By Athima Chansanchai: Oh, so glad "Grey’s" is back, and still good. So far, this year is turning out to be promising.
After the cliffhanger bombshell Callie dropped three weeks ago, we were curious to see how that storyline would pick up.
This episode saw the beginning of the surprisingly not-awkward co-parenting team of Arizona and Mark, who calm a freaked out Callie, who needs more reassurance than the fetching new ob/gyn can give her. Callie makes quick work of the trio’s dynamics to their new doc: lesbian lover, baby daddy, hormone casserole. But all three share the moment of seeing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time, and at least for now, they’re bound by a common, powerful love.
In fact, Mark is ecstatic. The unusually fertile Sloans grow like mighty oaks! He doesn’t want to be the “cool uncle,” he’s ready to be the dad. And he means it. Arizona is mad at Callie for sleeping with someone else, but she’s processing and by episode’s end, they’ve made up. On the other hand, Lexie doesn’t take the good news so well.
“How the hell did you get me in this position TWICE? Unbelievable!” And then she storms off. Poor Mark.
The episode’s title, “Don’t Deceive Me (Please Don’t Go),” alludes to some of the other storylines, which have to do with Yang psyching out Avery to reclaim her power position in the race for chief resident (and showing that she actually has improved dramatically in her bedside manner), and Derek and Alex putting on happy, hopeful faces to Alzheimer’s patients who receive the placebo in their clinical trials. Like Meredith’s voiceover says, “Doctors practice deception all the time. We give vague answers to hard questions," i.e. If the surgery doesn’t kill them = it went well.
There’s a particularly sad storyline with an Alzheimer’s patient whose long suffering wife has to watch her husband openly love another woman, who is also suffering from dementia. Both spouses allow it for the comfort it gives their sick spouses, who have no idea they’re married when they have these episodes.
But the very happily married Shepherds work out the clinical trials that have cast a bit of a trial on their marriage. If you’ll recall, Derek didn’t think he could handle having Meredith work with him on this, because he’d constantly think about her inheriting her mother’s disease. But Alex makes him realize that his wife is probably the only person twisted enough to deal with the depressing drag of such research. So Derek brings Meredith on board. Finally.
The Chief discovers this thing called Twitter, or as he calls it at first, Tweeter. (Next thing you know, he’ll be sharing his Facebook page with the residents!) But he gets all knotted up about it, like some kind of stereotypical techno-phobic geezer (no offense to the technologically fearless older generations out there! We did say it was a stereotype!), worrying Bailey’s live tweeting of surgeries in progress (via the fast fingers of Little Grey) might land the hospital in a lawsuit. Bailey gives him the Bailey Eyes and tells him everyone signs a release for it.
Still skittish, the Chief forbids Bailey from tweeting. But Lexie persuades Bailey to countermand the Chief’s orders. “Everyone wants to know how it comes out ... It’s like turning off the TV when Clarice is at the house. The lambs want to scream, Dr. Bailey.”
But it’s not long before the digital divide closes and the Chief sees how helpful instant communication can be as a teaching tool, especially with thousands of residents around the country following their Twitter feed.
Have we told you enough how much we love the return of Cristina? Well, we’re going to tell you again. We love the competitive fire, the sneaky fake-out with Avery, who skulked like a surly teenager (nice one, Teddy!) and the VIP patient care. Not only has she got her chops back in the OR, she’s also showing a much calmer, mature approach in her empathy with patients.
We like this new not-so dark and twisty "Grey’s." Keep it coming!