Grey’s Anatomy – Meredith’s Bizarro World

When you approach a gimmicky episode of any long running TV show, there’s always trepidation. Is this being done strictly for ratings, because the writers/actors are bored and have run out of ideas? Or all of the above?

Upon learning that Grey’s Anatomy was going to have a “Bizarro World” Seattle Grace episode, where not only would Ellis Grey be alive and Alzheimer’s-free, but she would have married Richard Webber who had become the nurturing father Meredith never had, I admit, I was curious to see how it would be played. Would Meredith no longer be dark and twisty? Would she be a happy spark-plug with a healthy relationship with her mother and more of a sense of self-worth?

On the surface, Meredith did indeed look happier. She wore a lot of pink, including bright eye shadow. She was openly affectionate at the hospital toward “Dad” Webber. She was engaged … to an oddly bespectacled Alex. She was even a bit of a mean girl — one with her mother’s cache to throw around — serving as the social ring leader in ostracizing and making fun of Cristina in the cafeteria.

But, as with every storyline in Meredith’s dream — had she done tequila shots before going to bed? — the characters we’ve come to know, for the most part, revealed their true selves despite the odd situations they were in.

For example, even though Derek and Addison apparently never divorced and stuck it out, staying married to Addison transformed Derek into “McDreary” and Addison into a deceitful person who got pregnant with Mark’s baby, but kept it this time (unlike in the actual storyline where she’d aborted Mark’s baby), and allowed Derek to think it was his. In the end, after Derek learned that it wasn’t his child, Derek wound up at Joe’s, just a “guy” chatting up Meredith, just a “girl,” who’d just discovered Alex making out with her BFF April. Lesson being: Meredith and Derek were always meant to be together.

Pairing Callie and Owen together — and having them spawn three kids including a set of twins — was downright strange. There was zero chemistry between the duo, although Owen was sweet with the kiddos. He was still openly struggling with some pretty violent post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in Iraq, more so than he had in the regular storyline. However he kept being drawn to hardcore Cristina who’d become a hospital pariah after breaking up with Burke and he left Seattle Grace. Callie, clearly, was shown enjoying a spark of attraction to Arizona near the end of the episode, echoing the “meant to be” theme of the night.

The most dramatic of all the character departure — other than Alex in the hideous glasses — was Lexi Grey’s, now a dreadlocked, tattooed, facially pierced, strung out junkie who nearly died twice due to a drug overdose. Her mother had died, as she had in normal Grey’s world, but in this alternative existence inside of Meredith’s head, Thatcher killed himself and Lexi was a lost soul only rescued by … wait for it … Mark Sloan.

Things I liked about this episode: Despite her marriage to Richard, Ellis didn’t suddenly turn into a doting mother with a Gilmore Girls-esque relationship with Meredith. That just wouldn’t have seemed right. The dynamics between Meredith and Richard were interesting as was the budding relationship between Meredith and Cristina after Meredith’s “person” slept with Alex.

Things I didn’t buy: Meredith and Alex. (Did I mention how much I despised his glasses?) Callie and Owen. Bailey being quiet as a mouse and getting fired for failing to speak up.

What did you like/dislike about “If/Then?”

Clacked by Meredith O'Brien
on Feb 03, 2012 @ 11:06 EST5EDT