Izzie wants a real Thanksgiving dinner, and she wants it done right, damn it! Unfortunately, none of her friends will help her -- Mere has volunteered to work, George is hauled off by his kinfolk for their traditional Thanksgiving Day turkey-shootin' extravaganza, and Alex won't return her calls. Her savior soon arrives in the form of Burke, who turns out to be a great cook (his mother owns a restaurant in Alabama!), and guides Izzie through turkey surgery. Cristina mostly sits around and complains that there's no booze in the house, then makes her escape to the hospital. Meredith gets McDreamy -- who is also supposed to be home having sex with his wife for the first time since their split -- involved in the case of a man who's been in a vegetative state for seventeen years. The man wakes up, sees that his family has moved on, is sad, then dies in surgery. Whoops! George finally shoots himself a turkey, but before he can escape from his good ol' boy daddy and brothers, one of the brothers accidentally shoots Daddy in the ass. George is then forced to root around in his own father's posterior to retrieve the bullet. They bond, as you do. Meanwhile, Bailey is tormented by a visiting hotshot doctor, so she hatches a little plan to take him down a few notches...which works so beautifully there aren't words to describe it. Well, there are two: Happy Thanksgiving!
We open at Meredith's, on Thanksgiving morning. Meredith breaks the news to Izzie that she won't be able to help her with dinner, because she's going in to work. Izzie starts whining about it, but is interrupted by the doorbell. Mere opens it to find three strapping men in outdoorsy clothes. The big one asks if this is where "Georgie" lives. As soon as they have confirmed that this is, indeed, where Georgie lives, they shove Meredith out of the way, head up the stairs, and start chanting, "O'Malley! O'Malley! O! Mall! Ey!" Izzie: "Should I call the police?" Meredith seizes the commotion as her chance to escape, and runs off to work. Izzie yells after her that she better be back for dinner at six, and she means it.
George is in bed doing a funny little countdown, and as soon as he gets to "one," the door flies open. "O'MALLEY! Happy THANKSGIVIIIIIING!" Poor George.
Over on the ferryboat, Addison tells McDreamy that she was thinking they could...have sex tonight. McDreamy chokes on his coffee, then tosses his beautiful hair and regains his composure. Addison just thought it would be a good idea, because they haven't done it since all the cheating and the Meredith and whatnot. She says she has the day off, but McDreamy says he has to check on a few patients. Addison feels that they should just "rip the stitches" and get it over with. Well, that makes it sound extra-hot. McDreamy adds, "No anesthesia?" Addison says that's right, and asks what he thinks. He thinks this stupid ferry is totally messing up his hair.
Cut to the hospital. Bailey tells Mere that they're working with a temp attending today, so they need to get him oriented. She also thanks Mere for volunteering to come in, saving her from having to choose an intern to torture. Mere says she's happy to be tortured, and doesn't have whole hell of a lot to be thankful for. As they walk through the halls, Bailey tells Mere that too much family time at Thanksgiving makes people depressed, which leads to repressed childhood rage, bitter disputes over the remote control, and way too much alcohol. "People get stupid. People get hurt." Bailey is grinning from ear to ear by now. Mere asks why that's such a good thing. Bailey: "Surgeries, Grey! Lots and lots of surgeries. The stupidity of the human race, Grey. Be thankful for that."
McDreamy finds Webber looking at the board, and tells him he's supposed to be at home. Webber's like, "So are you." Then Burke walks out of surgery gloating about how he just performed the fastest procedure he's ever done. They rib each other over who can't function ten feet away from the hospital, and that they're all leaving very soon. Burke: "Say it like you mean it." Webber insists he knows how to have a life outside the hospital, really, he does! No one believes him.
Bailey introduces herself to "Dr. Kent" as the resident who'll be helping him out today. Kent, who is clearly so full of himself he floats, cuts Bailey off, and tells her he's only working here for one day -- he just wants to tell people what to do, they do it, and he doesn't like mistakes. "There's only one resident I want in my OR. Guy they call the Nazi. You heard of him?" Bailey gets the most beautiful look on her face, and sits there pretending like she herself isn't the Nazi that Kent's looking for. "The Nazi?" Kent says yes, everyone knows this guy, who has a stellar rep, and balls the size of Texas. Bailey: "That big? Sounds like an impressively talented man, this Nazi." Heeeee. Bailey continues, cool as a cucumber, "Never heard of him. But I'll be sure to keep an eye out." Kent says fine, and to page him if she gets confused. Oh, poor Kent, he is going down so hard. Mere tries to keep from laughing, and when Kent's gone, looks at Bailey in amazement. Bailey: "Like I said. The stupidity of the human race." I wish Bailey would marry me.
George is being physically pushed out of the house by the O'Malley gang. Izzie stops him and asks where the hell he's going. George says, in a giddy voice that makes me think they drugged him, "Every year? My father, my brothers, and I? Hunt, shoot, and kill a helpless, slow-moving turkey, isn't that great?" George's family confirm this by screaming "O'Malley!" again. Okay, that's getting old already. One of the brothers tells Izzie that this is going to be the year for George to kill his first turkey, and they'll have him home by dinnertime. Izzie starts screeching, "No, wait, you can't do this, who's gonna help me?" George turns and hisses at her, "Who's gonna help me?" Aw, Georgie.
Bailey and Meredith's first patient is a man named Holden McKee, who's been brought in from a nursing home. The nurse who gave George the syph tells us that he was a firefighter injured by falling debris, and has been in a persistent vegetative state for sixteen years. He fell from his bed while being turned by the orderlies, and now his insurance says he has to get checked out. Bailey asks Mere what her plan is; she says she'll repair his head laceration and get him a CT to rule out cerebral edema. Bailey tells her to get to it, and leaves. As Mere checks Holden out, she tells him she'd give anything for his kind of serenity. "Great. Now I'm jealous of vegetables. You just look so peaceful." Suddenly, Holden's eyes fly wide open and stare right at her. Not so peaceful now! Meredith screams, and we go to the credits.
We return to Bailey working on a burn victim. "Man tryin' to deep-fry a turkey. 'Course, he got drunk first." Meredith interrupts to say that her PVS case opened his eyes, and was looking at her. Bailey starts to respond, but Kent comes in to see if they've got anything good. Bailey moves swiftly in front of the deep-fried patient, and all, "Oh, nothing you'd want to waste time on, sir, but there are thirteen patients that need sutures." Kent tries to pass them off to Meredith, but Bailey says she's actually on her way to CT with a VIP patient. "On orders from the Nazi," adds our hero. Kent leaves reluctantly, and tells Bailey to tell the Nazi that he's looking for him. Bailey's like, "Oh, yes. Of course." She turns back to Mere and tells her to get a neuro consult for Mr. McKee, but she's pretty sure he wasn't looking at her. Then she gets ready to move her patient to surgery -- you know, the good one that Kent will be missing.
Cristina rings Meredith's doorbell, and orders Burke not to mention Shepherd. "Or Montgomery-Shepherd." Burke nods. "Or the fact that Shepherd is with Montgomery-Shepherd." Burke says he can do these things. "Or anything having to do with syphilis." Hee. Burke says he's been in social situations before, and can handle it. Izzie opens the door and immediately starts freaking out about having to do everything by herself, then stops when she notices Burke standing there. "Oh, hi, Dr. Burke! Hello!" Izzie invites them in, and Cristina hangs back, all mad: "I tried to blow him off, but he won't blow! He's like something sticky that won't blow off." Izzie wonders what she's supposed to talk to Dr. Burke about at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for these two fools, Burke has better hearing than they think. He tells Izzie that people who are shocked when he shows up uninvited to their homes call him "Preston." Aw. Cristina can't believe everyone else is gone, and now it's just her, Izzie, and "PRESTON?" Izzie says yes, and Alex, when he shows up. She calls him and leaves a message asking where he is. Burke is like, "Is something burning?" Izzie: "Oh, God, YES!" She makes a run for the kitchen.
McDreamy finds Webber standing around the hospital again, and they both agree they're going home right this minute. Webber: "Adele's sister's in town. I hate that woman." McDreamy thinks the OR board might need to be checked one more time. Webber takes off, delighted. Mere walks over and uncomfortably tells McDreamy about her PVS case. McDreamy checks his chart and says he can be discharged. Not so fast, McDreamy! Meredith tells him about Holden opening h
is eyes and looking at her. McDreamy: "He wasn't looking at you." Mere: "He was." They argue about who's righter. The point, please! McDreamy says he has to go, starts walking away, then stops himself. "He was looking at you." YES! Lordy.Meanwhile, in O'Malley-land, the boys are walking through the woods all decked out in their camo and guns. The brothers and George's dad start arguing about the best cars ever, while George trudges along behind them and wishes for death. Daddy O'Malley beseeches George to pick a car, but George just points out that one can actually buy a turkey at the market. George's dad says he can feel it; George will be the one to shoot the turkey today. George says he doesn't wanna shoot the turkey. Brother 1: "You say that every year!" George: "And...every year...I don't shoot the turkey." Heh. His family is disappointed at this poor representation of O'Malley testosterone.
Izzie tries calling Alex again while Burke examines the contents of a burnt pot. Izzie explains that it was supposed to be her marinade. Burke realizes that she's never made a Thanksgiving dinner before. Cristina: "You can't COOK?" Izzie insists that she bakes, and she's seen her grandmother cook a million times! Burke removes his jacket in preparation for saving the day. He totally takes charge and starts ordering Izzie around while Cristina looks on in consternation. She needn't worry, because Burke is already moving around the kitchen like he's done it a thousand times before. It is also, I might add, pretty hot. "Let's get this turkey up and running, Stevens. Garlic?" Izzie is ecstatic, and slaps the garlic into his hand. Cristina says she's going to need liquor -- lots and lots of liquor.
Back at the hospital, McDreamy is examining Holden and saying lots of important words like "no sustained visual pursuit." I myself am an expert in a little something called "Trivial Pursuit." McDreamy sees that Holden doesn't respond to external stimuli, and tells Meredith he's sorry, but he wasn't looking at her. Meredith says she was so sure he was, and as she starts to talk, Holden's eyes follow her. "Look, he just did it again!" McDreamy sees it too, and tells her to keep talking. She does, and Holden follows the sound of her voice with his eyes. Meredith smiles, relieved that she's not as crazy as she thought. Commercials.
When we come back, McDreamy is looking at Holden's scans, and has surmised that he hasn't actually been PVS all these years, but minimally conscious. He was in a nursing home, so everyone just missed it. Mere says that sucks. Indeed. McDreamy looks deep into Mere's eyes, and says there's one thing to be thankful for: they might be able to wake him up.
Alex is also at the hospital, in his secret study place. He checks the hundred messages he has from Izzie, but does not call her back. Cristina gets George on his cell phone and reports that she is in hell, as Burke's gone "Iron Chef" in the kitchen with Izzie, and he has to come back and save her. George: "I'm in the woods. With shotguns and liquor and car talk. It's like Deliverance out here!" Cristina asks him where Meredith keeps the booze, as the house seems to be completely devoid of it, which she can't understand. "Meredith is a WASP, and booze is like oxygen to a WASP." George: "Which is...why we're out of liquor." Duh. Cristina yells that she can't get through this holiday without booze, and George yells for her to come and get him. They hang up, and we cut to Addison calling McDreamy to ask where he is.
Alas, he is with Meredith, getting ready to talk to Holden's wife. McDreamy asks which one of all the people in the waiting room she thinks the wife is. Mere scans the room, and points out a pregnant woman. "It's her." And she's right, but Mrs. McKee is Mrs. Leonard now, and is clearly having Mr. Leonard's baby. She's there with her teenaged son, and neither understands what's happening. McDreamy explains that Holden's brain has been trying to heal itself over the years; he's given him an amphetamine that should give his brain the push it needs to find consciousness. Cool. Holden's son asks when he'll wake up, and McDreamy says it should be within a few hours. Tragically, Holden will not realize how much time has passed. The son runs out of the room, saying he's going to be sick. McDreamy says he knows it's a difficult situation. Holden's wife is like, "I just got married. I'm having a baby in December, and Coby turns seventeen on Thursday. Difficult? This is unimaginable." She tells Coby they're leaving, that Holden can't wake up and see them all like this. Her new husband is there, also, and says it took her a long time to move on. They take off, leaving Holden to wake up on his own, I guess.
Kent finds Bailey scrubbing in for surgery, and tells her to get back to the pit, because they're backed up. Bailey's like, "I'm so sorry, I can't. THE NAZI has me on this surgery." Kent bitches that they've got a line out the door for sutures, and everyone's an amateur chef until they get a knife in their hands. Bailey reminds him innocently that knives can be tricky.
They certainly can, as evidenced by Bailey's patient, a man with a kitchen knife sticking out of his back. Webber is there, too, and says he just wanted to watch a little bit. Bailey tells him he better get home, or he'll end up like the guy on the table. "Wife stabbed him, said she didn't like the way he was carving the turkey." Ha! I have felt like that at least a thousand times, and that's just today.
Back at Mere's house, Joe the bartender has arrived. Cristina answers the door, frantic. Joe introduces the handsome young man standing to him as his boyfriend, Walter. Cristina: "Whatever. Tell me you brought liquor." Joe offers the pie he brought, and Cristina is incredulous. "You're a bartender!" Joe: "Did you bring scalpels?" Heh. If she had, I'm sure Joe would be finding himself on the business end of one right about now.
O'Malley Turkey Festival. George mans the turkey call, while his dad tells him to just pick a car. George doesn't wanna pick a car. Brother Two scoffs, "He doesn't know jack about cars." Daddy O'Malley says Georgie's just tired, because they work him too hard at the hospital. Brother One: "Oh, yeah? What do you do there?" George says it's just medical stuff. Daddy O'Malley tries to goad George into making his brothers jealous. "Go on, tell 'em what it's like bein' a big-time surgeon!" George gives in, and starts telling them about a surgery he assisted on. His brothers immediately shut him down, all, "You just assisted? So what, you don't actually cut anybody open?" George tries to explain that he's an intern, and the point is that you're learning, and how incredibly difficult it is, but they're not having it. "So you don't actually do anything." Please, George, just shoot these buffoons right now. They make fun of him some more, and George says he wants to go home. Dad says he can, just as soon as he shoots his turkey.
Alex discovers Meredith sitting in Holden's room, waiting for him to wake up. He asks her why she's not at Thanksgiving, which Meredith answers by asking him the same thing. He sits down beside her and decides it's confession time. "I tell you something, you tell me something." Mere says okay, and says she feels like one of those people who are so freaking miserable, they can't be around normal people, because they'll infect the happy people, like some miserable, diseased, dirty ex-mistress. She tells him it's his turn. Alex finally lets it out that he failed the medical boards; if he tells Izzie, she'll be nice about it, but she might as well rip his nads off and turn them into earrings. Mere says he doesn't have to tell Izzie anything if he doesn't want to, but he should go to Thanksgiving. "Otherwise you're just...me." Alex: "A miserable, diseased, dirty ex-mistress? That's hot. I feel better already." He tells her Happy Thanksgiving, and musses her hair a little before he goes. Aw, that was a nic
1 2 3 4
e moment. Mere is about to leave herself until she hears Holden call out, "Hello? Somebody? Is somebody there?" Meredith rushes over and takes his hand. "Yes. Somebody's here." Sniff. Commercials.McDreamy tells Holden that the deterioration in his joints will be painful for a while, but that his very ability to communicate as well as he can is remarkable. Holden asks about his wife, and how long he's been out. "What, a year?" No one says anything, and he realizes it's bad. He asks Meredith to tell him -- to just "rip off the bandage." McDreamy chimes in for the second time that day, "No anesthesia." He is feeling particularly masochistic today, isn't he? McDreamy leaves them alone to talk, saying he'll be right outside, and we pull back to his point of view, so all we hear are Holden's cries of grief.
In a happier (but not much) place, Burke tells Izzie she needs to chop that celery into finer pieces. I love it, he's totally quizzing her. "Put those in with the onions. Now...what should you be concerned about?" Izzie, a fine pupil, says she needs to check the turkey to make sure it's cooking at the correct temperature. Burke: "And how do we do that?" With the meat thermometer, of course! Joe and Walter take bets on whether she'll pull it off. Cristina bets seventy-five that she doesn't care, and hates the world. Burke coaches Izzie on the proper thermometer placement; she pushes too far, and hits the bone. Burke: "The pan is filling with juice and you're losing steam. What do you do? Come on, think!" Heeeee. Cristina can't take it any more and heads for the door. Burke follows her, asking what the problem is. Cristina can't comprehend the fact that he's making friends, and being nice, exactly like she asked him to. She says she's just running out to get some liquor, and all will be well. Why so pouty, Crissy-poo? Izzie calls for Burke from the kitchen. Burke runs back in, shouting, "Suction! Use the baster to suction!"
O'MALLEY! His brothers are still talking about cars. George still refuses to pick one. Finally, he spots a turkey, and it's about damn time, because I don't think I can take much more of these people. Brother One goes to shoot it, but George stops him. "Dad said we're not leaving until I shoot a turkey. I AM SHOOTING THIS TURKEY." He takes aim, and surrounded by both brothers saying he's going to chicken out and/or miss, he shoots. He scores! Everyone cheers. George: "Let's go home!" I second that emotion.
Holden is in for his scan, and he asks Mere what his son is like. Mere says she didn't really get a chance to talk to him, but he seemed like a very nice boy. "He's tall, like you, and he's got your eyes." Holden is nearly overcome, and says that's good. Mere tells him they're ready to begin his MRI, and walks to the other side of the glass. Uh-oh. Holden's got an epidural hematoma, which I believe I have listed under "Dislikes" in my staff bio. What? I'm not a fan. Anyway, McDreamy tells Holden about his hematoma; he says they can try to fix it, but it won't be easy, and he could die. Of course, he could also die if he doesn't have the surgery. Your call, McKee! Holden doesn't know what to do, and asks Mere what she would do. Mere quietly says she can't answer this for him. Holden can't answer, either, at least not before we get back to my favorite Thanksgiving team ever, Burke and Izzie!
As Burke instructs Izzie on the finer points of melting butter, she asks him how he learned to cook like this. Burke, somewhat shyly but totally hotly, says his mom owns a restaurant in Alabama. Izzie is all, "Seriously? Does Cristina know that?" Burke says he doesn't think so. Izzie says she doesn't ask a lot of personal questions, and is kind of hard to get to know. Burke agrees, then gives Izzie a little look. "Karev didn't show?" Izzie says no. Burke asks if that's okay, and Izzie replies, "No. Absolutely not." They keep on with their stirring and chopping and it's very adorable. Joe walks in asking when Cristina will be back with the liquor. It's been over an hour, and they all wonder where she is...
...which is kind of a dumb question, because they should have known she'd turn up at the hospital. She calls on a patient in the waiting room. "You swallowed a wishbone? Excellent." The guy follows her back as she effuses, "Maybe you ruptured your esophagus, huh? Yeah. That means surgery." Heh. She's such a bitch, and I can't hate her for it.
George is gathering all the hunting equipment up as fast as he can to load in the truck, all, "Guys, come on! Let's do this! Hurry up!" Daddy O'Malley tells him to hold on for a second, and then -- oh my Lord -- smears turkey blood on each of George's cheeks. He tells him proudly that he is now officially an O'Malley Man. Brothers: "O'MALLEY!" George looks as if he would like to take a hunting knife and gut his own self. Daddy says he's left his hat, and walks off to get it. This would be the point in the show where George's brothers try to do a drunken salute, and the gun accidentally goes off. There's a bunch of squawking and screams in the background. Oh, George is so mad. "You shot Dad in the ass, are you HAPPY NOW?!!!?!" (George requires more exclamation points than most.) Commercials.
When we come back, poor George is trying to keep his brothers from playing with all the equipment in the trauma room. They are idiots. He tells his dad he's going to give him a shot to numb the "area," which his dad says doesn't even hurt that bad. George is like, "Dad. You have birdshot embedded in your, uh, gluteus maximus. When I start removing it, believe me, it's gonna hurt very bad." As if on cue, Brother One starts in with the fucking cars again: "Hey. '65 GTO." Brother Two: "Nah, nah. What you want is the Bel-Air." Daddy asks Georgie to pick a car. "Yeah, come on, pick a car!" one of the brothers prods. George declines, for the thousandth time today, to pick a car. The brothers say he doesn't know jack about cars. This is killing me. Finally, George loses his mind. He loses it quietly at first. "First you say the GTO. Then he comes back with the Bel-Air, which never fails to make Dad say the GT-500." Now he's ramping it up. "The Cobra, the Chieftain. Then someone names a German car, which invariably starts the American-versus-foreign debate that usually ends when one of you brings up the DeVille." And now, my friends, he drops his basket. "And that always, ALWAYS leads to the unbelievably long discussion on the merits of the '57 Thunderbird, so how 'bout I just jump to the end and name the Thunderbird now, so that for once in our lives, WE CAN STOP PICKING CARS!" He starts to storm out, then stops at the door. "AND MY NAME IS GEORGE!" Bravo! The O'Malleys, well...not so entertained.
Holden's son Coby has returned to visit his dad, but it's not going well. Coby walks out of the room and says to Meredith and McDreamy, "He says we have the same eyes. I don't see it." Mere opens the door to check on Holden, who is rubbing his face in despair. "He said he couldn't stay," he tells Meredith. "Because of the holiday. But he...he said he'll come back sometime soon." Mere says that's good. Coby also told Holden all about how freaking happy his mom is with her new husband, which I'm thinking is maybe the wrong way to start a relationship with your dad who's been in a coma for sixteen years. Holden is heartbroken, which has prompted him to go ahead with the surgery. "They've moved on. I should too." Meredith says she'll tell McDreamy. She turns to go, and Holden stops her to ask if she thinks Coby really will come back. Meredith says she hopes so. Aw. Tears: 1. AB Chao: 0.
Back at Meredith's, Burke asks Izzie, as she sets the table, why she planned this big dinner when she knew she couldn't cook. Izzie says she just likes Thanksgiving. Burke: "You just like Thanksgiving." Izzie grins sheepishly, and tells him that because of all the eighteen-hour days they work a year, it leaves little time for their families. "But we have this one day. A day we get to be like everybody else. A day to be normal. A day where nobody lives and nobody dies on our watch." She says it's like a gift, and she thinks they should just appreciate it, is all. Burke nods and murmurs to himself, "A day without surgery." And goddamn it, I'm crying again, possibly because I am actually writing this on Thanksgiving, and, well...turkey makes me emotional. Shut up, it IS like a gift! It's a Thanksgiving gift!
Pretty music starts up as we cut to Cristina and Bailey in surgery. So much for a day without it. Cristina asks Bailey why she's working on Thanksgiving. Bailey says she needs the extra hours and practice, try to do as much as she can before the baby comes and she has to take time off. Cristina's eyes widen, all, "Oh." Bailey asks about her and Dr. Burke; Cristina just responds with a "yeah." Bailey pauses for a minute as she sews the patient up, then brings it home: "He would have made a good father." Perfect.
Holden is wheeled into surgery. McDreamy asks Mere if she's coming, but she says she has to cover the floor. She then asks him what he would do in Holden's situation. McDreamy answers with, "You would have the surgery." Meredith says she would want the future -- or to be asleep again. "Nothing in between." McDreamy says he honestly doesn't know what he would want. Mere totally face-hards him by replying, "I know you don't." Hee. He answers by walking into the OR.
An apologetic George walks back into the room where his dad is still lying, ass-up. His brothers have mercifully gone to the cafeteria. George gets back to work, and his dad is like, "You didn't have fun today." George says no, actually, he did not, especially since his brothers are mean and have never treated him like he's one of them. Daddy O'Malley's like, "Duh, you fool. You're not one of any of us. We're dry cleaners and truck drivers; you're a surgeon. I know it,
1 2 3 4
and they know it. You make sure we know it." George tries to refute this, but his dad says he's not blaming him, and he's proud of him, too. "It makes me feel like I did something right." George keeps digging around in his father's ass as Dad explains that they try to include George, they really do, but he doesn't like the stuff they like, and they don't know how to talk about the stuff he does like. "You treat us like we're stupid. And maybe we are. But we're your family. Give us an inch, Georgie. Every once in a while? Pick a car." And as much as I hate this whole picking cars thing, I wish George would do it just this one time. He doesn't, though. He tells his dad that he saved a guy's life in an elevator the other week -- performed open-heart surgery on him right there. George's dad shakes his head, and says that is something. "That's really something. Huh." Aaaand...more tears. Okay, there is something real bad wrong with me.Mere watches from outside the OR as Holden crashes. McDreamy removes his mask, and gives Mere a little look like, "No good." They walk together to the waiting room, where Coby is sitting. McDreamy says he'll take care of it, and Mere watches them sadly. Commercials.
Our three Thanksgiving escapees discover each other in the locker room all at once. George says this is beyond bad, because he is terrified of Izzie. Who is sitting at the dining room table, waiting on all her inconsiderate guests. Joe kisses her goodbye, and says he's got to get to the bar. Izzie doesn't want him to go, but he says it's one of the busiest days of the year -- people need a safe haven from the bitterness, loneliness, and quality family time. They leave, and it's just Izzie and Burke. Izzie tells "Preston" he can leave too if he wants. Burke says he's not leaving the table until the hostess does. Izzie says they're not coming. Burke is staying anyway, because he's awesome. Just then, Cristina and George walk in with guilty looks on their faces. George tells Izzie that today he committed bird murder, and was forced to touch his dad's ass, so he should get extra points for showing up at all. Izzie just sits there and grits her teeth. Cristina: "I brought booze." Burke and Izzie exchange a look. Izzie stands up as if to yell at them all really loudly, then thinks better of it and sits back down. "Let's just eat." They do.
Outside the hospital, Mere and McDreamy are sitting together on a bench. McDreamy asks her how she knew that woman was Holden's wife today in the waiting room. Mere says of all the people sitting there hoping for good news, she was the only one who looked like she'd completely given up. That is so depressing. McDreamy turns to go, but Meredith calls out, "Do you love her?" McDreamy walks back over, sits back down, and answers, "I don't know." Well, there's a surprise. Mere tells him he wouldn't be him if he weren't the kind of person who was trying to make it work. "Means I wasn't wrong about you." McDreamy says thanks, and this time it's Meredith who gets up to walk away. "Goodbye, Derek," she says. McDreamy tells her goodbye, too, and she starts a voice-over: "Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy." We cut to the Thanksgiving dinner, finally being done like it's supposed to be. Meredith stands outside her door and looks in at all her friends. Alex walks up behind her and asks if she's going in. Mere declines, but tells him to go ahead inside and make Izzie happy. MereVO: "Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is."
Bailey finds Webber still at the hospital, still staring at the OR board, still avoiding his wife's sister. She yells at him that he's a surgical junkie, and to GO HOME. He says he's in trouble no matter what, and there's a whipple happening in OR 2. Bailey bellows, "Go home right now!" and walks into the elevator. Webber calls after her, "This kind of treatment is why they call you the Nazi!" Kent, that asshole, is of course just getting off the elevator and witnesses this beautiful exchange. He stops dead in his tracks and turns to face Bailey, who just gives him a little smile and says, "Happy Thanksgiving." His jaw drops as the elevator door shuts in his face, and the entire world cheers.
Cut to Cristina and Burke getting into their car to go home. Burke says he was nice. Cristina smiles and says she noticed. Burke echoes Izzie from their turkey-surgery bonding session and tells her, "You don't ask a lot of personal questions, and you're very hard to get to know." Cristina says yes. Burke: "My mother owns a restaurant in Alabama." Cristina: "I scrubbed in on a foreign body removal this afternoon. A guy swallowed a wishbone whole." Burke, who has clearly decided that's a start, grins at her and starts the car. Mere continues, "...Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human."
McDreamy pulls up to his trailer. Addison is outside in the rain, waiting for him. "You didn't show. I waited." She's all teary-eyed and sad, and it's not cool the way she's making me like her. She asks him if he's done punishing her, because if not, she's going to need to special-order a thicker skin. Aw. McDreamy sits down to her, and as Mere voice-overs that maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know, he leans over and gives her a big old kiss. Mere: "And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know." I'll say.
Mere is at Joe's, sitting alone at the bar. A total McDreamy clone walks over and asks her if this seat is taken. Mere: "Do you work at the hospital?" The guy says he doesn't. Mere: "You're not a brain surgeon, or doctor of any kind?" He answers no to that, too. Then, she says, this seat isn't taken, and he sits down to her. She turns to him and flirtily asks if he wants to buy her a drink; he flirtily answers back that he does. And so, a final MereVO for this excellent Thanksgiving episode: "At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing...is reason enough to celebrate."
1 2 3 4