Each week on "Grey's Anatomy," patients are saved by the power of medicine and the brilliance of the hospital's surgeons. But last night's episode made one thing clear: Sometimes patients survive because they choose to do so. (Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you've saved the episode for later viewing.)
As Bailey and the chief labored to save a drowned Meredith Grey, the show's central character spent much of this sharply written hour trapped in a less than idyllic depiction of heaven.
She was accompanied by a Greek chorus of dead people: Denny Duquette, Dylan the sexy bomb squad guy, Liz the retired scrub nurse and Bonnie, a patient impaled in a train crash last season. These afterlife scenes had the feel of a minimalist stage play - an interesting choice, and one that kept things from getting maudlin.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan was at his lovable best as Denny, who coaxed Meredith into admitting she had allowed herself to drown - something that Derek, back in the real world, suspected.
Meredith, of course, endured the requisite moments of regret ("I had intimacy issues. You know how stupid that seems now?"). She remained stuck in limbo until her dying mother appeared.
For the first time in their history, Ellis was there for her daughter. "You are anything but ordinary," she whispered, "Now, run. Run." With mom's blessing, Meredith fled back to the land of the living. (Ellis, however, went in the opposite direction.)
Back on earth, the hospital staff had been reeling. "This is Ellis Grey's little girl," the chief cried out at one point.
The crisis also brought out some revelations:
- At 9, Cristina watched her father die in a car crash. She panicked at the thought of losing Meredith but then found the courage to face the crisis head on.
- Denny haunts the hospital's hallways, remaining as close to Izzie as he can. They shared a sweet moment at the episode's end, but her character has gotten so insufferable, it was hard to care too much.
- George may be questioning the wisdom of his quickie marriage, and he and Callie are both sick of Izzie's preachy intrusions. "I will not be run off," Callie warned Izzie.
Addison, struck by the depth of Derek's love for Meredith, gave Mark another chance at romance. But there are ground rules: "Go 60 days without sex," she tells him, "and maybe I'll believe you."
Alex bonded with the pregnant Jane Doe, who survived the ferryboat crash but has amnesia, and Bailey gained confidence after holding things together while those around her went into a meltdown.
