TVSquad

It's all her fault, you know. It's all because of Meredith. She threw away the juju.

Or maybe it's Cristina. After all, she said the "q" word. (That's "quiet," if you missed it, and it lasted exactly 1/2 second.)

Whoever's fault it is: all is chaos, death and destruction at Seattle Grace this week. And no amount of knocking on wood is going to remedy matters. It's not all just in the fictional lives of Meredith & team, either: it's also gotten all mixed up in the writing. This episode didn't cross a line, it jumped over a chasm from awesome to cringe-worthy. My face hurt from grimacing after the chief went to that dumb AA meeting. Please. I don't believe in 12-step programs any more than I believe in rabbit's feet or horoscopes or juju-filled hot cocoa.

Last night on Grey's Anatomy, karma was biting everyone back. And I know most of you feel so badly for George, because Meredith used him, because he's the victim. And you're feeling bad for Izzie. She's the one who walked in on Alex with Olivia, so she deserves the sympathy, right? And Addison. Everyone loves to hate Addison, who cheated on her husband, who's been approached by Sexy McSteamy, her old love interest, and you know what we're all thinking: is she going to sleep with him again?

You've got all this righteous anger, against Meredith over her treatment of George, Alex over his romp in the hospital bed with the hottie nurse, and Addison for just being there. And if you're anything like me: your anger pulled a switcheroo on you, diffusing, spreading out over the whole cast until it wasn't anger any more, really, but sympathy and sorrow and this little, sad hope.

But before we continue on with the major themes of the show I have to send out a hearty, loud, mama-rific cheer to the writers for their portrayal of Bailey. Oh how I love you, writers. You made her leak. As I'm deep in the throes of my second experience with breastfeeding, I've had those twin milky spots on my nice work shirt oh, so many times. And the way she plays it is priceless, in an especially emotional conversation with Addison: "Please don't cry! You're going to make me... (holds breasts in a motion to which I totally relate) lactate!" I would have jumped off the couch and done a little dance of joy over this realistic and funny portrayal... but I was breastfeeding my 10-month-old.

When this episode ended, I just wanted to turn off my TV. I knew that nothing coming after it could possibly approach my now-heightened television standards. This show now ranks in my top-five list, greatest hours of TV ever. Seriously.

And it wasn't just the dramatic circumstances - the bomb inside a patient, the impending birth of Bailey's son, the threatened death of her husband, the sexual tension between Alex and Izzie, the looove tension between Shepherd and Meredith, Burke and Cristina. It was the film work, the emotion, the music, the heart-stopping fear and love and agony and ... just wow. And the shower scene, my lord, that was truly great stuff. Every bit of dirt that sullied my conscience after loving the shower scene that opened last week's episode was [yes I'm conscious of my double entendre] washed away.

Thanks, ABC, for advertising the Season 1 DVD at the end of this episode! Great. 'cause all I want is the DVD of this season now.