TV Review: Grey's Anatomy Episode 2.06

Sunday, October 30, 2005

From ABC: As Meredith nervously awaits a final decision from Derek, her angst is interrupted when a train crash brings several seriously injured patients to the hospital, including Bonnie and Tom, a pair of passengers who've been impaled on a metal pole. And Addison Shepherd sees great potential in Izzie, who must decide whether her loyalty as Meredith's friend outweighs professional gain.

My Rating:

This episode of Grey's Anatomy, Into you like a train, was probably one of the most intense of this series' short life. We're about fourteen episodes in, and tonight the staff at Seattle Grace Hospital had their first major case. Well, actually several major cases, but they all stemmed from one incident. A train wreck that occurs just outside the city of Seattle. We begin tonight's episode right where last week's show left off. Meredith is still awaiting the arrival of Derek and getting drunker with each moment that passes as her three friends and the bartender Joe watch on. Just as she orders another drink, giving up on Derek arriving the beeper's start going off and Joe turns up the television to show the news coverage of the train wreck.

Every medical drama has the one episode where something really bad happens somewhere and there is a rush of patients into the hospital ER. ER has done this, and has one such episode each season. This was Grey's turn. The interns all return to the hospital to find total and complete chaos. Meredith is drunk, so she needs to sober up before she can assist with any cases. All the other interns are spread out between several other cases. Some appearing minor, and others appearing to be a matter of life and death.

The worst case of the night by far is one of two people that are now joined together by a pole that is running through their mid-sections. It looks bad and as the episode progresses we realize how dire this situation is. We learn that the way the pole is situated, one of them will die no matter what they do. Bonnie, the young woman, has the worst of the injuries, and it is decided by the team that she will be the one moved in order to try and save the man. The young woman doesn't even understand the extent of her injuries until Shepard tells her about the surgery and what will happen when they remove the pole. By doing so, she will die. There is no hope.

This is absolutely heartbreaking. The man even offers himself in her place, but she doesn't allow that either. By the time they are ready to conduct the surgery, Meredith is sober enough to join in, and she scrubs up along side Derek, and we finally know the answer to the question everyone has been waiting for. Who does he choose?

We think by him showing up just minutes after Meredith leave's the bar to return to the hospital that his choice was her. We would be wrong, and Meredith soon learns he has chosen to stay with Addison. I'm not sure if this is the last we will hear of this. In fact, I can almost guarantee it won't be. If it was all cut and dry, there would be no fun to be had here. I think Meredith and Derek will eventually end up together. If not by the end of sweeps period more than likely by the end of the season.

Once we know our answer to the big question, the doctor's all go into surgery, and things get underway. The young woman is put under anesthesia and moved. Meredith breaks my heart once again by trying to work on the girl, but she is a lost cause and Bailey pulls her away and calls time of death. I cried. It was so sad. The woman never had a chance.

Other cases went on around this main one. Two women pregnant ended up with Izzie and Addison. One of the women was originally Alex's case, but she walked away to find her friend who was being treated by Addison. The women turn out to be best friends that have babies coming from the same sperm. Both women give birth minutes apart, and after a few scary moments all is well in the end.

Alex also had another case, a woman that suffered minor injuries in the accident who was accompanied by her friend who looked to have suffered no injury. However, in a surprise here, the other woman falls over dead after bleeding out internally, and Alex blames himself for not checking her out when she arrived. With each week that passes, I actually feel more and more bad for Alex. He's having a real tough time since he found he failed his boards. Hopefully, things improve for him soon.

Our final case is of a man that had his leg severed in the wreck, but the problem here is they lose his leg. Yang is on search patrol for the missing limb, and she even goes to Burke for help cause he is her boyfriend, but he tells her on duty he isn't her boyfriend. He really is trying to keep professional and personal separate here, but I'm wondering how long this will last. Alex is finally the one that finds the missing leg, and this earns him some praise from the Chief, who is now back in the OR with Derek's okay.

This episode was definitely an emotional roller coaster with so much going on, and I think by far this is one of my favorite episodes of this season, and possibly even this series. I love how they put together this show each and every week, and even though I want to hate Derek for not picking Meredith, I can actually see where he is coming from. He's had a life with Addison. Who is to say he can have something long term with Meredith? There is no way to really know, so I can understand his choice. We have yet another new episode next week. Once again, I can't wait. This show only keeps getting better.