Subscribe
I hope that by now everyone’s gotten a chance to watch last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy “Stand By Me.” What an awesome episode that was! I know a lot of people have lost faith in the show, but I really think they’ve been knocking it out of the ballpark lately. This last episode was truly wonderful.
A brief recap of the episode is after the jump!
Grey’s Anatomy 5.18 “Stand By Me” | Original Airdate: 03/19/09
Cristina gets granted a solo surgery, but she’s preoccupied by Izzie’s condition. She spends most of the episode trying to set up an appointment with a specialist and then trying to convince Izzie to actually go to the appointment. Izzie is feeling negative most of the episode and blows the appointment. This angers Cristina who doesn’t understand why Izzie would tell her in the first place if she wasn’t looking for help.
Meanwhile, the hospital is abuzz with a major facial reconstruction surgery. The Interns are being their annoying selves and spend most of the time making jokes about the patient, something that angers Izzie and makes her feel even more negative about telling people about her condition. The patient, whose face is partly gone due to an accident, kicks out his support system before his surgery because he’s afraid that they’ll look away from him. After a pep-talk by Lexie and Sloan, he calls them back in and his friends’ support helps Izzie rethink her stance on her condition.
Derek is still sulking the woods and the Chief is pretty much a mess without him. To help, Bailey sends Callie to get Derek back, but instead of cheering Derek up she gets into a funk herself and stays there. Worried, Bailey sends Hunt after them, and he, too, falls into a funk after a few minutes with Derek and Callie. So now the three of them are out in the woods drinking beer, feeling sorry for themselves.
Bailey, now convinced they’re all dead somewhere “on a spit with a one-armed man,” tells the Chief that she sent them out there to try to get Derek back. So, then the Chief goes out to the woods. Derek blows up at him for sending Meredith to him expecting a ring. He says he batted the ring into the woods and that the Chief has ruined his life.
Throughout all of this, Meredith and George (he actually had a huge role in this episode!!) try to deal with the interns who have some personal drama of their own and have been getting into fights, and walking around with bleeding arms and black eyes and crying. Meredith and George initially try to ignore the obvious issues because they want to get done with the patient and get back to observing both the facial reconstructive surgery and Cristina’s solo surgery, but the drama continues and they’re forced to address it. Several lectures and a positive pregnancy test later, it seems they manage to get through to them. Maybe!
Emily Kuroda guest stars as Cristina’s solo surgery patient. She plays a sweet older woman who has a few questions written down on a piece of paper. Cristina doesn’t really have a lot of time or patience for her, though, because she’s too busy worrying about Izzie.
Before the surgery, the woman tells Cristina to please tell her everything’s going to be okay. Cristina softens and tells her that she will get her through it. The woman goes under and before she cuts, Cristina spills the beans about Izzie to Alex and Bailey.
The Chief tells Derek that he will not accept the blame for what’s going on with Derek and Meredith and tells Derek that he’ll need a friend once he decides to get out of that hole he’s dug himself into. That seems to get through to Derek who wonders how he’ll get Meredith to forgive him. The Chief tells him that he can always find a way back.
The facial reconstructive surgery is a success and as Izzie watches the guy’s happiness and his friends’ unwavering support she seems to make up her mind about her own condition.
Outside, Cristina sits down beside Izzie at a bench and admits that she told Alex and Bailey and that the news is spreading to everyone else. She tells Izzie that she wants her to fight. And Izzie thanks her.
Lexie, meanwhile, kisses Mark in front of the interns and tells him that she thinks their relationship can survive in “a hostile environment.” Mark smiles.
Meredith shows up at Derek’s and he thanks her for coming. She thanks him for calling. He says he loves her and she says he knows. And he asks if she’d still love him if he wasn’t a surgeon. Meredith says that she wouldn’t, and explains that the reason that she wouldn’t is because he’s only about 20 people in the entire world that can save Izzie, and explains. She leaves her scans with him and tells him that it doesn’t look good.
Back at Seattle Grace, everyone hears about Izzie’s condition and goes to her.
Derek pulls himself together and looks at her scans.
Izzie gets admitted into Seattle Grace.
[End of Episode]
This was such a heart-wrenching episode, and I have a feeling that I should keep the tissues handy for the rest of the season.
But it wasn’t all darkness and gloom. Bailey was pretty hilarious with her concern that a serial killer had captured Callie and Hunt, and the scene in the cafeteria when Cristina is trying to convince Izzie to go to the appointment and everyone sits down and suddenly it all becomes an enema metaphor. Pretty funny.
There were a lot of really beautiful moments and for all the protests about Izzie’s storyline, I think it’s going to turn out to be really beautiful. A true test of friendship and perseverance.
Can’t wait to see what happens next.
What did you think?
Image: Newscom
I really really loved the eppy! I think I loved everything apart from the intern story. They should just go away. I didn’t like Meredith saying she wouldn’t love Derek if he wasn’t a surgeon, though. I hope she didn’t mean it like how it came out. She’s in her right not to respect him if he chooses to quit, as he will throw away his gift, but being a surgeon isn’t the reason she loves him I hope!
Most of all I loved Cristina and her internal battling and frustration at Izzie and how it took her focus off her long awaiting solo surgery. She was amazing, and it was so heartbreaking when she told Alex and Bailey. I also enjoyed the patient story, and the woods talking and the gathering in the end. Can’t wait for next eppy!
I thought this episode was really good, especially everyone going to Derek’s and getting drunk. The intern story was a waste of time that could’ve been spent on our favorites! I am not liking how cold Meredith still is with Derek. She needs to soften up a bit more and show some love! He’s a very intense, loving, passionate person and he needs her now. My absolute favorite part was Chrisina telling Alex and Bailey about Izzie.
OMG! I SERIOUSLY loved this episode! I loved the fact that ALL the characters actually played part in this episode. I missed seening George.
I thought it was funny when Bailey had sent Callie and then Owen to talk to Derek and they ended up staying there drinking with him.
The look on Georges face when he found out was a tear-jerker! I was actually trying to find the tissue. I hope that they don’t kill anyone off!!
[...] (Mrs. Kim on Gilmore Girls) appeared in last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, ‘Stand by Me.’ She played a patient in the hospital for a hernia repair, and was Christina’s first [...]
Every week I am more and more amazed at what an extraordinary ensemble this cast is. Sandra Oh has been mind-bogglingly amazing in her character’s development. Every last one of them played their parts beautifully last night. I just have to say that I TOTALLY get Mer saying she wouldn’t love Derek anymore if he wasn’t a surgeon. He wouldn’t just be throwing away a career if he quit, he’d be almost nailing Izzie’s coffin (metaphorically speaking). It took her stark honesty to finally get Derek to snap out of his funk and start allowing his passion to save lives to rise to the surface again.
I doubt I took many breaths during this entire episode! The interns were a bit annoying but I was at the edge of my seat nearly the entire time. The little funny bits were a nice change to all the drama throughout. I do hope Izzie stays with the show; she truly a huge part of it. Her entire past as well as other cast members should make for GREAT future episodes as well.
this was an amazing episode!! I just finished it and I am still teary eyed
I loved seeing more of George as well, I have missed him. The end was just amazing, lately we haven’t seen much of our favorites as one group again and that was really refreshing to watch. I really really hope that Derek is back next week, he just makes me so sad! And I also love Lexi and Mark’s relationship. It’s really cute. In conclusion…I loooove Grey’s!! :]
Hi guys! I love this episode..well, i love grey’s no matter what, but this episode make me remember the beginnig..it’s was almost perfect, but a little bit sad. I must confess that i cried like a baby with the scene when cristina tell izzie “i want you to fight”. And in the end..when they are wall reunited all around her..again..so many tears in my eyes…amazing actors..and amazing storyline. I love Izzie, she’s my favourite character and i really don’t want her leaving the show..now he have so many storylines..we can see how george will fight for his best friend, we can see how alex really loves her..and how mer and cristina loves her too in spite of all, because sometimes they don’t seem to like each other, but it is in this moments that we see who are our friends…we can see izzie daughter perhaps or mom …we can see derek save her and go back to de mcdreamy that he was =) so many storylines that i can’t wait to see..and katherine heigl performance of course..she’s amazing..broke my heart seing her in denial and the faces of all the cast that already knows..chief..bailey..we need a miracle here! It was funny the part that callie, huynt and derek drinking bear and the storylne between the interns was just a pretext to see how our resident can handle the mess and i must say that meredith was so freaking perfect that has george say “that was very bailey” lol mark and lexie are very cute..i like it, and i really hope that derek apologize to mark
i cant wait to see next episode..and see how izzie will handle the fight of her life..i think more tears will come and that is a little stupid because is just a serie right? But it also means that is a pretty good one 
kiss *
This was definitely one of the best episodes in awhile, and I liked the ending. Speaking of which, what was that song playing at the end? Loved it.
Hey Tess, the song you are asking about is called “Driveway” by Great Northern. I just blogged about it on my site and posted the scene.
What type of aggressive cancer does Izzie have? I just can’t watch these episodes, because I too have an aggressive cancer and will cry too much.
Thanks