Grey's Anatomy

I can't decide what I was most surprised about since I thought there were multiple shockers in this season's finale episode. So I will make a list of things that I did not see coming:
— I did not expect Burke to call off the wedding. If anyone was going to put a stop to it, I thought it would've been Cristina. Apparently, Burke could tell Cristina just wasn't ready.
— I did not expect George to be the only intern that didn't pass the exam. Alex would've been more predictable.
— I did not expect Callie to be named new chief resident over Bailey.
— I did not expect Izzie to (gag me) profess her undying love to George with hopes that he would reciprocate the feelings (once again, gag me).

While I'm on the subject of shockers, let me also list things that were more predictable and not shocking:
— I was not surprised that Rebecca's husband Jeff finally showed up, and she wanted Alex to give her a reason to not return to her hubby. I was pleased that Jeff was played by Jason London, since I've always been a fan of those talented London twins.
— I was not surprised that Alex first encouraged Rebecca to go back to Jeff: "He's a decent guy — I think you should stick with the decent guy." But I didn't think Addison was going to make him change his mind and regret letting Rebecca get away (with "you suck!" and "she'll always be Ava to you").
— I was not surprised that Adele's baby ended up being the Chief's. That was just more me being a romantic at heart and wishful thinker than something that was expected. Did I cry during that scene with Adele telling Richard he was the father after she lost the baby? You betcha. I had to pause my TiVo, walk to the bathroom and get a tissue. Bawled. My. Eyes. Out. Loretta Devine, you deserve an Emmy nomination for that scene alone. You were simply your last name!
— I was not surprised (thanks to Scoop Brady, aka Michael Ausiello) that Chyler Leigh indeed was playing Lexie Grey (she was wearing black last week, so she was coming from her mother's funeral when Derek flirted with her at the bar). How typical for George to be the one to meet her as one of the new interns (he and Derek have always had similar taste in women).
— I was not surprised that the fourth mountain climber's ax-in-head injury was done on purpose (ouch), but why was his friend Andy putting him "out of his misery"?
— I was not surprised that the Chief didn't name Sloan or Burke or the "39 and alone" Addison as his replacement as chief of surgery, but what a perfect opening narration for Kate Walsh's sequel by James Pickens Jr.: "If you need a job to give you a life, you either need a new job or a new life." Or your own show, Wednesdays at 9pm/ET this fall on ABC. Maybe they can use that as a voiceover like Debbie Allen in the Fame opening: "You want dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs!"
— I liked that the Chief offered his position to Derek, and Derek said, "I'm not the best man for the job. You're the best man for the job. Go on. Be the best man."

Oh, my. I'm a list-a-holic... I'm on a roll and can't stop! Here are my favorite moments:

— Burke practicing his wedding vows during surgery in front of a room full of approving women, including Izzie and then Addison's reaction: "Dump Yang and marry me!"
— I was glad Derek told Meredith he was "in this" but gave Meredith the ultimatum: "Please end this if you don't see a future with us. Put me out of my misery."
— Loved when Callie told Izzie: "I was named chief resident" and that she and George decided to have a baby. I was waiting for Callie to add: "So there, bitch." Earlier, I enjoyed when Callie told George about her yearnings of "housing a human for nine months" and that George replied with: "There's a guy with an ax in his head" and walked out.
— Looks as though Joe and Walter will get their new twins from the birth mother Serena.
— Meredith's best line was when she morphed into Cristina, as though the tables were turned: "Stop whining! This is your wedding day. You will go down that aisle and you will get married. If I have to kick your ass every step of the way to get you there, you will walk down the aisle, you will get married. You hear me, Cristina? We need this. We need you to get your happy ending." Cristina: "OK, I'm ready." Too bad Meredith's valiant efforts were for naught.
— That scene between Bailey and George when she apologized to him that he failed the test: "Did I fail you?" George: "No. I failed you." Bailey grabbing George's arm made me cry again.
— Can we say "Emmy moment" with Sandra Oh's final scene when Cristina realized Burke had moved out? "I'm free! Take this off," as she tearfully removed the Burke family heirloom choker and her tight wedding dress.

And here's my short list of complaints:
— Can you imagine how hilarious the visual would have been with Cristina walking in without eyebrows had it not been shown in last week's previews and all the promos? Yes, it was funny when we first saw it, but think of how much funnier it would've been if they hadn't given us a sneak peek?
— More Diahann Carroll, please. Don't waste a TV legend by giving her only a few quick scenes.

So what did you think?

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How many of you were sitting there waiting for somebody to ask Addison how L.A. was? Almost the entire hour went by and Sloan finally asked her: "How was L.A.?" Addison replied with, "L.A. was different." And different would be the perfect way to describe the opinions expressed in the comments section last week. I thank you for your honesty, but most importantly, for respecting the opinions of others (including mine). Hey, different strokes for different folks, right? Now, onto this episode...

Wow. For those of you who were like me and felt really bad for Meredith after her father Thatcher slapped her last week, how about this time? I'm going to sound like a broken record, but sometimes the best acting is reacting. The way Ellen Pompeo reacted as Meredith while Thatcher yelled at her, blaming her for Susan's death, was acting at its best. I just wanted to hug her. Just like the Chief did toward the end. I love their relationship. Meredith: "Just because you slept with my mother, it doesn't make you my father." I was so glad he made it so she could retake the test. That was a great example of good friends caring about another friend when they were all so concerned about Meredith not passing their make-it-or-break-it medical exam. So typical for George to be the leader of the concerned ones. No matter how intense he gets with Izzie, we all know that Meredith is the one he pines for the most, and those feelings will never go away.

As for Izzie and George, I'm liking that Callie is getting overly suspicious, but I still hope that she never has to see them together. It's obvious George wants to move on: "I'm a married man." Hopefully Izzie's lie to George that their night together "didn't mean anything" makes George decide to stay and not take the job at Mercy West (not to mention that Bailey chastised him for even considering leaving). Yes, Izzie cried alone in the closet. I want her to take Melissa Manchester’s advice not to cry out loud and to keep it inside. No such luck at the end, with Izzie getting way too emotional about Cristina's wedding vows. I loved Meredith: "You're talking about Denny, right?"

It was nice to see James Pickens Jr. featured so much, and not just through "who's going to replace you as Chief?" scenes. When Adele (Loretta Devine) was shown in the previews last week lying on the ground, I certainly didn't expect the 52-year-old to be pregnant... with someone else's child. The "barren" Addison was definitely a pregnant lady magnet: "I'm being stalked by pregnant women!" Interesting how Callie shared that now might be the right time for her own baby. Not so fast, Callie.

My favorite Derek moment was when he told Meredith that he brought a black suit "just in case" she wanted him to attend Susan's funeral with her. My least favorite Derek moment was the chick at the bar (Chyler Leigh) flirting with him, but it quickly turned into a good moment when he rejected her flirtation. At least for now. That bachelor party was pretty lame, but Addison was the highlight: "I am not stripping." Derek: "We've seen it already." Sloan: "True." Burke: "I haven't." Sloan's best moment was asking if he and Addison could be "friends with benefits."

Did you notice that Elizabeth Reaser is now looking like Elizabeth Reaser? No more prosthetic makeup. Perfect timing since Jane Doe/Ava secretly regained her memory but didn't want Alex to know... until now. Her real name is Rebecca Pope and she left her husband, getting on that fateful ferry "to see the sights." Alex, there's your cue to sweep her off her feet. Rebecca Karev — sounds lovely.

The casting people for Grey's must be fans of the newly renewed Friday Night Lights. Two of the four injured mountain climbers (Kevin Rankin and Derek Phillips) and the woman who played Serena, the birth mother for Joe and Walter's possible future twins (Aasha Davis) were FNL first-season costars. (I say "possible" since Serena passed out right after Adele did — what was with all of the falling pregnant women?) Speaking of Joe (Steven W. Bailey), how rare to see him involved in an actual plot, rather than just serving everyone drinks at the bar. And I keep expecting Walter to turn into a mean guy, only because I'm used to seeing Jack Yang play one of James' thugs on Nip/Tuck. Back to the mountain climbers: the third one was played by Brian Tee; the fourth one was wheeled in at the end with an ax in his head. Ouch. Did the other three leave him behind because one of them axed him (and I don't mean a question)? We shall see...

Next week is the slightly extended season finale — Cristina and Burke's wedding. If you record it, be sure to add an extra 15 minutes just to be safe. (My TiVo says it is an hour and fifteen minutes, and it is followed by a 45-minute Lost: The Answers special.) Oh... if you skipped the previews for next Thursday, you won't "get" this, but let me just say: Whoopi Goldberg eyebrows! Can't wait.

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Raise your hand if you're already hooked. Shonda, you have just sold me on Grey's 2.0, or what you are currently planning on calling it: Private Practice. I can't imagine ABC not picking the show up for the fall. To make this easier for me to write, but more importantly, to give it a more reader-friendly approach, I'd like to split this in two. I'll get to my comments on the very well-executed Kate Walsh pilot later. First, let's talk about Grey's...

I. GREY'S ANATOMY

When I heard that Meredith was going to be experiencing another family death, my initial thought was Thatcher, but then I felt that it would be silly to kill off her father right after her mother. When her step mom Susan (Mare Winningham) showed up again at Seattle Grace, this time with perpetual hiccups she claimed were due to her acid reflux, I agreed with Meredith and Thatcher. I figured Susan was faking it as an excuse for Thatcher to spend needed quality time with his daughter. As Susan kept returning with worse symptoms, it was apparent she wasn't faking. The last time I mentioned Ellen Pompeo's awesome acting talent, it was when Meredith suddenly realized that her mother's Alzheimer's disease had kicked back in. Ellen gave another fabulous performance, the best scene being when Meredith had to tell Thatcher that Susan had died. Jeff Perry — attention Emmy voters — made this scene even more powerful when Thatcher slapped Meredith in a sort of knee-jerk reaction to losing his wife: "You told me she had the hiccups!" The slap was uncalled for, absolutely. But as a viewer, I somehow accepted it — estranged father to daughter under major stress receiving horribly tragic and unbelievably shocking news — and you could tell Meredith somehow accepted it as well.

Comic relief throughout the two hours was certainly Cristina and her sudden new best bud Callie. Funniest moment was perhaps Callie giving Cristina, Izzie and Meredith her rules as a bridesmaid: "I will not be wearing pink or baby blue. I do not do flowers in my hair. And I will never be seen with a bow on my ass, OK?" Sounded exactly like something Cristina would say, so Callie being asked to join Cristina's bridal party turned out to be not as absurd as it first seemed. You knew Izzie wasn't going to be thrilled, even though she showed a rare chipper side earlier, literally cheering about Cristina's wedding.

It was nice to see TV legend Diahann Carroll back as Burke's mother Jane, as well as Tsai Chin as Mrs. Yang, but I would've preferred a few more mama scenes like the one when Burke declared to Jane: "'I trust you' is code for 'learn from your mistakes'!" At least "traditional man" Burke was honest with Cristina, confessing to preferring a big wedding over a city hall ceremony.

I am liking where the Ava/Jane Doe story seems to be going. You can tell Alex keeps getting more and more smitten with her. That surgery scene was quite fascinating when Derek kept causing her to speak in multiple languages. Too bad she couldn't remember any of it. Pretty soon she'll figure out the big reason why Alex didn't fall for Addison — he's falling for Ava. Another heads up to Emmy committee members — two words: Elizabeth Reaser.

The brief kiss between Izzie and "I'm not a cheater" George on the (of course) elevator bothered me, but I was happy it wasn't one of those mad, passionate kisses (I'll get to one of those a bit later). The "we can't" followed by the "I know" just had to immediately be followed by the elevator door opening up — poof — there's Callie. Please. But hey — at least she didn't see the kiss. All hell is going to break loose when Callie does find out, but having her witness Frick and Frack kissing on the elevator would've annoyed me to no end.

I enjoyed the several awkward male bonding scenes involving two pairs of dudes who don't normally bond: Mark and Derek, and then Burke and George. How ironic for Mark to mope to Derek about how much it sucked to have to discover Addison was sleeping with someone else. Derek: "Must've been so hard for you." I was glad Mark was able to fess up to Derek about lying to Addison regarding breaking their no-sex bet. Then, per Bailey's insistence, Burke asked George for marriage advice. That's like asking Cristina for congeniality advice. Best lines were George: "Is it possible to love two people at the same time?" Burke: "I'm still hoping it's possible just to love one person." Back to Mark Sloan. I was surprised he admitted to Alex that he knew about the Alex/Addison pairing and "whatever you didn't do" was why Addison took her leave of absence.

II. PRIVATE PRACTICE

Speaking of that leave of absence, let's now discuss the Addison pilot! My roommate, not even half-way through the two hours goes: "I am more excited about seeing this show then Grey's this fall!" Although I won't go that far, I will say that I am equally excited. I cannot recall a time in TV history where an established show devoted an extra hour to the introduction of new characters so effectively. I especially liked how they intertwined the Kate Walsh pilot scenes into a Grey's episode. Normally, when spin-offs are introduced, the entire hour is devoted to the character leaving the established show and spinning off into a new one. Doing it this way — going back and forth — made me really pay attention to what was happening and I never lost interest in the new characters and happenings.

I've got to point out right away the powerhouse casting job they did! Let's go through each of the cast members:

Taye Diggs: Always been a fan and I wished ABC had aired all of the Day Break episodes. I love that there's already a mystery — just why did Sam decide to leave his wife Naomi? Just woke up and decided it was time to leave. No other woman was involved: "It was bad what I did. I have no good reason. I don't know why." Hmm...

Merrin Dungey: I live for her. Plain and simple. I kept waiting for fertility specialist Naomi to turn around and morph into Francie, or even better, the anti-Francie — Allison — from Alias and try to kick Sydney's, I mean Addison's ass. She and Taye make a super couple, even though Naomi and Sam are divorced and have a beautiful daughter Maya (Shavon Kirksey). How about Naomi's reaction to Addison's utilizing the terms "post-McSteamy" and "post-McDreamy"? Naomi: "McWhat?" Naomi's already my favorite new character.

Tim Daly: I was never a Wings fan, but I did watch both Eyes and The Nine while they were on and he was one of the best parts of both short-lived shows. His character Pete plays really well opposite Addison and he was the just the thing she needed after Naomi told her she couldn't have children. Poor Addison. Back to Pete: can we talk about that kiss? I nominate that for TV's Hottest Kissing Scene 2007 if there's a contest. Shonda, you dirty bird: "I'm gonna kiss you. I'm gonna kiss you with tongue. I'm gonna kiss you so you feel it. OK?" Addison: "OK." Then, after the kiss, Addison: "Why did you do that?" Pete: "To remind you that you're not dried up. If you need me to remind you again, let me know." Addison: "OK." Later, when he gave her acupuncture, the close-up shot of Addison complaining that it wasn't working, followed by it kicking in was brilliant. That was Kate Walsh's best scene, especially Addison crying out: "I hate L.A.!" Since it was revealed that Pete's wife died eight years ago, and, according to Sam, this makes it difficult for Pete to connect with women, Pete should be a challenging conquest for Addison.

Amy Brenneman: I never saw an episode of Judging Amy, but judging this Amy, I've become an instant admirer. She is a phenomenal actress and I already know Violet the therapist will be my second favorite new character. What a terrific acting moment when Violet, shopping at Whole Foods, saw her ex-boyfriend Allan (D.W. Moffett), who never wanted to get married, with his new wife Cami (Parisa Fitz-Henley).

Paul Adelstein: Now here is a sign of a really good actor. He plays (or depending on whether Kellerman indeed is dead, played) a hateful character on Prison Break. But he's so lovable on this show as unlucky-in-love Cooper from pediatrics. His crying scene was fantastic after Cooper found the car that the "Internet hooker" stole. I related to Cooper during the moment when he went to kiss Violet at the bar. Violet: "But I'm your friend." Sorry to admit that I've been there, done that with several of my (now) friends throughout the years. My answer (always): "I have enough friends."

Chris Lowell: Speaking of sorry, I regret to inform you that I've never seen an episode of Veronica Mars (much to the dismay of my pal Chana) so I was not familiar with this actor. How oh-so-L.A. for them to have a surfer boy be the receptionist? How Sex & the City of them when Violet and Naomi (as observed by Addison) timed it so they'd be sitting in the lobby when Stud Boy was leaving on his lunch break in nothing but a swimsuit, surfboard and a smile. One of my other favorite scenes was Naomi having to break the news that she wasn't going to kiss him: "You're a fetus. You can be my fetus. Never gonna happen."

Shonda really knew how to introduce the above characters and successfully made it so Addison would fit right in. Of course Oceanside Wellness Group needs a neonatal surgeon. Shonda also expertly started out with a very unique slew of patients/clients. Never thought I'd see a surrogate mother situation quite like this one: Carol (Stephanie Niznik) was married to Rick (Cameron Watson), but is now married to Doug (Gary Hershberger). Rick is now married to Keith (Garon Grigsby). The surrogate Lisa (Becky Wahlstrom) had sex with three men around the same time: Rick, Doug and her own husband (David Anders — having a bit of a Sark/Allison Alias reunion with Merrin Dungey). So her baby ended up being her own, not from the one that was supposed to be produced via Carol's egg and Rick's sperm. How much did we love Addison when she gave all of them crap for asking who the father was after Lisa risked her life giving birth?

Meanwhile, there was the husband (Raphael Sbarge) who didn’t want to have sex with his wife Kathy (Bellamy Young). Luckily for Kathy's sanity, it was due to a hormonal imbalance that led to a tumor on his kidney. Boy, did she feel bad for being a complainer and then sleeping with that stranger.

One thing that temporarily bothered me was Addison hearing the voice on the elevator. I said to my roommate: "There had better be a logical explanation." Yes! The voice ended up being Tillie (Mary Joy), the elevator security guard whose voice was coming through a hidden speaker. Oh, Shonda...too funny.

So I look forward to ABC picking this show up. Do you agree with me that it's a keeper? Or are you not-too-fond-uh Shonda's latest creation? If it gets picked up, where do you think ABC will air it? We shall see...

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This episode effectively set the tone for next week's two-hour spin-off that will establish Kate Walsh's potential new series wherein Addison skips town for L.A. after getting Sleepless in Seattle. Poor gal couldn't get a break. First, McSteamy tells her he broke their no-sex agreement because he figured out that he wasn't the one for her (it didn't help when he saw Addison and Alex come out of the closet in more ways than one). Then, just when she figured she had a new boy toy after their totally hot closet sex, Alex gave her the "You're not my girlfriend" speech. Cue Debbie Downer. I felt that final narration line from Meredith summed up the hour quite eloquently: "People who suffer the most are the ones who don't know what they want." Terrific script by Mark Wilding.

I was glad they didn't drag out the Izzie-George-Callie awkwardness anymore and had Callie finally speak up. I liked how Callie couldn't really be specific with her request to Izzie, saying: "Do whatever you have to do, but give me my husband back." I also liked how everyone seemed to be opening up with their coworkers: Callie telling Addison she caught George in a lie; Izzie squealing to Burke that she had an affair with George; and Derek sharing his feelings about Meredith to Burke. One thing we can assume won't happen is George getting that transfer to Mercy West. Mercy me, I want T.R. Knight to stay put, thanks! I would think Callie would leave Seattle Grace before George would (although I love me some Sara Ramirez).

You know how sometimes it is difficult to see certain TV actors known for past roles play new roles? I kept thinking that Skinner from The X-Files was having an affair behind Dawson’s mama’s back. But because Mitch Pileggi and Mary-Margaret Humes are such good actors, I got over it. Rowena King was also excellent as Celeste, "the other woman." OK, I've got to say it: That opening scene when Larry, the SGH chairman of the board, dropped his pants to reveal his unfortunate medical condition really took balls. There. I feel better. Just when you think you've seen it all on this show, they give us a patient who had a not-so-tiny fish swim up his penis and cause his testicles to enlarge. Ouch. Luckily, they got that sucker out! I loved that the term "penis fish" became a metaphor for Izzie to describe George: "You're my penis fish." George's comeback line was classic: "You don't even have a penis — how am I the fish?" I enjoyed seeing the two of them behave more like they used to be with each other: two best friends. But Izzie can't seem to get over their moment.

Speaking of patients’ lives acting as metaphors for the doctors’ lives, how great was it for Larry's wife to admit she knew about his affair with his assistant? Hearing her say “the wife always knows” really hit home for George.

Other highlights:
— Bailey literally taking the cake.
— Having Kali Rocha back as Sydney. But I'm an easy sell when it comes to Kali. She can read the phone book and I'd laugh.
— Alex being so caring and supportive to Ava (Elizabeth Reaser), especially during her C-section. No, Addison, this is not another Denny Duquette situation. Alex knows Ava currently has no family to be there for her.
— Ava giving Alex all the dirt on the hospital's sexual shenanigans: "It's like watching a soap." It sure is, Jane. I mean Ava.
— Cristina using the term "V.I.-Penis" when describing the Chairman to Bailey (maybe the Chairman's "you've lost your spunk"-like talk with the Chief will convince Webber not to step down).
— Mark unsuccessfully coming on to Meredith.
— Burke and Cristina agreeing that the red velvet cake was the best wedding cake choice.

One non-highlight for me:
— The patient with the perpetual runny nose (Ramon De Ocampo) that ended up being leaking spinal fluid freaked me out since my nose has been running all day nonstop and my back hurts. Perhaps I should get this checked out? Hmm....

I felt really bad for Meredith at the end. Ellen Pompeo did an awesome job conveying Meredith's feelings of hurt when Derek admitted to not being sure if he (essentially) wanted to continue their relationship. After Derek mentioned that after she came out of the water he kept trying to save her by breathing for her, how horrible for Meredith to hear him say: "I don't know if I want to keep trying to breathe for you." This, after she thought she did all of Derek's favorite things in bed. Yet another issue that next week's two-hour episode will deal with. Can't wait.

After a four-week wait, I was totally psyched to finally see a new episode of Grey's. I woke up in such a good mood Thursday morning since I was finally able to put away my Pepto-Bismol the night before (like a lot of you, I’ve been suffering from a bad case of Sanjayarrhea). So I was not disappointed in this "past coming back to haunt you"-focused episode — especially how they handled the Izzie/George awkwardness (I'll get to that recent past situation in a bit). First things first: Welcome back to the show, Chandra Wilson! How nice for Bailey to come out of the background at last. Chandra is not an actress that should be wasted and utilized in only a few throwaway scenes as she'd been lately. I adored seeing Bailey be so comforting to and protective of Izzie.

But let's get to Izzie. What a way for her to get her mind off the shunning George — the parents who adopted the child Izzie gave up when she was 16 tracked her down. I thought Izzie handled the shocking news that her birth daughter, now 11, had leukemia and needed a bone-marrow transplant (from Izzie) quite well. Katherine Heigl has yet another Emmy submission episode, especially the scene when Izzie confided in Bailey, telling her she figured she'd meet her daughter some day — just not this soon and not under such unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, Izzie was able to be the transplant provider for Hannah. Nice look-alike casting, by the way — that was Liv Hutchings — hope we see more of her, perhaps when Hannah decides to finally meet Izzie, the person who initially gave her life, and then saved it 11 years later.

Speaking of which, as usual, the casting department should be commended for the guest roles. The actress I really thought stood out was Suzanne Cryer (from Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place) as Hannah's adoptive mother Caroline. Desperate Housewives fans may remember Suzanne recently as Lynn (the best friend of Ian's late wife Jane) who was so bitchy to Susan at Jane's funeral. Shows you how versatile an actress she is. Her crying scene with Izzie that made Izzie cry also made me, the admitted wimp, cry as well (Suzanne takes her last name quite seriously). Tim Hopper was also effective as Dustin, Hannah's adoptive father.

I felt so horrible for our dear Jane Doe/Ava/not Shannon, who's looking more and more like the beautiful Elizabeth Reaser. Too bad that couple, played by Dee Wallace and Randy Thompson, ended up not being her real parents and that she had to yell at Alex. When Dee's character told Alex, "She's not my daughter," I immediately thought two things: 1) "Um, duh... couldn't you tell by her voice when you first heard her speak?" and 2) Of course that's not your daughter. Gertie's your daughter.

The two other big guest stars had the opposite effect on me. One I enjoyed and hope we continue to see more of: Mare Winningham as Susan, Meredith's stepmother. I like how Meredith went from being totally annoyed with Susan to almost thanking her for being so overprotective. Then there's the guest star whose character has become so unlikable that I can do without him: Roger Rees as Marlow. He did, however, bring out a welcome, different and rather unrecognizable side of Cristina: the Stepford Wife side. Yes, I know she's not a wife yet, but she was very Stepford-like and that was hilarious. I loved Meredith's reaction to Cristina's fancily painted fingernails: "You've got stuff on your hands" and calling them "pretty, pretty fingers." Anything to scare away Marlow (looks as though it worked — he doesn't dig the "new" Cristina). Burke's reaction was also funny (it's nice to see him smile for a change).

Meanwhile, Derek was not havin' it after the Chief told him exactly why he doesn't think he'd be the proper Chief replacement — Ellis asked him to look over Meredith, and he doesn't want Meredith to have to suffer like Adele did. This should complicate matters — Der not answering Mer's cell-phone calls is not a good sign.

The couple in much worse shape is George and Callie. You knew Callie would be P.O.'ed after she caught George in the lie. What was Meredith thinking, by the way, when she told Callie: "Oh, he's with Izzie." Oh, Mer. Also in the foot-in-mouth category was George to Izzie comparing their sex with his sex with Meredith. Izzie countered that their "sex was not tragic." Her best admission was saying she'd get over it but "I won't make it if I can't be your friend." T.R. Knight and Katherine had another one of those brilliant George and Izzie moments where they didn't have to say a word, just look at each other (when George walked back into the hospital room after he said he'd get an orderly to wheel her out).

Besides the temporarily "new" Cristina, the other comic relief in the episode was Mark Sloan trying to be the Chief's "wing man," trying to get him laid just so the Chief will make him the new Chief. Nice try. Glad Addison stepped in at the end and had the Chief practice his dance moves with her. Back to Cristina, or rather Sandra Oh, who had perhaps the funniest delivery of a line. To last week's TV Guide cover boy Justin Chambers’ Alex: "Hey, pouty-head. Are you so sad because no-face-girl's family's taking her home?" Cristina's explanation to Marlow as to why she's so different now was so un-her: "I've learned that sometimes you have to think of other people." Even though it looks as though Marlow is gone for now, I hope we see this softer side of Cristina every now and then.

We'll be treated to nonstop new Thursday episodes from now until the end of the season, so this four-week wait was worth it.

Tonight's episode, as most of you know, is one of those "best of" clip shows. But, as a reminder to all you Jeffrey Dean Morgan fans, he is the on-camera host tonight — not just the narrator. See you next Thursday, April 19, for the next new episode!

Last week, I was glad to discover that I was not alone in my "thumbs down" feelings about George and Izzie hooking up. Seemed like no matter whom I spoke to about it, and as evidenced by the majority of the comments here, the overall reaction was "ick!" So I was happy to see the word "mistake" included in the title of this week's episode. I got my wish that George wasn't going to remember any of it. Initially. Great "Ohmygod, I left my baby on the bus!" moment tonight when the hungover George suddenly, amid his new father-in-law's prenup offer, flashed to his night of passion with Izzie. They should have played Celine Dion's "It’s All Coming Back to Me" as George dashed out.

Since just about all of us can agree that George and Izzie's canoodling was indeed a faux pas, are you with me that the best scene tonight was the two of them inside the linen closet at the hospital? Not one word of dialogue. All George had to do was give his best friend a look of despair, as if to say: "We made a huge mistake and we can't do it again." You know I was scared briefly when they first walked in there that there'd be that usual linen closet makeout session we've seen several times before with different couples on this show. Thankfully, they did not go there.

But I will say that I was surprised to see Izzie so shaken up about it. If anyone was going to sulk, I figured it’d be George. Sure, George was McSulky a bit as well, but his sulking was more guilt-induced. You could just tell how devastated he was that he did what he did behind Callie's back: "This is our secret." Izzie (reluctantly): "OK." I always expect to see Izzie sulk about Denny. But about George? Get over it, girl.

How much did we love Alex again tonight? He has been such an inspiration and help to Ava, the Artist Formerly Known as Jane Doe. I was rather amused when the two of them were going through the computerized drawings of her new face choices and Alex was describing each possibility. After detailing "Maggie" and then "Elizabeth" and finally "Ava," I thought to myself: "Well, I'd probably go with Ava, since she looks the closest to Elizabeth Reaser.” My favorite moment of theirs was right before her reconstructive surgery when she asked Alex: "You here to keep my baby alive?" Alex: "I am."

Nice progress between Cristina and Burke. I liked that Cristina contemplated "going back to how it was" and to "be kind — rewind," so how ironic that Burke just wanted the opposite: "I believe I've grown. I'm not that guy anymore. I'm not interested in going back." Art imitating life much? How kind of Marlow (Roger Rees) to tell Cristina that she "should be ready to marry" and that Burke "should understand that." Awesome end scene between Burke and Cristina when she agreed to a small wedding ceremony, but "nothing religious." Had to be "at City Hall" and "no veil." Just picturing Cristina in a wedding veil (or as she put it, a "mosquito net") cracked me up.

Other highlights:
— Derek admitting his paranoia about Meredith's almost drowning to the Chief: "She gave up. I close my eyes for a moment, it's like she's back in the water."
— Sloan's "I'm that good" line to Jane Doe, with Addison following with: "He is. It's annoying."
— Izzie asking Addison for advice and Addison asking: "What am I — the go-to person for adultery?" followed by "God wants you to be an adulterer?" Izzie: "He got a virgin pregnant by magic. God is not playing by the rules."
— George admitting to being a former Mathlete.
— As always, terrific guest stars: Michael Boatman from Spin City as Mr. Kendry (the foot amputee — hey, there's always Dancing With the Stars); Catherine Dent from The Shield as Cathy Rogerson (the one with the congenital disease FOP — no, I will not write that "I found her performance to be a bit stiff"); and Elisabeth Moss as her beyond-annoying daughter Nina. (She plays that kind of character quite well — remember what a nuisance she was as Zoey Bartlet on The West Wing?)
— Speaking of guest stars, what perfect casting to have Hector Elizando as Callie's father. You know that one of the biggest reasons George feels he can't tell Callie about his night with Izzie is that Mr. Torres would literally kill him.
— Oh, to be able to have heard George's rendition of "Sexy Back" at "three in the morning!" We'll just have to go by Cristina's description.

My main complaint:
— Like last week, why was Bailey so underutilized? Now that Melinda Doolittle has stolen Chandra Wilson’s hairdo, I'll just have to pretend Melinda is Bailey on my Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

OK, I know I said this last week and then had to take it back due to ABC's change of plans: Next week is a repeat — “From a Whisper to a Scream.” This time I mean it. Really.

Then...
Thursday, April 5:
A repeat of "Don't Stand So Close To Me"
Thursday, April 12:
A clip show hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Thursday, April 19:
A new episode at last! See you then.

I wanted to place a reminder here, too, just in case you missed the Ausiello Report here. Contrary to ABC's previous plans to air a repeat this Thursday, they changed their minds and are airing "My Favorite Mistake" (the next new episode) and "From a Whisper to a Scream" (the previously scheduled repeat) next Thursday, March 29. If you have TiVo, be sure it has made the switch (mine has).

When Michael Ausiello teased us that one of six possible plot twists would happen in tonight's episode, I was oh-so-hoping it wasn't going to be the "Izzie and George will hook up" option. Ugh! Not that I myself haven't done stupid things while being overly intoxicated — haven't we all? Well... if the two best friends had to end up naked in the same bed (we don't yet have actual evidence that any sexual acts occurred), I'm just glad alcohol was involved. Will either of them remember the details? We shall see. But the first thing I thought when they drunkenly gazed at each other (right before they cut quickly to the next scene) was: "Lame." First he gets to shag Meredith. Now Izzie? But hey — I love this show, so I accept silly things like Meredith recovering way too quickly from her temporary death. Best line was earlier when Callie accused Izzie of having feelings for George, and George then described Izzie to Callie: "She's blonde. She's stacked. She's a supermodel. I'm George." Callie: "So what does that make me?"

I found it quite interesting that both interns who got hitched or engaged within the same episode months ago were each questioning their decisions. Cristina pondered whether she made the wrong choice to get engaged to Burke and George told Izzie, "I got married and I'm scared it was a bad idea" — neither was surprising to hear. Great background reveal with Cristina's ex-professor/lover-of-three-years Marlow being the newly added candidate for chief. What a pleasant change of pace to see Burke jealous, and Cheers to Roger Rees for adding some competitive energy to Seattle Grace. But, boys, play nice: Your frantic power struggles could be dangerous and life-threatening. Wow, Cristina, like authority figures much? Meredith was too funny: "You were that girl, huh? The 'girl who slept with the professor'? We had one in our class." We had one at NIU, too. Slut.

Speaking of background revelations, George was not havin' Callie being rich behind his back. He killed me when he found out the $200 per week that he was paying Callie to stay at the hotel was used to tip housekeeping. Oh, George. Do any of you now find it strange that Callie used to live inside the hospital? Why would an heiress have to do that? Hmmm....

I enjoyed that Izzie was able to calm old man Scofield (James Gammon) down after he saw how small his 50-year-old bullet was. Scofield: "You're a sweet kid, but you don't know what it's like to have something change you in your soul." Izzie: "I do. I wish I didn't, but I do." You tell him, Izzie.

As far as powerhouse guest stars go, you can't get much better than the fabulous Shohreh Aghdashloo (gesundheit) as Dr. Helen Crawford, friend and former coworker of Derek's. Ya gotta love a character who describes herself as "the only one who didn't have a crush" on Derek. I think my favorite moment of the entire episode was Derek saying to George, right after Derek paused after saving Helen's life, "O'Malley, I just sliced my friend's chest open. Give me a minute." A close second was Derek's comment to Helen after she awoke from the surgery: "We got it all — the tumor — we never have to go in there again." When doctors save a stranger's life, it's got to be fantastically fulfilling, but when they save a friend or a loved one? Cue the tears.

I am looking forward to when Elizabeth Reaser starts to look like her beautiful self as Jane Doe, rather than Eric Stoltz in Mask, but it sure is giving Justin Chambers a chance to show off his acting chops as Alex. I was surprised Alex admitted to his new housemate Izzie that he was over her (after she accused him of looking at her in the shower) — "Not looking. Not interested." Not sure I believe him.

Now that Meredith has come to terms with her mother's death, it sure was nice to see her be chummy with her father Thatcher's current wife Susan (Mare Winningham). I liked when Meredith said to Susan, after the back-to-back drama with the housemates, "It's not always like this." Cristina: "It kinda is." It will take a while for Mer to accept Thatcher (Jeff Perry) back into her life, but the provided-by-Izzie dinner was a step in the right direction. I couldn't stop thinking: "Mer and Mare — what a pair."

Two other things that popped into my mind:
— I laughed when Meredith was stressing to Izzie that "people are what matters" and that we should "paint with all the colors of the wind" — just minutes after Vanessa Williams gave us her weekly brilliance on Ugly Betty.
— I wanted to strangle those Dancing with the Stars dancers who kept periodically prancing across the bottom of the screen — or at least trip them. Didn't you? Thanks, ABC. I can understand doing that during According To Jim or maybe Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. But during Lost on Wednesday night and Grey's tonight? Uh-uh.

Where do I start? First, a little self-indulgence. This magnificent episode — part three of a three-parter – aired on my birthday. So, Shonda darlin', thanks for the beyond-awesome birthday present! OK, enough of that. How fabulous was tonight? We knew in our hearts that Meredith would live. I enjoyed reading the plethora of comments the last few weeks, some predicting that "if Meredith dies, maybe she'll continue as narrator à la Mary Alice on Desperate Housewives?” Nope. The title of the episode was "Some Kind of Miracle."

Last week when Denny and Dylan showed up in Meredith's temporary afterlife, I thought maybe that would be it. I thought Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyle Chandler were just there for quick cameos with hardly any lines. I absolutely loved how much screen time they had tonight — especially Jeffrey. Give that man an Emmy nomination for tonight, please (to make up for him not getting one last season). My favorite Denny scene was him praising Derek as "a rarity" to Meredith: "Do you know what a miracle it is that Derek exists? He's still an optimist. He still believes in true love and magic and soul mates. He's waiting for you and if you don't come back from this, it'll change who he is."

It was great how they kept telling Meredith she didn't belong there. One quick gripe, though. Monica Keena appearing as the late Bonnie from the train-wreck episode? Fantastic. But why did they have to show her in the "previously on Grey's Anatomy" scenes, even quickly? That told me immediately that she'd be in Meredith's afterlife. I would've preferred it so much more if Bonnie would've appeared, Meredith would've remembered her by going: "Bonnie?" and they could've quickly flashed to Bonnie with the metal pole that was protruding from her body. Including Bonnie in the previous scenes was a spoiler I could've done without. Quick gripe over — back to the brilliance. It meant a lot for the Anna Maria Horsford character to say that Bonnie was a "very important patient" to Meredith. Showed how losing a patient affects the lives of the doctors and interns — of course Meredith would remember Bonnie's name. Thus Meredith would also remember that her mother's scrub nurse died of liver cancer. Amen to Anna Maria!

I kind of figured Meredith would see her mother in the afterlife just before returning to present-life. Shonda Rhimes, along with cowriter Marti Noxon, did a classy job with that transition. Derek in one room trying to revive Ellis, with Bailey and the Chief in the other room desperately attempting once again to save Meredith. I knew that as soon as Burke showed up at the bar trying to nudge Cristina back to work after her "I'm coping" visit to the 99-cent store and chugging a few beers, she'd return.

I think it goes without saying that I cried throughout the episode, but the tear-fest was at its most prevalent when Cristina walked into that room looking at her "person" Meredith with a "No-she-is-not-going-to-die!" facial expression. Her second plea to "Try again!" to Bailey and the Chief gave me chills and once Meredith came back to life and Cristina was alone with her, she finally got to tell Meredith that she was getting married to Burke: "You are the one person I wanted to tell! Thank you for not dying." Yes, you guessed it — projectile tears. So many tears it was as though I had almost lost one of my own best friends. Two words for Sandra Oh for this episode: Emmy nomination. Speaking of friends, I must add that my friend Caryn called me after the show aired and said, "I so rarely, next-to-never, cry while watching one-hour dramas, but that Cristina/Meredith scene had me bawling my eyes out... such a beautiful scene between two good friends... and you can use that in your write-up!” Done.

I think a lot of you, from reading all your comments, are as emotionally invested as I am and you cry during just about every Grey’s episode. Am I right? And just when I thought I was done crying tonight, there was Izzie walking in the hallway and then she stopped. When she and Denny "touched" each other and Denny walked away into the light? Return of the cry baby! I was happy Izzie (sort of) apologized to George at the end (in her own Izzie way) and I was not surprised that he was not having any of it and left. I thought she was inappropriately rude to Callie and I still think she should've picked a different time to bring up her anti-Callie feelings to George last week. Terrific job from Sara Ramirez as Callie tonight defending herself and her marriage to George to Izzie. Nothin' worse than Izzie in a tizzie. Girl needs to take a chill pill.

Speaking of terrific, Patrick Dempsey needs to submit tonight's episode for his Emmy tape. Everything from the scene where Derek bitched out Ellis, blaming her for Meredith’s status ("She might not survive this and that is on you!") to Derek telling Addison that he thought Meredith went in the water on purpose ("She's a good swimmer...") to him talking to a patient's husband (David Downs), who told Derek he'd put Meredith in his prayers. And it was good for Addison to observe Derek with Meredith: "He never felt that way about me." Sloan: "I did." Now let's see if McSteamy can go 60 days without sex. That will be a fun challenge to watch in the coming episodes; you know Addison won't be following suit, not with Alex around. Hilarious shot of Alex walking in after Addison asked Sloan: "Who would I be having sex with?"

Other highlights:
— The kick-ass direction by Adam Arkin.
— Elizabeth Reaser as Addison and Alex's Jane Doe patient: glad she's starting to speak and hopefully she'll start to remember things like her name.
— Doc the dog showing up in Meredith's afterlife: "Good boy!"
— Dylan to Meredith: "This is not your brain on drugs. This is death. You are dead."
— Alex assuring Addison he was OK to stick with her and Jane Doe and temporarily be away from Meredith: "Meredith always makes me think — screwed up people have a chance."
— Alex making Jane Doe feel better, mentioning he had a friend on her deathbed and saying, "Things are tough all over."
— Bonnie (like the other afterlifers) acting as Meredith's conscience, telling her, "How can you be a surgeon and have so little respect for life?"
— Addison to Derek: "You do not get to break down. You do not get to fall apart — not when there's still a chance and there's still a chance, Derek."
— Dylan seeming to be at peace since he completed his task — he saved Meredith.
— While we're on the subject of saving Meredith, I loved that it was Bailey who suggested to the Chief, "What about a cardiopulmonary bypass?" and then later (per Cristina's request), "one more round of ACLS drugs." Chief: "One more."
— Bailey pleading to Meredith: "You cannot give up!"
— Ellis hugging Meredith during the transition scene after telling her "You shouldn't be here," Meredith following with "Neither should you," and then Ellis telling Meredith: "You are anything but ordinary, Meredith. Now run. Run!" More tears.
— Sydney (Kali Rocha) commending Bailey, confirming the "chief resident talk" she was hearing and telling Bailey she was giving her a run for her money.
— Meredith's reaction to Ellis dying (to Derek): "I think it's OK."
— The Chief saying goodbye to Ellis: "I'm not relieved. I miss the sound of your voice. I miss talking to you. I miss you. I dyed my hair for the ladies."

As always, I look forward to your comments. And hello, did you hear about the Grey's spin-off?!