Grey’s Anatomy Season 6
Episodes 1&2 “Good Mourning” & “Goodbye”
We return to Grey’s Anatomy after a chilling season finale with a seemingly ambiguous ending as to the fates of George O’Malley and Izzie Stevens. We quickly learn that Izzie is the one who survives, and her friends and now husband Alex are trying to figure out a way to break the news to her that her best friend has died. On a happier note, Cristina and Owen have been reunited, Derek and Meredith are post-it married, and the seemingly over Lexie and Mark have quickly reunited following George’s death. The episodes span several days to extend the impact of O’Malley’s death and we observe how the characters individually deal with the five stages of grief, not necessarily in order. We have some wonderful scenes between Cristina and Owen as Cristina becomes involved in his therapy sessions with the brilliant Amy Madigan playing Dr. Wyatt. We see Meredith de-compartmentalizing through the whole episode until she is finally ready to cry. Lexie and Mark are brought together again because of her grief over George, and a patient inspires her to move forward with Mark and move in with him. We find that Owen is still afraid of hurting Cristina, but with his therapist’s blessing are able to move forward physically, yet it is Cristina who discovers she is not as strong as she thought. The Chief also announces a major change in Seattle Grace Hospital as it merges with their rival hospital Mercy West in order to cut costs. This has every worker at SGH, even the fab five, worried for their jobs, and a prominent theme for the rest of the season.
Episode 3 I Always Feel Like Somebody’ Watchin’ Me
The stress of the impending merger affects residents and interns. The Chief is expected to announce numerous layoffs as a result of the merger, meaning no one’s job is safe. Cristina is especially flipping out over her place in the program due to the fact that she still does not have a cardio God teaching her the ropes. As a result, she goes on Arizona’s service, which she decides can give her experience in all the areas she needs including cardio. Seeing as this is Cristina, it does not turn out the way she expects, but provides hilarious comic relief. Especially when Cristina begs Owen to tell the Chief that she’s his ‘guy’, and walks around with a pink bear on her lab coat, attempting rapport with her miniature patient. This is the Cristina many of us remember in the first couple seasons, and its great to see, especially if you remember when she ‘babysat’ for Bailey’s infant. We also see Izzie and Owen work together on a case as she convinces Owen she’s ready as they attempt a procedure on a already fragile patient, with tragic results. Cristina’s ultimately kicked off of Arizona’s service when Arizona discovers through Callie, that Cristina was using her professionally. We also see how the men creatively try to take care of their women after they see how stressed out they are about the possibility of being laid off and get a very cute scene involving Cristina and a baseball bat. The beginning of the tension surrounding the merger in this episode, as we will see, is just the tip of the uncertain iceberg.
Episode 4 “Tainted Obligation”
The episode opens with a roar. Reminding us that Alex and Izzie no longer live at Meredith’s but have taken over Derek’s trailer in the middle of nowhere. The chief is having a meeting with his dept. heads as he announces that there are going to be more layoffs at the hospital, warning everyone to pull their weight or else. In the middle of everything Meredith is struggling with having to decide if she wants to give her dying father part of her liver. After coaxing from Lexie she obliges but with a few conditions for her estranged father. Meanwhile, Cristina, frantic to cut, is trying to get any type of surgery or procedure she can find. And there’s a bear.
Episode 5 “Invasion”
The day of the Mercy West merger has finally arrived, much to the chagrin of the SGH staff. The SGH surgical crew is in Meredith’s hospital room convening on how to deal. Tension is immediately in the air as the competition between residents and interns is even more. Not only are there fewer surgeries but now more competition to fight for them. We see there are going to be about four main Mercy West residents that are coupled with the fab four. Some of them are caricatures of characters we already have, others not so much. Izzie reminds us that she can still fight like a trailer park girl after her cancer treatment. Cristina is on full speed, going after surgeries all day head to head with a new guy named Jackson Avery from Mercy West, who always seems to be at the right place at the right time, thus getting her surgeries. A surprising layoff is administered by the Chief and his board advisor. The fact that Owen gives one of her surgeries away is the breaking point for Cristina who is later found in Meredith’s hospital room in hysterics, not knowing what it is she’s fighting for, but one of the scenes that reminds us why we love Grey’s.
Episode 6 “I Saw What I Saw”
This Kurosawa inspired episode explores the consequences of what can happen when a simple procedure is forgotten in a moment of chaos. A seemingly healthy patient has died because someone on the SGH/MW team had forgotten a step, but who? We are given several points of view to figure out the puzzle of who what why when and how. The chaotic episode is heightened even more as we see the same scenes over and over through different points of views. After it is discovered who made the mistake, a Mercy Wester, Cristina reminds everyone that it could have been any one of them who made the mistake. With ittle development on core characters in this one, we are able to see how the chaos of the merger is affecting the care that the actual patients are now getting which obviously will have to change, meaning SGH and Mercy Westers have to learn how to work together.
Episode 7 “Give Peace a Chance”
Derek is approached by a Mercy West resident who begs him to attempt a risky procedure to treat his spinal tumor. The severity of the tumor requires an intense micro surgery which has the residents and interns competing to get in Derek’s OR. Derek and The Chief are at odds over this procedure and Derek’s decision does not go over well with the Chief whose grudge continues. Lexie and Jackson find themselves competing on who can prepare the most for the extremely long procedure. Meanwhile Cristina is devastated that she could not prove herself worthy of being on the case and Owen struggles to comfort her and understand the depth of her professional dispair. Derek continues to go against the Chief’s orders, but the Chief is the one that continues to be unrelenting.
Episode 8 “Invest in Love”
Arizona’s long-term patient has a worsening condition and she struggles with accepting a major donation from the boy’s parents and the possibilities concerning a difficult procedure for the boy. Alex is probably wishing he had a post-it wedding with Izzie as he is given her hospital bills from the Chief. Cristina and Owen are at major odds professionally when she takes surgical matters into her own hands against his orders. Callie tries to understand how to take care of Arizona during a difficult professional time. It’s Arizona’s party and she cries if she wants to. Meanwhile, Jackson tries to make a truce with Cristina. Cristina must decide if being a rock star in the OR is worth what it might cost her relationship with Owen.
Episode 9 “New History”
As a present for Cristina, Owen brings on his fellow army buddy Teddy Altman to be Cristina’s new cardio God, but Cristina is suspicious of Teddy’s professional level and personal past with Owen. Izzie returns to SGH with her ill high school teacher in the hopes that Derek can help him with his dementia, and with her all her baggage about being fired. Jackson tries to find out more about Cristina. We discover the toll that the merger is taking on Richard as his struggles become clear. After winning over Cristina after a rough day in the OR, Teddy makes a startling confession to Owen.
Episode 10 “Holidaze”
This episode spans the three holidays Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Derek tries an innovative prototype to save the life of one of Arizona’s patients that again has him at odds with The Chief, but has the fellow support of Arizona and Mark. Mark and Lexie’s lives are challenged by the arrival of someone from Mark’s past. Cristina is in awe as Teddy performs a procedure allowing her patient to live without a heart. The Chief still won’t play nice with Derek, but admits to Meredith that his personal demons have resurfaced, but he offers to privately give Meredith ‘lessons’. Sloan and Lexie adjust to life with a new addition. Bailey struggles to live up to the expectations of her father who comes to visit out of the blue. The dynamic between Owen, Teddy and Cristina is taking a turn as we learn more about Owen and Teddy’s past, and Cristina challenges Owen when she has a personal revelation about Teddy.
