Grey’s Anatomy has done such a good job of becoming an ensemble show that I often forget it was originally supposed to be centered around Meredith Grey. Not only did Thursday night’s episode remind me that Meredith Grey can still carry and episode, but it proved why Meredith just might be the best candidate for chief resident.
Truth be told, I didn’t always like Meredith. I found her whiny and melodramatic. But she’s grown up, and much like the show she’s back in my good books. There’s so much focus on Cristina Yang being an amazing doctor, it can be easy to forget that Meredith is talented too. In fact, I think this episode proved that Meredith would be a better fit for the role of Chief Resident. Cristina is talented, but very ambitious. She thinks about herself. Meredith (or even Alex, for that matter) knows how to put the needs of the patients ahead of her own.
The episode, called “Golden Hour”, followed Meredith running the ER for one hour. The cases ranged from the typical (a child with a broken leg, a dad with chest pains) to the sensitive (Chief’s wife Adele with a hurt wrist and a mysteriously foggy memory) to the outrageous (a guy with a knife stuck in his head).
On top of the medical issues, there were personal problems – Meredith was hurt that Cristina had been asked to be Callie’s (and Sloan’s and Arizona’s) baby’s godmother, and there was also a funny moment that seemed as though Derek was going to convince Meredith to have sex in an elevator, but really just gave her a fertility shot. Instead, it was Bailey having sex during working hours! She seemed as surprised about that as we were. And, literally everyone in the hospital, patients and doctors, seemed to be dying to attend a big college basketball game.
The moments between Meredith and Cristina this episode were brief, but meaningful. Meredith is really worried that she won’t be able to have a baby, and Cristina becoming a godmother to someone else’s kid felt like confirmation of that. I loved seeing Meredith visit the babies, and there was a very sweet (albeit slightly odd) moment where Cristina wiped some blood off Meredith’s neck. I know babies can ruin shows, and there’s already one on the way on Grey’s, but I really want Mer and Der to get a baby, one way or another.
There was the young, good-looking dad who came in with chest pain but was more concerned about getting his son to the basketball game on time – the tickets had been a birthday present. But every test came back inconclusive, and Meredith couldn’t let him go.
Alex had floor seats to the game and the day off, but he came in to sign some paperwork first. He bonded/flirted with Lucy (the new, sexy OBGYN) over their mutual love of basketball, but ended up giving the tickets to Avery. A four year-old with a broken leg had been suffering in pain all night, while Meredith waited for an OR to open up. When she got called into emergency heart surgery on the father with chest pain, Alex stepped up and took care of the kid himself. Not only did he impress Lucy, but Avery used the tickets to take Lexie to the game. How do we feel about this, folks? Does Lexie belong with Mark, or can you see her with Avery?
You knew someone would die during this hour, and I have to admit I was kind of hoping it would be one of the drunk idiots. Two buddies had been at a bar before the ball game when a fight broke out, and one of them ended up with a knife jammed into his head. There was miraculously no nerve damage, though, and the guy’s drunk friend actually pulled the knife out when the docs weren’t in the room. Unfortunately, those guys left the hospital in time to catch most of the game. No, it was unfortunately the loving dad who thought he had heartburn who died almost as soon as Meredith and Teddy got him on the table. Meredith was hormonal, but even without the added emotions it was a tough death to deal with. So sudden, and so unfair.
In other little side plots, Lexie misdiagnosed a stroke (leading the guy to eventually dump his spoiled, selfish girlfriend) and Teddy’s husband ran into her as she was about to go on a date. How long must we wait before Teddy and her super-cute husband get together for realsies?
Perhaps the most startling development is the possibility that the Chief’s wife, Adele, has Alzheimer’s. She confused a lot of information regarding how she hurt her wrist – like getting down Christmas decorations in February, and coming home from work when she’s retired – but when Meredith broached the subject with Chief he immediately shot her down. The question is, how long will he bury his head in the sand? And will it affect Meredith’s career?
I’d say this episode was a pretty strong argument for Meredith as Chief Resident. Do you think she’ll get it? Or does someone deserve it more?
