Episode Report Card Lauren S: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Back in the Saddle
By Lauren S | Season 7 | Episode 11 | Aired on 01.06.2011
t wants to know if he's alive. "Is that terrible? All those people he hurt? Does that make me a terrible person?" I don't know what it was but this actress wrenched at my heartstrings when I saw this and did it again when I re-watched the episode. She somehow conveys how she really does know that people will think she's horrible for still worrying about the condition of her son. Jackson seems inclined to tell her just that but instead he leans down and explains that Jared was shot, but that he's got a good surgeon doing everything she can; since they are still in surgery that means he's still alive and they'll update her when they are out. Jared's mom puts her head down and cries, both happy and completely torn apart. She whispers a thank you and wipes her tears away with her head still down as he walks away.Richard walks out of his makeshift operating room to the group of cops that are waiting and tells Officer Graham that Faz's surgery got a bit hairy, but that he's going to be fine. Graham thanks him and puts out his hand, and as Richard shakes it they agree that they need to stop meeting like this.
One of the victims is sitting up in bed laughing with friends, and I have to assume this is Callie and Arizona's patient judging by the scaffolding sticking out of her leg. Indeed it is, and Arizona is outside in the hall happily talking to Callie about how well they worked together that day. Callie finishes up the chart and hands it over, and Arizona is surprised that she turns and just walks away and calls after her, using her full name. Callie turns, and Arizona apologizes profusely and promises to keep apologizing as much as it takes, for the rest of her life, because she loves Callie so much. She finishes up by reminding Callie she flew across the world to be with her. Callie retorts that she flew across the world because earlier she flew away. Arizona is confused that Callie is holding a grudge but Callie just tells her that they are both in the relationship and that even though she came back, Callie didn't, and nothing has changed. She then walks off. On the one hand yes, this is all true. But on the other hand, can Callie please just take at least a little bit of responsibility for what happened between them in the first place? It wasn't a black-and-white case of Arizona being a selfish ass and leaving Callie in her dust, but that's how Callie is treating it.
Mere has gone back to the catwalk and is gazing at the crowd with the candles outside. Derek finds her there and nuzzles her as he marvels that she's been holding everyone up though she's been having a hard time too. Jeez Derek, and it only took you this long and a very public fight to notice -- how thoughtful. It was just a little miscarriage she had, right? But they get all schmoopy and cuddle because she loves him even when he's a stupid jerk. He then says that he knows she's mad and thinks fishing didn't work, but that he just heard Cristina is in the OR. Meredith smiles and thinks he's joking but when she realizes he's telling the truth, she takes off to go find her friend. Derek gazes out at the crowd, thinking about how even in a time like this he managed to get in a good "I told you so" to his wife. Ah, love, McDreamy-style.
Cristina and Teddy are still working and Richard comes to the gallery to watch; eventually, all of the doctors wander in as they finish with their own patients. Owen is the last one to arrive and says he just took the last patient, other than the one on the table below, to a room. Down in the OR, Cristina and Teddy finish up and stare, waiting and hoping for his heart to start back up. After a moment it does, they heave sighs of relief, and Teddy nods at Richard and the rest of the audience to convey the news.
Richard then tells the other doctors that they saw 26 patients and didn't have a single casualty. Lexie starts crying again, followed by April, and pretty soon everyone is either crying or trying pretty unsuccessfully to fight their tears. Everyone, that is, except Derek and Meredith, who grin and look like the smuggest of smug married couples. They actually start to giggle, which at first seems appalling but then serves to break the tension, and eventually all of the doctors are laughing. Stark had joined the group but when he sees this show of semi-hysteria, he finally declares that he hates this place and walks out. This only makes everyone laugh harder, of course. Meredith voiceovers about surgery being extreme, and then Richard admits to Arizona he was holding a grudge and of course she can have a job there, but she'll have to work under Stark. He leaves her with a clap on the back and everyone starts laughing again, because it's so funny that he hired a guy whose laziness has contributed to all sorts of near tragedies! Arizona clearly isn't sure if he's joking or not, and I'm not entirely sure myself. I guess we'll see if Peter MacNicol's name is in the credits next week or not.
The patient whose arm Mark was stitching up earlier is still asleep, and Mark is there stitching her up once again, undoing the stapling that Owen did earlier. Lexie walks in and Mark tells her that the girl is just a kid, and shouldn't have a big ugly scar. Something about the way he says it is so sweet and sincere, and Lexie obviously thinks so too. When Mark asks if she'll wait until he's done there, she whispers that she loves him and then adds that yes, she'll wait. Mere's voice is glad life has no scalpel because then when anything hurt we'd just get to cutting.
Teddy walks over to Joe's and meets up with Henry; she tells him he looks exhausted but he tells her that she looks exhausted, and adds with a cheeky grin that he looks handsome. Man, on Felicity Noel started to bug me so much that I forgot about Scott Foley's inherent charm, but I'm very happy to be remembering now. He's adorable! Teddy isn't really in a lighthearted mood, but she pulls out the paperwork to get him some insurance. Henry suggests they get a drink first but she's not in the mood, and Henry's jokes about how they didn't have any vows, rings or sadly even cake, so the least they can do is have a toast, don't sway her. She finally tells him she spent the day saving someone who was really not a good person, and tries to get him back to the paperwork. But he tells her sincerely that she also saved his life that day, and he thinks that deserves a toast. She finally has to give him a little sad smile about that, and he beams at her. As I said in my recaplet, these two are so actually falling in love.
And finally, we have the moment we've all been waiting for. Mere finishes up her VO repeating it's a good thing that life isn't like surgery, because then you don't lose what you cut out forever. She comes down the hall to find her bestie and the two walk towards each other slowly, winding up face-to-face. If this were any other pair of friends, they might have some sappy moment but since this is the twisted sisters, Cristina finally asks if Meredith wants a drink, and she agrees. As they walk away Mere adds that it shouldn't be a real drink on account of her getting pregnant so Cristina instead offers that they could find some crack cocaine. Meredith takes her arm, and I for one heave a giant, happy, sigh of relief that Cristina is BACK, baby.