Episode Report Card 34 USERS: B- YOU GRADE IT Stick a Fork in It
By Lauren S | Season 10 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.07.2013
When Jackson arrives at the hospital he's immediately greeted by Leah who says that a patient is there to get her drain removed, though at first I thought she said "brain" and figured she was asking the right doctor and that I think people who need that aren't usually conscious enough to ask… anyway, Jackson says that he'll go ahead and take it himself, despite Leah's protests that she knows the case and can handle it. They arrive in the research lab where everyone is milling about, wondering what amazing organ Mere might have printed first. Stephanie promises them all that their minds will be blown. Even Derek doesn't seem to know what it is -- when he arrives, Mere teases him that he has to wait like everyone else.
Owen comes in and begins a presentation with a speech about innovation, and says that Mere is a leader and they should all follow her example. Jackson and Derek stand together and as Owen talks, it looks like the printer tech standing next to Mere is offering a saucy wink to someone in the audience. Derek, though, seems to recognize it as a particular twitch and points it out to Jackson. Mere speaks about how soon they will be able to customize treatments to serve a patient's specific needs, even using a patient's own cells to prevent rejection. With that, she finishes, "Welcome to the age of personalized medicine!" and with a flourish pulls out… a plastic fork. Hey, I could reenact this whole scene accurately at my own desk using only my lunch supplies! Everyone watching is visibly disappointed and everyone immediately turns to leave, which somehow leaves Mere shocked. She calls out after them that they only got the printer yesterday, and soon they will be printing portal veins. But Derek is the only one who actually claps, and I think he's required to do that by the Unwritten Laws of Marriage.
Mere takes the fork to Richard, and despite her witty quips about how her mom would nag her about her hair, he tells her that she'd be proud of her daughter. He then wants to tell her some story from his glory days but she's heard it already and shuts him down. She points out that he's getting too comfortable and needs to walk, so tries to get him out of bed but he declines. After she leaves, CJ yells at him, "Another captive runs screaming from your theater of boredom." She's played by the always awesome Lainie Kazan. She's got her walker and is doing her own laps like a good patient, while April keeps an eye on her. CJ teases him about retelling all of his old stories, and then tries to goad him to get out of bed. He will argue, but he still prefers to remain in his comfortable bed, and she moves on while they shout cheerful insults at each other.