Stay of Execution

Grey's Anatomy, I put you on notice last week. But, there you go again, giving me a really good second episode that reminded me of all of the reasons why I used to heart this show so much. It's fitting that the whole theme of this week was addictions, and how hard it is to let them go.

The best thing about this week's show was that the overwhelming tone of mopeyness that seemed to have completely taken over Seattle Grace over the last few months, and which reached a ridiculous level in last week's premiere, was almost completely absent. It's that mopey tone that has been driving me nuts ever since the February sweeps "ferry accident / Meredith sorta-suicide attempt" storyline. I agreed with many criticisms I've seen recently that said the show's biggest downfall of late has been that the writers (I'm lookin' at you, Shonda) had taken all of their strong, independent, quirky female characters and just reduced them to horrible neurotic shells of themselves.

I'm glad to report that with this week's episode, the show seems to have gotten its groove back. Well, with one notable exception: the George and Izzy thing. The awfully-nicknamed "Gizzy" storyline is the worst one this show has ever attempted, and I hate every second spent on it. And, in related news, I think I've really grown to hate Izzy. Her self-righteous, self-important, but utterly preposterous speeches ("I am Bambi!") make me want to throw things at the television. I hate that she's fairly inept in her career and her only purpose seems to be wrecking George's already strained marriage. Bah. It is still taking a lot for me to overlook that train wreck of a plot in order to enjoy the show again.

But, enjoy it I did. There were a lot of things going for this episode:

- Callie and Cristina were both strong and complicated again, rather than the dull mopes that they were last week. Their added spice is a welcome change after all the saccharin of the last several months.
- Best of all, the fabulous Dr. Miranda Bailey was pretty close to being fabulous again, and her scene yelling at Karev and then thanking him was classic Bailey. I actually said "thank you" to the screen, myself.
- The ensemble cast had much better opportunities to showcase the great interplays between characters, and pairings like Derek and Sloan, the Chief and Derek, Meredith and Cristina, Sloan and Callie, and the aforementioned Bailey and Karev were all strong scenes, well-acted and well-written.
- The show made great use of a stellar guest star in Ms. Diahann Carroll. Mama Burke is welcome back anytime!
- The episode featured a strong medical story - with the crystal meth-lab explosion - that gave us a compelling plot to follow other than just whiny relationship drama. And, it allowed Karev to get back to form as a righteous but somewhat reckless risk-taker.
- The overall tone was quirky and snarky again, feeling like early season 2 GA, which is when I think the show was at its height.

So, Grey's, you're staying in my regular rotation for at least another week. I will continue to watch The Office in real-time during your time slot, of course, but I'll still find an hour to catch up with you on the weekend. But be warned -- if you get all depressing and stupid again, I'm kicking you to the curb.