This week, Grey’s gets topical: As a result of the merger with Mercy West, many staffers will be fired, leaving everyone scrambling to show off their indispensable skills. Cristina, most amusingly, decides that in order to secure her job, she needs to join pediatrics, so she suffers through rounds with the perky Arizona and has to make nice with 9-year-olds. (Sandra Oh is so great; why isn’t she in more movies?)
Despite all this, the show still hasn’t managed to hit that satisfying emotional nerve it manages each season. Maybe it’s because the focus has shifted to characters we’re less invested in. Lexie, for instance. This week she treats a paranoid schizophrenic whose mother is suffering from an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is a scary pulsing thing in her stomach. The son’s convinced that aliens invaded his mom, and when Lexie tries to calm him down, he attacks her. Go schizophrenic guy! But then he falls down the stairs, and Lexie has the ingenious idea to treat him and his mother simultaneously. We learn some lessons, along the way, of course: Lexie gains confidence and Bailey is reminded that she’ll do anything for her son (where is he, by the way? He’s so cute!).
Moving on to Alex and Izzie, who’s had the quickest cancer recovery in history, and shows up to work in a “Stepford Wife” wig, or so say Meredith and Cristina. (Katherine Heigl is so much prettier with hair!) Because she’s also scared of losing her spot, Izzie overworks herself to the point of near collapse, while Alex continues to nag her to take care of herself. We are so tired of the Izzie-cancer plotline. SO TIRED. Please, writers, we hope you planned to have her become completely well again — we understand that’s not realistic, but why should it be?
In the end, none of the main characters are fired, although a few residents are, plus some nurses (remember the one who had an affair with George? Gonzo). Their jobs secure, we trust that next week everyone will desperately work to entertain us. Right, guys?
