Grey's Anatomy 10.11 Review: Progress Begins with Failure

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, entitled ‘Man on the Moon’, now would be the best time to go and do that. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, this was a pretty good episode of the series that’s come about as of late. Kepner’s sisters were in town for her bridal shower, and we got to see her stick to her guns and tell them off for calling her ducky. Aside from the stupidity of having put her with Jackson in the first place, I’m kind of liking Kepner more this season, with the backbone she seems to have grown.

Elsewhere, Cristina and Ross were spending a lot of time together. We first saw them this episode in one of the on call rooms, and it definitely reminded me of early Grey’s, where attending’s and interns got their freak on a fair amount of the time. The difference is, I’m still not rooting for Ross, at all, especially with how big of an ass he is being to Meredith. He may just be trying to stick up for Cristina, but he’s just coming across as a dick. I felt especially heartbroken when they acted like old school Mer and Cristina after the baby started getting better. It made me really sad when Mer tried to confront Cristina about Ross’s attitude towards her being rather cordial and trying to take the high road, and Cristina just acted like a jerk and twisted her words. I’m really sick of these two not being friendly, I could really use them being best friends again, especially knowing this is Sandra Oh’s last year. I feel like they’re ruining they’re best friend time and replaced it with some drama.

There were some great things to this episode. The music they played near the end was some quality background tunes, particularly Lorde’s ‘Team’. Also, there were fair amounts of nice shots of Seattle interspersed throughout the episode, with one particular one sticking in my mind. Another thing I loved was the whole dealings with Derek, Callie, and the woman trying to move the fingers. I felt so bad for the way she was treating her husband, only for him to be the reason she was doing this, and her ability to do it with him standing there was just beautiful and made me teary eyed. That was a wonderful television moment that was actually able to move me with its beauty. And finally, I really adored the face that crossed over Arizona when one of the Kepner sisters said her husband and her were still working through his infidelity.

All in all, a decent episode of the series. It was certainly better than the two hundredth episode, but not quite as good as the last episode or two. I did enjoy getting to see Bailey forced into working through her problems with that woman, with the overly large features, hovering around her. Definitely loved Webber getting to talk with Bailey this week. There were definitely some heartfelt moments to this episode, and that’s something I really enjoy. The writing wasn’t as tight as it could have been, but they managed.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I’m allergic to boring surgeries.” – Murphy tells Edwards.

“Those poor puppies.” – Edwards murmurs.

“Progress looks like a bunch of failures. And you can have feelings about that because it’s sad, but you can’t fall apart.” – Meredith shares her wisdom with Edwards.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as you say something nice.” – Webber lets Murphy and Edwards in on his wisdom of Kepner’s bridal shower where she’s getting gifts.

“Accept that you have a disease.” – Webber tells Bailey.

“Sometimes the key to making progress is to recognize how to take that very first step. Then you start your journey.” – Meredith’s over voice says.

Okay, folks, I’m off to watch The Crazy Ones now, so check back soon for that. Also, you have no idea how unbelievably difficult it is to watch and write notes about these shows tonight when I had a ridiculously cute kitten trying to lie on my paper.

Grey's Anatomy 10.10 Review: Doctors Always Know When Something is Wrong

All those that have yet to watch tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, titled ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, this is where I suggest you go do that that before proceeding ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILER! You’ve been warned.

Well, this week’s episode wasn’t nearly as good as last week’s, but it was jam-packed full of drama. Meredith and Cristina are still on the outs, which I am looking forward to the day when they’re not. We only have so much Mer and Cristina time, so why is Shonda throwing it away on this? The way their acting around each other, I just can’t see how it could’ve gotten this bad.

Also, I’m kind of sick of this whole Bailey fiasco. OCD because of something bad that happened to her, really? Her character is getting this whole drama-filled story, but it’s just making me hate her character. The way she’s going is just completely annoying. I’m honestly happier to have her husband around than I am to have her around at this point. She’s just… not an interesting character anymore because this just seemed to come out of leftfield. From all that we knew of this character over the course of nine seasons, this never seemed like a possible scenario. I guess I’m just digging my heels in, in regards to liking this storytelling.

Webber also got a bit of a story this week. It appears he desperately wants out of the hospital, and who can blame him? He has been in that hospital for… how long exactly? Anyways, he wants out and in turn pushes himself too far, ending up breaking a rib. For the most, I really enjoyed his character this week, up until the point where he’s yelling at Jo to put the machine higher. I get it, he really wants out of there, but he’s not going to get there any faster the way he’s trying.

Overall, this was a pretty good, drama-filled episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I’m still not feeling it that this is Sandra Oh’s last year, but then they haven’t given much to her character except the Meredith thing, and getting over Owen. And trust me, I’m over Crowen. Otherwise, this episode was enjoyable. While I don’t always agree with the way Shonda runs this series, it is her show and I know how much it bugs me when people think they can write my stories better than me. In a different way, sure, but not better. So, I’ll try to let it go as long as this series is still enjoyable to watch. Oh, and also, it was nice seeing Alex – I mean the babysitter – in this week’s episode. That’s a Chuck reference for those of you that don’t know.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You kiss my kids with that mouth?” – Meredith asks Alex.

“Don’t people kill themselves trying to make those?” – Jo asks. “Everything has a price.” – Webber replies, regarding deep-fried turkey.

“It never bothered me when she was mean to other people, but it really sucks when she’s mean to me.” – Meredith explains, concerning her ousting with Cristina.

Okay, one more show to go and then CHRISTMAS FEVER! So, there’s thirty-three days to go, whatever. Anyways, check back in soon for my review of The Crazy Ones.

Grey's Anatomy 10.09 Review: Those Feelings of Guilt

For all those that have yet to watch tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, entitled ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’, here’s where I suggest you do that before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy was a really strong episode. The change of scenery was the perfect tone, and the way it weaved the flashback scenes into it, while occasionally confusing, were mostly well done. While Meredith is still my favourite character, I really enjoyed seeing the drama that is Callie’s life at the moment; definitely makes for more interesting television.

While it did seem to fit with why Arizona chose the moment she did to cheat on Callie, the whole baby thing was a little thrown in there. I get that this is an ensemble show, and we don’t always see everything that goes on behind closed doors between these characters, but you’d think a jaw dropper like Arizona wanting another baby and wanting to carry it would have warranted screen time.  Nonetheless, it would be interesting if these two get passed their marital woes and decide to try again for another baby. I really did enjoy the way they wove this sequence of scenes into the disaster of the medical malpractice suit. A nice flare of happy to go with the distraught and disheartening.

There were a number of other good points I loved about this episode. The fact that this entire staff is behind Callie as she goes through this trial was wonderful. I loved how Hunt showed up and helped Callie through the sea of reporters getting too much in her face. I also really enjoyed the fact that Webber had to be there for her, and his remark about almost not being there because Kepner was a terrible driver. Also how well Callie and Arizona seemed to be interacting with each other throughout the episode. And I absolutely loved Meredith’s speech to Callie after she found the letter hidden behind the bookshelf. She really is one to have moments of great wisdom. And of course Callie’s dad showing up and setting her on the path to trying to work to resolve her marriage with Arizona.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this episode. Sure this series can’t always have great periods of drama wrapped well with its writing like this episode, but I would like to see more of this on a consistent basis. Also, it was really nice not to have to be wrapped up in every single characters life in an episode, and being able to focus on Callie and her interactions with others. This is more of what I want for this show, and if it succeeds I may stick around for an eleventh season. Oh, who am I kidding? I probably will anyway.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Turns out she punches pretty hard for such a little person.” – Hunt explains to Callie how he had to fight Bailey to be the first on the scene of the trial.

“Oh, I will miss you most of all.” – Arizona tells her glass of wine in a flashback, after deciding to be the one that carries the baby.

“The fact is, you did nothing wrong.” – Meredith sheds words of wisdom on Callie, explaining a difference between emotions and negligence.

“But how will you know if you never try?” – Callie’s father says to her, concerning Arizona and their marriage.

All right, now, just one more show left to go. Stay tuned for my review of The Crazy Ones.

Grey's Anatomy 10.07 Review: The Magic of Halloween

Anyone that has yet to watch Thursday’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, titled ‘Thriller’, then that is what I suggest you go do before reading ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So, not a bad episode, but also not overwhelmingly great. For one thing, I didn’t find that the music fit in a lot of the scenes, despite the Halloween ambiance. And while I did enjoy getting to see a lot of Meredith in scenes, I still felt that this was more of a filler episode than anything, even though there were a few things to happen.

I was happy to see Webber finally apologize to Meredith, he took his damn time doing it but here it was. I don’t think that there was enough of a scene between them, but it was a decent apology. The whole thing with Ben was a little strange. I can see him loving Halloween, but not that he’d drop out of his program after being so gung ho about it. But I am intrigued to learn what is going on with Bailey. Is she still having repercussions from that whole glove incident last season? Or is this something else.

While there were some parts of Shane’s scenes I didn’t like during this episode, I was happy to see him take over that uninsured woman’s medical troubles. I don’t completely understand the rationale behind his guilt, but I do think that it’s making him a better person, and a more interesting person. Plus he looked weirdly good in a sleeveless shirt.

The way Jo worked her problems out with Karev was a progressive step towards them finding happiness again. We all know Karev doesn’t like conveying his vulnerabilities, but I hope with Jo that he is able to eventually get to that point where he can show all of himself to another woman that isn’t named Izzie. I loved that she was able to suck it up and go over to the house and apologize, even if she didn’t completely understand the situation before hand. She owned up to her mistakes, and that’s good on her. Plus, she looked great in the Tinkerbell costume, so that was fun to see.

I’m not really sure what’s going on with Cristina this season. I know this was supposed to be the year of the Yang, due to Sandra Oh leaving at the end of this season, but I’m not feeling that very much yet. Her fighting with Meredith is a little too much, especially since last season they were still very in tuned, but suddenly a second child changes that? I kind of feel like they’re doing this so that Cristina decides it’s time to leave at the end of the season. Sure, I don’t want the character to die, but it feels ludicrous that disassociating her with Meredith will help to lead her character to leave for good.

Alright, I believe I’ve made my peace with this episode. It was definitely a filler, but it was pleasant to watch. I still don’t think this series has much leg in it left, but it’s not the worst thing out there, especially given that it’s in its tenth season. While I know this won’t be its last season, I do hope that eleven caps it off, because there are only so many reasonable things that can happen to these characters to create a sense of drama in their lives.

Oh, and before I forget, I have to mention that of course Grey’s brought in the bath salts case from Florida was it? That I found perfect for this episode. Also, is it actually possible for the body to stop producing adrenaline? That seems a little ridiculous.

My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I’m everywhere.” – Bailey tells the first year Residents about where she came from.

“I’m trying to teach them and you won’t let them learn.” – Webber explains to Bailey.

Okay, now I just have to go review The Vampire Diaries. After that hopefully you’ll be able to catch my reviews of Dracula and Haven. Stick around for more.

Grey's Anatomy 10.05 Review: Back to the Beginning

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, titled ‘I Bet It Stung’, then I suggest you either do so now or exit the screen. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Decent episode this week, much better than the two hundredth episode of last week, which was lackluster for such a monumental occasion. There was some good progression with a lot of the characters, most notably Meredith, and her friendship with Cristina, as well as Richard, Edwards with Jackson’s mom, and Callie. It was great to see that argument between Meredith and Derek at the end, especially since she had valid reasons. It was also really great to see Callie’s development toward being a happier person with her own life. No, it’s not possible to go backwards in time, but you can try to be the person you were at a happier time in your life.

There were some nice, easy, funny moments to this episode. The first was most the randomly peculiar moment at the beginning of the episode when Meredith kisses Callie goodbye much the same she does with Derek. The other comedic moment was the cliché meeting between Edwards and Jackson’s mom. I knew it was coming, but it was still a light moment to the episode that spiraled into drama. The third one was the whole thing where Arizona couldn’t remember what had happened the night of the gala with Murphy. The whole bit where she gave Arizona coffee but April got nothing was great.

It was nice to see the growth of Meredith’s character come to a head. The constant battle for women to decide what do they give themselves more to: work or kids. I definitely think she made the right decisions, that her kids come first, much better than a lot of the mother’s on this series. Which is why it was such a valid argument between her and Derek at the end. He’d chosen his surgery, something that wasn’t a once in a lifetime experience like Meredith’s, and had the nerve to say it wasn’t his fault that she’d had to give up her’s. I most assuredly look forward to seeing how that comes across next week.

So, there are still a lot of interesting things going on in Grey’s Anatomy, but a lot of it is becoming tired. No, the writing is no where near as bad as The Vampire Diaries, or even this year’s American Horror Story: Coven, but it’s not at all close to how ripe with intrigue and drama from years past. I did think it was a very My Sister’s Keeper moment when we learned the other sister was a donor baby, but I suppose we haven’t seen that on this series yet. I do wish this series had ended a few years ago, though. Still, I think as long as Meredith’s in it a lot and McDreamy’s still there, I’ll stick around.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I named my son after you, you can’t be mad at me.” – Meredith tells Bailey.

“Besides, she’s not going to be alone. She’s going to be with me, who she loves more than her own parents.” – Karev says to Meredith, referring to Zola.

Okay, I’m off to watch The Crazy Ones now. Stay tuned.