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After the sudden departure of her unenthusiastically semi-lesbian heart surgeon girlfriend, Dr. Torres is not holding it together as well as she thinks. She works out her sadness by attempting to construct a faux-but-expensive titanium replacement leg for an unappreciative homeless man who rudely dies before she can see if her metalsmithy will cut it on the mean streets of Seattle.
Speaking of long lost Dr. Hahn, Cristina was glad to see she was gone until she got a gander of the replacement. The new hotshot heart surgeon is so robotic she just might be a Cylon! Banish the thought! It's not robotics, it's Asperger's! And when a patient's deep-seated religious beliefs don't jive with the robot doctor's love of rules, Bailey makes an end run to the Chief. While the patient gets to live with the heart of his choosing, Seattle Grace will have to live without the heart surgeon of their dreams.
Meanwhile, the surgical interns' cutting is starting to get noticed. After Lexie is complimented in surgery for her self-inflicted masterly stitchery, Cristina catches on and bans the practice. Sorry interns you'll have to find a new storyline!
When Sloan doesn't get laid for seven minutes, he starts to hit on Lexie, Meredith calls in Derek to make him stop. 'Cause Lexie's twelve and Sloan is like seventy and statutory rape is still a crime in Washington State, right?
With words of advice from a wise old Navajo and a little help from Alex, Izzie finally bids goodbye to Denny. I think he has to get back to Weeds now anyway. But before he goes, Izzie has to make out with his strangely corporeal ghost for about an hour.
Oh, and Cristina makes out with the new bad-ass surgeon. Again.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!You know how Shondaland Productions has a roller coaster as its logo? This week we finally find out why: hoo boy! Are we in for a wild ride in this episode! I am so excited to be filling in for this week's adventure.
While Meredith's disembodied voice rambles about ties that bind, Izzie leaves Alex sleeping in bed to go to the closet and sniff Denny's sweater. Is that considered cheating? Or just a cool fetish? Callie sleeps alone in her bed. Meredith and Derek are snuggled in bed with visions of job security and tequila shots dancing in their heads. As dawn breaks over the horizon, Cristina swings open the bedroom door with big news and only two cups of coffee. As Derek tries to roll over and go back to sleep (he is a brain surgeon after all, I'm sure his patients would prefer he was well-rested), Meredith scoots over and Cristina jumps in to the bed and starts chattering loudly. I know Cristina is ill-mannered and narcissistic, but this behavior is remarkably rude. And Meredith just loves it. Cristina reports that the Wicked Witch is dead. Hahn is off the surgery board and has completely disappeared from the halls of Seattle Grace. Cristina is overjoyed, but Derek is sad to see such a talented colleague leave. When he senses the evil eye pointed his direction, he realizes he is not at all included in the conversation taking place in his bed and gives up and rolls out the door. And it's a good thing he went downstairs when he did, because there is a knock at the door. It's a blonde girl asking for Grey. When Derek says she's home, the girl knocks him out of the way, runs into the house and starts screaming, "Death! Death! Where are you Death!" Apparently Shonda has been watching a lot of Bergman films lately. The blonde jumps into bed with Meredith and Cristina and starts cackling. Meredith joins in and Cristina looks confused. Downstairs Derek is dejectedly watching the coffeemaker fill. He has been joined by Cristina who was booted out of the room by the reunion between Death (Meredith) and Die (Sadie). I could never come up with such a perfect moniker for Meredith. It's just so fitting! Cristina complains about this unfair treatment by a woman Death has never even mentioned. Derek welcomes her to the club.
On the way into the hospital (there are five of them, so did Death buy a minivan?) Sadie fills the team in on the facts: She went to med school because of Meredith and put off her residency to work in a morgue. Sadie bears more than a passing resemblance to Eliza Dushku (aka The Dush!), so I can only imagine that her time in the morgue was spent rushing into awkward situations trying to resolve corpse angst. As the crew walks into the hospital, they run into Izzie, who despite living in the same house as the rest of them has managed to beat them to the hospital. She is standing in the shrubbery staring blankly at the hospital doors. All of her so-called friends brush past her on their way into the hospital, but Alex stops. He knows that Hahn's case brought up memories of Denny and something is up with her (he is using his newfound ability to recognize the crazy) and he wants her to know he is there for her. Izzie tells him that he doesn't understand, but he kisses her on the cheek and leaves her standing in the bushes. It's nice! And sweet and I wish these two would get together emotionally as well as physically. Izzie calls up some inner strength and barrels through the doors of the hospital and is greeted by... Denny. He was waiting for her in the lobby. He must have checked in with security already because he just follows her right into the nerve center of the hospital. He likes her hair cut. Speaking of haircuts, did Denny get a haircut in the afterlife barbershop? He looks freshly shorn. Anyway, Izzie is not thrilled to see him, what with him being dead and all.
Lexie has a cut on her arm. When Cristina gives her the hoary eye, Lexie mutters something about cats, which Cristina doesn't buy at all. So Lexie changes horse mid-stream and claims she has a super scratchy hairbrush, which is just so... stupid. Cristina don't play stupid. She reminds Lexie that weird interns reflect poorly on the residents. Lexie claims she's on her A-game, but Cristina banishes her to plastics. Once Lexie is gone, Alex finds Cristina to gloat. He is on a piggyback heart transplant with the new heart surgeon, Dr. Dixon. Cristina can't believe it. I think she would kick Alex in the shin if she could.
Derek is trying to get Meredith to tell some of the stories from her misspent youth as Death and Die, but she won't give him even a little. Their conversation is interrupted by Cristina who sputters in girl code. Meredith translates for a confused Derek: Lexie may be a secret cutter and there is still no word about why Hahn split. Derek looks shocked about Lexie, but Meredith doesn't care. He points out that Meredith is her family! She should talk to Lexie! But Meredith just stares at him with Does Not Compute written all over her blank face. He gives up and waves away. Gah...what does he see in her again? Based on their interactions so far in this episode, Derek is moving back to Ferryland in no time.
In the ambulance bay, Cristina struggles to tie her gown. Dr. Hunt's strong helping hands swoop in for the assist and Cristina looks surprised but pleased. Callie joins them and when Cristina questions her about Hahn, Callie doesn't want to talk about it. When Cristina pushes Callie starts grumbling about blood and guts and mangled bones. Strangely, Hunt doesn't call her on her ghoulishness. Ambulance time! Some poor homeless man was sleeping in a dumpster when the garbage truck came. They had to extricate the newly-formed human pretzel from the depths of the trash compactor. He is not doing very well and, obviously, the doctors are thrilled. Hunt is so impressed with the extent of the injuries (impaled on his own femur, oh my!) that he actually pages Derek and Sloan for help. Sadie, or Die if you prefer, jumps into help, but Cristina barks at her to stay back and shut up, since it's her first day and all. Ooh,Sadie got put on Cristina's team? That should go swimmingly. Everyone stares at poor Mr. Pretzel.
The Chief is filling Bailey in on the new heart surgeon. They are in no position to be hiring (number 12 position, to be precise), so even though The Chief is prepared to throw money and title and research dollars at her, it is up to Bailey to woo her to the hallowed halls of Seattle Grace. The Chief stops in his speech. He bites his lip and tells Miranda that there is something a little off with Dr. Dixon, but she still is an amazing doctor and they must do everything to get her on staff. Bailey agrees to do her best. Alex is not so quick to agree. He's had his fill of "off." Bailey tells him to suck it up and be impressive. At the mention of "off," Izzie comes running up with the chart for Dr. Dixon's patient and Denny staring at her from his seat on the stairs. Um, Denny? Fire hazard! The Chief spies Dr. Dixon and warns the staff. Miranda rushes to greet her. Dr. Dixon is played by Mary McDonnell (a.k.a. President Laura Roslin). She is dressed in a red coat with a red beret and no makeup. While men consider red to be the sexiest color for women to wear, Dr. Dixon is fighting that stereotype with every ounce of frump she has in her. While Miranda gives her welcome speech, Dr. Dixon sticks out her hand and cuts off the small talk. She is here to perform a heart surgery. She states just the facts ma'am about the surgery and the history of it. She does not make eye contact until the last possible second. Obviously she is a Cylon. The Chief directs Alex and Izzie to assist the doctor. Before they head into surgery, Bailey turns to Alex and agrees that Dixon is a little off. Wait...Bailey has never seen Rain Man?
Back with Mr. Pretzel, the doctors are all surveying the damage. They need to get his femur removed from his shoulder before they can really tell what is going on. Callie doesn't think she can save his leg though. Since it is imbedded in his shoulder and all. They move to untwist Mr. Pretzel. They each take a limb and start pulling. Just as Callie is directing the maneuver, Mr. Pretzel wakes up. He scares the bejeezus out of the doctors. They pump him full of morphine and go out for a cigarette and a shot. Oh please, you would too! They were scared! And he is gross. Sorry, Mr. Pretzel! Mr. Pretzel screams in agony and tells all the doctors to get their hands off of him. Hunt believes in Patients First! (It's on his family crest) and orders all the doctors to stop. Shepherd looks annoyed, but how can you argue when you are doing what the patient wants? Hunt explains the haps to Mr. Pretzel and Mr. Pretzel replies that whatever they do to him he has to be able to walk.
Bailey is giving Dixon a guided tour of the hospital, but all of Bailey's fake-nice small talk is cut short by Dr. Dixon's recitation of fun factoids and mutterings of "Surrender Earthlings!" Bailey practically begs Alex to interrupt the tour to give a patient update. The patient was supposed to receive a transplant six years ago, but the heart was too small so the doctors doubled up and did a "piggyback." At the mention of the word "piggyback" Dr. Dixon gets panicky and sharp. She tells Alex not to use the colloquial name for the procedure. She rocks back and forth and stares at the ground. The patient is a Wizened Navajo. Why would a Navajo be in Seattle? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but in Seattle it is so much more likely to be from the Yakima or Makah or Muckleshoot tribe than Navajo. But I guess Navajo is television writer short hand for Native American with Deeply Held Spiritual Beliefs and Great Understanding of the Natural Order of Things. I blame Tony Hillerman. May he rest in peace. The Wizened Navajo is recounting to Izzie (and Denny) the many ways that he has lost touch with his people and the Old Ways by taking the donor heart. His people don't even touch the dead! He is being haunted by the heart and he wants it out. And, no, he doesn't want a new donor heart, he wants nothing to do with this newfangled medicine. He wants to go back to the Old Ways of his people. At that, Ghost Denny starts yelling at the Wizened Navajo that he should TAKE THE DAMN HEART! Because some people aren't so lucky as to be able to refuse a perfectly good heart when it comes along. Izzie ignores him. Dr. Dixon comes to meet the patient just as he is announcing that he doesn't want the heart. Dixon tells him he will live a short bad life hooked up to machines if he refuses the heart and Denny shouts "Hell, yeah!" in agreement. The Wizened Navajo still says no. Old ways or no ways.
Lexie and her creepy intern buddies are cutting and stitching in their secret basement hideout when George knocks on the door. In his new role as resident he needs an intern to file or photocopy or fetch a coffee for him. He thinks the secret intern hideout looks cool, but Lexie kicks him out. Apparently George took her words very seriously, because that is the last we see of him in this episode. Lexie should just tape a sign to the door that says: "Intern Clubhouse! No Doctors Allowed." That way no one will come in and leave them to their Secret Cutter Society.
Mr. Pretzel refuses surgery. He is homeless and if he can't walk he can't survive. He recites his daily route and it involves a lot of walking. The doctors all exchange looks over Mr. Pretzel's head. Mr. Pretzel still refuses to have the surgery. While Shepherd and Sloan try to explain that he is most likely going to die without surgery, Mr. Pretzel won't budge. Hunt listens and tells everyone the surgery is off. Shepherd and Sloan grit their teeth and rip off their gloves angrily. There's nothing like an angry glove rip off to let someone know you're mad!
The Wizened Navajo is also being recalcitrant. His old ways are butting heads with Dr. Dixon's love of rules and facts. Izzie intercedes to explain that the Wizened Navajo would rather live a short life on machines than a longer life that is haunted. Bailey and Alex and Dixon all stare at Izzie, who then backs up and out of the line of fire. The Wizened Navajo requests that his extra heart be returned to him after the surgery so they can perform a ceremony over it. Dr. Dixon rants that laws are laws and rules are rules and no. Bailey suggests a compromise where the old heart is removed and given to the Wizened Navajo and the new heart is implanted. That doesn't work for anyone. Dr. Dixon repeats her rules and laws mantra and walks out.
Hunt is scrubbing down when Shepherd and Sloan find him. They didn't appreciate him shutting down Mr. Pretzel's surgery. They don't just patch people up here at Seattle Grace, they save lives. If Hunt can't deal with that he should just take his scalpel and go back to the desert. Shepherd's speech is so playground bullyish, that it is impressive when Hunt restrains himself from sticking his fingers in his ears and sing-songing "I can't hear you!" As Hunt walks away, Shepherd sighs to Callie that he hopes she can find some way to build Mr. Pretzel some legs. Callie gets wide-eyed at the thought. Meredith gets wide-eyed, then Sloan, and then Shepherd. Can Callie channel all her frustration at the disappearance of Hahn into building this man some legs? Can she? I think she can. Callie, Sloan, Meredith, Cristina, and Sadie retire to some wood-paneled room to survey the possibility of rebuilding Mr. Pretzel's legs. Since there are some viable bone fragments Callie thinks she can do it. She is excited at the possibility. She sends everyone out a scavenger hunt to find every piece of titanium in the hospital. The team high fives and scatters. I know it is totally evil to say, but this man is homeless and uninsured or at best covered by Medicaid. Who is going to pay for the $500,000 worth of titanium they are going to put in his leg? And won't the hospital miss it? And is this how Wolverine got started?
Bailey interrupts The Chief's lunch to beg him to make a new rule. She needs him to declare with her as a witness that hospital personnel must respect all religious beliefs of their patients. The Chief scratches his head in confusion, because isn't that just common courtesy? Bailey agrees but asks him to please just declare the rule anyway because Dr. Dixon doesn't do common courtesy. Without a rule they have a pissed off patient, an apoplectic surgeon, and a recipe for a disastrous procedure and a serious failure to woo. The Chief sighs and declares the rule.
Cristina tracks down Dr. Dixon to introduce herself to the new heart surgeon. Dr. Dixon stares at the ground near Cristina's feet and cuts off her introductory speech to ask if she knows who the Final Five are. Okay she really asked if the others have been removed from the case. Cristina doesn't know what she's talking about, so Dr. Dixon elaborates: the black one, the brown haired one, and the one with yellow hair. Cristina says no and Dr. Dixon tells her to stop talking to her then. Cristina runs off wishing Hahn would return. She finds Callie prepping for Mr. Pretzel's surgery. She grills her as to Hahn's whereabouts, but Callie just keeps saying she is gone. And where is Hahn, anyway? Really, one fight and she's gone? She didn't even get to sue the hospital or get them de-certified to receive transplants or to get Izzie fired? She just had one vague disagreement with Callie in the parking lot and that was it? Even if the network had reservations about the storyline or some neo-conservative right wing malarkey about portraying a lesbian relationship on television, couldn't they have at least given McBitchy a decent story arc? Couldn't they have killed her off? Killed by a transplant patient in the parking lot maybe? Or carried off in the Great Seattle Grace Flood of '08? Or Meredith could have held a hand grenade in her chest? So many possibilities and instead they give us this awkward and inexplicable disappearance. If I call the writers lazy will I get hate mail? Sorry. Anyway, Cristina is bitching about Dixon and wishing that McBitchy was back. Callie finally explains that they had a fight. Cristina is unimpressed until she puts two and two together and realizes that Callie switched teams after the O'Malley debacle of '07. Cristina looks impressed. Aren't Callie and Cristina roommates? Wouldn't she know if Callie and Hahn were more than friends? And wouldn't Callie be crying at home or at least watching An Affair to Remember or Love Story and getting her pints of ice cream soggy with tears? Even Cristina would notice that. Maybe. ["Or she would if she spent less time hopping into Meredith and McDreamy's bed all the time." -- Angel]
Derek and Meredith are comparing titanium deposits that they found all over the hospital with their spelunking gear and 49er maps. Their conversation is interrupted when Lexie walks by and Derek shoves Meredith after her to find out about Lexie's secret inner pain that is causing her to self mutilate. Meredith asks Lexie if she's okay and Lexie doesn't know how to respond. Is this Meredith her boss? Or Meredith her sister? Meredith tells her she is pretending to care that her sister is a secret cutter. Lexie denies it, but her denial is cut short when Sloan asks her to get involved with Callie's surgery. He calls her Little Grey and Meredith is bothered. Not just because Sloan called her Big Grey, but because he seems to be flirting with Little Grey. Secret cutting is one thing, but getting cozy with manwhore Sloan? Not her little sister! Lexie runs off before Meredith can talk to her.
Hunt goes to talk to Mr. Pretzel. He knows that he is a fighter and has been through a lot. Mr. Pretzel doesn't want to hear it from Hunt. He doesn't want to see pity in his eyes. He made a choice! He took a turn, he couldn't connect, he made a choice. He made a choice and took a turn. He does not regret it. His choice. A choice to speak like a high school poet's journal entry. Shepherd eavesdrops approvingly at Hunt's attempts to get Mr. Pretzel to agree to surgery.
Lexie has returned to the Secret Intern Cutting Society. She wants them to lay low for a while because people are starting to catch on. Maybe if the interns left that room every once in a while people wouldn't be so suspicious. Sadie is lurking in wait. When Lexie tells everyone to be less risky, Sadie calls them out. They should take more risks! Use less anesthetic! They should cut bigger! Deeper! Longer! Five by five, man! She rips off her shirt, grabs a scalpel, and slices open her shoulder. When she asks who wants to stitch her up, everyone raises their hands. Sing with me now: They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, the intern cutting society!
Meredith realizes that Sloan really might be angling for Lexie. Since she doesn't want Sloan to get his Little Sloan anywhere near her little sister. She asks Derek to talk to Sloan about staying away. Derek agrees to because he is so happy that Meredith actually has enough human emotion in her solipsistic skeletal frame to care about her little sister. So in exchange for talking to Lexie about the cutting, Derek will talk to Sloan.
Sloan finds Callie staring blankly at the board. He asks, "Did she say goodbye to you? Are you okay?" Callie asks if she looks okay. Sloan replies, "You look great." Aww. Callie says she is great. I wish these two would get together already!
Izzie asks the Wizened Navajo how he and his people get rid of ghosts. He explains that there is a nine-day ritual to exorcise ghosts. When the Wizened Navajo asks why Izzie is so interested, Izzie opens up about Denny. She asks the Wizened Navajo if a ghost can bring cases to a person because she keeps getting cases involving hearts and LVADs and she thinks Denny must be bringing them to her. The Wizened Navajo is not sure, but he is sure that he wants Blondie McFroot Loops off the surgery because he doesn't want her and her ghost Macarena-ing with him and his ghost during his operation. I guess the doctors had to respect his religious belief, because during surgery, Izzie watches from the viewing gallery. When Dr. Dixon removes the piggyback heart (sorry about my use of the colloquial), Bailey informs her of the well-established rule regarding respecting patient's religious beliefs. Dr. Dixon agrees, but half-heartedly. Heh. Sorry. Denny has joined Izzie in the viewing gallery. He keeps insisting that he's real and begging her to touch it. (Dirty!) He says that he can touch her and that will prove that he's real. She wisely declines. You know, I like Jeffrey Dean Morgan as much as the girl, but doesn't he get just a tetch tired of always playing dead people? Do you think his agent calls him whenever some new longed-for dead guy role comes up? "Jeff, baby, I think you'd be perfect for this part! You're dead, see, and this chick totally misses you. What do you think? Should I set up a read through?" Izzie tells Denny that she misses him everyday and every day she wants him back, but she won't touch him. Izzie wants to know why he is there and Denny explains that he is there for her. Anyway, while Izzie determinedly ignores Denny's demand that she touch it, down in the operating room there is some magic afoot. I mean Wizened Navajo mysticism. When the piggyback heart is removed and the LVAD is about to be hooked up, the Wizened Navajo's heart begins to beat on its own. Obviously Dixon does not like this turn of events. It doesn't make any sense medically or plot wise. But anyway, oh goody! Modern medicine versus mystical beliefs! How not fascinating.
Derek (with an assist from Hunt) finally convinces Mr. Pretzel to get surgery. Lexie gets to assist and Meredith and Derek both notice the extra special attention Mark is paying her despite Derek's warning lecture.
When the Wizened Navajo awakes, the doctors give him the good news that his heart started beating on its own and if it keeps up he won't have to have an LVAD or any other heart monitor. Dr. Dixon claims that she has heard of such things, but never seen it before. She guesses that since the heart had six years to rest it managed to repair itself. She is trying to shove the magically healing heart into her box of rules, but the Wizened Navajo knows it is what was meant to be. He is no longer haunted. Dr. Dixon has her beliefs and he has his.
In the operation, Lexie is busily executing difficult sutures and getting accolades for her handiwork. Even the Chief notices when he unhygenically pops his unscrubbed head in to see how the surgery is going. He compliments Cristina for being such a good teacher and hints that such fine tutelage will put her first in line for the solo surgery. Cristina is confused because lord knows she didn't teach Lexie anything, but she accepts the compliment because hey, solo surgery! Mr. Pretzel crashes.
Izzie asks the Wizened Navajo what he will do with the heart now? The Wizened Navajo explains that you have to burn all the belongings of the deceased that are made of fabric. He is not even allowed to touch the smoke. Metal can be cleansed of the spirit of the dead man, but not fabric. Did they try Oxyclean? 'Cause that shit gets stains out of everything. The Wizened Navajo asks if Izzie has anything that belonged to her ghost. Izzie realizes she is going to have to burn the sweater she made for Denny. She'll have to sniff his remaining metal mortal remains instead. Weirdo.
During the course of the surgery, Mr. Pretzel goes to the great homeless shelter in the sky. Everyone is bummed, but Callie has a full on meltdown. This was her project! This was what was distracting her from her Hahn funk! She built his bones! She succeeded in making a new titanium skeleton for Mr. Pretzel, but those stupid surgeons couldn't keep him alive to try out her bionics! She sublimates all her grief over losing Hahn into the death of Mr. Pretzel and weeps inconsolably. Undoubtedly The Chief will also be weeping inconsolably as soon as he sees the bill for all that titanium. Seriously, can they recycle that? Or is it gone forever? Cristina and Sloan clear everyone out of the room and Hunt seconds that emotion. As the room empties, Callie cries on Sloan's shoulder. I wish the writers would allow these two to be an actual couple. They have chemistry, they are sweet together, and it would hopefully prevent Sloan from leching on Lexie.
At the end of the day, Bailey walks Dr. Dixon to the elevator. She thanks her for all her hard work today, but Dixon doesn't accept the thanks. She asks Bailey if she knows what Asperger's is and Bailey shrugs yeah. Then the lightbulb goes off. Dr. Dixon knows that she may have significant social impairment and doesn't get sarcasm and other cues, but she knows when she's being manipulated and when she's being made a fool of. She does not like this hospital at all. Bailey chews her lip at her error and at her remarkable failure to woo. I am usually a huge Bailey booster, but this is ridiculous. How could she not notice the incredibly obvious autistic bent of Dr. Dixon? She's a doctor for crying out loud. Has she seriously never seen Rain Man? What about America's Top Model-the Heather years? It just doesn't make any sense.
Derek finally sees his opportunity to talk to Sloan about Lexie. He starts by explaining that Meredith has concerns, but when Sloan denies it, Derek tells him to keep his Little Sloan out of Little Grey. It's just so... Ick! Sloan points out what we are all thinking: Creepy. Sloan adds that it is also inaccurate. It's not Little Sloan. It's Big Sloan. Double Ick! On a stick! Makes me sick! Pepto. Quick!
Izzie packs up to leave the hospital and head home. Denny waves goodbye at the hospital door, but Izzie stops and says goodbye. Like for reals. She will always love him. He will never be forgotten. She is sorry they never had their chance to grow old or have children. He asks why she is telling him this? She knocks him on the head and tells him she wants him to have peace. Fuck that, I want peace. From this storyline! I keep expecting them to make a pot together or something. Or Whoopi Goldberg to walk in. Ugh. Izzie says goodbye some more. She is ready to let him go. Ready for his soul to be at peace and quit Patrick Swayzeing around the damn hospital.
Cristina takes the time to track down Lexie in the locker room. She knows Lexie didn't pick up that suturing technique from Cristina because Cristina can barely do it herself. She isn't exactly sure what the interns are doing, but they had better shut it down. Now! I know nothing about medical school, but is there really no way to learn suture techniques? What happened to the blood-spewing dummy? Can't they practice on him? Or could they start embroidering? That is much more wholesome than self-mutilation.
After a hard day at the office, Callie, Sloan, and Cristina console themselves with drinks. While Sloan makes moonie eyes at Lexie (I refuse to call her Little Grey, because then I have to think about Little Sloan), Callie sighs about Hahn. Cristina notices Hunt drinking alone at the bar. How screwed up are your social skills if your co-workers are sitting ten feet away and you choose to drink alone? Even if you don't like them very much most people would fake it for a round. Does Hunt have Asperger's, too?
Alex watches Izzie talking to herself at the hospital. He then watches her fondle Denny's sweater. It comes across as simultaneously creepy and caring. He tells Izzie that whatever it is that she's going through, he knows he can help. It's so nice that Alex has managed to go completely full circle from the Meany McYelly he was a few weeks ago to this concerned, furrowed-brow caring partner. It's a step closer to bringing these two into an actual relationship instead of the dizzying circle of Izzie likes Alex hates Izzie hates Alex loves Izzie. Izzie asks Alex to burn Denny's sweater. If someone asked me to burn an article of clothing of their dead fiancée I would be concerned. Probably enough to call in a psych consult.
Back at home in bed, Derek asks Death to tell him the stories about the adventures of Death and Die. She agrees, but swears him to secrecy. I'm glad she decides to, because it is just another sign that these two actually might be working this time. What can I say? I'm a fan.
Cristina runs after Hunt who has chugged his beer and split the scene. When Cristina catches up with him outside, Hunt flinches like she is a walking IED. She apologizes both for surprising him and for the fact that they lost Mr. Pretzel. Hunt shouts that he doesn't need her to be sorry. He doesn't need her at all! And then he shoves her up against the wall and roughly kisses her. While I am a huge fan of Kevin McKidd's (seriously, I even watched that head trauma time travel show), poor Cristina! Doesn't she deserve better than sporadic tongue assaults? Cristina shakes her head and walks away.
Alex dutifully torches the sweater instead of shoving it in the trash and going about his merry way. The sweater flambé doesn't work for Izzie, though, and she finds Denny waiting for her upstairs. And boy is he pissed! That was his favorite sweater! Izzie freaks out more. She said goodbye! She starts hyperventilating and chanting "You're not real! You're not real!" Denny tells her to stop freaking out and to touch him. She finally gives in to his demand that she touch him, which is totally dirty. Seriously kids: If someone demands that you touch them, don't do it. ["Especially if said someone is DEAD! --AC] Izzie ignores my advice and touches Denny's chest. He is solid. She looks surprised, but then starts making out with him. Does Izzie have a brain tumor? Or do the writers just hate her this much? Or maybe they hate us? God, what did we ever do to them?
The previews for week look awesome. It looks like Izzie and Denny take it way past Demi and Swayze and consummate their cross-dimensional love without Whoopi or John Edward in sight! Then it looks like the creepy interns decide to perform an appendectomy on one of their short-straw drawing peers. Obviously things go badly. So much to look forward to!
Talk about the constantly reappearing ghost of Denny in our forums and see who on staff is a doctor and who is a high schooler.