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My personal philosophy in life is to under promise and over deliver, lest people be disappointed. Thus, I was extremely nervous when the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy was hyped to the extreme. Game changing! The finale that changes everything! You don’t want to miss it! To her credit GA creator and writer-of-this-episode Shonda Rhimes pretty much delivered on her promise. I found myself with my heart in my mouth for the entire evening before finally being able to exhale as the credits rolled.
I knew we were in trouble from Meredith’s trade mark opening voice-over. The former Queen of Dark and Twisty Land was all shiny and happy having just found out she was pregnant with a McBaby. The juxtaposition of Meredith’s total happiness with Gary Clark’s utter despair was both heartbreaking and chilling. And as Mr. Clark began his bloodbath at Seattle Grace Mercy West, I knew all bets were off as, just minutes into the episode, Reed took a bullet to the head.
Check Out 15 Reasons Why This Was The Best Grey’s Anatomy Finale, EVER
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MEREDITH AND CRISTINA
The Twisted Sisters really were the showcase of the entire finale. Meredith, side-lined for much of the season, took center stage as she dealt with the unexpected pregnancy that filled her with delight. Her joy turned to horror, however, as she watched Derek get gunned down by a vengeful Gary Clark, unhinged by the loss of his wife and holding Derek responsible. The twists and turns are too numerous to mention her, but how amazing was Meredith offering herself up in Derek’s place? It is the ultimate sacrifice to give your own life for the one you love and Meredith was willing to do that. As Cristina said earlier, they are really adults now. Sadly, although Derek will survive (more on that later) Meredith lost her baby and her pain was palpable. Before she could even wrap her mind around the idea of her child it was taken away and her devastation was clear.
OK, can I just say that Cristina Yang is a rock star? Rock. Star. Still reeling from breaking things off with Owen, Cristina rose to the occasion and, in the absence of an attending physician, performed highly-difficult and ultimately life-saving surgery on Derek with a GUN TO HER HEAD! That’s right. Shooter Gary Clark tracked them down in the OR and threatened to blow her to kingdom come unless she stopped the surgery. Cristina being Cristina, of course, kept right on doing what she was doing and, with a little help from Jackson’s clever ploy, managed to keep Derek alive. She also reconciled with Owen, right there in the middle of Crazytown.
I have to admit the the Faux “Triangle” of Cristina-Owen-Teddy has been annoying me to no end this season, mostly because there’s never been a choice: Owen clearly loves Cristina and has been choosing her repeatedly throughout the season, over and over again. The writers, however, have been bent on giving us drama and have tried to convince us that Owen’s feelings are complicated and, as a result, we’ve had numerous occasions when Owen has remained ambiguously silent when a simple conversation would end the madness. And now we know why: So Owen could show up in the OR in the season finale and both clearly and passionately declare his undying love for Cristina, which he did in spades. No ambiguity there. Owen was safely outside the hospital but willingly and unhesitatingly went right back in to a very dangerous situation because his True Love was still in harm’s way. And the way he calmly and surely went into the fray? Be still, my heart. Final aside: Some of you were mad at Owen last week because of the whole Meredith thing. Please note how he tried to keep her safe and how she tended his wounds. Things are looking up.
I’m not thrilled with the way the story arc was written but at least the “triangle” is at long-last dead with Owen definitively choosing Cristina and Cristina imploring Meredith (after Owen was shot), “Look, I’m saving your guy here. Can you please go and save mine?” Yay! Owen and Cristina end the season in a good place and we can now try to forget the Triangle of Doom and move forward into another story next season. One other quibble: I know Shonda was trying to wrap up the episode at that point, but would it have killed her to give u an Owen and Cristina kiss or embrace or something? Seriously. Oh, well. I’ll settle for the exchange of meaningful, intense glances from behind surgical masks.
EVERYBODY ELSE
Scariest and most heartbreaking subplot? Miranda Bailey and high-profile guest star Mandy Moore dealing with the aftermath of Gary Clark shooting Charles Percy. I’ve never been a big fan of Bigfoot, but his death was strangely moving with Miranda proving with each passing minute why she was his favorite doctor. Miranda felt guilt for saving her own life by pretending to be a nurse, but Charlie set her straight by calling her smart. She’s also brave and loyal and kind. Love her.
Biggest plot twist? After Alex was shot (and I’ve been loving Karev, so that broke my Alex-loving heart) it fell to Lexie and Mark to care fore him and, as they did, Lexie implored Alex not to die and leave her because she loved him (!) Now I’m firmly on Team Alex, but I sincerely offer my sympathy to Mexie fans who I know are as shocked and disappointed as Mark Sloan clearly was.
The Callie and Arizona Baby Drama was wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly in my opinion, but I like them, so fine. Good for them. I do feel badly because I feel like Arizona was quietly representing the numerous women out there who don’t want children, but that’s a story for another column. Calzona is now happily reconciled after realizing that Life is Short.
Speaking of which, in an episode whose primary theme was redemption, how awesome was Richard Webber? He bravely faced down the shooter and kept his sobriety in the process. He’s truly been redeemed and I anticipate that he’ll get his Chief of Surgery job back next season as well.
So there you have it: A Game-Changing Season Finale Which Changed Everything. Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Sound off in the poll and the comments. I’ll return next week with a wrap up of season six and speculation about season seven. In the meantime, hunker down because new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy won’t begin until sometime in September. It’s going to be a long summer.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
