Grey's Anatomy: What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Last night on Grey's Anatomy, karma was
biting everyone back. And I know most of you feel so badly for George, because Meredith used him, because he's the
victim. And you're feeling bad for Izzie. She's the one who walked in on Alex with Olivia, so she deserves the
sympathy, right? And Addison. Everyone loves to hate Addison, who cheated on her husband, who's been approached by Sexy
McSteamy, her old love interest, and you know what we're all thinking: is she going to sleep with him
again?
You've got all this righteous anger, against Meredith over her treatment of George, Alex over his romp in the hospital bed with the hottie nurse, and Addison for just being there. And if you're anything like me: your anger pulled a switcheroo on you, diffusing, spreading out over the whole cast until it wasn't anger any more, really, but sympathy and sorrow and this little, sad hope.
But before we continue on with the major themes of the show I have to send out a hearty, loud, mama-rific cheer to the writers for their portrayal of Bailey. Oh how I love you, writers. You made her leak. As I'm deep in the throes of my second experience with breastfeeding, I've had those twin milky spots on my nice work shirt oh, so many times. And the way she plays it is priceless, in an especially emotional conversation with Addison: "Please don't cry! You're going to make me... (holds breasts in a motion to which I totally relate) lactate!" I would have jumped off the couch and done a little dance of joy over this realistic and funny portrayal... but I was breastfeeding my 10-month-old.
When I saw all the previews for this week's episode, somehow I knew that George would not be the one for whose feelings I most mourned by the end of the show, and boy, was I right. You all are saying things like, "Meredith's a predator" and throwing around a word that starts with "s" and ends with "lut."
But I think we know differently, now. Meredith: she doesn't deal with sex appropriately. But really? It's not totally her fault. Abandoned by her father and raised by her workaholic mother (who, she just learned, cheated on her dad brazenly until he was forced to leave while he still had an atom of manhood remaining), she doesn't have great dealing mechanisms. And so she turns to sex to staunch her pain, setting up a scene that - unless you lived a perfect life never sleeping with anyone but your spouse - I know you relate to, as well. And George? Well, he didn't exactly respond with compassion when Meredith started sobbing in the middle of their lovemaking.
He was complicit. He came at her with the puppydog love, saying the "perfect things," making Meredith feel like the best thing in someone's life. She hasn't felt like that, much, ever. And by the time she realized that sleeping with George was terrible, awful, hurtful - it was too late. She could either (a) hurt George now or (b) hurt George later.
George, you could have listened to her instead of rushing to conclusions, instead of running away, instead of yelling at Meredith in the hospital hallway. You could have held yourself back, not jumping into her bed so eagerly when you knew she still pined for McDreamy. You could have... waited until another hot doctor came along, instead of setting your sail toward Meredith, who's just way too complicated right now.
When we all learn that Addison got poison oak from peeing in the woods (not from romping with Mark there), when we discover that Izzie is now treating Alex badly, when we see George on Burke's living room couch, the sadness trips, falls, and dumps itself in sharp little droplets of pain all over everything. At the end of the episode, everyone is wrong, and has been wronged, everyone is caught up in this spiral of sexual misdeeds and the far-reaching impact of poor judgment.
The writers may not be surgeons themselves, living in fabulous old Seattle houses and mod waterfront apartments, but you know that they've lived and loved and done much of it wrongly. They're bringing these stories to us, from real life, and I feel them keenly. I understand everyone, and hate no one, and hope against hope that there will be some way out of this mess.
It's
not going to happen without a lot more hurt feelings. It's not going to happen without all of us hanging on every word,
every tear, every one-liner. See you all next week.

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