Episode Report Card Lauren S: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
By Lauren S | Season 5 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.06.2008
Mike asks his doctors if they're really going to cause him to have a heart attack. Meredith explains the procedure, "alcohol ablation" where Hahn will inject ethanol into his heart through a catheter in his femoral artery. The alcohol then burns off the tissue it touches. Izzie has been shaking her head and looking ill -- she's being so obvious that it seems like Michael and the other doctors should be able to hear the Drums of Doom that we do. Hahn asks Izzie to explain and she can barely get out that they are trying to burn away the muscle in his ventricle that's preventing his heart from getting oxygen. He asks skeptically if he'll be able to breathe and they tell him the effect would be immediate. Unfortunately, he can't be asleep during the procedure. Hahn explains that Izzie, of course, will be asking him to cough and inhale and exhale. He and his wife sound worried, and Hahn admits that it's dangerous, but it's one that they can monitor and control, and they all know that if he has another random heart attack, it would kill him. Izzie looks out of the window into the hall with her big, teary (really, really made-up) eyes and sees none other but Denny walking by, so she can only stare agape while poor Michael tries to talk to her about the surgery, asking her to make sure she really keeps him awake. Fortunately he seems not to notice his doctor's personal crisis that is keeping her paying any attention to her patient's care.
The girls follow Hahn out who tells Mere to get some results. Once she's gone, Mere asks Izzie if she's freaking out, and Izzie freaks out as she asks if Mere thinks she should be freaking out. Because we couldn't have this be big enough on its own, Michael is even in Denny's old room. Mere explains all this and adds that it's a lot of Denny for one day, and Izzie agrees. Izzie then asks Mere how much Denny she's "experiencing," and instead of calling her a nutjob, Mere just tells her that she can do this. I'd like this scene to go down as proof that Izzie does in fact have a friend in Mere, the next time she starts moaning about how she's all alone.
George is working on Stan and getting frustrated, as Stan just keeps repeating that his pain is getting worse. Alex is just pacing behind him, and when George says he won't win the solo surgery practicing on a robot, Alex tells him that actually he won't win because he sucks. Stan then says, "Your bedside manner is what sucks." George is now much more appreciative of Stan, but Alex pouts and heads to leave. Stan calls after him, "What's the matter, scared of a little education?" Alex leaves, and George starts singing to Stan about how he's so awesome. Stan responds by getting what seems to be a projectile nosebleed and George freaks out.