ruralstar
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Post by ruralstar on May 8, 2009 16:41:11 GMT -5
The only part missing for me was more Owen/Cristina discussion after the wedding, but I'm guessing that comes next week.
Agreed
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Post by kaz on May 8, 2009 20:27:58 GMT -5
Let me preface this by saying, I haven't read any reviews here or elsewhere or checked to see if the writer's blog is up, so I apologise from the outset if what I say has already been said. I thought this was a truly great episode - not in a tear your heart out and catch your breath in your throat kind of way, but Shonda mentioned somewhere that it was her love letter to the fans, and as a viewer since the beginning, I felt that. For me, the episode had a certain sombre stillness for the first half to 3/4. Even with the trauma in the ER, it didn't feel frenetic. The montage with the body bags aside (which I thought was quite moving and symbolic, but not devastating), there was hardly any music until the end, when we had the sweeping beauty of the wedding. It was a lovely contrast.
Speaking of the wedding, the bait and switch worked well even though I knew it was coming. It was a nice touch (though predictable) to have Cristina as the maid of honour and I liked the softness that it brought out in her, which we rarely see. The wedding itself was beautiful but I wish we'd seen a little bit more. In the promo they showed a snippet of Cristina walking down the aisle but unless I missed it, in the episode it got cut. I'm sure there will be fans (seriously dedicated fans) out there who will say this was no love letter to them - there was no Derek and Meredith wedding, there was no Owen and Cristina reunion, Dead Denny returned, there was too much ailing Izzie and so on. But I think people who say that might be missing the bigger picture. This was Graduation Day and whether it was intentional or not, I felt like the deaths of those college kids represented the deaths of our main protagonists' immature, unwilling to take responsibility for their lives and be open to possibility, former-selves. Becca's speech and Alex's wedding vows said it all. Today was the day their life begins. I think it was premonitory in terms of what is to come, as it's been said in the press that big life changes are in store for all of our characters by season's end. So episode 100 marked the end of a chapter and episodes 101 and 102 will be about new beginnings (I think). In some ways, there was very little Owen & Cristina time. Their scenes together were brief and characterised by Cristina pulling away. But in other ways, the idea of their love and inability to be with each other was ever present.
I really liked the scene on the bridge and the awkwardness between them. It was less uncomfortable than the initial "take care now" exchanges last week but they are still nowhere near where they were pre-choking in terms of comfort and emotional intimacy levels and it's interesting to watch. I thought the hand grazing and Owen reaching out was well done, and not cheesy at all. Also, it's a relief that FINALLY Owen is starting to be able to speak about what he did and his problem. That's a huge leap forward but he himself admitted that it's a slow process. I think they're still dealing with this in a measured way and while it's moving faster than it might in the real world, it's still not at break-neck speed. I think they're balancing reality and fictional drama well enough.
In spending the day with Jordan, Cristina was really forced to think about Owen and take in the fact that love is love. You could tell where her mind was during Jordan's speech when he was saying that he and Dana tried to break up but couldn't stay away from each other. That particular scene, both before and after Owen walked in, was one of my favourite moments. I loved what Sandra did with her face and voice and Kevin with his eyes. You could really see the impact the story had on each of their characters and Cristina was so soft when working with the patient, which is usually not her style. It had an impact. It was interesting that Owen walked in during the part where Jordan was talking about the fact that Dana might have gotten out early enough to not have been hurt. You have to wonder whether, in light of Cristina's hesitance all episode, Owen is going to go into next episode questioning whether she got out before him and is therefore not as invested. I have a hunch that that might play into Owen reassessing his position at SGH next week. So back to the idea of graduating, growing up and stepping up. Alex certainly did it, Meredith has been doing it all season and it culminated in this episode with her solo surgery and the fact that she wasn't freaking out about the wedding. Cristina spent the entire episode being unsure and running from Owen and love but then ended the episode hammering that fan down (which isn't going to fix the problem but I think still represents her making room for him in her life, and opening herself up to the possibility of them). Callie had to accept that she has to stand on her own two feet, without the support of daddy. And George...was finally back in the gang. George, who (to me) has spent the latter part of this season being petty about the fact that Izzie didn't go to him first and he wasn't the hero even though he'd picked the signs early on that something wasn't right with Izzie, stepped up. I don't think we've seen one single scene of Izzie and George together since she got sick. In my mind, it's because of his petty anger over the fact that he was the last to know about the cancer. But in this episode, he was there for Izzie when she needed him and walked her down the aisle. I loved that, and the fact that he did what Hunt said - to not be the hero and go where he was needed. It was interesting that at the end of the wedding they gave flashes of most of the main characters - all of the established couples kissing or making doe eyes and smiling, Owen & Cristina looking longingly at each other and then just George, on his own. I'm thinking the "go where you are needed" is also going to play into his decision to leave SGH. Perhaps he doesn't really feel like he's needed. Maybe. Who knows.
On the whole, this was a very good episode. Going into it, I had expected more in some respects. I thought we would get a Burke talk in the church between Owen and Cristina but concede that it would have been out of place. I thought the trauma in the ER would have been more significant medically but think the symbolic significance was much more powerful. I thought in general, there would just be more explosion and forward movement in this episode but after watching it, I'm not at all disappointed that there wasn't because it was a perfect way to set things up for the finale.
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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 May 8, 2009 20:32:12 GMT -5
From 'Mr. Ruralstar' aka, my husband.
Referring to Cristina beating on the ceiling fan. "She's punishing the fan because it was the source of their (O/C) problems. The closest thing she can take it out on is the fan, the trigger, she can't beat the war." It's more of a male thing to punish something physically.
We've all noted that Cris dismantling the fan is a good indication that she intends to pursue a relationship with Owen. She wants him back in her bedroom and to feel safe. I thought my husband's take was a very masculine perspective. No offense to George or any other fellow who reads here.
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Post by samill21 on May 8, 2009 20:54:17 GMT -5
Hmm interesting comments about the ceiling fan. I certainly hope it means that Owen will be back in her bedroom again! I think we also saw the frustration in Cristina – she was angry - she was literally hacking that thing off the ceiling! I think that she was thinking about where she could be now with Owen if she didn’t have a ceiling fan in her bedroom. They may not have had to experience the trauma of him choking her.
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Post by georgeseurat on May 8, 2009 21:02:57 GMT -5
From 'Mr. Ruralstar' aka, my husband.
Referring to Cristina beating on the ceiling fan. "She's punishing the fan because it was the source of their (O/C) problems. The closest thing she can take it out on is the fan, the trigger, she can't beat the war." It's more of a male thing to punish something physically.
We've all noted that Cris dismantling the fan is a good indication that she intends to pursue a relationship with Owen. She wants him back in her bedroom and to feel safe. I thought my husband's take was a very masculine perspective. No offense to George or any other fellow who reads here. Well, you really can read it this way. I've never think it like this before. More tragic. I like it!
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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 May 8, 2009 21:03:23 GMT -5
Well in some respects the ceiling fan did them a favor. I know that sounds warped but the truth is that Owen needed help and he was refusing to acknowledge how serious the situation was becoming. It's sad that Cristina got hurt to prove the point.
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ruralstar
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Life is a Journey of the Mind. Anything can happen....Just wait
Posts: 2,233
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Post by ruralstar on May 8, 2009 21:05:19 GMT -5
From 'Mr. Ruralstar' aka, my husband.
Referring to Cristina beating on the ceiling fan. "She's punishing the fan because it was the source of their (O/C) problems. The closest thing she can take it out on is the fan, the trigger, she can't beat the war." It's more of a male thing to punish something physically.
We've all noted that Cris dismantling the fan is a good indication that she intends to pursue a relationship with Owen. She wants him back in her bedroom and to feel safe. I thought my husband's take was a very masculine perspective. No offense to George or any other fellow who reads here. Well, you really can read it this way. I've never think it like this before. More tragic. I like it! You got a laugh from my husband for that comment George
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ruralstar
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website McFic
Life is a Journey of the Mind. Anything can happen....Just wait
Posts: 2,233
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Post by ruralstar on May 8, 2009 21:14:25 GMT -5
Let me preface this by saying, I haven't read any reviews here or elsewhere or checked to see if the writer's blog is up, so I apologise from the outset if what I say has already been said. I thought this was a truly great episode - not in a tear your heart out and catch your breath in your throat kind of way, but Shonda mentioned somewhere that it was her love letter to the fans, and as a viewer since the beginning, I felt that. For me, the episode had a certain sombre stillness for the first half to 3/4. Even with the trauma in the ER, it didn't feel frenetic. The montage with the body bags aside (which I thought was quite moving and symbolic, but not devastating), there was hardly any music until the end, when we had the sweeping beauty of the wedding. It was a lovely contrast.
Speaking of the wedding, the bait and switch worked well even though I knew it was coming. It was a nice touch (though predictable) to have Cristina as the maid of honour and I liked the softness that it brought out in her, which we rarely see. The wedding itself was beautiful but I wish we'd seen a little bit more. In the promo they showed a snippet of Cristina walking down the aisle but unless I missed it, in the episode it got cut. I'm sure there will be fans (seriously dedicated fans) out there who will say this was no love letter to them - there was no Derek and Meredith wedding, there was no Owen and Cristina reunion, Dead Denny returned, there was too much ailing Izzie and so on. But I think people who say that might be missing the bigger picture. This was Graduation Day and whether it was intentional or not, I felt like the deaths of those college kids represented the deaths of our main protagonists' immature, unwilling to take responsibility for their lives and be open to possibility, former-selves. Becca's speech and Alex's wedding vows said it all. Today was the day their life begins. I think it was premonitory in terms of what is to come, as it's been said in the press that big life changes are in store for all of our characters by season's end. So episode 100 marked the end of a chapter and episodes 101 and 102 will be about new beginnings (I think). In some ways, there was very little Owen & Cristina time. Their scenes together were brief and characterised by Cristina pulling away. But in other ways, the idea of their love and inability to be with each other was ever present.
I really liked the scene on the bridge and the awkwardness between them. It was less uncomfortable than the initial "take care now" exchanges last week but they are still nowhere near where they were pre-choking in terms of comfort and emotional intimacy levels and it's interesting to watch. I thought the hand grazing and Owen reaching out was well done, and not cheesy at all. Also, it's a relief that FINALLY Owen is starting to be able to speak about what he did and his problem. That's a huge leap forward but he himself admitted that it's a slow process. I think they're still dealing with this in a measured way and while it's moving faster than it might in the real world, it's still not at break-neck speed. I think they're balancing reality and fictional drama well enough.
In spending the day with Jordan, Cristina was really forced to think about Owen and take in the fact that love is love. You could tell where her mind was during Jordan's speech when he was saying that he and Dana tried to break up but couldn't stay away from each other. That particular scene, both before and after Owen walked in, was one of my favourite moments. I loved what Sandra did with her face and voice and Kevin with his eyes. You could really see the impact the story had on each of their characters and Cristina was so soft when working with the patient, which is usually not her style. It had an impact. It was interesting that Owen walked in during the part where Jordan was talking about the fact that Dana might have gotten out early enough to not have been hurt. You have to wonder whether, in light of Cristina's hesitance all episode, Owen is going to go into next episode questioning whether she got out before him and is therefore not as invested. I have a hunch that that might play into Owen reassessing his position at SGH next week. So back to the idea of graduating, growing up and stepping up. Alex certainly did it, Meredith has been doing it all season and it culminated in this episode with her solo surgery and the fact that she wasn't freaking out about the wedding. Cristina spent the entire episode being unsure and running from Owen and love but then ended the episode hammering that fan down (which isn't going to fix the problem but I think still represents her making room for him in her life, and opening herself up to the possibility of them). Callie had to accept that she has to stand on her own two feet, without the support of daddy. And George...was finally back in the gang. George, who (to me) has spent the latter part of this season being petty about the fact that Izzie didn't go to him first and he wasn't the hero even though he'd picked the signs early on that something wasn't right with Izzie, stepped up. I don't think we've seen one single scene of Izzie and George together since she got sick. In my mind, it's because of his petty anger over the fact that he was the last to know about the cancer. But in this episode, he was there for Izzie when she needed him and walked her down the aisle. I loved that, and the fact that he did what Hunt said - to not be the hero and go where he was needed. It was interesting that at the end of the wedding they gave flashes of most of the main characters - all of the established couples kissing or making doe eyes and smiling, Owen & Cristina looking longingly at each other and then just George, on his own. I'm thinking the "go where you are needed" is also going to play into his decision to leave SGH. Perhaps he doesn't really feel like he's needed. Maybe. Who knows.
On the whole, this was a very good episode. Going into it, I had expected more in some respects. I thought we would get a Burke talk in the church between Owen and Cristina but concede that it would have been out of place. I thought the trauma in the ER would have been more significant medically but think the symbolic significance was much more powerful. I thought in general, there would just be more explosion and forward movement in this episode but after watching it, I'm not at all disappointed that there wasn't because it was a perfect way to set things up for the finale. I always like your comments Kaz because you pick up symbolism I rarely see. Agreed about the contrast of the beautiful wedding and the body bags. As a newbie to the series I did not consider the idea of 'graduating' for all of the characters, just Alex. I loved that he repeated the student's speech as his wedding vows.
It is a relief to see Owen actually talking about his issues and moving forward. I know the Burke discussion has to happen at some point but I did not miss it in the episode. I mainly missed no single moment of true connection between him and Cristina. I was hoping for more at the church.
I missed the idea that George stepping out to help Izzy down the aisle was 'going where he was needed' Good catch. I would agree that that theme will carry George out of SGH and onto the front lines. Admirable but not a good sign for the character.
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Post by MarryMeOwen on May 8, 2009 21:14:32 GMT -5
Well in some respects the ceiling fan did them a favor. I know that sounds warped but the truth is that Owen needed help and he was refusing to acknowledge how serious the situation was becoming. It's sad that Cristina got hurt to prove the point. I agree Rural, if it wasn't the fan triggering it, it would have been something else and Cristina might have been hurt even more. I think the fan is kind of like the same type of argument some were saying about how come they don't just sleep in separate rooms. That isn't going to fix the problem. This had to happen. Emotionally I think they are already there, he just needs to work on his issues then they can work on being happy together.
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Post by kaz on May 8, 2009 21:21:46 GMT -5
Seems like I am in a minority in liking the episode. Don't get me wrong, I don't put it in the same category as Elevator Love Letter or episodes like that but in terms of what it represented for the characters, and the possibility I think it leaves open for the season finale, I think it was a great one.
Rural, I like your husband's take on the ceiling fan scene. I can definitely see that anger at the ceiling fan/trigger factoring in as well, otherwise why not just call someone to take it down properly??
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Post by MarryMeOwen on May 8, 2009 21:26:23 GMT -5
I am kind of indifferent to it. I mean I agree it is setting up for the finale, but I guess they couldn't have it take over too much from the finale anyway. I just thought it was too Izzie focused. I realize it was to show that Mer/Der are really at that happy place everyone strives to be at in a relationship, I get it, can you tell I'm not really an izzie fan? LOL. You could tell george was so displaced in the whole episode. Trying to figure out where to go, I can totally see where he's headed. I loved the dichotomy of Owen just kicking ass in the ER, while emotionally he was just torn apart still over Cristina, but trying so hard to keep the space. Can this angst just end please?
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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 May 8, 2009 21:48:26 GMT -5
Well speaking as one of the resident 'angst whores' and a realist, I do and don't want the angst to end. Too quick of a recovery would be a cheat to what they've done thus far with the PTSD storyline. Too lengthy of a recovery will tick some fans off. Especially those that are only marginially invested in Owen or the O/C storyline and more interested in other characters.
Kaz, you are not alone. Like you I don't characterize this episode in the same quality level as ELL for example. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and I agree that it leaves A LOT of material for the final two eps.
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Post by MarryMeOwen on May 8, 2009 22:04:17 GMT -5
I think what I'd like to see is Cristina getting involved in Owen's therapy, after all she had a traumatic experience herself. Maybe Dr. Wyatt will encourage that, although Cristina did tell Dr. Wyatt to her face that she's a terrible shrink LOL I think Owen is going away from being so focused on what he did to Cristina as being the problem, to getting to the root of his problems, the first therapy session all he did was talk about Cristina, but now it seems to have changed to what is really going on. I am starting to think that if Owen and Cristina can get through this much so early in a relationship, when they are hit with other milestones, they can take them in stride.
If the angst goes on too long I think it will run its course with fans, that's why I have hope that they will bring them back together in the finale, but show how they still have to work at getting through all the muck to the good stuff at the bottom. I really hope Owen brings Cristina to see his mother with him, though it will be moving either way I'm sure.
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betinad
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Post by betinad on May 8, 2009 23:49:37 GMT -5
wow! your reviews are incredible I just want to add something that I noticed - you will tell me if I read it correctly : when Owen takes Cristina hand and she walks away, I noticed that him - after checking her going away - declares Time Of Dead for the patient. I couldn't avoid to feel that he was declaring TOD on the patient and on the hope for them to be back together.
(apologies if too many errors .. English is my second language and in cases like this it seems I am more limited than I would like) Bet.-
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Post by kaz on May 9, 2009 0:34:53 GMT -5
Betinad, I definitely think you can read that scene that way - whether or not he knows it, it's symbolic that he's the one calling it. I really think this will all have something to do with him reassessing things next episode.
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Post by kaz on May 9, 2009 0:45:22 GMT -5
It's a bit delayed, but great review Rural. I like this part the best and agree 100%
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Post by kaz on May 9, 2009 0:48:15 GMT -5
I just want to say that to me the Callie situation is not implausible. If she's been supported by daddy all this time, she's probably never really learnt to save or manage her money. People without money are much better at being wise with it than people who have it by the bucketload. So now she is faced with actually having to become an adult and manage her own life financially. She can't just learn to do that overnight.
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Post by kaz on May 9, 2009 2:05:24 GMT -5
I tend to thrive on angst, so I am right there with you Rural. I do agree with everyone who has said that the ongoing angst is frustrating and can accept that the hand grazing, longing stares and brief interactions are wearing thin for some. I, too, always end an episode wishing to myself that we'd gotten more but I think that's part of the trap of serial television. It's how they lure you in, by dragging it out. In the end though, it makes the pay off all the better. And I have no doubt that we'll get some pay off in next week's episode.
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Post by georgeseurat on May 9, 2009 10:07:36 GMT -5
Well speaking as one of the resident 'angst whores' and a realist, I do and don't want the angst to end. Too quick of a recovery would be a cheat to what they've done thus far with the PTSD storyline. Too lengthy of a recovery will tick some fans off. Especially those that are only marginially invested in Owen or the O/C storyline and more interested in other characters.
Kaz, you are not alone. Like you I don't characterize this episode in the same quality level as ELL for example. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and I agree that it leaves A LOT of material for the final two eps. Hey! Count me in, even though I am not all an angst whore but truly a realist. I am also a fan of unrequited love. Yes, I love people not being together for a long time.
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ruralstar
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Post by ruralstar on May 9, 2009 10:43:09 GMT -5
wow! your reviews are incredible I just want to add something that I noticed - you will tell me if I read it correctly : when Owen takes Cristina hand and she walks away, I noticed that him - after checking her going away - declares Time Of Dead for the patient. I couldn't avoid to feel that he was declaring TOD on the patient and on the hope for them to be back together.
(apologies if too many errors .. English is my second language and in cases like this it seems I am more limited than I would like) Bet.- No apologies Bet,
I think you could read the scene that way. Owen has no idea whether Cris is going to be there for him when he comes out of the darkness. The patient crying that his girlfriend was no longer in the back seat when he looked was symbolic of Cris not being there when Owen can finally focus on something besides himself. Nice insight.
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