Time After Time/Grey Matter

Stacy McKee gives you some "Time after Time"
Original airdate: 4-19-07
Ok. Before I get into the whole George slippity slipping on Izzie’s scrub pants and Derek needing to choose: Be the Chief or Be With Meredith and DAMN – did you notice that Richard can TOTALLY bust a move ??--- I just want to say…
Welcome back, you guys! It’s been a little while since the last new Grey’s Episode… And it’s been even longer since I’ve had a chance to talk to you! That was Waaaaay back in November, back before George was married (let alone falling for Izzie!), back before Meredith was (almost) dead (and talking to dead people), HECK – back before the boys went camping! THINK of how much has HAPPENED!!!
I know – lately we’ve had a few repeats, and you’ve all been very patient, but now… here we are. This week marks the first of the final few Season Three episodes and – MAN. I can say this because I know what’s going to happen next… I seriously envy you guys. You are about to have SO MUCH FUN. All new episodes. Funny episodes. Heartbreaking episodes. Supersized episodes. Cliffhanger episodes.
This is it. The beginning of the end of the season. So, brace yourselves.
Now, about THIS episode…
I want to talk about mothers. (I know – it sounds boring, but just stick with me for a second here.) Love ‘em, hate ‘em, miss ‘em, or try very hard (only to be unsuccessful) to fool ‘em – we’ve all got some kind of mother somewhere. Even if we’ve never met her. Even if she’s not related by blood. Even if she’s haunting us from the grave. Even if, when we went to college, she secretly recorded things onto our computers like: “Words of Wisdom from Mom: Never have unprotected sex on days that end in the letter Y” -- We all have a mother. Whether we like it or not.
(And yes, my mom DID record that onto my computer when I was a college freshman. And, no – I never could figure out how to erase it, so… every time I misspelled a word for the next four years, I was reminded to use a condom. True story.)
There are a whole lotta mothers floating around tonight’s episode.
Ava meets her faux mother. This poor girl has no memory, a new face, her only real friend right now is Alex and she’s about to become a mother herself – and suddenly the cruelest thing imaginable happens to her. She is first claimed by, then rejected by her “faux” mother. When Ava’s “mom” walks through that door, Ava believes that her life, the very history she can’t remember, is about to be restored -- only to have that hope yanked away from her – it’s horrible. It’s devastating. And Alex is the one who has to deliver the news. Alex, the guy who has been there, looking out for Ava, from the very first moment he pulled her out of that water – he’s the one who has to tell her that “those people” are not HER people. No wonder she lashes out at him. Stupid faux mommy.
And then there’s Meredith – trying to figure out how to react to HER Fake Mommy. I swear, if anyone could use a little motherly nurturing, it’s Meredith Grey.
I was secretly thrilled when I realized I was going to have Susan in my episode. I love Susan. Sure, she’s a little pushy (what with the whole bringing groceries over uninvited thing – and chatting up Derek before Meredith has even stumbled her way downstairs…) but Susan is, mostly, just a very caring, very genuine MOM. The exact opposite of Ellis. It’s the kind of mother Meredith has never actually experienced first hand, and it’s the kind of mother Meredith (clearly) desperately needs – even if she isn’t sure how to accept Susan’s kindness quite yet… There was a line that had to be cut for time that I loved: “I’m not used to moms of any kind before my coffee.”
But don’t be fooled – Susan’s not squeaky clean and perfect. Her “gestures” aren’t coming out of a solely kind and generous place… they are also brought on by some good old fashioned guilt. Susan feels responsible for the fact that Thatcher was so absent from Meredith’s life. Susan’s known about Meredith for years, for her entire marriage – and yet, it was a very recent chance meeting at the hospital that finally prompted Susan (and Thatch) to become a part of Meredith’s life…
No wonder Meredith is a little cautious. In Meredith’s experience, mothers ALWAYS have an agenda, and it’s usually not a generous or thoughtful one…Which is why Susan is so important. She has the potential to help heal a few of those wounds for Meredith. Susan is like a happy little beacon of motherly hope for Meredith and her future… even if she DOES stop by unannounced.
But, of course, the Grey’s universe has to even itself out. We can’t have the potential of a happy, hopeful motherly Susan relationship on the horizon for Meredith without a little dark and twisty Dead Mommy love haunting Meredith, too – even from the grave.
And by haunting, I mean messing with Meredith’s McDreamy.
Richard says to Derek that he made a promise to Ellis. Richard told Ellis, on her deathbed, that he would look out for Meredith. So, as unfair as it seems, Richard intends to make good on that promise. Which means he’s willing to pass up Derek as the next Chief in order to make sure Derek will be available to focus on Meredith.
What’s so interesting about this is that – it’s not that Richard is punishing Derek for having a relationship with an intern. Or, in fact, trying to force Derek to choose between his relationship with Meredith or a shot at being Chief… Actually, it’s a vote of confidence from Richard. Richard clearly thinks Derek is good for Meredith. Richard wants their relationship to succeed. And he knows – firsthand – that nurturing a relationship properly is nearly impossible given the professional demands of being Chief. He thinks he’s doing Derek (and therefore Meredith) a favor. Richard is protecting Meredith. He thinks he’s doing exactly what Meredith’s Dead Mommy would want him to do…
The question is – how will Derek respond to all of this? We see him there, at the end – lost in thought. What’s he thinking about? Is he questioning whether or not Meredith’s worth all this trouble – Is he thinking about what Bailey just said to him – that if you can’t be with the person you love, then all the rest of “this” means nothing… ? Yes and Yes. Derek’s not being a jerk by not answering the phone. He’s being human. He’s trying his best to work through his demons – in private – so he doesn’t take them out (unfairly) on anyone (like Meredith) in public – he doesn’t WANT to hurt Meredith; he loves her. And, he’s just been told that she’s the one thing that will prevent him from achieving his life-long professional dream. Cut the guy some slack. He’s allowed a broody night all alone in his trailer, don’t you think? 
Then of course, there’s Bailey. She always knows when one of her “kids” needs her. She just can’t help herself… And right now, that kid is Izzie.
The Izzie bone marrow story has been swirling around our writers room for a while. In fact, I’m pretty sure that as soon as we figured out Izzie had a daughter – we also figured out that one day, that daughter would get sick. She would need bone marrow. And that would bring her to Izzie.
The question has always been – WHEN do we bring Izzie’s daughter back? There have been a LOT of possibilities, but suddenly – in the wake of this new Izzie/George relationship… At this very crucial moment, when Izzie is mourning the loss of her closest friend, and when Goerge is having trouble even looking Izzie in the eye… SOMETHING needed to happen that would bring them together—privately. Intimately. Perfectly.
Hello, Izzie Jr!
The thing I’ve always loved about this story is that it’s not about Izzie or George. Their tension, their fling, their awkwardness – it all gets put on a back burner the moment something much more important falls into their lives. They have to set aside their weirdness, step outside of themselves and their screwed up lives, and – just hold each others hands.
It’s like that moment, just before the hematologist starts to drill into Izzie’s hip, when Izzie and George’s faces are just inches apart, and nothing else matters. It’s just George being there for Izzie when she needs him most – it’s clean, it’s simple, and it’s one of the most meaningful moments – for both of them. Well… that and the scene with the scrub pants…
SIDEBAR: Can we please talk about George and Izzie’s scrub pants??? Is it just me, or was that moment charged in a way that made me both a liiiiittle bit uncomfortable AND incapable of breathing for – well – the rest of the scene? I’m telling you – this whole George/ Izzie thing? I’m as conflicted as you are. I see a scene like that and I think to myself – Oh my goodness, they belong together. Right NOW. Make it happen!! Until I see Callie a few scenes later and… well, I get mad at myself for forgetting all about her. Because I love Callie, and I hate the idea that George might hurt her – REALLY hurt her… Callie’s blameless here. She loves a man who really really seems to be… falling for his best friend?!?!?
Alright. Enough already. I’ve been talking way way too long – plus, I still have to call MY mom and find out what she thought of the episode… I tried calling her last night (I’m in LA and she’s two hours later in Houston) – and I very carefully timed it so she’d be done with all her work (she kicks butt as a realtor there) so we could chat… and when I called, she answered with: “Now, Stacy. You KNOW I can’t talk to you right now. The Chief just told some woman that he’s ‘a FRIENDLY guy.’ I have to go!!”
And then she hung up on me.
(sigh.) Moms!
This blog post was originally posted on greyswriters.com and an archive of the posts can now be found at ABC.com.
Category:Grey Matter