seattle Grace, and Derrick hops in on the case. Diagnosis – a tethered spinal cord. He has surgery, and he’s just fine.
Izzie & Alex move into Derrick’s old trailer (mostly because Meredith & Derrick are enjoying being Newlyweds all over her house). Izzie spends her time feeling bad that she can’t spend time with George instead of spending time with her living husband and friends. She gets the news that her mets are shrinking, but she has trouble enjoying the news. Maybe if Alex would put out, she’d be happier… She does seem to get some of her old fiery spirit back when she kicks the gal that George saved off the bench in front of the hospital. And then she tries to force Alex to finally consummate their marriage. He admits that he’s pissed at her because she died in his arms, and expected him to not save her. He’s afraid to breathe wrong, because she might die again.
Mark moves into his new digs, and though he begs, Lexie isn’t moving in with him. She feels uber-threatened by Mark’s former booty call (that’s Callie) living across the hall, until she confronts her about parading around half-naked and walking in on Mark in the shower. It ends up being all good and Lexie moves in by the end of the episode – at least she shows up with all her stuff and a huge suitcase.
Cristina and Owen are still not having sex. The therapist won’t okay him for extracurriculars, and Cristina grows a little grumpier every day. By the end of the episode, they actually talk about the night he choked her in his sleep – and they get the go-ahead to make some whoopee! The downside to this is that once she gets over that hump, Cristina finally realizes that George is really gone.
Meredith has been unable to cry since George’s death – and when the janitor comes to clean out his locker around day 40, she finally breaks down.
A huge shock comes at the end of the show – and the Chief announces that Mercy West and Seattle Grace are merging into one hospital. He acknowledges that there will be jobs lost – and encourages them to do their best – WHAT?!?
