Season 6, Episode 16
Original airdate: 3/4/10

Photo: ABC

I thought this was the best episode in a long time.  Here’re my bullet points:

• What’s with Arizona taking it upon herself to be in charge of everyone else’s personal matters?  Last episode she was all about convincing Bailey to go out with Hot Sexy Anesthesiologist, and this week she tells Teddy, quite matter-of-factly, that they are friends now.  Oh wait, I get it.  Arizona and Callie are in a happy relationship, therefore there’s no drama, therefore Arizona has no better storyline opportunities.

(more…)

Season 6, Episode 15: “The Time Warp”
Original airdate: 2/18/10

Photo: ABC

Ahhh, a flashback episode.  Although the writers seem to think otherwise, showing us the characters’ pasts doesn’t effectively distract us from the fact that the story is not moving even a little bit forward throughout the entire episode.  If you ask me, writers, I don’t care about what happened before.  I care what is happening now.  But I guess you’re not asking me, huh? (more…)

Season 6, Episode 14
Original airdate: 2/11/10

Photo: ABC

We begin the episode with Derek, Meredith, Owen, and Cristina in Derek’s car, presumably on their way to a Valentine’s Day double date.  This is weird to me, as I just don’t see any of these people as the Valentine’s Day double date types.  Naturally, this detour into conformity doesn’t last long, because a restaurant has collapsed and the docs are needed back at the hospital to help out with the emergency.  There are lots of sub-stories about the victims of the building collapse, but we’ll just focus on our favorite doctors and their always drama-filled lives. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 13
Original airdate: 2/4/10

Photo: ABC

Finally, the thing they’ve been dancing around for nearly six seasons has finally come to fruition—Derek is Chief of Surgery.  Sure, it’s technically just interim Chief of Surgery, but still.  He’s nervous for his first day on the job, the staff is all a murmur about whether he will lay-off all the Mercy Westers, and Richard is left to sit in a room all day trying to make a decision—retire early and give up his medical license… or go to rehab.  You’d think it would be a no-brainer, because a) as a medical professional, he should know better than anyone the value of getting sober, and b) if he goes the rehab route, he won’t have to give up his license and he’ll be able to come back to his job.  Um, DUH.  (more…)

Photo: ABC

I felt like there was a conscious change in the Grey’s Anatomy writing this week.  Remember in the first few seasons when it was all about sex, sex, sex, scandal, relationships, sex?  Well, I think they’re trying to get back to that formula.  In the past couple seasons, there’s been too much tragedy (ie. George’s death, Izzie’s cancer, etc.)  This week the show slightly resembled its former self.

Teddy’s still here, because the chief asked her to finish out her contract.  At first Cristina tells her she didn’t mean what she said about, you know, being willing to trade Owen for good teaching.  But then, as the episode goes on, she realizes that, yup, she actually DID mean it.  And she tells Teddy so.  Man, Cristina’s got balls.  I love that woman.  (more…)

Season 6, Episode 11

Original airdate: 1/14/10

Photo: ABC

Cristina gets a solo cardiac surgery!  Horray, Seattle Grace finally has a cardiac attending that is willing to help Cristina learn!  Cristina’s patient Ruthie, played by the faaabulous Cynthia Stevenson (I am the only one here who really misses Dead Like Me?), proves to be a real pain in the arse, but Cristina handles it all remarkably well.  There’s a bit of a mishap in the OR and the patient starts bleeding profusely… and Dr. Altman refuses to help.  She knows Cristina will figure out what to do on her own, which of course ultimately does happen.  Gotta love TV land.  Imagine the consequences if an attending stood idly by while a resident nearly kills a patient in real life?  Talk about law suit!  (more…)

Season 6, Episode 10: “Holidaze”

Original airdate: 11/19/09

Photo credit: ABC

Thanksgiving: The chief tells Meredith he’s not an alcoholic.  He was simply misdiagnosed twenty years ago.  He actually has something called “situational depression.”  Riiiight.  Sounds like exactly the sort of thing an alcoholic in denial would say.

A blonde bombshell shows up.  Guess what!  She’s Mark’s 18-year-old daughter (Levin Rambin).  Her first name is Sloan.  Classic. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 9:  “New History”

Original airdate:  11/12/09

Photo credit: ABC

Izzie is back!  And her hair is much longer than the last time we saw her.  Exactly how much time has passed?  It’s only been a few episodes.  And today is Meredith’s first day back to work, and her last day was Izzie’s last day.  And I think Meredith’s only been out a month… so… Izzie’s hair apparently grows super fast. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 8:  “Invest in Love”

Original airdate:  11/5/09

Photo credit: ABC

The themes of this week: kids and money.

A bunch of our favorite Seattle Grace docs get called into the hospital in the middle of the night to give care to various kids—a teenage girl who got super high on shrooms and jumped off her roof, a premature baby who had a stroke in the womb, and Wallace Anderson, Arizona’s long-term 10-year-old patient.  (more…)

Season 6, Episode 7:  “Give Peace a Chance”

Original airdate:  10/29/09

Photo credit: ABC

Derek is doing the voiceover.  Because this is a Derek-centric episode, or because Ellen Pompeo is on maternity leave?  Probably both.  So Derek’s talking about making the decision to become a surgeon.  And whatddya know, in this very episode Derek is given a challenge that tests his ethical and technical surgical abilities. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 6

Original airdate:  10/22/09

Photo credit: ABC

Have you guys ever seen that movie Vantage Point?  I actually saw it in the movie theater.  I saw it because it had Matthew Fox and Dennis Quaid, two actors I usually enjoy.  And it seemed like a cool concept—the way you interpret something depends on your particular vantage point.  Well guess what?  The movie sucked.  It was honestly one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.  What is the point of me telling you this, you may be asking?  Well, folks, the moral of this story is that Grey’s Anatomy really should have taken a cue from the miserable failures of Vantage Point and not gone anywhere near this whole contrived “I Saw What I Saw” concept. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 5:  “Invasion”

Original airdate:  10/15/09

Photo credit: ABC.com

Attack of the orange scrubs!!!  The doctors of Mercy West have landed.  One such doctor, Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner, from Heroes) takes George’s cubby and is unapologetic about it.  This is the beginning of the battle between Mercy West and Seattle Grace.  (more…)

Season 6, Episode 4:  “Tainted Obligation”

Original airdate:  10/8/09

Alex hates living in McDreamy’s trailer.  Obviously.  It’s a trailer.  They’re doctors.  They can surely afford a one bedroom apartment that isn’t continuously attacked by freaking bears.  I think Alex is totally justified in wanting to move, but Izzie doesn’t want to.  Until… she gets confronted by the bear and changes her tune.

What else is going on with the docs of Seattle Grace?

Everyone still wants information on the merger with Mercy West, but, of course, doesn’t get it. (more…)

Season 6, Episode 3:  “I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watchin’ Me”

Original airdate:  10/1/09

You know how all the Grey’s episodes are named after songs?  Well, this one is named after “I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watchin’ Me,” also known as the Geico song.  Man, I love those commercials. 

So after the chief’s announcement of the merger between Seattle Grace and Mercy West, everyone’s work ethic has kicked into high gear.  People aren’t sleeping, they’re taking extra shifts– even Izzie is back at work, adorned in a red wig.  She should be focusing on getting better, but she’s worried about losing her job, so rest and food medication have to wait.  Pretty stupid behavior for someone who should know better.

Derek and Chief Webber are at each other’s throats.  Cristina is all up in Arizona’s business—not in the way Callie is (they’re officially girlfriends now, yay!), but in the pediatric surgery/reattaching baby arms way.  Alex is pissed at Izzie, again, because he doesn’t want to have to play nurse to a cancer patient who won’t take her meds.  Lexi is dealing with a paranoid schizophrenic patient (James Frain).  We’re still only seeing the top half of Meredith (the non-pregnant half).  And everyone is worried about their job security.  Everyone except Mark, who seems pretty damn sure of himself. (more…)

Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2:  “Good Mourning; Goodbye”

Original airdate:  9/24/09

I can’t help it.  I love the over-the-top drama of “Grey’s Anatomy.”  It’s often ridiculous, sappy, schmaltzy, and sometimes downright sickening, but I love every second of it.  And it’s got voice-overs and far-fetched metaphors, just like Sex and the City.  Bonus!

George O’Malley (played by the brilliant T.R. Knight) was my favorite character from day one.  Any time George was on screen, I paid extra close attention.  He was just so darn cute and loveable.  But during season five of “Grey’s,” George became an increasingly peripheral character, not having any major storylines and often going entire episodes without even making an appearance.  The writers and producers may have thought we wouldn’t notice, but you better believe I noticed!  I wasn’t getting my weekly O’Malley fix.  That’s how I knew George wasn’t gonna be around for much longer.  (more…)