TVSquad

(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.

It's interesting that we really haven't seen much of Ellis this season; she's been in maybe one scene with Webber and a couple of flashbacks, but that's about it. But Meredith's relationship with Ellis, how she's dealing with her mother's Alzheimers, and how she processes the whole affair her mom had with Webber is all a part of who her character is. Not examining it for the first third of the season kind of left a big part of the story out, making Meredith less human in a way. While she was dealing with McVet and McDreamy and McThis and McThat, some of her depth disappeared. So it's good to see we're going down that road again. Of course, now that Webber is out of the picture, she's going to have to deal with her mother on her own, which was never easy for her. But at least she realizes Ellis did the best she could raising her, considering she was a big-time surgeon and all.

Of course, Meredith had to stick her foot in her surgical mask first. While operating on a girl who, even though she was accidentally run over by her nanny, still would rather have the nanny at her side than her too-busy lawyer mom, she off-handedly tells Bailey that maybe women with high-powered careers shouldn't have kids. Wrong move, Mer! Bailey bitched her out, but it did make Bailey realize that she may not be spending enough time with her son. Is the resident that we used to call "the Nazi" wavering even more than before? Will she go part time? Start nuzzling O'Malley in her bosom? Who knows? But at least we know that Chandra Wilson has a great singing voice.

So George knows about Burke's tremor. Becuase his dad's now involved -- the old sport not only has esophageal cancer, but he needs his aorta replaced in order for him to be strong enough to go through the cancer surgery -- this has become a staring contest between George and Cristina. He wants Cristina to be his dad's intern because she's a robot, but in the case of Burke, who he wants to do the surgery, he needs her to be human for once. But Cristina still feels the obligation to protect her man. I really, really thought she was going to cave when she talked to Mr. O'Malley at the end of the episode, as he told her how much of a mensch George was. I was sure she was going to say something when Cristina told Mr. O that George was the best intern. But she didn't cave. However, two words tell us that some fun stuff is coming up: "George knows."

Speaking of O'Malleys... Boy, George's brothers are morons. They don't know what it means when a cancer has metastasized? Even George saying that the cancer was spreading flummoxed them. Maybe they just can't accept little wimpy George as a real doctor. Callie told them in car terms, which still didn't make things any clearer, but whatever. She still wants to be involved, doesn't she? Despite everything... George being a putz... her sleeping with Sloan... her dumping George... she still wants to be his girlfriend. And eventually wants a lot of kids. Hm. This infatuation with Georgie boy is not wearing well on Callie. She was the strong one with a soft side; now it's looking like the soft, pathetic side is winning.

Sloan's still being a prick to Alex, but at least ol' Al had a chance to make a "grand gesture" to Izzie, who was shadowing him. Frank, the pec implant guy who referred to himself in the third person, was a bit of a Seinfeld rip-off, but his case let Izzie and Alex goof around with each other for the first time in a while (the scene where Mark walks in on Izzie feeling up both the pec guy and Alex was classic Grey's). And even though Alex kissed Izzie after he lets her take out Frank's "boob tube," she tells him she isn't ready. Interesting thing was: he's fine with that! Wow! Our little Alex is growing up!

And finally, Derek and Addie are trying to be mature with each other, but there's still some baggage, as Webber found out when their counsel to him turned into them arguing about their failed marriage. But, when Addison finally threw her wedding ring in the harbor, I cringed a little. I mean, come on! That was a ring bought on a brain surgeon's salary! She couldn't have melted it down or something?

Anyway, like I said, Grey's is finally back in its full goofy glory, and that makes me a happy camper. Next week's Thanksgiving "event" episode is looking like one of those classic shirt-grabbers like we saw last year. Maybe we'll see another one like the post-Super Bowl bomb episode -- only without the bomb, of course. Hope I won't be so full of turkey and stuffing I fall asleep before it starts.