The exact point that Grey’s Anatomy writers were trying to make with Derek and Zola’s story played out for real in my family room as the episode unfolded.
“What? What’s wrong?” my husband asked as woman after woman in the halls of Seattle Grace shook her head upon seeing Derek carrying Zola to and from daycare.
“It’s her hair,” I said. “It’s a mess.” My husband hadn’t noticed Zola’s hair. A minute or so later, those same words, more or less, came out of Bailey’s mouth as she proceeded to point out to Mr. Perfect Hair that he was clueless about how to coif his daughter’s locks. It’s a mom thing. (You should’ve seen my daughter after my husband attempted to style her curly hair when she was a toddler. Yikes.)
Despite my antipathy for Derek — I still hold a grudge over how he treated Meredith in the beginning of the season — this lighthearted thread at least elicited snickers in an otherwise emotionally heavy episode. (Derek sanctimoniously jumping to the conclusion that racism was prompting the women to shake their heads was classic.)
Hair dressing snafus aside, this episode truly belonged to Richard and Adele. The story of Adele’s rapid mental decline — she frequently doesn’t know who Richard is, has become violent, often reverts to a prior time period in her mind, accidentally started a kitchen fire — has been depicted vividly and tenderly. Taken from Richard’s point of view, it seems like an impossible situation to consider: Your wife is being quickly taken from you even as she’s standing there next to you, threatening to call the police because she thinks you are a stranger who wants to hurt her.
How do you move the love of your life, who still has some brief moments of lucidity, into a facility for Alzheimer’s patients and leave her there, returning solo to the home you made together? How do you cope with your spouse’s confusion and feelings of betrayal when you walk away, knowing that she believes you’ve abandoned her in a strange place because you don’t love her? As devastating as it has been to watch, it has been written and acted with grace and deep humanity. It hasn’t felt exploitative or like cheap ratings/awards bait, unlike Izzie’s cancer story a few years ago. Both James Pickens Jr. and Loretta Devine have been excellent at putting faces on this savagely cruel disease for which there is no cure.
Running alongside this chapter in a long marriage that has weathered many a storm is the unraveling of Cristina and Owen’s young relationship. Cristina is so unmoored that she’s reading into the interaction she sees between a nurse and Owen, convinced that Owen (who apparently didn’t move out as he said he would in a prior episode) is stepping out on her. Doing her best Betty Draper imitation, Cristina rifled through Owen’s things, emptied his pants’ pockets, combed through the bills and even went to smell his shirt to see if she could find one scrap of evidence to confirm her suspicions. Though she didn’t find anything, the fact that Cristina is so positive that she’s right about Owen being unfaithful is indicative of how much trouble this relationship is in.
Oh, and a word here about Alex: This character is being yanked around like a yo-yo. One day he’s a total, calloused tool, the next day he’s Empathy Man, the strong shoulder on which to cry as he offers words of comfort. First he doesn’t care a whit about learning the names of his interns, then he’s bonding with one whose tiny baby — Alex’s patient — is on the precipice of death.
Many moons ago, Alex fell for Ava, the ferry boat accident patient who pretended to have amnesia, was pregnant and severely injured. She wound up not only being married, but also mentally unstable, so unstable that Alex had to commit her. Not too long after Ava, Alex married Izzie when she was fighting what, at the time, seemed like a cancer that would kill her. Now, there’s strong foreshadowing that Alex will fall for Morgan, whose fiance heartlessly abandoned her and their precariously small preemie. All I have to say about this new turn of events: Oy.
Clacked by Meredith O'Brien 
on Feb 24, 2012 @ 12:42 EST5EDT
It should be mentioned Summer Glau being the potentially trampy nurse. I had to IMDB it to be sure, because it’s insane that she would a) be on Grey’s Anatomy, and b) not have any lines.
Alex has been Mr. Empathetic when it comes to kids for a very long time now. It’s been the writer’s way to show his warm center and make him an interesting character. And after the excellent rundown you gave of his relationship drama through series, not to mention his childhood issues, it’s not surprising that he’s cold and callous to most adults. To me he’s been the most consistent character (which isn’t saying much).
The writers really glossed over the reconciliation of Meredith and McDreamy in the beginning of the season, and didn’t have McDreamy have any backlash for abandoning Meredith and Zola. However, Meredith doesn’t care apparently, they’ve seemed to let it go, they’re in a good place, so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts. I’m sure McDreamy will be a tool again when it comes to the inevitable Christina/Owen break-up.
And congrats to Callie for being the voice of reason with Owen regarding Teddy. Yes she’s grieving and angry, but her behavior is completely unprofessional. Perhaps she and Owen can have angry sex, and go off to Bosnia with each other. Teddy has no direction anymore and Owen just needs to go.
@ Ann
What did you see in GA’s episode that allows you to use the words “potentially trampy nurse”?
Oh, i see, SHE TOUCHED OWEN’S ARM!!!!!
Pardon me if we’re not that prude in France and placing your hand on someone’s arm does not mean necessarily they’re sleeping together ;)
Seriously, my two cent on Summer’s cameo is that her management relayed the information on the tv business that Summer Glau wanted to branch out from scifi and do other roles, this is why Grey’s producers offered her that small role.
Yet i agree with you, the fact that Summer Glau’s character had no lines is weird. Does it mean that she coming back in future episodes?
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