Where do I begin? I was very disappointed in this episode. I was looking forward to it and I wanted to like it. I really, really wanted to like it. But I didn’t. Instead of the substance I was anticipating there was only frustration as the heavy-handed developments lumbered along, ostensibly setting up the final two episodes of the season.
A Tale of Two Weddings
Let’s start with something I actually did enjoy about this episode: the juxtaposition Callie and Arizona’s nuptials, and those of Meredith Derek. On the surface, the two ceremonies couldn’t be more different. Calzona gets a “white wedding,” mostly because Callie is into that sort of thing. Remember, this is the woman who wanted scrapbooking and onesie decorating at her baby shower. Of course she’d want a Wedding with a capital W!
Things just went from bad to worse, however, as Arizona’s father micromanaged every minute of every day (his way of coping with the absence of his late son, I imagine) while Callie’s mother withdrew completely from her daughter’s life, rejecting both the Calzona marriage and Baby Sofia. Sad? Yes, but also way too predictable.
There was no subtlety in these sequences and my husband knowingly announced that Callie’s father would return just in time to twirl Calliope across the dance floor. Imagine my disappointment when he was right. Don’t get me wrong — I’m happy for these crazy kids. It was a lovely ceremony, and I’m a sucker for a daddy/daughter dance. But the whole thing just felt so cumbersome. The only moment that really rang true for me was Arizona’s scene with Mark (!) of all people. Ah, well. The brides looked great and deserve a little peace. This being Grey’s Anatomy, they need to enjoy it while they can.
In the meantime, Meredith and Derek finally made their Post-It Union legal, because they want to adopt a baby. I thought the City Hall ceremony suited them perfectly and I’m glad they’ve made it official, both for the sake of any child they might adopt and for each other, frankly.
Being “married in your heart” sounds lovely but is problematic when it comes to things like medical care and legal decisions and the like, which brings us back to Callie and Arizona, who would love to have the right to legally marry while MerDer might have, ironically, gone on forever being 3M spouses were it not for their desire to adopt. Very provocative — which is just how GA creator Shonda Rhimes likes it.
The Race for Chief Resident
Is it just me, or does it feel like this storyline has been going on forever? Pick someone, already! Again, everything felt just a little bit forced, from the purposeful attempt to put Jackson and April into the mix, to the question of whether or not Alex would out Meredith’s deception in the clinical trial.
The heart of this story, though, resides in Cristina Yang. First off, I want to go on the record as saying that I’m not sure the CR position is a good fit for Cristina. She’s all about surgery and being Chief Resident means lots of paperwork, lots of scheduling and lots of people skills … none of which are among Dr. Yang’s strengths. Having said that, she deserves to be in the race, if for no other reason than those aforementioned surgical skills. The girl’s got game and I am getting really weary of her being marginalized.
For several seasons, whenever anyone has had a beef with Cristina, she’s been frozen out of surgeries. First it was Burke, then Hahn and now it’s Teddy Altman, who is on my last nerve. The irony here is that while there have been numerous occasions in the past when Cristina has acted inappropriately for personal gain, Callie’s surgery wasn’t one of them. Richard gave the go-ahead for Cristina’s suggestion in the OR, for heaven’s sake! Why won’t he do something to help her?
It was terrific to see Owen on Team Cristina. He’s always in her corner, but this time, he went public with this opinion. He wisely counseled her to apologize (while encouraging Teddy to communicate with Cristina rather than just shutting her down), knowing that’s what it was going to take to get back in Teddy’s good graces. Of course, Cristina couldn’t quite manage to be sincere until the end of the episode, when she let Teddy have it with both barrels.
Frankly, I think Teddy had it coming. She’s been petty and insecure and I don’t buy the whole martyr/devoted teacher act for a minute. She doesn’t get Cristina at all and I’m getting more than a little nervous at what a desperate Dr. Yang might do.
Looking Ahead to the Penultimate Episode
So what do you think? Will Meredith and Derek adopt baby Zola? Will Alex keep Meredith’s secret? Will Cristina ever get to operate on a heart again? Will the Chief Resident EVER be chosen? The next all-new episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “I Will Survive,” airs Thursday, May 12 on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Photo AlbumGrey’s Anatomy: 7.20 “White Wedding”
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
