TVSquad

(S05E18) "I'm a fan of daytime television" – Bailey

Tonight was the big night for the whole Izzie storyline getting into full gear. On a positive note, this episode happily shows that all of the characters can actually interact with others without it leading into a bad fallout or sex. Unlike last week, all the characters were themselves. Also, only having two surgeries to focus on was much better than splitting everyone up. Otherwise, it gets confusing.

Does it always turn out that the first year interns are overly dramatic? The side story between Megan/Pierce/Steve was funny because it sounds just like something Meredith/George/Alex/Izzie would have gone through. More analysis after the jump.

The idea of Meredith/George working together without awkwardness is amazing. Meredith actually taking a Bailey-like stand with her interns was great. Not seeing her as a mopey, pale, depressed character is always a good change. Finally getting to see George be George is also great. He was in the background so much that I assumed that he would be smart enough to put two and two together. Call me a five year old, but I giggled at the whole enema situation.

I appreciate Derek taking on the role of philosopher for the episode. Watching his interaction with Callie and Owen and the three not knowing how to deal with death was touching. Finding something that's repressed being pried open has to hurt. Drinking is not the answer, though. I guess every surgeon has that one surgery that eats away at you; one you just can't forget. I liked that the Chief eventually talked to Derek after all the complaints from him at the hospital. I didn't understand why he didn't just go in to Derek himself. In theory, he (with the help of Bailey) sent Meredith, Callie, and Owen to Derek before he went and talked to him.

There's a part of me that was upset that Izzie got Christina all worked up. In the end, it was moot. She had to let all the tension out to do her first successful (I'm assuming Ms. Sully did fine) solo surgery, so I understand her telling Alex and Bailey. I get that Christina is perceived as robotic and tactical, but the woman with the hernia was her first solo, and she deserved to be treated well. The quick reassurance that she takes her job seriously, even if she may not answer every silly question, was probably all that Ms. Sully needed. I still appreciate Sandra Oh as a good actress who can go from angry to concerned without a problem. She definitely deserved the Golden Globe and SAG awards. I wonder if this episode will be the one that gets her that fifth Emmy nomination.

There was one thing that bothered me about the whole Izzie situation. While she was having her visions, Izzie told Denny that she chose life. If she rejected the treatment, she would have just been a hypocrite. To make it worse, Denny would probably show up again to pester her. The whole face surgery was an interesting case to parallel with Izzie.

Kudos to Cathy, who left a comment last week about Derek going to operate on Izzie. Yeah, it seemed obvious, but I guess it's all about how they got there that makes it interesting. I also appreciate that Meredith didn't like that Derek would just sit on his laurels and quit.

Also, call me either shallow or squeamish when David, the face transplant guy, first appeared on the screen. I was a little freaked out, like one of those viral videos where you're supposed to look for something and the scary face shows up. I quickly warmed up when David joked about his looks. I disliked the idea of calling the guy "Blowhole," but as a hypocrite, I would have called him "Face-Off."

I disliked the preview for next week telling the viewer (I'm paraphrasing) "This episode will be really dramatic." Excuse me? This show is a drama. It's supposed to be dramatic. It's like the previews on reality shows that say "Most dramatic elimination EVER!!!!!" I get it, I know it's going to be dramatic, don't tell me that it's going to be so big. Now I'm gonna be disappointed.