Whoa! Grey’s Anatomy has done it again. Just like last year the penultimate episode was chock full of incredible developments, setting the stage for an epic season finale. Let’s review where things stand before pondering the promo for next week.
Ambition and Ambiguity
GA creator Shonda Rhimes has said that the season finale will focus on Meredith, Cristina, and Alex. Tonight’s installment, “I Will Survive”, got things rolling as the lines between personal relationships and professional aspirations began to blur.
Meredith was ostensibly still in the race for chief resident, but I found it telling that on final interview day, she was much more concerned with trying to adopt baby Zola. Who would have thought we’d see the day when Meredith Grey wanted to be a mommy? Yet there she was … bonding with the baby while simultaneously confronting her darkest fears about her stormy childhood and anxieties about being a mom.
Despite her worries that she would fail her interview with the adoption agency and would have no idea how to be a parent, she really rose to the occasion. I get the very strong impression that Meredith is going to be pleasantly surprised by how well she takes to this motherhood thing.
Then we had Cristina who, shut out of surgery for too long, went rogue and performed a tricky operation on a patient who had a tree growing in his lung. The procedure went well but the consequences were grave as both the Chief and Dr. Altman were none-too-pleased with the ambitious Dr. Yang. It fell to Owen to tell Cristina the hard truth: she’s not going to be chief resident. I loved this scene, though, because it showed how much Owen truly understands Cristina and wants what is best for her. She is not a good match for the CR position, but she will be an excellent surgeon.
And that’s just what Owen encouraged her to be.
I don’t get it when viewers complain that Owen doesn’t support Cristina’s career. On the contrary, he’s been supporting her every step of the way and never more so than right now. It was telling that Cristina realized he was right and vowed to be excellent in everything she did from the OR to the bedroom. The juxtaposition of those scenes (the argument in the conference room to the kiss-and-make-up at Joe’s) showed how well these two know each other and how deeply they love one another.
Finally there was Alex, who got an expected offer to go to Africa. Dr. Karev found himself at a crossroads. He can already tell that being anything but chief resident is going to be unsatisfying on some level, but moving to Africa is a major deal, particularly when he’s got this undefined thing going with Lucy Fields. It took him most of the day but Alex finally decided to stay in Seattle and hoped to convince Lucy to turn down her offer to go Baylor and make a go of their relationship.
Then came the bombshell.
Lucy did turn down Baylor … to go to Africa … for the job Alex was considering. I’ve got to admit that I didn’t see that one coming (and at this point, I see most things coming).
The sting of that betrayal led to something I think most of us saw coming. Alex revealed Meredith’s deception in the Alzheimer’s trial. Yikes. That’s gonna leave a mark.
In the meantime, two triangles came to the fore. After making the decision to be with Jackson, Lexie found herself mooning over Mark yet again. It’s time for full disclosure here. I’m on Team Jackson. I think he and Lexie are a much better match in every possible way than Lexie and Mark. Having said that, I wish she would choose someone already. Enough. Seriously.
And then we had Teddy and her two suitors. Again, if I’m being honest, I haven’t much cared whether Teddy chose Andrew or Henry. I’m just not that interested in Teddy’s love life. But now I’m with Richard. I too like to support the underdog and Henry needs all the help he can get. Plus Scott Foley is all kinds of adorable, so Team Henry it is.
What’s to Come
Since I know that many readers try to avoid spoilers at all costs, I’m going to avoid details of any kind. I shall merely address the promo in a general way. Let me simply say: Oh. My. Goodness. Meredith! Cristina! Alex! Meredith and Derek! Cristina and Owen! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
The season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, “Unaccompanied Minor,” airs next Thursday, May 19 on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Photo AlbumGrey’s Anatomy: 7.21 “I Will Survive”
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
