So it’s a fair and resonable request – and one that I see very often – to want Burke to return to Seattle Grace. The topic keeps coming back over and over again, and I see it in the comments over and over again, so I wanted to reiterate that while I still maintain a “never say never” philosophy, the current state of things is that Burke is never coming back.

It has even been suggested to Shonda Rhimes that she recast Burke with a different actor if the issue is with Isaiah Washington. But – and I’m relieved to hear this – she feels that none of the characters on the show are re-castable. I think there’s a lot of viewers that don’t mind it when a different actor comes in for a character, but I seriously loathe it when that happens.

Unfortunately, with regards to Burke, it means that it’s very, very unlikely that he’ll ever return to Grey’s Anatomy.

The most recent quote by Shonda Rhimes on the topic of whether she feels that the Burke storyline was left lingering is, “I feel like we really played that storyline out in the way we meant to play it out – and I think it worked.”

But for the sake of conversation, if left up to you, would you bring Burke back? And would you be okay with it being a different actor that plays him?

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Image: SXC

The last couple of episodes of Grey’s Anatomy have undoubtedly shifted the focus away from the usual interpersonal relationships between the characters and dealt heavily with the medical. For some viewers the change has been a welcome one, while for others it has been a frustrating couple of episodes.

It is unlikely that all of the remaining episodes of season six will deal only with the medicine, as there are many things headed our way that will impact the relationships on the show. We know, for example, that Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle) will be showing up to stir things up between Cristina and Hunt (as if they need more stirring up). Then we’ve got Leven Rambin showing up in Mark’s (and Lexie’s) life. And of course, who can forget the fact that there’s a bunch of new people wandering around Seattle Grace?

But the past couple of episodes have worked to remind us that these characters we know and love are doctors first and foremost. But did we need to be reminded? Is it important to focus on Derek’s ability to remove an impossible tumor? Will the fact that he did so successfully impact his storyline for the rest of the season?

More to the point: How did you feel about the past couple of episodes? Did you like the fact that we got to see more about the medicine or are you hoping the writers have gotten it all out of their system and return to the characters?

Discuss in the comments!

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I’d like to remind everyone that simply because an actor is leaving the show, that doesn’t mean their character’s fate is sealed. It’s entirely possible that George might survive and simply be written to leave the hospital. Then again, it’s also entirely possible that it’s bye bye forever.

Assuming you’re in the bitter camp, will you still be tuning into the season six premiere to see what happens? Or are you officially done with the show? Are there some of you sitting on the fence? Drop your thoughts about season six in the comments!

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I hope everyone’s strapped in, for season finale night is finally here! Grey’s Anatomy concludes its fifth season tonight with its final two episodes, which are airing back-to-back on ABC. Don’t forget to tune in for both! (As if you could forget!)

I’m opening the floor to thoughts, comments and questions about the finale, so feel free to drop your thoughts into the comment section. I’ll keep the main post free of spoilers so everyone has a chance to catch up on the episode without worrying about seeing something they shouldn’t. But the comments section will be laden with spoilers, so watch for those.

Tonight we should hopefully get some answers about what’s happening with Izzie. Or, they might just leave us hanging all summer. I really hope not. Will Katherine Heigl leave? Will she survive through a medical miracle? I don’t know! And T.R. Knight’s George – what will happen to him? We should hopefully have answers to that too.

MerDer should at least get their happily ever after. Well, I’m crossing my fingers for that.

If you’ve already seen the episode, drop your opinions into the comments and we’ll see what everyone has to say!

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Happy 100th Episode day, everyone! Tonight: the MerDer wedding day episode we’ve all been waiting for! Tonight two wonderful souls joins in holy matrimony and we’ve got front row tickets to the big event. Some of us have kept up with the spoilers, some of us have avoided them like the plague, but tonight we all get to find out what really happens.

So pull up a chair and drop in your thoughts before, during and after the episode so that we can all enjoy each other’s reactions.

Watch out for spoilers in the comments. The content of this post, however, will remain spoiler-free.

Take it away, folks!

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But what about you guys? Do you think the powers that be should write the pregnancy in for Meredith or do you think they should hide it (like they’re doing with Chyler Leigh’s). Is it too soon for a McBaby?

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Personally, while I wouldn’t be opposed to Meredith getting pregnant, I’m not sure the timing is right for that storyline yet. I am, however, looking forward to seeing what they come up with and how they deal with it. I’m more worried about the notion of Ellen Pompeo being absent from the show for a long period of time.

Drop your thoughts into the comments!

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Grey’s Anatomy continues to impress me even more than usual. I almost don’t even know what to say about that episode. I thought it was amazing from start to finish.

If you’ve missed it, or can’t see it from where you are, here’s a brief recap:

“Elevator Love Letter” | Original airdate: 03/26/09

Izzie’s been admitted into Seattle Grace (as we saw last week), and Alex watches over her, from afar. Callie and Arizona dance around the living room (so we can assume that they’re together?) And Cristina and Owen (platonically) fall asleep. But the spinning of the fan seems to affect Owen in a terrible way, and Cristina wakes to find him strangling her. Thankfully, Callie hears the commotion and thinks to knock and enter. This wakes Owen up and Cristina breaks free.

Callie calls Meredith who comes by immediately to check up on Cristina. Both Callie and Meredith express great concern but Cristina wants to forgive Owen. Owen’s a mess of tears and guilt.

The next day Derek attempts a pretty unimaginative proposal. He drops the ring on the breakfast table and Meredith gently tells him to put it away. She wants him to focus on Izzie first.

Izzie gets the lowdown on her treatment, which is described as “aggressive” by the Oncologist, who’s a prickly, unlikeable sort of character. Izzie puts on a brave front, telling her friends to go be doctors. They leave her. She focuses on knitting, and they focus on worrying about her from far away.

Alex is particularly guilt-ridden and is angry, both at the situation and at himself. He feels he should’ve known something was wrong when Izzie told him about the hallucinations. He confesses as much to Meredith, who listens patiently.

But no one goes to visit Izzie.

The only one that stops by to see her is Bailey, who does her best to keep a positive outlook, telling Izzie she knows she’ll pull through.

Callie struggles with her own guilt, admitting to Arizona that she once wished Izzie dead (after Izzie stole her husband). But Arizona asks her if she’s praying for Izzie’s death now, and Callie says that no, she’s praying for her life.

Despite Meredith’s protests and Callie’s concerns, Cristina is insistent on defending Owen. Owen, however, feels awful and terribly guilty. Derek tries to offer some advice, but Owen shoves it back in his face, telling him to look in the mirror.

Meanwhile, Derek deals with his own insecurities and self-doubts. He attempts another flimsy proposal, telling Meredith that he needs to know it’s a yes before he operates on Izzie but she again gently declines and tells him she believes that he can do it.

Owen tries to break it off with Cristina, but Cristina tells him to let her decide what she can handle.

In the OR, Bailey’s there for Izzie, who tells her that the scarf she’d been knitting all day is for her. Derek does his best not to look petrified, and speaks his mantra: It’s a beautiful day to save lives.

A different patient – an old woman – that has been fighting death for years, continues to fight. Alex is impressed with her ability to come back from the brink of death. She tells him that it’s her people that have pulled her through, and that having people is better than having no people. And Alex realizes that the same must pertain to Izzie and that he’s been wrong to avoid her all day.

George, meanwhile, remains angry at Izzie for not telling him, but Callie talks him out of it and tells him they need to go wait for Izzie to come out of surgery.

Everyone – even the interns – gather to wait for the outcome of Izzie’s surgery.

The Oncologist drops into the OR to question Derek’s every decision, but the more she questions him, the more confident he becomes, and he gets his footing back. The surgery is a success.

Bailey gives everyone the good news, that Izzie is coming out of the surgery fine, but that it was no thanks to them.

Cristina finds Owen in the on-call room and gives him the good news about Izzie. Despite the day’s tension, or perhaps because of it, they finally make love.

The Chief tells Derek that Meredith believes in him, and that he should try proposing again. Derek seems to take the Chief’s advice to heart and starts to shave.

Alex goes to Izzie and stays with her.

At the elevators, the Chief blocks Meredith’s entrance to one elevator and forces her to take the other. Inside, is Derek, and the walls have been wallpapered with brain scans and random papers, a medical timeline of their time together and the stories that went with them. Derek goes over them one by one, reminding Meredith of the cases that brought them here and brought them together. He doesn’t get down on one knee and doesn’t ask her to marry him, he simply tells her that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. She says the same.

In bed together, Cristina tells Owen that she doesn’t think she can do this after all. That she’s lying there in his arms and she’s afraid to fall asleep.

The episode ends with Owen getting a brain scan, Meredith telling Cristina that she’s engaged, Cristina telling Meredith that she broke up with Owen, and Alex holding Izzie in the hospital bed.

[The End]

This was absolutely one of those episodes that you have to watch in order to truly appreciate its impact. It was a beautifully moving hour of drama.

The whole Izzie storyline is breaking my heart. And I think Owen and Cristina are beautiful together. It’s going to have a wonderful payoff in the end, no doubt.

What did you think of the proposal scene? I can’t imagine a more perfect proposal, honestly. But what about you? Were you impressed with it or disappointed? And what did you think of the episode as a whole?

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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?

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The main story from last night’s episode was Derek’s struggle with his own guilt. He messed up during surgery last week and this error ultimately cost a woman her life. To go along with this theme of mistakes, we saw Izzie dealing with messed up test results, and Cristina and Hunt dealing with another surgeon’s errors.

Other storylines from the episode:

• Mark finally tells Derek about Lexie -which leads to the bloody fist fight on the bridge. I thought it was clear that Derek wasn’t really angry at Mark necessarily. Ausiello said that Derek was angry at Addison, but I think Derek was really angry at himself.
• Callie finally stops avoiding Arizona and asks her out, only to get turned down.
• Bailey is on her way to applying for that fellowship and trying desperately to gather some recommendation letters. The one that really matters – the Chief’s – isn’t what she hoped it would be.

So let’s recap:

Derek does his best to try and save Jen. The first surgery goes well, but the good news doesn’t last long. Jen isn’t out of surgery for long before she has to be rushed back in. In the OR, Derek goes head-to-head with Addison. Addison wants to save the baby, but Derek is obsessed with saving Jen’s life – at all costs. Eventually, Addison sends Alex to get the Chief and with the Chief’s nod, Addison takes out the baby. Though the baby is premature, Arizona seems to think that he’ll pull through. But Rob (Jen’s husband) is terribly broken by the news that his wife didn’t survive the surgery. All Derek can say is, “I’m sorry,” while the other surgeons try to explain to Rob what went wrong. Rob calls Derek a murderer.

Cristina, Hunt and Callie see to a patient whose surgeon, Dr. Campbell, is an ageing “dinosaur” (according to Cristina) who keeps making routine mistakes. Cristina is unforgiving and goes out of her way to make sure that Dr. Campbell is held accountable for screwing up the man’s surgery. Hunt is compassionate toward Dr. Campbell, going as far as telling Cristina that she’s too tough on people and that people make mistakes. Cristina doesn’t budge, and keeps a firm stance on her belief that Dr. Campbell should retire the scalpel. Hunt eventually gives a subtle hint to Dr. Campbell that perhaps it’s time to know when to stop.

Izzie finds out that her test results were screwed up and spends the episode trying to come to terms with this news. She finds a questionable mark on her back and goes to dermatology to have it removed. Actual test results come back and Izzie decides to get the interns – whom she spent all episode blaming – to help her figure out what’s wrong with her.

Callie’s talk with God seems to have given her newfound confidence and she walks up to Arizona rather confidently and tells her that though she’s been avoiding her, she’s ready to take on this sapphic adventure, for the second time, and asks Arizona on a date. Arizona – who seemed like she very much would’ve said yes if Callie hadn’t used words like “adventure” and “second time” – turns her down because she’s aware that this is an experimental time for Callie and she doesn’t really want to be part of someone’s experiment.

George has a minimal plot line in this episode. His entire task is to write a letter of recommendation for Bailey.

Speaking of Bailey, she spends the entire episode collecting recommendation letters for her Pediatric surgery fellowship. The Chief, however, doesn’t seem to be very enthusiastic and his recommendation letter disappoints Bailey. Bailey eventually faces off with him and finds out that the Chief had plans for her that didn’t include Pediatrics and they start fighting. But their fight gets cut short because over on the bridge a fist fight has errupted.

Derek is hanging out on the bridge, depressed about Jen and probably feeling very much like the murderer Rob accused him of being, when Mark decides this is the perfect moment to reveal his relationship with Lexie. Derek answers by punching him twice. Then Mark punches back. They go at it until the fight is broken up.

At the bar…

Addison is probably pretty happy to be returning to Private/Practice. But before she leaves she gives Bailey her recommendation letter.

Callie decides to go in for another shot at Arizona and approaches her with a memorized monologue. She tells Arizona that she’s got plenty of experience to give. That she’s been married, and was in the Peace Corps, and can cook (an excellent chicken piccata) a wide assortment of delicious meals that Arizona would be lucky to experience for herself, and that if she can’t open her eyes and see that then it’s Arizona that’s inexperienced. Arizona takes the end of the monologue to introduce Julie, her date. And Callie walks off, embarrassed.

Cristina and Hunt have a heart to heart about mistakes and compassion (of which Cristina has none). He says he imagines that Cristina will be just like Dr. Campbell in forty years and that he’ll have to take the scalpel from her. Cristina says that he’d have to pry it from her cold, dead hands. But Hunt tells her that the point is that he wants to be there in forty years. Aww.

Derek and Meredith get drunk.

And we finish off with Izzie introducing the interns to her medical case.

Here are my thoughts on the episode:

• I really enjoyed the whole Jen/Rob/Derek/Addison storyline. I really think that it was more complex than Derek feeling guilty over his surgical mistake. When the couple was first introduced he commented to Meredith that they reminded him of them. And so I wonder if it’s possible that the reason Derek was so desperate to save Jen is because he felt that it was like he was saving Meredith.
• The Cristina/Hunt/Dr. Campbell storyline was interesting too. I can totally imagine Cristina being that stubborn in forty years and the fact that she’s so unforgiving of other people’s mistakes is something that will undoubtedly come back to bite her in the butt. I loved Cristina and Hunt in this episode. They make such a balanced team. It’s great to watch.
• The Izzie storyline makes me sad. It feels so detached from every other storyline. I look forward to the others finding out what’s going on with her because I feel like they should be a part of this. Whatever happens, I think we’re in for some really intense episodes.
• At first I was surprised that Arizona turned Callie down, but then I was sort of relieved. Not because I don’t want them together, but because I think Arizona has something of a point. Callie was all depressed like… two days before? And suddenly Arizona kissed her and she’s all better now? I think if they’re going to actually make it as a couple, then jumping into a first date might not be the best way to do it. I’d love to see Callie ask Arizona out because she really is interested in her and not because she’s open to an “adventure.” I really hope that’s where they’re going with this. It was so much fun to see Callie walking tall again. I thought Sara Ramirez was brilliant.
• Mark and Lexie are really cute together and I’m so glad that’s out in the open now. I can’t wait to see what happens next with them.
• I loved MerDer at the end. There was no dialogue and there didn’t have to be. Meredith was there for Derek and it was really sweet to watch them just being together.
• I’m excited about Bailey going to Pediatrics. The whole exchange with the Chief about how Bailey isn’t his daughter was really great. I think in a lot of ways the Chief does think of Bailey as a daughter. They have that kind of dynamic.

Did I forget anything?

What did you all think of the episode?

I’m incredibly bummed that there’s no new Grey’s for three weeks! Argh.

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I’m not sure if I enjoyed the episodes as much as I was hoping to. And I don’t know if that’s because there was so much hype that my expectations were entirely too high. I was really happy to see Addison at Seattle Grace again, but – and I can’t quite explain why – I felt the episodes felt a little “off.”

I did, however, enjoy getting a little background on Owen Hunt with the introduction of his ex-fiancee. I like how the whole Cristina/Owen relationship continues on slowly but surely, despite the many bumps along the way.

Owen’s story fit really nicely with the theme (before and after) and tied smoothly with the overall Derek and his past idea. Meredith watching Derek interact with his old friends was nice, as was Cristina’s point that they don’t know the men they’re with.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the whole song that Derek wrote for Addison thing. I felt it was kind of random, and a little awkward and inappropriate considering they’ve been divorced for ages. Not to mention that Mark slept with Addison, and now Derek is dating someone new. I can understand it being something that bonded them and brought back the happier times from the past, but I still thought it was a little random, given everything that’s happened.

Sadie’s send-off was also a little random. Suddenly she doesn’t know anything? She’s been around for months and suddenly she doesn’t know anything? Wasn’t she the one that spotted the issues during Jackson’s first transplant surgery? I mean, she has to know something to see something no one else saw. Suddenly she cheated her way into the program? There wasn’t anything better to send her home for, really? Ah well.

The whole intern game was fun, though I’m actually amazed those interns know anything at all, given that few of them ever get taught anything.

And wow, George had a lot more lines than usual! The first time he spoke I honestly thought the entirety of his dialogue would be, “Woo! Woo! Woo!” Thankfully not.

I think it’s kind of funny that Izzie’s been confessing to seeing dead people, but Alex starts to look concerned when Izzie starts doing arts and crafts for the interns.

I did think what Alex said to Addison – about wanting to run because he felt a train coming (regarding Izzie) – was pretty insightful and good foreshadowing.

I’m still enjoying Jen & Rob though I feel really bad for them. If it’s not one thing it’s another!

I think, overall, I enjoyed the two-hour event, and given that they were trying to balance a whole bunch of characters and storylines both in Seattle Grace and back at Oceanside, they did a pretty good job of it.

What did you think? Did you love it or were you disappointed? Or was it simply just kind of “okay?”

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