GREY’S ANATOMY: ‘Start Me Up’

Smell that, kids? That’s the fresh scent of January, that peaceful little time in between the holidays and February sweeps. For GREY’S ANATOMY, this means it’s a time of relatively few major developments (with one BIG exception, which we’ll get to later).  But these episodes are important as well – every story has to have a middle, and while there wasn’t an overload of excitement this week, we are now nicely set up for the craziness that will inevitably happen when GREY’S returns next month.

The driving force of this Thursday’s hour: attack of the med students! Seattle Grace is invaded by first-year med students, who are there to follow the residents around for a day and observe everything they do. Unbeknownst to said residents, the med students are secretly evaluating them as well, which is significant since Chief Webber has announced he’ll soon be picking a chief resident. Cristina is gunning for the job, of course, but she’s got her work cut out for her: Webber uses every chance he gets to point out that patience and empathy are two excellent qualities in a chief resident. Not really the first two qualities that come to mind when one thinks of Cristina, whose interactions with her med student mostly involve her pushing him out of the way.

She gets a pretty crappy evaluation in the end, but she’s not alone – the results for everyone are pretty dismal. The only resident who manages to get a good review is Alex, who’s been paying lots of attention to his little protege… because he’s trying to nail her. Honestly Alex, you didn’t even have to try. The girl had eyes for you from the start, and it’s no surprise that she winds up walking through the kitchen in your T-shirt by the end of the episode. Hey, look everyone, Alex managed to go after a girl without being a complete asshole at some point! I may faint from surprise.

Our attendings have a little more on their plates. Bailey is experiencing her very first fling with a hot nurse. I guess he’s supposed to be hot, anyway. He’s not really my type, but to each her own. He’s definitely Bailey’s type, that’s for sure, because she is giddy with excitement about it. Didn’t think Bailey could be giddy? Neither did I, up until now. Good for her – she knows it’s not going anywhere serious so she’s just having fun and enjoying the moment. Given the drama of her last two relationships, I’d say she’s more than earned it.

Meanwhile, Teddy starts to realize the full weight of her decision to marry Henry (Scott Foley). Not only is she his wife, but he’s also listed her as his emergency contact, meaning that she’s the one who has to decide whether or not to remove most of his pancreas while he’s in the middle of surgery. Needless to say, she’s a little concerned that these types of decisions are falling to her, until Henry explains that there’s literally no one else who can make them. The only family he has is a sister who lives halfway around the world, and it’s pretty hard to keep friends when your life is a never-ending battle to stay alive. Like it or not, Teddy is the closest thing he has to a loved one. The revelation hits her pretty deeply, and all she can do is hold his hand in sympathy. His adorable, sweet, chronically ill little hand. (Sidenote: what exactly does this guy have? Did they ever say? We know he’s got tumors but what’s the “chronic illness” that’s causing them? Did the GREY’S writers run out of actual diseases and now they have to invent unspecified ones that have whatever symptoms make for the best drama? Or did I miss something? Could I possibly ask any more questions in a row?)

Teddy’s issues pale in comparison to what Callie and Arizona are going through. Arizona’s still having no luck with Callie, despite trying every tactic she can think of to win her back. She moves across the hall from Callie and Mark (i.e. back into the apartment she and Callie used to share). She bugs Mark all episode long to help her identify her flaws so she can become a better person. And finally, in an elevator scene like only GREY’S can do, she gives Callie an impassioned and heartfelt speech about how she made a huge mistake, but she’s learned her lesson and will never ever bail again when things get tough. Which brings us to Callie’s HUGE reveal at the end of the episode: Callie is pregnant. With Mark’s baby.

Holy. Frak.

Suddenly, with that one piece of information, the future of two separate relationships is in question. Hold on though – I may have thought of the perfect solution. Give the baby to Meredith! It’s brilliant! Poor Meredith with her fibroid-infested uterus has been moaning all episode about how she can’t get pregnant, and along comes Callie with a baby she doesn’t want! The universe is screaming for your attention here, guys. Don’t give me any of that crap about your feelings. This is too good an opportunity to pass up!

Well, whether or not the characters listen to me, I think this episode set us up pretty well for the show’s return next month. Until then, GREY’S lovers!

Don’t forget to write your comments below! Can Arizona still keep her promise not to bail again? And how will Callie’s pregnancy affect Mark and Lexie’s relationship? Let us know what you’re thinking!