TV Review: Grey's Anatomy Season Premiere

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Another season begins for the interns at Seattle Grace. In March, we met the interns when Grey's Anatomy started as a mid-season show. The plan was to air a few episodes and see if it stuck. What happened is the show took off taking over the time slot it had borrowed from Boston Legal, sending that show to an early season's end. For nine episodes, we followed the lives of five interns as they made their way through their first year as doctors and not med students. Their lives as we came to know them were not only in the OR and on the floors of Seattle Grace, but in their homes and in their beds as well. There was more bed-hopping in nine episodes than I've seen in some entire seasons of shows.

Meredith and Cristina both found themselves in relationships with their bosses. Meredith having met Dr. McDreamy prior to her first day at Seattle Grace, and Cristina ending up in a relationship/non-relationship with Dr. Burke in which she ended up quickly pregnant. Oh my! Not to mention George's crush on Meredith, and his bed hopping with the nurse, and have we all seen the looks between Isobel and Alex everyone?! Last we saw our beloved Meredith, she had just discovered that Dr. McDreamy was in fact married! Oh my again! Looks like Mrs. McDreamy or Dr. McDreamy female version is now joining the cast for a bit. She is coming in to assist while Chief Webber recovers from brain surgery.

Season's two premiere, an episode titled "Raindrops keep falling on my head" picks up right where season one left off. Actually the first four episodes were meant to air as a part of season one, but instead were added to season two. The show opens with Meredith at a bar drinking shot after shot after her discovery of boyfriend's marital status. Apparently this is the same bar in which Meredith met Derek for their one night stand. She drowns her sorrows in booze, and tells the bartender, Joe, about her situation. This earns her a drink on him.

We then jump to Addison and Derek talking back at SGH. We can quickly see these two do not get along at all. the animosity is just dripping off of them. Then its onto Alex and Izzie talking, and Alex has a huge shiner courtesy of a punch from George - who by the way then joins Meredith at the bar with Cristina in tow.

Meredith wants to play the whose life sucks more game. We all know these three aren't having the best of months. Meredith informs her friends Derek is married. When George walks away, Cristina informs Meredith she is pregnant. Over Cristina's shoulder we see the bartender collapse. This begins season 2!

The bartender is taken to the hospital, and we learn he needs a complicated operation. Basically, he will need to be killed in order to be worked on, and then brought back to life. Derek goes to Chief Webber to discuss the chief position and the procedure he is about to do, but finds Addision there laughing it up with the Chief. Once she leaves, Webber informs Derek he knows of his little affair with Meredith, and there is no room for private lives when it comes to the chief position. That is why he gives the position of acting chief to Burke while he recovers from brain surgery.

Wonder what Webber would have done if he knew Burke has been sleeping with Cristina, and got her pregnant? Of course not even Burke knows that little tidbit of information. Which comes a little interesting plot, Chief Webber knows very little being in his position. He barely knew about Meredith and Derek, and he was on his feet then. He then employs George to be his eyes and ears of the hospital. George isn't too comfortable with this job because this means spying on his friends. Soon after he becomes the eyes and ears of SGH, he sees Cristina and Burke kissing in a stairwell. He withholds the information from Chief Webber, but he does end up telling Meredith though.

Early on, Meredith is paired up with Addision. A match made in hell or no? Addision is a bit hard on Meredith during a case of a woman with pregnancy issues. However, she quickly informs Meredith that it isn't just because Meredith is screwing her husband. She is just tough on everyone. The patient overhears Meredith and Addision in the hall, and she holds some resentment towards Meredith because her husband also cheated on her. Meredith ends up discovering that the twins the woman are carrying are in danger, and Addison rushes the woman into surgery.

Derek and Burke take the lead informing the man of the procedure, but the bartender is a small business owner and his main concern is the cost. George learns of Joe's concerns, and he tries to help the man so that he doesn't lose his bar. He finally gets Chief Webber to sign off on the item, but it does take some work on George's part. The surgery is a success, and afterwards Cristina goes to Burke wanting to go out, but in a surprise move Burke ends their relationship.

The surgery Meredith is involved in with Addision is also a success, and afterwards Addision stands up to the woman when she chastises Meredith for being the other woman. Addision informs the patient it wasn't her husband that cheated, but herself. From here, we go to Derek telling Meredith the whole sad sob story of what happened. Yes, break out the violins and the handkerchiefs everyone. Turns out Mrs. McDreamy cheated on Derek with his best friend. Once his story is complete does Meredith run into his arms, kiss and make up? No. She drives away, leaving Derek alone in his trailer.

She once again finds herself at the bar, and Cristina is there. Cristina tells Meredith she is her person. She had to tell one person about her pregnancy in order to have the abortion. She needed an emergency contact, and she chose Meredith. We also see a surprising show of emotion by Alex when he learns of what George did for Joe and the bar. Throughout the episode, we were able to see Alex and Izzie play mental footsie back and forth. Izzie watches the touching moment between George and Alex with a smile and there we have the premiere of Grey's Anatomy.

We were waiting all summer for the return of this show, and this show was definitely worth the wait. Not one character was left out of the fun. Some had less to do, such as in the case with Alex and Isobel, but they were also visible in this week's episode. I love the little back and forth between these two, and I can't wait for these two to stop playing around and just do it. Derek's sob story was cheesy and I was ready to roll my eyes if Meredith took him back at that point. I cheered when she didn't. She is by no means easy here. Also looks like Alex is finding a heart and George is finding some balls. Both much needed here in my opinion. I'm so glad this show is back, and I can't wait for next week's episode!

For more of my thoughts on this season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, check out my thoughts from the couch here. If you want to discuss this episode, hop on over to my Grey's Anatomy forum on Media Village.