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If you had told me, at the beginning of this season, or even after the strike break, that I would give the finale and A and be in tears while I did it, I'd say you were on crack. But hey, I guess it looks like we should pass the pipe around!
Andrew is finally freed from the cement, and as predicted his heart immediately stops. But they're prepared, and he's rushed into surgery. After a few hours, while Hahn is elsewhere, he has a heart problem. Cristina asserts that she can do it and that they'll lose too much time calling Hahn, so Richard lets her go ahead. When Hahn gets in and sees what is happening, she flips her shit and screams at Cristina, who awesomely tells her to shut up. Later, Richard gives Hahn a talking to and says that if she wants to stay, she needs to be a better teacher. He then admonishes Cristina, who heard it, not to make him regret standing up for her. Lesson learned, Cristina calls in Lexie and begins to teach her how to do stitches on a banana.
Lexie and George get in a big fight over her telling him about his one-point failure, and how she only proved that once again, he lost out by a hair. But she tells him about his letters of recommendation and how he had more than any of his friends, and how they were better because they talked about what an amazing person he was. This gives George what he needs to stand up to the Chief and say that he should be doing more than he is right now, and to his surprise and delight the Chief tells him he can take the exam again. He runs home to tell Lexie and gives her a kiss, which clearly means quite a lot to her by the way she touches her lips afterward.
Andrew has survived, and Bailey tells him that she kept her promise that he would live and she also finally figured out the big picture. She gives Izzie the keys to the clinic and hands it over to Izzie's care, declaring that she loves surgery and her family more than the clinic and realized she needed to let something go. She tells Izzie she earned it and I have to admit that she did. She stands up to Alex, who is really perfecting his asshole persona with Izzie while insisting he can take care of Ava. Izzie knows he can't and calls a psych consult, which results in Ava being committed. In the process, she learns that Alex had to do all of this once before, when he was a kid, for his own mom. That night she apologizes to him and won't let him brush it off. He kisses her, and begs her to stay the night with him while he cries. About here is where my hanky came out.
Derek is totally demoralized by their first patient dying and doesn’t want to operate on Beth, but she insists. Before they begin, he tells Meredith he never wants to see her again afterward. But naturally, this is the surgery where they succeed, and Beth winds up waking up with a smaller tumor and function back in her left arm. Derek grabs the bottle of champagne that he threw in the trash and runs to find Meredith. After Beth's surgery she went home to find Ava's blood all over the kitchen, just like her mom's, but realizes that her mom didn't really want to die, she wanted Richard to come after her, but she was too proud to tell him that. She also wanted Meredith to be an extraordinary human being, not just a surgeon. Meredith finally feels healed, and runs off to find Derek at the trailer, while he's looking for her at her house. When he finally gets back, he finds that she's laid out the floorplan of their house in candles, and he breaks into her yelling about how she just made a fool of herself by kissing her. I grabbed the whole box of Kleenex about now.
And in other kissing news, Richard goes to Adele and tells her that he's a good man who knows he treated her badly but he wants to come home, and she welcomes him back. Mark gets Callie to realize that she wants Hahn more than she wants him, and so after work Callie goes and plants a kiss on her. And after Meredith and Derek kiss, he leaves to go break up with Rose, because he doesn’t want to be a complete dog when he and Meredith re-consummate their relationship. Welcome back, Grey's!
Missed the first half of the two-parter? Read all about it here!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We pick back up just after where we left off: Alex is running Ava, who really looks kind of dragged along and not entirely concerned with what's up, into the ER. Izzie's been waiting and asks what happened (though the fact that both of her wrists are wrapped is kind of a giveaway) but Alex pointedly only gives her a list of supplies that he needs. He finally says that she cuts herself and adds that it was an accident, but Izzie picks up Ava's hand and sees what's up and sadly moans, "Alex." He just tells her he'll take care of it, and pulls the curtain between them.
Derek, meanwhile, seems to have been broken by Jeremy's death. He tells Beth and her parents that he totally understands if she doesn't want to go through with it, but Meredith counters each of his statements, explaining that they learned from Jeremy and will adjust the viral cocktail. Derek only stresses, "We have not yet had a positive outcome." Beth's mom says that she wants to take her home, and Derek concedes immediately. But on the bed in between them, Beth tells them that she wants the surgery. Her mom thinks it's the grief talking, but Meredith takes the opening to tell them that there are no other trials, therefore no other answers, and that Dr. Shepherd has worked very hard on this. Derek actually cuts her off warningly at this point. Beth's dad tells her that they don't want her to die so she can be with Jeremy, but Beth points out, quite reasonably, that she's going to die anyway in a matter of days or weeks. Her mom, crying, tells her they don't want to lose her. Beth is determined and says that they won't, that she's not finished. She also tells them that Jeremy would be mad at her for not giving up, and looks right at Derek and tells him to do the surgery today. He won't look her in the eyes, but glances at Meredith before giving the absolute tiniest of nods.
Callie shuffles into the waiting room and over the din of the boys smacking each other, laughing, and generally acting like teenage imbeciles tells Lola that Andrew is asking for her and asks her to come see him. Lola gets up and asks Callie if he's okay, and she barely hides her contempt as she points out that he's trapped in a block of concrete so... no, not really okay at all. Lola stares at her silently and Callie realizes that she actually cares about Andrew. She quietly says that despite what she said earlier, he's her friend. Callie suggests it's more than that and that Lola is just too scared to admit it. At this point, two of the guys, sharing iPod headphones, start making kissing noises. I get that we need to see that Lola's trying to be a cool kid and this shows her struggle, but in all honesty I have no idea why these other three guys are still there. I would think that in real life, once they were questioned they'd be long gone. But lucky for us, we get to watch them and thank God we're not teenagers anymore and that we don't have to deal with quite this level of stupidity in the opposite sex. Well, maybe that's just my own personal thanks. Callie yells at them that he's in pain, and more quietly tells Lola that he's scared and needs someone to hold his hand. As the boys behind her start taunting, Callie tells her that they don't matter, but that Andrew does. Lola, however, thinks and then sets her jaw and defiantly says she can't help him. Disgusted, Callie informs her that she's going to hate herself for this, and that she'll be right to do so.
Back in the Chief's office, George is obsessively looking at the files, fretting that they don't look like they did before. Lexie's got diarrhea of the mouth, though, and just spews everything she learned. Cristina is dyslexic (really?!) but got straight A's in med school, she has a PhD, and she got eight letters of recommendation. Izzie went to school at night, so it took her six years to finish. She worked as a candy striper, and patients wrote her letters of recommendation. George turns and whispers that they need to get out before they get caught, but because he's George, as he picks up his stack of charts he knocks an entire bowl of candies to the floor. As they pick them up, Lexie continues and tells him that Alex wrote an essay about his grades not being great because of his testicular cancer. George is distracted enough by this to hit his head on the desk, so Lexie spits that she's seen him naked and he surely has two balls. "Two mangerines, George, two pouch potatoes." Is that what the kids these days are calling them? Because if so, I give you a slow clap for making me bust out laughing at the newfangled slang. George begs her to stop telling him things he doesn't want to know, but instead of doing so she focuses on the one point and asks how they could possibly have kept him back for one measly point? George yells at her to forget about it, but she references the photographic memory and tells him she can't.
Derek and Mere are in the hallway, but she has to jog to keep up with him because the high horse he's riding gives him the advantage of speed. She assures him that they'll get it right with Beth, but he just demands to know why it is that she pushed the surgery after Beth just lost the love of her life. Mere questions how he could encourage her not to do it. But Derek's clearly been building this up, and he's ready to have his say. He tells Mere that her ego is the problem, not his. He tells her that she backed him into a corner, and calls Beth a kid. Mere points out that she'll die without the surgery, but Derek says she'll die with it. "That's what you and I do together. We kill things. Over and over and over again." God, Derek, why don't you be a little bit more dramatic and vengeful? He tells her that now they're going to kill a 13th person, and that after they do that he never wants to see Meredith again.
Richard tells Andrew that they're ready to begin. (A new procedure? Dancing on the ceiling? Acting like professionals? Begin what?) Andrew asks about Lola and Callie lies really badly that she couldn't find her. Bailey announces it's time to put in the catheter. Now hang on a second -- that's what he wanted Lola there for? I so understand being in pain and needing a hand to hold but that's probably the one procedure I'd not ask my crush to be in the room to witness. Richard tells him he'll feel some pressure (doctor code for "pain") but Andrew is distracted a little bit because he's busy ranting about Lola -- he's figured out she really just didn't want to come. Apparently, she actually liked hanging out with Andrew, and on one occasion they almost kissed, but he chickened out. Callie gently says maybe he doesn't need to be kissing her (she's taken the job of holding Andrew's hand and is really being generally awesome to him), but he asserts that kissing Lola is his life's purpose.
Richard then breaks in to say that they're about to lift off the last piece of concrete, and Andrew is relieved that the hard part is over. But the looks on the doctors' faces and the fact that they're prepping all sorts of supplies tell him that it's not going to be as great as he thinks. Bailey gently tells him that when they take off the concrete, the toxins that have built up in his body will rush to his heart and probably stop it. As she explains the details, he starts to freak out, but she assures him that they're good at their jobs, and that they'll re-start his heart and take care of him. "Just, if you see the warm welcoming light? Do not go into it." Andrew's panicking but they just rip off the band-aid (so to speak) by counting to three and lifting off the slab. Sure enough, he goes down. They get him onto a gurney and get to work immediately.
Mere is in Dr. Amy's office -- I'm not quite sure, throughout the two episodes, if this is all in one meeting or if it's a couple, and I can't tell when they take place over the course of the day. I suspect it's at least a couple of separate conversations given that I know Meredith thinks about some things. For instance, right now she's demanding to know why Dr. Amy is so sure her mother didn't want to die, so Dr. Amy asks exactly what her mom said when they were sitting together in her blood. Mere thinks a moment and says that Ellis said she had failed, but that Mere should be extraordinary, and that she shouldn't depend on anyone. Amy stares at her and Mere remembers the exact quote, "Be an extraordinary woman, Meredith." Dr. Amy points out that then Mere became a surgeon, just like her mom. Over Mere's protestations she tells her that she has all of the tools to figure this out for herself, and promises that when she does, she'll be glad. Mere is clearly frustrated but it's nice to see her not just run yet again now that therapy has gotten kind of hard.
Some whiny guy music starts up over Meredith thinking, and then we cut to Derek who is looking at something presumably brain-surgery-related. He gets angry and knocks his papers across the room. It's all very stupid and macho. In another room, Lexie complains that her head is exploding but George just tells her quietly to make it unexploded. She pauses, and then asks incredulously if he's mad at her. He tells her he's not, but she won't let it go and protests that she did him a favor. Very calmly, he tells her she absolutely didn't. He only showed him that he's still George, The Almost Guy. He would have been okay if he'd failed by 50 points, but one point only tells him that he had it in his grasp but couldn't do it. He didn't want to know that, didn't want to think about how checking a single wrong answer kept him from "freedom" and now he's busting his ass to make up for a single missing point. "You didn't do me a favor. Don't kid yourself." She tries to make it better and self-consciously tells him that at least now he knows he has what it takes, but he'll only give her a clipped agreement.
Alex is working on bandaging up Ava's wrists when Izzie comes in and lets him know that she prescribed some anti-anxiety meds to keep her calm until psych comes in an hour. Alex gets up and angrily informs Izzie, like she's the dumbest human alive, that Ava doesn't need drugs or psych. This storyline is almost unwatchable for me, because he's so out of line and because it's still a struggle for me to side with Izzie after so many months of loathing that character. Izzie pulls him aside where they argue in hushed tones. Izzie wants her to have a consult to be admitted, which Alex thinks is unnecessary. His ridiculous argument is that he was watching Ava every minute until he had to take Izzie's call. Well, that's not true -- she had a good two minutes of rocking in the shower before you realized what was up. Izzie, though, takes a stand as a doctor should and tells him that she was admitted under Izzie's name, so Izzie will care for her and this is what she needs. Eager to act like the biggest asshole he can while actually endangering his not-girlfriend's life, Alex cuts her off by screaming, "Would you leave us alone, you stupid bitch?" I don't care how tragic his upbringing, this is actually scary -- because if he's left to his own devices, Ava will actually kill herself. Izzie just steps back, stunned, while Ava watches her detached as she's been watching everything these days.
Callie is watching Andrew's surgery from the scrub room when Mark comes in and tries to get her to sit and rest. But she won't sit, nor will she take her eyes off of Erica -- something that doesn't escape Mark, and he teases her that it's inappropriate to be thinking about sex right now. Callie, eyes still on her friend, says that they just spent nine hours with a kid encased in concrete whose legs were crushed, and that through all that she was still turned on by Mark's dirty talk. He points out that it wasn't him, and reminds her that he was talking about her and Erica the whole time. Callie gets all flustered and tries to deny it, but he sincerely tells her that it's okay. "I wish I was all someone thought about."
Lexie finds George watching the same surgery from the gallery. She sits to him so he moves, and she just follows to his new seat. I love that the extra they have in there playing another doctor kind of glances as them but then makes a point of staring straight ahead, like this wouldn't be totally annoying and he wouldn't kick them out in real life. But this way, George is a semi-captive audience so that Lexie can spout a lot of info that he doesn't want. He had 14 letters of recommendation in his file, which is more than any of the others. She tells him the words that were used to describe him were totally different. The others were lauded for their grades, and for being smart and hardworking. But his letters talked about his kindness, attention to detail, and how hard he tried and never gave up. "They painted a picture of the kind of doctor that I hope to become. It was an honor to read those letters." She tells him that what separates him from the others isn't one point, but greatness. "So don't you dare let one point hold you back." She then gets up and leaves before he can say anything.
Bailey comes out of Andrew's surgery where Izzie is waiting to ask her a question. "I'm covered in blood. Talk fast." Izzie tells her that Alex brought Ava in after she hurt herself, but that now he wants to take her home. Bailey stares and asks, "And?" Izzie shouts that Ava needs to be admitted and have a psych consult. Bailey: "And?" Izzie whines and asks Bailey to do her job. Ooooh, no she didn't! Bailey sputters and then gets control to tell her that she's saving a man's life, which is her job as a surgeon, she took her son to daycare earlier, which is her job as a mother, and now she's asking Izzie what Izzie is going to do about Izzie's patient, which is her job as Chief Resident. She then tells Izzie to do her job. Finally! Four years and someone finally says those sweet words to Dr. Stevens. Iz is on the verge of tears and insists she doesn't know what to do, and Bailey practically throws up her hands. She reminds Izzie that she's the doctor and Alex is the loved one in this situation, and that she knows full well what she needs to do. "It's just hard to do it!" Izzie says that she'll try, but Bailey corrects that she doesn't need to try. She's a doctor trained by Bailey, and she has all the skills she needs to do this. Maybe she and Mere should just exchange homework, since they've just been told the very same thing. She leaves, and Bailey nods to herself and says, "Each one, teach one," before heading back in.
Bailey runs back in and Richard reports that Mark, Callie and Hahn are all done so it's now their turn. Cristina reports that a vein was repaired and blood flow is good to his liver, then pauses and quickly asks, "Right, Chief?" He agrees and compliments her. Naturally, then, alarms all start wailing.
Beth is being wheeled into her surgery while Derek angrily watches from behind a door. Behind him, artfully posed so we can see her through the tiny window, she tells him tentatively that she liked it better when he was saying boring medical stuff. He only lets out a small chuckle in response. She watches, clearly worried, and he finally says quietly that he's never good enough, no matter what he says or does, and that he never wanted to do the clinical trial which is now making him a failure. "I fail her over, and over, and over." She corrects him, saying that he fails "them," but she's got a lump in her throat and she and he and everyone in the entire world knows he really did mean what he said. She leaves, and he heaves a sad, righteous sigh.
Andrew's problem turns out to be a massive clot in his pulmonary artery, and Richard calls for Hahn. Cristina is doing compressions and tells him urgently that she knows how to do the procedure -- she did it with Burke -- and that she can do it now. If they wait, he'll potentially lose too much blood to his brain. Bailey reminds them that she promised Andrew he would live, so Richard tells her to take over CPR, and tells Cristina that he's there if he needs her. So... does this mean that if Bailey hadn't promised him life, they'd just casually risk the brain damage? Thank goodness for that promise! She gets to work immediately.
In the other OR, Derek finally makes his appearance. He sits down to Beth and repeats that she doesn't have to do this. Dear God, Derek, sack up and be a fucking brilliant neurosurgeon -- especially since at other times you're always so quick to brag about it! She teases him and asks if he's scared, and he tells her yes. She tells him that she is, too, "So let's just leap, okay?" He nods okay and actually gives her a genuine smile, and they lower the mask over her face.
The alarms are still beeping in Andrew's OR when Hahn comes in demanding to know what happened. Richard tells her and she explodes with anger, not able to believe he'd have Cristina do it. Richard points out, "She's a bit of a cardiac savant, if you hadn't noticed." Hahn then starts to point out mistakes Cristina is making, but Cristina counters each one -- there's a logical reason she made every choice that she did, and it clearly infuriates Hahn. Hahn says she'll do it herself and asks for a gown, and Cristina finally snaps, "Shut up and let me work." Man, that was refreshing, holy crap. Hahn couldn't be more one-note if she was a broken harmonica, and she sounds just about as annoying. Hahn, shocked, looks to Richard for backup, but he only tells her to let Cristina work.
Richard comes out of Andrew's surgery to gaze at the surgical board and is shocked to see the two brain surgeries scheduled. Rose tells him that they lost the first one but the second... but he cuts her off to angrily say he told them only one surgery. Rose tells him that Mere said she cleared it with him, but tries to backtrack when she sees his reaction, saying she might be mistaken. He ominously tells her, "I don't think you are."
Beth is out of surgery, and so far is holding steady. Meredith points out to Derek that she's still alive, but he's not having any optimism and mutters, "For how long?" Sheesh, I'm surprised he didn't smother her with a pillow himself just so he could roll around in his depressed, self-righteous funk some more. He then dismisses Meredith and says he'll stay with Beth.
Richard comes out of a patient room -- probably Andrew's -- and finds Hahn doing paperwork at the desk outside. He tells her that she should be celebrating that Cristina flew solo, because that means she's doing her job teaching Cristina how to save a life. Well, it really means Burke did his job by allowing his girlfriend to cover for him and teaching her what to do so that she didn't kill anyone a year ago. Neither of them are really shining examples of good educators. He tells her that residents are like puppies in that they're eager and enthusiastic, and she needs to learn how to teach them, "Without crushing their spirit." He tells her sternly that if she wants to work there, she has to be a better teacher. Without responding, she smacks her chart shut and walks away. Yet another shining example of the respect shown to higher-ups in this institution. Cristina is sitting at the other end of the desk and heard the whole thing -- she lifts up her head nervously to look at Richard and he tells her not to make him regret backing her up. She sits straight up and assures him, "No, sir. Absolutely not, sir. Thank you, sir." He just shakes his head and walks away muttering, "Puppies." She turns back around in her chair with a happy little shimmy and a smile on her face.
Alex is putting on Ava's shoes when Izzie pulls back the curtain, and introduces Ava to a psychiatrist who is going to ask her some questions while she and Alex talk. She then pulls Alex aside while Ava still has no reaction to any of this. Alex menacingly asks Izzie, "What did I tell you?" Izzie, with all the courage and authority she can muster, declares that Ava is her patient, she'll decide the treatment plan, and she's not releasing her without a consult. She tells him, voice shaking but with an even tone, that if he tries to take Ava away she'll have him arrested. He scoffs at the idea but she says, "Try me." He seems to realize that he might have lost the upper hand, and tries to be nicer as he tells her that he understands her concern, but that she's being unreasonable and he's got it. She puts her foot down and when he turns to go, she grabs his arm, causing him to growl, "What, you going to bodily restrain me?" She tells him she will if she has to, and asks if he'll hit a woman. "I will if I have to!" See, this is where I'm out with this character arc. He'll hit a woman, to take another woman away from the medical help she so blatantly needs. No matter how fucked up he is, his medical training wouldn't let him get that far. Izzie tells him, not evenly now, but pleading, that Ava's sick, she needs more help than he can give, and that he could do more damage by taking her home. He protests the entire time that he can take care of her, and that he's done this before. With a squeak in his voice he yells, "She's just going through a bad patch!" He insists that he can bathe, feed, change and watch her. "Until the bad patch is over, I can take care of her!" Starting to tear up, his voice cracks as he said he took care of his mom and he can take care of Ava. Izzie, horrified, whispers, "You've done this before." But where I think she feels sorry for him and suddenly gets why he's been such an idiot, he thinks it means she should understand that he can do it again. He keeps repeating that he's done it before, but says he was a kid then, he's a man now, and he'll do better this time. Izzie finally whispers to him that he can stop talking.
Meredith gets home that night to find blood all over her kitchen island and floor. Look at that, Alex is taking such good care of Ava that he can't tell the owner of the house, who was probably 100 feet away when he came in, that she's going to get home to find blood everywhere. Nice. Mere gets down on her hands and needs and scrubs the floor, continuing her work even after all of the blood is gone.
Richard goes to check on Andrew and finds George sitting to him; it turns out he never went home, assuming Richard was tired but knowing Andrew would need to be monitored, he decided to stay and take care of it. George gives a full technical report of how he's doing, including anxiety meds that were issued and urine output. It's all very glamorous. Richard comments, "Good job!" and turns to go, but George pulls open the chart and mutters to himself, "It's not a good job." He gets Richard's attention, and once the Chief is focused on him, George says that monitoring urine output, giving anxiety meds, and running labs for Meredith are all not good jobs for him. Richard just listens as George goes on to say he's good at his job, and the Chief knows it, and that it would be different if he was bad at it or if he'd struggled and was lagging behind the others. He says his personality isn't hardened like the others, it's not the personality of a surgeon. "Maybe that's why you made the mistake of not thinking that I deserve a second chance when everyone else around here has gotten one! But, sir, it is a mistake. Because I'm excellent. I'm excellent at my job." He finishes that he knows he failed the test, but he deserves a second chance. It's nice to see this point brought to light, with all of the massive screwups of each of his friends just seeming to not make a whit of difference. He goes back to the chart and after a moment, Richard tells him, "Okay." George repeats it and Richard clarifies, "Okay, you can retake the test." He leaves, and George sighs and repeats, "Okay," to himself, clearly coming down from having just given that speech to his boss' boss.
Beth's parents are by her bedside, fretting about her not waking up. Mere explains that it can take longer with brain surgery, but they ask her if not waking up is a possibility -- asking if she could still die. It seems like a bit of a strange question given everything they've been through and know, but I'll let this one go since a parent whose child has just gone through brain surgery might not have all of their own wits about them. Mere tells them she doesn't want to worry about that until they have to, so Beth's mom asks when that will be. Mere just looks at the girl in the bed and doesn't answer.
Callie comes out of Andrew's room to find Lola waiting in the same clothes from the day before, and drily asks if she slept in the waiting room. Lola doesn't argue, she just takes a breath and admits that she likes Andrew. But then she undoes any good from that statement saying that neither Andrew nor anyone else needs to know that. Callie turns on her like a momma bear, not able to believe that she's worried about what her friends think. When Lola gets defensive, challenging her to imagine what it would be like if everyone knew, Callie just quietly tells her she thinks it's better to be honest. "He's alive."
Ava seems to have been admitted, as she's wearing a gown in a private room. Alex comes in and tells her that he called her husband, and he said that he left with the baby two months before. She won't look at him, but her eyes do show that she heard. He walks around the bed to face her before going on, that he told Alex she has Underlying Borderline Personality Disorder. She was fragile to begin with, so this was probably coming on for a while, most likely since the ferry accident. He tells her that then they changed her face -- he helped change her face -- and...he can't seem to go on, and sadly tells her she needs help that he can't give. Her eyes have been filling up and now start to spill over. Alex tells her that she'll stay in the hospital until tomorrow, when she'll be transferred to a psychiatric facility. She finally speaks, mumbling that she really tried to be better for him. "I know how hard it is for you to trust people, and I wanted to be someone you could depend on." So, in other words, viewers: don't forget that he's Got Issues, so all of this is a-okay! She cries and apologizes, and he tells her that it's okay, that she tried.
Meredith walks down the hall and as she passes Richard, he notes sternly, "So you convinced Shepherd to do two surgeries without my approval." Clearly emboldened by her therapy, she responds, "So." He's appalled, asking if that's how she talks to the Chief. That question really means a lot less considering that a number of the doctors have talked to him like this -- it's not really a new situation. Meredith just decides to use her, "Get out of unapproved surgery free card." She tells Richard that her mom attempted suicide after he left, and demands to know if he knew that. He didn't, and he's sad and horrified. Meredith doesn't make it any better as she yells, "She was a brilliant surgeon. How could you do that to her? She was a talented, gifted, extraordinary surgeon." Something in what she just said jolts her with some realization, and she runs off as Richard calls after her.
She busts into Dr. Amy's office who just orders, "Tell me." Breathlessly, Meredith explains that Ellis was a brilliant surgeon, and that she clearly didn't want to actually die because if she did, she'd know to slice her carotid artery, which would take only seconds to snuff her out. Meredith triumphantly repeats that she was an excellent, gifted, extraordinary surgeon. "She didn't want to die." Dr. Amy asks what she did want, and Meredith answers without hesitation that she wanted Richard to come back. And why didn't he, Dr. Amy questions? He didn't because he never knew that it happened, and Ellis was too stubborn to ask. Dr. Amy asks her what that means, and Meredith answers, "Well, that part I don't know. Could you just tell me that part for once?" Happily, Dr. Amy tells her that she can. She explains that Meredith is a gifted, extraordinary surgeon like her mother was, but with the added gift of being able to learn from her mistakes. There's a long shot of Meredith and she thinks a moment before she realizes, "She wasn't talking about surgery." Pleased, Dr. Amy agrees that she wasn't. Mere repeats, stunned, "She wasn't talking about surgery at all."
Andrew wakes up from his surgery to see Bailey smiling at him. She asks, "Well, do I or do I not keep my promises?" He agrees, and then she asks him if he remembers what she said about the bigger picture. With that, she turns to the door. Lola is there in a surgical gown. She looks really worried once she sees him, but comes forward and takes his hand and strokes his hair. With that, she leans forward and kisses him. I'm sure when he thought about his first kiss, it totally involved two surgeons watching proudly from the doorway. Callie smiles and comments that he's been waiting for that his whole life, to which Bailey agrees.
Lexie gets in the elevator and sees Alex there, but doesn't notice that he's more slumped over and sullen than usual. With her back to him she declares, "I know you have two balls. And you better hope I never tell the Chief." Well, and if Alex asks how you know this important trivia, you'd better hope he doesn't tell the Chief you stole confidential files. Alex doesn't respond, though, and she turns and realizes that he's a mess. It takes her a couple of tries to even get his attention, but when she asks how he's doing he gets off without saying a word.
Meredith is examining Beth's scans when Rose comes in, and Mere explains that one is from two days ago, and one is from today. She asks Rose to get her the calipers; once she measures them both she delightedly exclaims that the new one is smaller. Both women are really excited as Mere exclaims that the virus is doing its job. She then tells Rose that she should let Derek know, but Rose tells Mere that she should be the one to do it, that it's the kind of thing Derek would want to hear from her. Yeah, and let's hope that it would be followed by a really groveling apology for his behavior earlier. Rose turns to leave and Mere calls after her, but Rose just says, sincerely but with the tiniest hint of sadness, "Congratulations on your major medical breakthrough. It's the stuff of legends."
Cristina is hanging out in the breakroom, playing with her own pager when Mere runs in, wearing a cute tight sweater and with her hair all big and wavy and gorgeous. Mere opens the fridge as Cristina tells her she has to take back Sparkle Pager. "I am drunk on the power." As Meredith starts to panic and demands to know where the champagne is, Cristina adds, "I think it might actually be mystical!" and tosses it to Mere. Mere then runs out to look for Derek, not having found the champagne, and Lexie walks in. Cristina's kicking back with her eyes closed, still relishing her victory, and orders Lexie to get her the banana that's in her cubby. Dejected, Lexie gets it and then morosely asks if she'd like to have it peeled. But Cristina actually tells her, "No, I want you to learn the running whip stitch; I'm going to teach it to you," and has her take a needle to start practice. I guess Cristina's other three Interns of Convenience don't get the same opportunity?
Derek stops at the desk outside Beth's room when he hears a sob from within and sees her parents holding each other. He walks in and looks at them hugging, then looks at the bed. Patrick Dempsey tries very hard to look stern, trying to make us question what could be happening, but then he breaks into a smile and tells Beth, "Hi." She gives him a groggy "Hey" back and then Derek comments that she's alive. She agrees, and as her parents watch she lifts her right hand to his and muses, "Hmm. Not just for show anymore." He agrees, and tries to contain his emotion. There are sniffles all around, including from yours truly.
Derek then runs into the breakroom where Lexie is stitching up the banana while Cristina listens to her iPod. He walks up to the trash and pulls out the champagne bottle. Dude, he threw that away yesterday -- are they not taking out hospital trash more than that? Cristina calls out, "That's not sanitary!" as he runs back out of the room. She then looks at Lexie's work and has her make an adjustment. Lexie, beaming, tries to sincerely thank Cristina but Cristina cuts her off and goes back to her music. Lexie just smiles to herself.
Bailey finds Izzie stocking supplies in the darkened clinic, and asks her how it went. Izzie, dejected, tells her it was awful, and Bailey murmurs agreement. She then hands over here keys, telling Izzie they are for her. Iz asks, "Why are you giving me your keys to the clinic?" Bailey answers pointedly, "I'm not giving you my keys to the clinic, I'm giving you the clinic." Izzie is incredulous but Bailey explains that she's seen the bigger picture. She loves the clinic, but not as much as she loves surgery, being Chief Resident, and her family. "I've seen the bigger picture. And I can't do everything and still have everything. So I have to, uh, let some pieces go. This piece. This is your piece." She goes on to assure Izzie that she's watched her earn this the hard way, and Izzie sincerely thanks her -- both of their eyes are filled with tears. "You have grown into a fine doctor, Izzie Stephens." Well, I think that might be taking it a little bit far, but I'll admit that for me the last two weeks have, shockingly, brought Izzie back around to kind of acting like a real doctor and to actually being tolerable. Bailey tells her that the clinic is in her hands and finishes, "Make me proud."
Richard is leaving his trailer and locking up as Meredith runs up to Derek's trailer calling for him. Richard tells her he's not there, and she's caught totally by surprise and clearly a bit uncomfortable after their last encounter. She pulls her jacket tight around her as he tells her, "I'm not a bad man. I know I'm the villain in your story, but I'm not a bad man." That said, he leaves. And it does seem to show that she's growing emotionally that she doesn't say anything back to him in response.
Callie and Mark are walking out of the hospital and Callie saucily asks him if he wants to finish what they started yesterday. He just tells her that she could finish what she started, and motions toward Hahn, who is rummaging through her bag at one of the benches. Callie looks confused but then resigned, and Mark tells her, "I'm growing." Oh, I'm trying so hard to not be 12 years old here. But...I can't help it. YEAH, he's growing! He tells her to go and watches, somewhat pained, as she walks towards Hahn. Once Callie reaches her friend she asks if Hahn wants to grab a drink, sounding pretty much like she's dying. Callie starts to go on nervously, saying she wanted to talk to Erica, but Hahn isn't even listening to her and gripes about her missing keys, and how everything with Cristina sent her into a tizzy. Her voice positively drips with contempt when she uses her resident's name. But Callie finally yells her name and gets her to turn around, surprised. Callie announces, "I'm saying something here. I just... I wanted to say... I just wanted to say..." and with that she leans in and starts to kiss Hahn.
Derek runs into Meredith's house and calls her name. Does no one lock their doors in Seattle?
The Chief then knocks on his own front door and Adele answers, surprised. He tells her that he wants to come home, and when she starts to protest he cuts her off and declares that he's a good man. He spends his days being a good man who made one mistake with a woman 20 years earlier. "I'm a good man for everybody but you, I know that. Don't you think I know that? But I am a good man. And I am your husband, and I love you. Now, I am not asking you to come home. I'm telling you. I am your husband. And I want to come home to my wife." She says nothing and he turns to leave, clearly not actually telling her anything. But she pipes up and tells him, "Well, it's about time!" They then kiss, and I get out the Kleenex for my poor misty eyes.
Derek is still at Mere's house -- when he can't find her, he sits down on her bed and puts his head in his hands.
Lexie's back at her apartment examining an orange when George bursts in and tells her he's retaking his test. She's thrilled for him and he goes on to say that he knows he was mad, but thank you thank you thank you! He then grabs her and plants a kiss on her lips. As he runs off looking for alcohol for a party, she touches her lips -- with that, George O'Malley has snared yet another woman to make him officially second only to Mark in the race for Seattle Grace Ladies' Man.
Alex is sitting on his bed, looking like a broken man with tears in his eyes, when Izzie comes to the doorway. Maybe the door was unlocked because they were home, then? But then why wouldn't one of them just tell Derek that Mere was out and shoo him out of the house? Oh, who knows, it's the last five minutes of the season, so I'll just let that be. Izzie leans in the doorway and tells Alex she's sorry, and he tonelessly just shoots back, "Whatever." She walks in and sits down to him, saying, "Not whatever. I'm sorry." She's sorry for what happened with Ava and his mom. That seems to have gotten him, and he turns to her, an absolute mess, and grabs her face and kisses her. She pulls away but he begs -- it's horrible and desperate and really raw -- "Just this once. Just for one night. Please." She gives in and they make out, while elsewhere both Richard and Adele and Callie and Hahn do the same. Izzie pulls away again and Alex's face is a red mess of tears as he begins to sob and beg again. She pulls his head to her chest and just holds him. And I pull out some more Kleenex.
Bailey gets to kiss someone too... except, of course, we never get to see her be romantic at all, and her kiss is with her exceptionally adorable son. But she's happy, and she tells him they're going home. "Home to daddy." So maybe there is hope after all!
Back at the trailer, Derek runs up looking for Meredith but when she's not there, he stops and heaves a sigh. But then, through the trees, he notices a person pacing among a ton of candles in the grass.
That person is Mere, who is talking to herself about what a stupid, corny idiot she is. He calls her name, and she jumps and demands to know where he's been, switching her efforts from yelling at herself to yelling at him about how she did a stupid, idiotic thing for him. She then yells that over here is their kitchen. From above, you can see that the candles are laid out to show a floor plan -- it's their house on his land. She points out their living room and the room where their kids would play, explaining that she had this whole thing about building a house but that she doesn't build because she's a surgeon. "And now I'm here feeling like a lame-ass loser. I got all whole and healed, and you don't show up. And now it's all ruined because you took so long to come home. And I couldn't even find that bottle of champagne." With that, he lifts the bottle and she finally stops yelling. He walks towards her and tries to banter about the house, but she's still upset and doesn't know if she can trust him. "I want to trust you, but I don't know if I do, so I'm just gonna try and trust you because I believe we can be extraordinary together instead of ordinary apart." He reaches her and starts to kiss her, and I reach for yet more tissues. After some good kissing, he pulls away and tells her that he has to go. "In order to kiss you the way I want to kiss you, in order to do more than kiss you, I need to speak to Rose. I want my conscience clear so that I can do more than kiss you." He tells her to stay and wait for him, and she smiles after him as he walks away. There's one more shot of the candle floorplan and then a close shot of her face, now not smiling. I do think, though, that she's supposed to be scared but happy and that the blank look is just some unfortunate acting.
It's corny, and cheesy, and a totally pat ending. But that said, I think it was still a totally fitting and great way to end the season and to remind everyone that this show can be really good. Thanks to everyone for reading another season's worth of my recaps and for being your awesome and beautiful selves!
To read the first part of the two-part season finale, click here!