Save Me

is the eighth episode of the first season and the 8th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.
==Short Summary==
Meredith and Derek grow closer, Alex and Burke argue and perform a risky procedure, Izzie treats a psychic while Cristina treats a pregnant patient.
==Full Summary==
Derek returns to Meredith's bedroom and finishes getting ready as Meredith watches on.
Izzie is in the kitchen with George complaining that her cupcakes still don't taste right. He disagrees and says Martha Stewart would be proud of these cupcakes. Izzie thinks she's missing something, one specific ingredient. George suggests she just call her mother and ask, but Izzie doesn't want to do that.
Meredith watches Derek brush his teeth in the bathroom and suggests they sleep at his place tonight. She doesn't understand why they always sleep at her place and wonders if he even has one. Derek doesn't answer and heads downstairs to the kitchen. He greets George who offers one of Izzie's cupcakes for breakfast. Derek says he likes it here, that Meredith prefers having her things here, sleeping in her own bed as he gathers a bowl and cereal. George asks if he's a health nut as he easts muesli every morning, which Derek denies. Izzie says he definitely does, the last 7 days at least. Derek then realizes he's been there all week.
Cristina is sitting in a doctor's office. When someone comes in, she tells them she's starting an ENT rotation on the 9th and needs to have this done before that, but there are no openings until the 16th. The person tells her there are other options besides termination and tries to discuss them, but Cristina cuts her off telling her to put her down for the 16th. She will confirm after she rearranges her schedule. The person again tries to discuss options with Cristina, but she cuts he off saying she's not interested in the talking part.
Alex is examining Devo, a patient who recently had a root canal that wouldn't stop bleeding. Burke comes in asking for the bullet. Alex tells him Devo is a 17-year-old female hospitalized for excessive bleeding status post root canal, also had a significant new heart murmur associated with fever and is not afebrile on antibiotics. Devo asks if she's going to die, can they call her parents who are in the cafeteria, but Burke assures her she is not dying. He says Alex is going to run some labs, and he will be back later with her parents. Once he's gone, Alex asks what kind of name Devo is anyway. She mentions the 80s rock band and says her parents did too much blow. As she tells Alex she calls herself Esther, he pulls back the blanket to reveal she's wearing an ankle length denim skirt under her hospital gown. He teases her asking if she's Amish. She asks if he's ever seen an Orthodox Jew.
Cristina is reviewing scans, but says the patient belongs in psych and questions why they are turfing him to surgery. The psych resident explains the patient had a seizure 2 days ago, and another this morning. Meredith is reading his chart and wonders what he's talking about, the patient says he can talk to dead people, his family thinks he is dangerous and had him committed and reiterates it's a psych case, not neuro. Cristina asks if he even went to med school, which offends the resident. He says unlike the 'correspondence school' she attended, he learned not to jump to conclusions. He sarcastically apologizes and says psych can't take him back until he's cleared. He says the patient believes his seizures are visions, but the patient heard him and argues they are not seizures – he's psychic! Meredith and Cristina enter the room, greeting Mr. Duff and telling him they are going to start a workup, which he believes is a waste of time. As Meredith checks his eyes, Cristina tests his grip when he has another seizure. Once it stops, he tells them someone is going to check out, Cristina is not impressed and still thinks he's nuts. Mr. Duff says he's dizzy, not deaf and someone on the 4th floor is going to die. Just then, a code blue is called over the intercom for the 4th floor.
Cristina is fighting back nausea as she walks up to the nurse's station and joins George. He's still thinking about how the psychic called it with the 4th floor dead guy, but Cristina ignores him and asks if he's free to cover for her on the 16th. George is distracted by Derek and Meredith heading their way and says he's thinking of letting his hair grow. Maybe he won't shave, go for the stubble effect and asks Cristina what she thinks. She reiterates, he needs him to cover the 16th. He agrees and asks why, but she tells him it's none of his business and walks away.
Meredith and Derek are walking down the corridor discussing how she doesn't feel like she knows anything about him. He says she knows him – he's from New York, he likes ferry boats, but she wonders about friends. He says he's a surgeon, he doesn't have any friends. She continues asking who he hangs out with, what he does on his days off saying they are important questions. He wonders who it's important to, as she says they have sex every night, she thinks she deserves some details. He says she has more details than most, but she thinks it's weird and says she's withholding sex until she knows him better. He suggests she just roll with it, be flexible, but she says she isn't flexible, to which he disagrees with a sly smile as he's paged away. They stare at one another a moment, until he says they will find these things out, it's the fun part of being in a relationship, like the gravy as he runs off. She shouts back she doesn't want to be his gravy.
Burke and Alex are discussing Devo/Esther's treatment with her parents in the lobby. She needs a valve replacement as her labs show Von Willebrand's disease. They explain that she can't take the blood thinners necessary to maintain a mechanical heart valve, they are suggesting a porcine valve instead. Her father understand that's a pig valve, and Burke says it's the standard of care for someone in Esther's position. Her mother says she doesn't care, she just wants them to save her daughter's life.
Bailey and Izzie are in surgery, removing a lump. Mrs. Glass is awake and asks about the psychic in the hospital. Neither Bailey nor Izzie believe the psychic is real and Izzie says the ICU is on the 4th< floor, people die there all the time. Bailey is almost finished with the procedure and explains the next steps. Izzie is still stuck on the psychic and says he's a fake, that she can see further into the future than he can. Bailey wonders why it bothers Izzie so much, which Izzie denies.
Derek is testing nerve response on Mr. Walker's leg. He can't feel anything until Derek gets to his thigh. Derek asks him to try to wiggle his toes, but he is unable to do so. Mr. Walker says he was able to wiggle them about 10 minutes earlier as Derek reviews the X-Rays. He says the spine looks clear and asks to clarify how he was injured. He was rock climbing in Snohomish. It was a small drop and he was belayed. He says his family is on their way. Derek tests his leg strength and Mr. Walker asks if he should be worried now. Derek tells him to relax but calls for a nurse to get an MRI and Meredith to accompany him.
Full summary not completed.
==Cast==
108MeredithGrey.png|Meredith Grey
108CristinaYang.png|Cristina Yang
108IzzieStevens.png|Izzie Stevens
108AlexKarev.png|Alex Karev
108GeorgeO'Malley.png|George O'Malley
108MirandaBailey.png|Miranda Bailey
108PrestonBurke.png|Preston Burke
108DerekShepherd.png|Derek Shepherd
108ZoeyGlass.png|Zoey Glass
108Mr.Duff.png|Mr. Duff
108TommyWalker.png|Tommy Walker
108DevoFriedman.png|Devo Friedman
108NurseHarper.png|Nurse Harper
108SeymourGlass.png|Seymour Glass
108Dr.Chesney.png|Dr. Chesney
108DorisandSamFriedman.png|Doris and Sam Friedman
108AnesthesiologistJeremy.png|Anesthesiologist Jeremy
108ReproductiveCounselor.png|Reproductive Counselor
108RubyWalker.png|Ruby Walker
108ERNurse.png|ER Nurse
108Dr.RajSen.png|Raj Sen
===Main Cast===
*Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
*Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
*Katherine Heigl as Dr. Izzie Stevens
*Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
*T.R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
*Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
*James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber (credit only)
*Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
*Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd
===Guest Stars===
*Joan McMurtrey as Zoey Glass
*Kevin Rahm as Mr. Duff
*Josh Stamberg as Tommy Walker
*Sarah Hagan as Devo Friedman
===Co-Starring===
*Sarah Utterback as Nurse Harper
*Ping Wu as Seymour Glass
*Charles Walker as Dr. Chesney
*Chad Einbinder as Sam Friedman
*Lisa Kaminir as Doris Friedman
*Steven W. Bailey as Anesthesiologist Jeremy
*Kathleen Bailey as Reproductive Counselor
*Darlene Kegan as Ruby Walker
===Uncredited===
*Cheryl Dent as ER Nurse
*Anjul Nigam as Dr. Raj Sen
==Medical Notes==
===Cristina Yang===
*Diagnosis:
**Pregnancy
*Doctors:
*Treatment:
Cristina made an appointment to terminate her pregnancy.
===Devo Friedman===
*Diagnosis:
**Excessive bleeding post-root canal
**Heart murmur
**Von Willebrand disease
**Mitral regurgitation
*Doctors:
**Preston Burke (cardiothoracic surgeon)
**Dr. Chesney (cardiothoracic surgeon)
**Alex Karev (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Root canal
**Antibiotics
**Bovine valve replacement
Devo, 17, had a root canal and couldn't stop bleeding afterward, so she was sent to the hospital, where they detected a heart murmur. Her fever went down with antibiotics. She was diagnosed with Von Willebrand disease, which made her ineligible for the mechanical heart valve, meaning she'd need a porcine valve replacement. Devo declined due to her religious beliefs, but Alex found out that she could get a bovine valve instead. Using a video feed from a doctor who had performed the procedure before, Burke replaced her valve. She woke up stable after surgery.
===Mr. Duff===
*Diagnosis:
**Epilepsy
**Arteriovenous malformation
*Doctors:
**Raj Sen (psychiatrist)
**Cristina Yang (surgical intern)
**Meredith Grey (surgical intern)
**Izzie Stevens (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Surgery
Mr. Duff was put in the hospital by his family, who felt he was dangerous because he talked to dead people and claimed to have visions. He had seizure activity, so he was sent to get that checked on before he could be sent back to psych. He was diagnosed with an AVM. He didn't want to have the surgery because he still believed he was having visions. Izzie eventually convinced him to agree to have the surgery and after he woke up, he had another vision.
===4th Floor Patient===
*Diagnosis:
**Cardiac arrest
*Doctors:
*Treatment:
**Attempted resuscitation
A 4th floor patient coded and attempts and resuscitation were unsuccessful.
===Zoey Glass===
*Diagnosis:
**Breast cancer
**Pregnancy
*Doctors:
**Miranda Bailey (surgical resident)
**Izzie Stevens (surgical intern)
**Cristina Yang (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Frozen section biopsy
Zoey, 47, had a frozen section biopsy to check for cancer. She was also pregnant. She declined to terminate the pregnancy. She reconsidered for a brief time before ultimately deciding not to terminate and continue the pregnancy, making her death inevitable.
===Tommy Walker===
*Diagnosis:
**Paralysis
**Clot
*Doctors:
**Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
**Meredith Grey (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Surgery
Mr. Walker fell rock climbing and was left with ascending paralysis. Scans didn't reveal a cause, so Meredith suspected a conversion disorder. When the paralysis reached his upper body, Derek took him into surgery, believing there was a clot that the scans weren't showing. After hours of searching, they found the clot and evacuated it. After surgery, he woke up and the paralysis started to reverse itself.
===ER Patient===
*Diagnosis:
*Doctors:
**Preston Burke (cardiothoracic surgeon)
**George O'Malley (surgical intern)
**Alex Karev (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Intubation
George attempted to intubate a patient, but Burke had to step in and do it himself.
===George's Patient===
*Diagnosis:
*Doctors:
**George O'Malley (surgical intern)
*Treatment:
**Intubation
Olivia called George into a room to intubate a patient, which he did successfully.
==Music==
Song 	Performer 	Scene
"David" 	Nellie McKay 	
*Derek gets ready for work.
*Izzie tells George the cupcakes still don't sound right.
*Derek defends himself.
"Feels Like" 	Masha Qrella 	
*The interns talk.
*Cristina points out Olivia to George.
*Izzie looks at her phone and George encourages her to call her mom.
"Rapture" 	Laura Veirs 	
*Alex explains to Devo that her condition is getting worse and they talk about faith and beliefs.
*Izzie gives Bailey Mr. Duff's scans.
*Derek and Meredith start the surgery.
*Mr. and Mrs. Glass decide to do the abortion, so Bailey tells Cristina to do it.
"I Love the Rain the Most"	Joe Purdy 	
*Zoey Glass decides to forgo any treatment for the breast cancer.
*Cristina and Burke talk.
*Meredith and Derek look for a reason for the paralysis.
"No Illusions" 	78 Saab 	
*Cristina delivers discharge papers to Zoey Glass.
*Zoey explains her position.
*Izzie talks to Mr. Duff about his surgery.
*He signs the consent form.
"Fix You Up" 	Tegan and Sara	
*Meredith's patient and his family smile.
*Mr. Duff tells Izzie the missing ingredient.
*Meredith gets in Derek's car.
*George and Olivia leave the hospital together.
*Cristina watches Zoey Glass leave with her husband.
*Alex examines Devo.
*Izzie adds coconut extract and calls her mom.
*Derek takes Meredith to his land in the woods and tells her that he lives in the trailer.
*Derek shares his personal life with Meredith.
"David" - Nellie McKay
"Feels Like" - Masha Qrella
"Rapture" - Laura Veirs
"I Love the Rain the Most" - Joe Purdy
"No Illusions" - 78 Saab
"Fix You Up" - Tegan and Sara
==Notes and Trivia==
*This episode's title originated from a song called , but it is unclear by which artist. There are at least two dozen different artists with songs named Save Me from before this episode aired, including Aretha Franklin, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Aimee Mann and Remy Zero (this band's song was also the theme song for the show Smallville).
*This episode scored 18.33 million viewers.https://web.archive.org/web/20081221203557/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=051705_04
*Goof (medically incorrect): When Dr. Grey suggests that Mr. Walker has a conversion disorder, Dr. Shepherd asks if it's psychosomatic. This is a common mistake. A psychosomatic disease is a genuine physical ailment caused in part by psychological factors. However, a conversion disorder is considered a somatoform disorder (one that cannot be fully explained by organic conditions and are largely due to psychological factors, i.e. what many people consider to be "psychosomatic").
*Goof: There were several religion-related mistakes in this episode. 
**First, the religious Orthodox Jew refused to have a "pig part" inserted in her body. But, according to Jewish Law, in order to save one's own life, one must break any of the laws of Judaism (except idolatry, adultery, or murder). 
**When Esther is praying to herself she is reciting the silent Amidah prayer but then covering her eyes as if she is saying the 'Shma' prayer. On top of this, the words she is saying don't mean anything. She also bows three times after her prayer but in the wrong order. 
**The Jewish girl wanted a rabbi to pray over her before her surgery, but the rabbi was female, which is not permitted according to Orthodox Judaism. Also, the religious chants she is singing would not be something appropriate for this occasion. Also, Orthodox women do not sing in front of men.
*This was the episode submitted for Sandra Oh for the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards under 'Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series'.
*The Grey Matter blog post for this episode was written in retrospect during the hiatus between season two and three.
==Gallery==
===Episode Stills===
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==Quotes ==
:Meredith: I want facts, and until I get them, my pants are staying on.
:Derek: Or you could just roll with it, be flexible. See what happens.
:Meredith: I'm not flexible.
:Derek: Now there I disagree... We'll find these things out. That's the fun part, you know? That's the gravy.
----
: Derek: My mother's maiden name, Maloney. I have four sisters. I have, uh, nine nieces. Five nephews. I like coffee ice-cream, single-malt scotch, occasionally a good cigar. I like to fly fish. And I cheat when I do the crossword puzzle on Sunday. And I never dance in public. Um, favorite novel, The Sun Also Rises. Favorite band, The Clash. My favorite color is blue. I don't like light blue, indigo. The scar right here on my forehead, that's why I don't ride motorcycles anymore. And I live in that trailer. All this land is mine. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it. So that's it. That's all you have earned for now. The rest you're just... just gonna have to take on faith.
----
:Meredith: You know, you keep taking everything on faith. How do you know what's real and what's not?
:Derek: You just do. You know some people would call this a relationship. Time to exchange keys, leave your toothbrush over.
:Meredith: Who, who would call it that?
:Derek: Me, I would.
:Meredith: And I'm supposed to believe you? Show me something. Give me a reason to believe.
----
:George: How's a pompous cocky jackass like you always have women all over him?
:Alex: Little bluebell pills. Lots of them.
:George: Oh, c'mon.
:Alex: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. O'Malley, you think too much. Can't you see it? You gotta dance and jab, dance and jab! Like me. I am the Ali of this place.
----
:Cristina: Dr. Bailey, I want off the psychic case, I'll take whatever you've got. Can I switch?
:Bailey: Ask nicely.
:Cristina: What? This is me doing nicely.
==See Also==
*Episode Transcript
de:Glaubensfragen
fr:Troublantes révélations
it:Salvami
es:Save Me
Category:All Episodes
Category:GA Episodes
Category:GA S1 Episodes