Grey’s Anatomy Get Awkward When The Residents Lead Surgeries

Isn’t that nice. The Chief allegedly committed fraud and he still gets to be a doctor. Fancy. Oh but he’s no longer Chief. That’s Owen now and Teddy is the only one in the room pleased with that fact. The person most displeased? BAILEY.

Also the 5th years are all taking the lead on surgeries and wicked excited about it. They are quickly distracted when they learn April gets an office. Then they take her over her office because she’s the new Izzie–only a virgin. Before they can send her into a ghost George boning tizzy they get the Chief news and make a bet to see who will fail their lead surgery the hardest.

Elsewhere the Chief and Derek bemoan their status as research pariahs and try not to talk about how they should both want to punch Meredith. Then the Chief mentions Zola and shit gets awkward.

But not as awkward as the new Chief running into Christina. They HUG. As Meredith says, it’s bad.

HEELIES. Arizona is sleeping and also being incredibly smart and awesome and I only half know what she’s saying because I was busy being delighted about the return of the Heelies. I don’t think we’ve seen them since pre-Africa. Hell since pre-shooting.

Meredith is explaining her surgery to the patient and has to field awkward conversations about children and her experience. Derek swoops in and saves her but before we can all think things are improving between the titular doctor and her man he walks away in a huff.

Christina, still being the best character on the show, is also showing her mad doctoring skills by schooling interns and making Teddy smile with her intelligence.

Avery is paired with Arizona for the day for some Double A Power. He’s also repairing a cleft palate and they’re using a child with an actual cleft palate. Arizona swoops in and tells him he’s great and then takes his surgery away and gives it to Sloan. Everything about that? Everything about that delights me. Avery is upset but Arizona wants and artist and is more concerned with the kid then the doctor. High five to Arizona.

Elsewhere Alex busts out the dick stick and hits April over the head with it while she’s being charming with a patient. Periodically Alex has to be put in his place by the women he walks over and I suspect April’s prepping for a smackdown.

Arizona, back again and the episodes silent MVP, is chilling with Bailey and Teddy and gossiping about how silly it was for the Chief to give up his job for Meredith. Maybe she implies he wants to date Meredith. Then the Chief walks in

and talks to his lunch. It’s too much for Bailey. She leaves.

April sneaks up on Owen and Callie–who are appearing together a lot this season–and bitches about her fellow residents. Owen tries to dispense Chiefly advice, but before he can bask in the glory of his own mighty Chiefness Bailey swoops in.

Callie comforts him and points out that angry Bailey is not an enemy to have. Fourth season Callie–the chief resident who lost it–knows this fact.

Christina’s fancy heart surgery patient has appendicitis and Teddy insists on Christina doing the procedure.

I think she’s enjoying suck up Christina doing everything she asks.

Alex’s patient asks April if Alex is a douche. She says yes. Then defends him. Oh no are we going back to the Alex/April romance? My sister from another mister is named April so I have to lodge a complaint about a romance blossoming between those two.

Awkwardness must be the theme of the episode because more of it occurs when the Chief drops by to wish Meredith luck and warns her to step out of her surgery if she can’t communicate with Derek. I saw the previews for this episode so I’m assuming she doesn’t drop out.

Down in the pig factory Alex is turning a pig into a lava lamp and the others are panicking about their surgeries and ignoring April. She tells Alex about his concerned patient and he blows her off.

Yeah April laying the smackdown on Alex? It’s coming.

Christina decides to use the intern skills lab students to help her relearn the appendectomy. Or she could seek out Lexie? I seem to remember her being familiar with appendectomies.

Owen takes another crack at Bailey.

It doesn’t go well.

Callie tries to be wise with April and tells her about her own failure as Chief Resident. It’s my favorite scene of the episode.

Avery fixes a porcine cleft palate and convinces Arizona to let him do the cleft palate baby.

Christina freaks out the interns and makes one cry. She then runs into her awkward husband and makes plans for dinner. But it’s so awkward that Meredith has to intervene.

While getting all clean for surgery April tries to convince Alex to talk to his patients more often. He freaks out and tells her he doesn’t have time to communicate because he needs to be busy SAVING LIVES. Lame Alex. That’s a douchey hipster thing to say.

But instead of calling him on the douche-factor she decides he’s AMAZING. April. No. Someone intervene. Don’t let her give her flower to him (and no one’s going to take it if you keep calling it that).

LET THE SURGERIES COMMENCE. Derek is snippy with Meredith. April makes doe eyes at Alex. Teddy antagonizes Christina to my delight. Arizona puts the entire future of a tiny baby in Avery’s hands and freaks him out.

Derek gets horribly bossy with Meredith because SURPRISE! he doesn’t trust her.

Teddy keeps on with the questioning of the Christina and it goes badly because then Christina forgets the next step. See. This is the awkward episode. Alex nearly finishes his surgery but discovers a completely destroyed intestine. Christina tells Teddy to shut it. Derek freaks out and COMMERCIALS.

Meredith, having ignored Derek continues with her surgery. They show us some important surgical footage that means nothing because we’re not surgeons. Then she does well and Derek gets even madder.

Alex continues the douchey hipster thing and Christina realizes that Teddy, world-class cardiothoracic surgeon, doesn’t know how to do an appendectomy. Then the nurse swoops in and tells them what to do.

Avery proves he puts the patient ahead of his career and gets Mark to do the surgery.

Alex freaks out and looks to the Chief for help and the Chief out douches Alex by popping on his glasses and reading a book.

Soft rock plays as they all come out of surgery. Christina and Teddy agree to never speak of their surgery again.

April emotionally comforts Alex and makes “I want to give you my virgin bouquet” eyes at him. Meredith completes her surgery but gets no fist bump because Derek is an anger ball. So the rest of the room gives her a standing ovation. BURN DEREK.

Post surgeries the 5th years get wasted on April’s booze. Avery tries to insist Alex lost the bet the residents made but the virginal florist swoops in and insists Avery lost by forfeit. April I love you. Keep your bouquet.

Owen tries to get Bailey on his side and she stares him away. The Chief asks her to be nice. She thinks about it.

Let the evening of awkward end with no one talking about the fetus no longer in the womb (abortion jokes who knew!).

Oh wait it wasn’t awkward Owen. It was food poisoned Owen.

Meredith, refusing to be awkward, insists on speaking with Derek. It’s a serious, adult, married couple argument. It spans the whole house. There are tears. Undressing. And then Derek points to the Post It and promises to love her even though he hates her. DAMN YOU GREY’S ANATOMY. DON’T MAKE ME TEARY EYED WITH YOUR EMOTIONAL DUMBNESS. And even though Derek hates her and doesn’t trust her at work and they’ve lost their baby and their lives are a mess they move forward. Meredith tells him she’s off his service so they can stay together and I sigh because it’s the most pragmatically romantic thing this show has ever done.

Owen and Christina, drunk with vomit, keep refusing to talk about the abortion and work on being together.

And we end with this.

Which in retrospect looks like two dead people laid out for a viewing.

Notes

• The first two episodes of the season felt like they were all over the place tonally. This episode was focused and even though many characters played second fiddle or didn’t even appear it was a strong episode with some great resolution for the dangling season seven plot strings.
• That final fight between Derek and Meredith was incredibly natural and organic. I’m not accustomed to seeing something quite like that on Grey’s but it was certainly welcomed to see versus the soap opera emotions that usually drown each episode.
• Arizona and Callie and Teddy flitted in and out of the episode like pixies but they kept things light, kept the plot moving and were a bit of fun to balance the black hole that is Bailey at the moment.
• Ultra-cranky introspective Bailey had better only last an episode or two. I prefer my Bailey loud and proud.
• As mentioned above NO TO ALEX AND APRIL. Especially super douche nozzle Alex. I get it, he’s hurt, but allow him to grow and mature a bit. Look how beautiful that worked for the character of Meredith Grey!
• Though I might be okay with Alex and April getting together if it means a portmanteau. Then I could call my bff that whenever I called her. But what the hell would it even be? Alril? Aprex? They sounds like antidepressants.
• Where was Chyler Leigh?
• There was a distinct lack of adorable babies this episode and I missed all of them.
• But I like that the babies aren’t going to be a major show stopper. CAM being okay with daycare is a narrative lifesaver I welcome with open arms.
• The matter of fact treatment of the abortion storyline and the way Christina and Owen dance around it while being immensely relieved that they’re still together is wonderful. This might be a groundbreaking storyline not just because it’s about an adult woman having an abortion but because it chooses to deal with the very real emotional fallout surrounding that choice.
• But enough slightly smart sounding talk. BRING ON THE GIFS: