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Post by kaz on Feb 23, 2011 17:24:22 GMT -5
AS MARK, CALLIE AND ARIZONA'S BABY DRAMA CONTINUES, MEREDITH DISCOVERS HER EYESIGHT IS FAILING DUE TO HER FERTILITY TREATMENTS, ON ABC'S "GREY'S ANATOMY"
Loretta Devine ("Waiting to Exhale," "Boston Public") Guest Stars as Adele Webber
Peter MacNicol ("Ally McBeal") Returns as Dr. Stark; Nancy Travis ("So I Married An Axe Murderer") Also Guest Stars
Debbie Allen Directs
"Not Responsible" - Meredith must choose between her fertility treatments and her eyesight when she begins having trouble seeing, Mark makes it clear to Callie and Arizona that he takes his role as father-to-be very seriously, and April discovers there's more to Dr. Stark than first appears, on "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
"Grey's Anatomy" stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins, Kim Raver as Teddy Altman, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery and Sarah Drew as April Kepner.
Full guest cast TBA.
"Not Responsible" was written by Debora Cahn and directed by Debbie Allen.
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This thread is for your discussion, thoughts, comments, reviews, musings (brief or extensive) about the episode once you have seen it.
Here are some questions to get the conversation rolling, if you'd prefer not to write a review:
- On the whole, did you like or dislike this episode? - What would you like to have seen more of? And less of? - Favourite line/scene/storyline? - What would you rate the episode out of 10? - Will you watch this episode again?
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ruralstar
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Life is a Journey of the Mind. Anything can happen....Just wait
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Post by ruralstar on Feb 24, 2011 22:26:21 GMT -5
First episode in a while that did not feel like filler to me. The patients took a backseat for the most part. And with the exception of the CF couple there were no obvious anvil moments.
- On the whole, did you like or dislike this episode?
I liked it. The characters actually moved forward. Finally a glimpse of the troubles in paradise for C/O that Kevin has hinted at in several interviews. I'm glad that the Cheif was not obtuse for too many episodes in regards to Adele. And I loved the golf swings on the roof. Some male bonding is always a pleasure to behold
- What would you like to have seen more of? And less of?
Less of Mark grand-standing to make a point. And do we really need to even imply that Callie's girl thingy gets a vote in pregnancy proceedings?
Stark asking April out is hands down my least favorite scene. OMG yuck. I don't care if the man supposedly has a heart underneath his bluster. We don't need any more characters and the idea of those two hooking up....*shudders*
We have too many characters on this show. The storyline of the two CF patients was Lexie's anvil for the evening. I have no problem with the idea but there just wasn't enough time to do it justice.
- Favourite line/scene/storyline?
Owen and Cris' argument in the locker room was my favorite. I can respect both positions in this instance but if I had to choose then I choose Owen. Not because Cris doesn't deserve respect but because she summarily dismisses him with the very tired. "I'm a woman and it's my body argument" As a woman and as a parent I think Cris is being unfair. Owen does not have the right to expect her to grow up, as he so ineptly implied, but he has the right to respect. It was nice to see Owen a little hot under the collar but not disturbed enough to ignore Cris' blithe statement that they made a mistake in getting married. In the past he was the first to run but times have definitely changed and I'm glad he won't back down without talking things through. Loved SO and Kevin's give and take during this scene very much.
- What would you rate the episode out of 10?
7
- Will you watch this episode again? Yes
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Post by ella1967 on Feb 25, 2011 0:30:22 GMT -5
Though the CF patient anvils did seem both thick and like an after thought, they sure gave us the catch phrase for the established couples for the rest of the season.
'Life with risk is better than not really living...we deserve to be together.'
Let's get out of the way the storylines in which I'm less invested:
Mark's bluster and Callie ping-ponging between him and Arizona and acting like all is right with the world. As Cristina called the 'special vote' card to some extent, so did Callie. The reality is Callie and Mark made choices and now they're all hostage to this idea of having a baby as a trio of co-parents. I was glad to hear Arizona finally say 'this is not my dream.' That somehow felt more real than her suddenly saying 'that's my baby in there.'
No comment on Stark and April.
Alex and the OB fellow dancing around each other. Thankfully light this episode but still not getting the point if she's simply a recurring character.
Lexie and Avery....oh, sigh. Lexie is turning into the female version of Mark. Things don't go your way, tumble into bed with someone. Someone expresses interest in you, tumble into bed with them. I get that she's fumbling and Avery's an earnest guy who expressed good intentions, but the shower scene was just foolishness.
The Chief being so afraid of Adele's symptoms that he couldn't listen to Meredith or his own heart...but he'll listen to Bailey. Nice to see the chief rising above his fears no matter the impetus. I hope they're not going early onset dementia for Adele 'cause I love Loretta Devine.
And Meredith's blindness...interesting that Alex got pulled into that one tonight. Much preferred it to Cristina being drubbed over the head with fertility treatment symptoms given her main storyline of the night were her own feelings on kids and how that impacts her marriage. Liked Meredith's return to stubbornness in not telling Derek about her symptoms. Also liked his expression of frustration as both her husband and her attending. Will give them something interesting to hash out given Meredith's intent to stick with the treatment come heck or high water.
And now...my favorite part of the episode - Owen and Cristina. Hated those first two scenes - Cristina grinning at Owen before dropping the bombshell he already knew - that she's glad he's not trying to knock her up. And then Owen's 'yeah, yeah, yeah' as he brushed her aside. That one and the following scene when she confronted him in the hall and he essentially told her he thought she'd grow out of it because he did and then she tossed back that she'd 'grown up as much as (she) planned to' made me resurrect an old Mer/Cristinaism...'Seriously!?'
But it was all the set up for the loveliness of their scene in the locker room. Cristina's' hiding behind those old defensive walls which she's been too vulnerable to have access to since the shooting. I loved how Owen didn't let her run, pointed out they didn't get married because she was a basket case but, rather, out of love and wanting to have a life together. A lesson she herself figured out in 7.2 but loved Owen's reminder to her.
It was similar in some ways to their last locker room scene in which Cristina pouted about not having clinical trials and Owen pointed out she had a husband who loves her. In both scenes they were so themselves with each other yet also stepped up to each other in unexpected ways, in one scene to a humorous end, and in this one, in their expression of anger and their wants.
On one hand I'd hoped they wouldn't center their struggles on babies because it seems a gauntlet so many couples on the show are running this season. But maybe it means we'll get to the meat of Cristina's previous pregnancy and miscarriage sooner rather than later.
And yes, the scene of the fellas putting on the roof was fun. They were all expressing frustrations but none of them seemed to take it as more than an opportunity to let off steam. The issues in front of them could become serious but as much as they expressed frustration it was all done in a light way which gives me hope they'll all work it through. Conflict without the Mack truck aspect to it on GA, who knew?
The somewhat answering scene of Cristina and Meredith in the lab could have been a b*tch session but it was thankfully cut short by Webber benching Meredith. I did like how the tone between them was one of venting but from the perspective of married ladies figuring out their problems rather than just taking it to the extreme. Oh, and is this how Cristina finally ends up working with Derek?
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Post by blackorchid on Feb 25, 2011 1:24:21 GMT -5
Why does Cris need to have a baby to grow up?
I wish the writers had him try to get to the route of why she doesn't want kids. As for the 10% did she not buy him the firehouse because she loved him and didn't care where they lived but he did?
I understand his point but not the way he went about it.
As much as they love each other lovely Owen can't deny or ignore he married her when she was ill.
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Post by trinity on Feb 25, 2011 3:29:34 GMT -5
Why does Cris need to have a baby to grow up?
I wish the writers had him try to get to the route of why she doesn't want kids. As for the 10% did she not buy him the firehouse because she loved him and didn't care where they lived but he did?
I understand his point but not the way he went about it.
As much as they love each other lovely Owen can't deny or ignore he married her when she was ill. I think that "growing up" is probably not the right word. Change of perspective, yes. And that was the only thing that Owen said. He just said that they will revise the subject most probably in a couple of years. And that maybe then Cristina will have another view about the perspective of having kids. That was all that Owen said. I agree that "growing up" was not the right way to put it. There are enough mature married couple in this world who choose not to have kids.
But that wasn't even the point of the discussion. The point that Owen was trying to make was that Cristina didn't even want to have a discussion about it and made a decision for the both of them. He didn't come to Cristina and said "I wanna have a kid now". He said that it is an issue they will discuss it in the future. And Cristina simply didn't want to hear about it. She said she has grown up enough and won't come around. Cristina has made these kind definitive statements in the past and proved to be wrong.
That was what Owen said to her, that maybe sometimes she should take into consideration what Owen feels and thinks about this subject. And most important TALK ABOUT IT. Which Cristina didn't do and had no intention on doing. She just blurted it out to him without even asking how he feels about it.
Having PTSD doesn't mean that Cristina was mentally incapable of taking decisions for herself and Owen took advantage of that fact. As Owen said they got married because they loved each other, not because Cristina was "basket case". I loved that he called on her crap and didn't let her walk away again. Because that's what Cristina does sometimes when she gets scared and reaches and uncomfortable territory. I cannot blame her with what happened with her father and then Burke leaving her, but Owen has showed her many times before that he's not going anywhere. He sticks just like the many times before.
The focus on Cristina and Owen wasn't so much about having kids, but more about communication between these two. They have to express loud and clear their opinions and desires because neither of them is a mind reader.
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Post by Leanne on Feb 25, 2011 5:41:18 GMT -5
I haven't watch the epi yet but seen a few of CO's clips am finding the discussion quite interesting Speaking for my experience and my personal opinion ... I think this is such a real topic that often comes up in marriages ... I didnt have a chat about kids with my hubby when we got married and we were engaged for a year before so plenty of time LOL But babies and communication are key factors / issues in a marriage ... when I did mention it to my hubby the first time he went quite pale, bless him, its all about been ready for that step and I wasnt really ready either I was scared half to death with the idea and responsibility .. needless to say we now have a kid, it kind of got to that point when its the next natural step and fortunately at that point we were on the same page. As for growing up well I dare say its a growth experience when you have someone you are entirely responsible for, it is life changing and bottom line you have to be ready for it cant rush into it and if one isn't keen its not a good idea ~ Motherhood doesn't always come naturally LOL ~ Cris has to be ready for it I look forward to seeing how they work this one out ... how they will communicate there feeling about this all to each other ... communication .... way to go GA
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Post by MarryMeOwen on Feb 25, 2011 7:31:28 GMT -5
I think this episode had two themes, that you can have an acceptable version of your dreams (i.e. Callie/Mark or Mer/Der) but even if you are living your dream with a soul mate the relationship can be toxic, or not fullfilled like the case of the Cystic Fibrosis couple, AZ and Callie, and Mark and Lexie.
I kind of wonder why some of the actors were even in this episode like Teddy for example who really didn't have much to do. But for the most part it was not that bad an episode. I was kidn of bummed we didn't get any OC time until half way through the episode but that's the writing for you.
Anyway, I guess I'll start with the most predictable which was Lexie and Jackson. I am on the fence with this one but I find it way too obvious that they hook up. I would have liked to see Jackson work for it a bit mroe, it all just seemed too easy. This means something will probably happen to disrupt it. But I dont like how the writers have been portraying Lexie lately so who knows what this will turn out to be. I am ok with Jackson finally having something to do other than punching alex and having nightmares. I just think its too much like when George and Izzie hooked up for me to buy the chemistry.
For Callie/AZ/Mark, I still think AZ is very patronizing when it comes to mark. I get that she wants to be supportive, but she is guilting Callie way too much and seems to forget the fact that she was the one who ran away, and was kind of the catalyst for what they are going through now. She has to accept the fact that Mark is the father and needs to be 50-50 involved in decisions. I like that Mark gets Callie to think for herself and not become so privy to the AZ train. I personally think AZ is going to bail again when it gets tough, she obviously has issues that will be a constant rift in their relationship. I guess we'll see how it goes, but I won't be disappointed if AZ and Callie break up again.
The minute Mer mentioned her hostile uterus again, I really didn't care about the fertility drug storyline. I am kind of getting annoyed that they mention that so much, it is almost as bad as SERIOUSLY from the first couple seasons. I'm over it.
Alex and blond OB chick, I dont' care either.
Now for OC.
Well like Ella, I was kind of disappointed that they chose the kid question to dominate this argument between them. I really don't like how Cristina is always portrayed as the cardio b*tch that wants a career doesn't want kids. We all know there is more too her than that, and so does Owen. But I think more importantly the point he was trying to make was that its not all about her dreams of being a cardio God, there are other things in life that deserve such drive, and for him that is having a family. He just wanted her to consider that he has more goals in life than just being a surgeon and that his dreams are just as important because they are married and will eventually have to have these kinds of talks. I also liked how he didn't let her run away again, but just asked her to think about questions of the future that don't involve their careers.
I also don't think Cristina needs to have a baby to grow up. In fact I am of the camp that would be happy if they didn't have one. Though I like how Owen explained that he thought she would come around once she was finished going through the program, and established. That he was willing to wait no matter how long it took, but her whole finality about the dicussion was what he didn't like. She has no way of knowing that her thoughts won't change on the issue, I mean she never thought she would be getting married, and here she is a married woman. I also think they missed a golden opportunity to discuss her ectopic pregnancy. But I guess April going out with Stark is more important.
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Post by ella1967 on Feb 25, 2011 11:23:23 GMT -5
The focus on Cristina and Owen wasn't so much about having kids, but more about communication between these two. They have to express loud and clear their opinions and desires because neither of them is a mind reader.
Yes, you're absolutely right. And your comments reminded me of something I said in the speculation thread a while back. That the issues Owen and Cristina would be discussing would be, almost, beside the point in that this kind of jostling is about how they become a team. It's been Owen's turn this season to remind Cristina that they're together out of that central bond and that running when things get tough isn't an option. (A revisiting of Cristina's 'take care now' response to Owen in S.5, Owen's 'we matter' in S.6 and on up through 'I'm going to stay through it all' from earlier this season.) And I don't think Cristina's response indicated she was really considering opting out or that she thought Owen should now that she's no longer a basket case. Especially given that their response to the fight was that both went to neutral corners to blow off some steam before, presumably, heading home together.
They've had a deep connection in so many ways yet, as we saw last night, there are a lot of conversations they've never had because they've been going from crisis to crisis in their relationship. The stakes were high so having those getting to know you talks weren't something they did very much. Until now, hopefully.
Cristina's unwillingness to have children came up in S.6 right in the middle of Owen's PTSD symptoms being active so it was effectively tabled. Last night it came to the surface unexpectedly based on what Cristina thought was a bit of comedic flirting, eying up her hunky husband and saying how she was glad he wasn't trying to knock her up - an allusion to how she liked that things were stable at the moment rather than what Callie/Mark, Arizona and Meredith and Derek were experiencing. And off of Owen's response it turned into a discussion which became heated but had nuggets of real honest to goodness communication in it.
Another interesting nugget was Cristina's typical way with words, 'PTSD wastoid shivering on the couch' wasn't something Owen could repeat back to her when he reminded her they're not together because she was broken and needed to be fixed via his proposal. I wondered if his hesitation, then coming up with 'basket case' was meant to be some sort of allusion back to his own days suffering from PTSD in which she was there by his side. If he too was reminded of his tearful words to Cristina in 7.2 about 'you were patient and you were kind and you stayed through it all because you love me...you love me.'
Of course, I also think that line of questioning had to be thrown out and dealt with - did Owen propose because Cristina was broken following the shooting? Did she accept because she didn't know how to operate so she became his wife instead? I'm pretty sure this season has been about showing us all that's not the case, but it had to be discussed.
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betinad
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Post by betinad on Feb 27, 2011 0:53:35 GMT -5
ok, just quick thoughts about the episode (while I am preparing the luggage for a trip) I will only go to mention Owen/Cristina SL as I am seriously finding all the rest no interesting at this point. The first two scenes worried me , I find myself wondering "who the heck wrote that dialogue?" - well, after reading the writers' blog I understand it clear as water now The third scene was soooo good! Kevin and Sandra showing one more time why they are in a league of their own! gosh they are good! From a story point of view, I am not happy that Cristina is not showing any growth , I hate to see the same character than in season 2. Glad that Owen doesn't buy that childish behavior and call it as it is. The poor guy is only asking to be taken into consideration, being part of a real couple, not two people living together but a partnership. In fact, he doesn't fight for the idea of having kids during the scene (he says "what IF i think that having a family ..."), but for the right to have a voice in the relationship. I was so happy after the scene, till we got to the one with Cristina and Meredith and Cristina mentioned how Owen is telling her that she is ruined his dream for the future (or something around that idea).... I am worried that Cristina didn;t get the message. Random thought: was it me or the direction/editing of the episode seemed a little erratic? for sure I will re- watch it during the hiatus... not happy to have to wait so many weeks for a new episode
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Post by Leanne on Feb 27, 2011 4:26:11 GMT -5
Ive just managed to watch the epi and Im am with Betinad on this one, the only parts I enjoyed of this episode were the O/C bits. and the guys at the end playing golf ... that last scene gave away alot on how the men folk are viewing there partners communication skills... none seem to be to happy or sure how to deal with it ...
Im hoping Cris will see the light not that she needs to have a baby but that communication is a two way street, I often get the feeling (and this is a personal opinion) she does things or says things because its what people expect from her its gotten a desired reaction in he past and she feels its a persona she needs to carry on with .. but I dont think Cris is anything like that I do think she feels and thinks and changes her mind and I think she will open up because of the way Owen is (Mer is not the person she would encourage this persona Cris has created)... Its going to be all about communication .. having a Baby might not be the end result .. and Im thankful we dont have 3 preg females to deal with LOL
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Post by MarryMeOwen on Feb 27, 2011 12:03:40 GMT -5
Still kind of struggling with this episode I also find it hard that they are showing Cristina as having no growth as Betinad said. I want more episodes like when she bought Owen the firehouse, where you can see how she has changed and willing to compromise. To me that was a big thing that she purchased it on her own, a real gesture. We are missing that type of development here. As I said before i was hoping kids wouldnt' be the focus of this argument, but even though its really about communication, not everyone is going to see it that way But Cristina doesn't know how she will feel in the next 6 months so I can see Owen's point. I think that the writers just wanted to have an excuse to shwo them in the episode and give us something before such a long break. It really didnt' seem like a very well thought out moment on the part of the writers even though Sandra and Kevin played it beautifully.
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Post by ella1967 on Feb 27, 2011 12:48:38 GMT -5
Ive just managed to watch the epi and Im am with Betinad on this one, the only parts I enjoyed of this episode were the O/C bits. and the guys at the end playing golf ... that last scene gave away alot on how the men folk are viewing there partners communication skills... none seem to be to happy or sure how to deal with it ...
Im hoping Cris will see the light not that she needs to have a baby but that communication is a two way street, I often get the feeling (and this is a personal opinion) she does things or says things because its what people expect from her its gotten a desired reaction in he past and she feels its a persona she needs to carry on with .. but I dont think Cris is anything like that I do think she feels and thinks and changes her mind and I think she will open up because of the way Owen is (Mer is not the person she would encourage this persona Cris has created)... Its going to be all about communication .. having a Baby might not be the end result .. and Im thankful we dont have 3 preg females to deal with LOL You make an interesting point Leann, relating to the underlined portion of your comments. It feeds into some ruminating I've been doing after rewatching Cristina and Owen's scenes from this episode. And maybe some of those thoughts should go in the spec thread but I'll start here. As many of us have pointed out, Owen and Cristina's initial scenes together were a little jarring because the conflict came a bit out of left field and because it was, to some extent, engineered to be conflict-inducing. If it had organically emerged from their interactions then it wouldn't have quite enough drama for GA. Yes, it was absolutely about communication. Owen would like more please and Cristina got stuck on hearing the word kids come out of Owen's mouth. She has a whole series of fear triggers and that's surely one of them so once he took it beyond her joke it became distinctly uncomfortable for her and made it difficult for her to hear him. And by the time they were really talking, Owen was emotional enough to not be able to do much more than swat down her idea of him marrying her because she was a basket case before further expressing his frustration and leaving the room. And as much as we would have liked to see them make more progress in the discussion, progress was nonetheless to be found. When Owen said 'yeah, yeah, yeah' and walked away, instead of going to Meredith to dissect what Owen meant, Cristina went straight to Owen. And even after two clunky conversations they were still talking by the end of the day and still very much together. (Here's my speculation - I do think this story will be about Cristina opening up more as she and Owen find ways to talk to each other that are less heated. He does encourage her reactions to be more open than I feel Meredith can at this point, as we've seen from the whole 'you married her and made it all right for her to completely fall apart' conflict over Cristina quitting her residency. And having Cristina and Owen suddenly talking about babies when Meredith and Derek's fertility woes come to a head strikes me as portentous.) And while Owen would simply like to be able to talk about what comes next, Cristina's stuck in her fears and will make this disagreement about babies which is where this season's red herring comes in. (Last season's red herring was the triangle - because it represented the individual and combined 'before' aspects of each Cristina and Owen's story and it induced both conflict and much-needed conversation between Owen and Cristina, as will this storyline.) And a final aside - also interesting was the echo of that phrase 'what will you have' in the outro VO. That resonates directly back to Margaret Campbell and Owen's promise of wanting to be around in 40 years.
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Post by MarryMeOwen on Feb 27, 2011 20:38:29 GMT -5
I think Cristina's point of view stems from losing her father at such a young age, she probably thinks that no one could love her the same way that her father loved her, even Owen. She's scared of having a bond like that, more than she thinks she doesn't want a child, at least I think so.
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