Episode Report Card Lauren S: B | 1 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT McReckless
By Lauren S | Season 7 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.23.2010
After the gathering, Teddy is examining the bullet in Alex's chest, which we can see outlined against his skin. She's happy that it's moved closer to the surface and is ready to take it out, but Alex wants to keep it, calling it his "war wound." While he does actually have some leeway to refer to it as such, she's still generally not amused by his attitude, especially when he adds that, "Chicks dig that crap," and then walks out.
Meredith, Derek and April are looking at the scans when Mark and Callie come in, and April explains that the last surgeon nicked something or other in the kid's brain which allowed the tumor to mushroom into his brain and down his spine. See? Look what happens when you try to have a brain surgeon other than Derek Shepherd work on you. Mark muses about the different awful things he could do to get in to the tumor through the kid's face, and Derek says he'll have to do all of them at once. Everyone looks at him like he's crazy and Mark reminds him that he'll have to open up the kid's hard palate, split his tongue, and break his jaw. Callie makes a comment to assure us that yes, this would all be as painful as it sounds, but Derek flippantly says that if the kid wants to live he's sure he doesn't care about the pain. Yes and no -- they aren't talking about a little nip and tuck here, but rather LITERALLY BREAKING HIS WHOLE FACE OPEN. And while I'm sure he wants to live, let's give that the moment it deserves, shall we? Meredith tried to point all that out and adds that they aren't even sure they could get the tumor out but Derek shuts her right down, and an excited Callie and Mark run off to clear their schedules and plan out their attack. Meredith reminds Derek that he's not clear for surgery but he just brushes it off and says he'll get cleared. Good gravy, every cocky idiot tendency he had before the shooting has now been magnified a hundredfold.
Richard, meanwhile, is having a little dance party in his office to celebrate the return of his Chiefdom. Meredith walks in and even when he sees her, it takes him a moment to stop shimmying. She wants him to clear her for surgery but he shuts her right down and says that Perkins is the best, that's why he was hired, so he's the one that will make the decision. She's miffed and storms off but he doesn't care, and just gets back to boogieing.
Lexie is back to being a brunette, and while the blonde defied my every expectation and actually grew on me, she looks way better back with her dark, shiny hair. She has no problem talking to Perkins, but will talk about anything but what actually happened to her, and finally he asks her and points out that she's been through a lot since he last saw her. She flashes back to the memory of Gary pointing a gun at her, and that leads into another memory of a group therapy session at the hospital. Her hair is in a ponytail and it looks like someone threw some baby powder or other chalky substance in to give it the illusion of still being somewhat blonde, but really it just looks kind of like straw. None of the doctors assembled want to talk until Cristina brings up some excellent tacos she ate, and they talk about food trucks until Lexie breaks in and begins to ramble about some reading she did. This is clearly where her being a Lexipedia is a detriment rather than a gift -- she rambles about how she read up on the history of mass murders in the US, and explains to all of them how she learned that technically what happened at the hospital was in fact a mass murder: it was in one place, by one person, and more than four people were killed. She's totally twitchy while she talks and the others are all visibly disturbed, while Perkins just stares calmly at her.