Grey's Anatomy: Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole

Most episodes of Grey's Anatomy have me wrapped up in the love lives of everyone's favorite dysfunctional surgeons, but not so much their patients. But this week's episode had me on the edge of my seat, from commercial break to commercial break, wondering, will she go for surgery? will he decide to play hockey after all? will they go to Paris? will she survive to see the Champs-Elysées? and, oh yeah, caring. (It's worth noting, as well: the woman of the "she" in the preceding questions is Natalie Cole, Ms. Unforgettable herself.)

As the last episode left us wondering whether it was possible, indeed, for Meredith and McDreamy to be friends, that's where we pick up with this episode. They're wandering around a park, throwing a stick for the troublesome pup, making moony-eyes at one another all the while insisting that they are, let's not forget, just friends. While I don't believe it, and I don't even know if I want it to be true, it seems that the just-friends thing can hold on... for at least the duration of this episode.

I feel as if there is resolution, if not movement, in the aforementioned dysfunctional love lives, this week. Meredith apologizes eloquently to George, as if he really even deserves an apology (I think, as she mentioned somewhere, that it takes two to make a stupid sexual mistake - and count me firmly in the "George should have known what he was getting in to" camp). McDreamy doesn't seem terrifically jealous when Meredith finally tells him that her big horrible mistake was sleeping with George (melancholy and thoughtful? yes. jealous? jury's out).

Alex asserts himself as firmly in the "I love Izzie" camp, although Izzie proves herself to be a hellacious b.i.t.c.h. I mean, come on sweetie, you barely know this heart patient - who's likely going to die in a matter of days - and carrying on a relationship with him is hurting Alex and compromising your medical ethics. Why? Why? Those moony eyes are going to make me ill. I don't know how I'll make it through next week's longing lovestruck scenes. Finally, Addison seems to get something she wants out of Derek - an apology, and a promise to work on being more present, more attentive to his lovely wife. It's nice, and suddenly, I want everything to work out between them.

While still, I must admit, harboring a special place in my heart for the Meredith-McDreamy matchup. That's the special skill of the Grey's writers - that they continue to maintain our investment into both relationships. I don't know how long you can string along this plot, the love triangle that doesn't have an easy exit, but the writers have done a fantastic job of maintaining its freshness and emotional depth thus far.

I love the "triangle," or whatever you call it, between George, Burke and Cristina. Someone said that George makes a better girlfriend than Cristina, and it's so true - silly, sweet, and yet still a little sad. Poor Cristina.

Speaking of Cristina and sadness, the babysitting scenario was - while a bit predictable - still full of nice moments. It's good to see the reality of childcare woes, just as present for surgeons as they are for any working mom. (And all of us babywearers are cheering her ever-present sling.) My favorite bit, though, was when Addison and Bailey face off with the chief. I want to save that and replay it every time I have a particularly bad day as a working mom. Go mama power. *gets down off soapbox for a minute*

Yeah, and those patients? Loved them. My husband and I argued until the last second over whether the woman with the brain aneurysm would die (he thought yes, I hoped no). And if you missed it, I was right. She lived, and the marriage survived. And it was a really great picture of marriage, and how the passion can rise and fall and sometimes, sleepwalk its way through years, without anyone calling attention to it.

I also loved Veronica Mars'  Teddy Dunn II (Duncan) as the hockey-playing high school senior. His finger gets mangled, but he has the game of his career the next day (with scouts coming from near and far). So he decides the best bet would be to cut off his finger, jam it into the glove, and play. He uses instructions from the net (oh so smart!) and puts his stump on ice.

Oops. The internet neglected to mention potential complications with those ever-present bacteria found in hockey equipment (the smelliest of all sports equipment, in my personal opinion). They cause an infection, ending his hockey career, leaving him to call plaintively, "but I read it on the internet!" Oh, you poor boy.

Never trust anything you read on the internet. Unless it's TV Squad.