Grey's Anatomy: Crash Into Me (part one)

(S04E09) "No one ever better call me Nazi again." - Bailey

Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like white supremacy and ambulance accidents! OK... well, not really. But that's what we got as Grey's Anatomy slowly winds down to its final pre-WGA Strike episodes. There are only two more in the can and production on the show has been shut down. The resolution to this "event" airs in two weeks and S04E11 currently has no airdate scheduled, though I'm guessing that ABC will save it until after the New Year. Now you'll notice that I put quotes around event. Did it really feel like one? I know the mold for a big episode of Grey's Anatomy usually involves something that crashes or explodes, but this felt more like a regular episode to me. However, as forced and predictable as the cliffhangers were, I am excited to find out the resolutions.

Now that Bailey is chief resident, her screen time has finally gotten back to the level we were accustomed to. I loved how it all started at home in her kitchen. Her husband and kid still exist! Unfortunately, as Webber warned her about long ago, the job is destroying her marriage. Her husband isn't happy and the fact that he got stood up for their lunch date won't help I'm sure. I find it interesting that Bailey seems more dedicated to the job than her family. She really could have handed off that surgery with Mr. KKK if she had wanted. No one would have held that against her as Derek pointed out. So why didn't she? It feels a little out of character for her if you ask me. I never saw her as the type to let something like this slide, and now it's at a point where it feels like her hand is being forced simply because seeing her marriage crumble will presumably make for a good story.

Now when it comes to the racist paramedic, did anyone else consider for a second that maybe he had a hand in the accident? His partner Mary is black and it crossed my mind that maybe he slipped her something that caused the seizure. Obviously that wasn't the case, but it would have been a bit more interesting if something like that was uncovered. As far as Mary goes, Shepperd is going to have a hard time poking around in her brain if all his fancy monitors are broken. I liked that cliffhanger least. Like it was was tacked on just for the sake of having one more dramatic moment. If anything though, it'll allow Derek and Rose to bond more. Right as Meredith seems to be realizing what she wants, Derek already seems to have written her off as non-committal and picked Rose as a safe alternative. I'd like to see him go somewhere with this.

Meredith is just too wishy-washy about everything at this point. She says she knows what she wants but I'm not sure that I believe it. I think that perhaps watching Stan the paramedic die might help her see the light. Life is short. Cristina's negativity rubs off on her though. Izzie's dislike for the relationship between Mer and Yang is clouded by the fact that she wants an in with Hahn, but she's still on to something. I think that the Mer/Yang bond is corrosive to Meredith.

So besides that ambulance crash, there was one other really big thing. Ava/Rebecca came back for Alex... again. It's just awkward at this point because we know it's not going anywhere and the only reason it makes sense to have her folded in again is because Lexie is smitten. Clearly Alex will hop in the sack with anyone, but c'mon. Ava/Rebecca is a lost cause at this point. What I did find interesting is that she told Lexie that her and Alex were together. She's a little delusional in that department, huh? If that angle got played out, I'd be all for it to see the ramifications of Ava/Rebecca becoming some love obsessed stalker.

More thoughts...

• What was with all the music? I know this show is known for making slightly unknown artists or songs into the next big thing and I'm the first to admit that I've found new music as a result... but this was too much! It felt like every scene had a soundtrack.
• Seth Green was great as Nick. He's a more versatile actor than people give him credit for. I love how he developed an attachment to Lexie, but here's what I didn't like: the clock that Sloan placed on his artery by saying it could explode at any minute. It took away from the drama because you knew it was gonna pop at the end of the episode. Total "duh" moment. I would have preferred that Sloan said that everything went fine so that the artery blowing up would've been more of a surprise rather than an expectation.
• I absolutely hated that Cristina tried to use her stepfather's dead parents who were killed at Auschwitz as an excuse to get out of operating on the swastika dude. If we've learned one thing about her, it's that she's distant and disconnected to her family. To try and fake pain and attempt to evoke sympathy like that was low even for her.
• iGeorge was barely even addressed. There is a god.
• Sloan is still hitting on Hahn. Can she just say yes already? Get a drink with him! I'm already sick of him constantly trying to impress her. It became pathetic much faster than I thought it would.
• I think John Billingsley has guest-starred on every show ever made.
• Izzie v. Cristina has continued too. I'm still waiting for Cristina to really blow up though. We know she wants cardio and Hahn keeps picking Izzie. Notice how Hahn addresses everyone else as "Dr. _____" but she still calls Cristina just "Yang?" It's funny, as if she doesn't even consider her to be a surgeon. Just an annoyance.

The episode ended with Meredith putting herself in a risky situation as she attempted to stabilize Ray while climbing over Stan's body. I know we were supposed to feel attached to Ray and Stan, but they're just disposable characters on this show. The EMTs don't play a huge role like they do in ER, so I sort of didn't care. It's not about them anyway. It's about Meredith and what she wants... for once.