Episode Report Card Lauren S: B+ | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Here Come The Brides
By Lauren S | Season 7 | Episode 20 | Aired on 05.05.2011
Meredith and Derek are facing a mountain of adoption paperwork, and Meredith seems pretty overwhelmed that, "Let's adopt this baby," turned into such an intimidating pile of forms so quickly -- and these are just to see if they are suitable to adopt in the first place. But when Derek tells her they don't have to do this, Meredith melts and says that she wants to, and that Zola could be their little girl. They've done a wonderful job having Meredith slowly grow up and making her a likable character and deserve kudos, because I could never, ever imagine that the show was going to get to this point with her and if they did, I would never have thought it would be believable. Derek tells her they'll take the process one step at a time, and he sees one thing they could check off their to-do list today. Mere looks at where he is pointing and smiles, but is serious when she reminds him she doesn't want to do "that." When Derek says it's for the baby, though, she agrees.
And that brings us to the biggest shocker of, I would argue, the entire season: Meredith and Derek walk hand-in-hand to see a judge and get legally married.
They happen to be getting married right at the same time as Callie and Arizona, and Bailey walks up the aisle looking gorgeous in a purple dress and mumbles to herself that she could have kept her mouth shut. The setting is gorgeous -- they seem to be in some sort of park and large ribbons of fabric are set up almost like a tent over where Bailey is standing with some musicians playing. But weren't she and Arizona getting married in a church? Callie did mention at the rehearsal that there would be an altar. This is quite a glamorous set-up for being thrown together in a single day. Regardless, it's a beautiful spot for a wedding. Mark walks Bailey along and tells her she's going to do fine. Fine at what? Why, OFFICIATING THE WEDDING. Because she ROCKS. Arizona is first to walk down the aisle and is escorted by The Colonel; she looks beautiful in a strapless dress with flowered skirt. Callie is next, and her escort is a really appropriate stand-in since her dad can't be there -- Mark leads her down the aisle and is the one to give her away. She looks great in a satin dress with sparkly, sheer, elbow-length sleeves and the veil she had made to look like her mother's.
Meredith and Derek's wedding is a total contrast to the beautiful, girly production in the park but both of the ceremonies are perfectly tailored to the couple taking part. Bailey starts the ceremony for Arizona and Callie, and there are lots of happy grins from the couple and the guests alike; it's very romantic. But Derek and Meredith are just as happy about taking this step as our other couple, and they smile at each other as the judge walks them brusquely through their ceremony. He stamps their paperwork and hands each of them a pen to sign their way into marriage while Arizona and Callie kiss, and Bailey pronounces them wife and wife.