TVSquad

I knew there was going to be an explanation to why Derek didn't tell Meredith he had a wife - and a reason he felt he might have a chance in heckfire to maintain the relationship if she found out. Of course, I didn't imagine that Mrs. Derek (who we quickly discover is separated from her husband) would be coming to work with the rest of the staff at Seattle Grace. That was a masterful move, as she's gorgeous, evil and brilliant at her work, all wrapped up into one. But while the dramatic tensions were fantastic - Derek vs. Dr. Burke, Meredith vs. Mrs. Derek, George vs. Dr. Webber - and we find that many secrets are satisfactorily revealed, the "resolutions" at the end of the show were all out of character, rushed and left me with a hollow feeling. Is that what the writers wanted us to feel? After all, we get the idea that many of these decisions will be eventually reversed. Hmmm...

The opening scene at the bar is great, as Meredith pours out her woes to the bartender, and then Cristina packs a wallop by revealing that she's pregnant. Meredith, of course, wants to know - who was she even having sex with? But the secret is protected by the thundering aneurysm suffered by the bar owner.

The aneurysm gets us back to the hospital, where Dr. Webber has designated George as his "eyes and ears" while he recuperates from his operation. He tells George to soak up everything around him, and report back so that Dr. Webber can maintain his omniscience. "So you're asking me to be an investigative sponge?" asks George (sounds of me cracking up). I love that line.

Even as he says that, you just know that George is going to learn too much. Sure enough, he catches Dr. Burke and Cristina kissing in a stairwell. Whoops. Will he tell? Will Dr. Webber guess? We all assume that George won't tattle, but it certainly sets up some cute scenes where he stutteringly doesn't tell his uncomfortable secret.

He does tell Meredith, though, and thanks to her own secret, she now knows that her buddy is carrying Dr. Burke's baby. The relationship, though it's been a lot of sex, seems to be going somewhere, so we're all wondering... will Cristina get over herself and go out to dinner with him? Will she at least give him a say-so in the decision about whether to have an abortion (which, for Cristina's character, seems the only outcome possible)? Will they come clean with their relationship?

That's where this plotline gets awkward. Dr. Burke gets a responsibility pep-talk from Dr. Webber, and decides that he needs to cut things off with Cristina. And does. It's a well-played scene, but it doesn't work for me.

Now back to Meredith and the evil Mrs. Derek. She's asked that Meredith be assigned to her, and evidently she's a fantastically-skilled surgeon. Naturally. And she's even more gorgeous than Meredith. Not to mention she has perfect hair. So they're working on separating a woman's twins in utero, and (of course) the woman in question has suffered an infidelity in her own life. So she's sure Meredith is Bad. It's only after the operation that Mrs. Derek comes clean (in an awkward and unconvincing way) and says that she, in fact, was the one who did the cheating, so the woman should be pissed at her. OK, interesting point, but so, so badly written and delivered. These are the same writers who did the "investigative sponge" line?

So will Meredith forgive Derek? Will he even ask her forgiveness? He does, making a lovely sob story about how he found out his wife was sleeping with his best friend. And for a while we think everything is just going to be lovey-dovey again. Only Meredith just rejects his apology, and drives off.

The final scene is nice, and the writers have found their way back to witty dialogue somehow. Cristina tells Meredith that, when she filled out forms for the impending abortion, she made Meredith "her person." Cue an "awfully close to a hug." And the foreshadowing again... is Cristina going to decide to keep the baby? I'm a mama and abortions make me sad. But... this character just isn't someone who's about to give up any portion of her career to raise a child. What's going to happen here? Will they let politics screw with the character development? I can't wait to find out...