(S03E09) When I first heard Sandra Oh doing the opening narration that's usually reserved for Ellen Pompeo, I thought I was delirious from the ball of food that was sitting like a rock in my stomach. But when I realized that I was fully awake, the notion of having Cristina narrate this "extended" episode (it ended at 10:08) made perfect sense, since the Yang-Burke "team" was front and center tonight, spilling their crap into just about everyone else's lives, to the point where relationships are affected, rifts are created, and jobs are lost.

But it made for a pretty riveting 68 minutes; lots of drama, tension, and a little bit of fun. It was the best episode of the season; it figures Shonda Rimes would spring one of these on us at Thanksgiving, since Grey's has a knack for pulling out their best episodes on nights when the most people are watching.

(S03E08) While many of the episodes of Grey's this year have been good, one thing or another has kept them from crackling with the energy they did last year. Oh, who am I kidding? It hasn't been one thing or another; it was the Denny Debacle. The whole thing with Denny and Izzie wasn't necessarily bringing the show down, but it was like one of those little rain clouds that hangs around, just raining on whatever's in the immediate area. With Izzie still mourning and being separate from the rest of Team Intern, Grey's just wasn't all there.

Finally, though, things are right in the universe of Seattle Grace. Or at least as right as they're going to be. Sure there's still personal trauma: George's dad has cancer; Webber can't see Ellis Grey anymore because he wants to save his marriage; Cristina's still covering for Burke and is about to be found out; and Mark Sloan is still a dingleberry. But the lightness is back in full force. Even Meredith feels it; instead of being "dark and twisty," she makes an effort to be "bright and shiny." I guess being in a bath with Derek Shepherd will do that to a woman.