Is there a holiday more emotionally loaded than Valentine’s Day? I think not. Roses, chocolates, and unrealistic expectations all come together in a concoction bound to make you sick to your stomach. “All You Need Is Love” explored the many facets of the dreaded holiday from virginal April literally decorating The Pit with hearts and cupids to Lexie’s hot date with Zola (and near-miss with Mark). We learned of Adele’s heartbreaking decline from a heartbroken Richard and witnessed Ben’s heartwarming triumph with Miranda. Callie and Arizona got their romantic getaway. Meredith and Derek didn’t, but it doesn’t matter because they are (at long last) in a good place. The same can’t be said for Cristina and Owen but I’ll get to them later. Here are my favorite couples from this week’s Grey’s Anatomy.
Nico and Clementine
OK, so they’re ten years old, but I really don’t care. How ridiculously adorable were Nico and Clem? Despite their problematic mothers, they are hopelessly devoted to each other. Sure his chocolates sent her into anaphylactic shock (and as someone with a tree nut allergy, I’m NOT making light of that, by the way) and one of them seemed to have given the other head lice. No worries! They love to hold hands and jump on the trampoline together and Nico wouldn’t leave without making sure Clem got his message of undying love via pediatrician-with-a-heart-underneath-all-that-bravado, Alex Karev. They were too cute for words and far more mature than most of the adults on this show.
Meredith and Bailey
Thank heavens their feuding is behind them. I loved seeing Meredith and Bailey do that thing they do. Yet there’s an interesting variation on the familiar theme. Miranda, being the best teacher in the whole place, is able to acknowledge that Meredith is no longer an intern but, instead, well on her way to being an excellent surgeon in her own right. They worked in tandem as an exceptional team with Meredith stepping up her game, just as she should. Personally, I think Meredith should declare General Surgery as her area of specialty. She’s clearly great at it and mentors don’t come better than Miranda Bailey.
Sloan and Avery
Speaking of mentors, how about this thing we’ve got going with Mark and Jackson? This little subplot has become one of my favorite things about the show this season. Eric Dane has always shown a facility for sly, deft comedy and these scenes with Jesse Williams are proving to be gems. I do love a good Bromance and these two actors are bringing the love and the funny in spades. Please, Shonda, may we have some more?
Cristina and Owen
Finally, we circle back to the heart and soul of this episode, Cristina and Owen. In a fascinating sequence of vignettes, we were treated to the magnificence that is Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd bringing these amazing characters to life in all of their imperfection.
Cristina told Meredith that Owen would surely leave her. Meredith, in a rare showing of support for the union, suggested that Cristina could beg him to stay. Cristina scoffed. Cristina Yang doesn’t beg. She did ask to be put back on Teddy’s service, however, and Owen didn’t even put up a fight. In fact, it seemed he had no fight left in him. This didn’t go unnoticed by Cristina and then it happened. BAM! A car came crashing into the ER and Owen swooped in and saved his estranged wife from certain death.
And at that moment a miracle happened: Cristina seemed to have an epiphany before our eyes. Informed by Owen that he was moving out of their home, she was distraught. This scene was beautifully shot since the audience could see her reaction but Owen could not. Later, Owen tried to mend fences with his former friend, Teddy, and for his trouble was told that Teddy hated him and wished him dead. I wish you were dead, Teddy, but that’s the subject for a whole other column. I get that Teddy is grieving Henry but REALLY? Her words were unconscionable (and come to think of it, her behavior in the OR earlier was way out-of-line, too) but one interesting side effect emerged from the debacle. Teddy complained about Owen to Cristina who immediately went to Owen (in the Vent Room…yay!) and begged him not to hate her. That’s right. Cristina Yang begged. Owen, even in all of his pain, immediately turned to her and let her in, just a bit, but it was a start. As Cristina put her hand on Owen’s heart, one got the sense that all was not lost. There is so much love still there.
Fade to black. Is it Thursday yet? Because I really need it to be Thursday.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
