Thanks for the Memories

"Gratitude, appreciation, giving thanks. No matter what words you use, they all mean the same thing. Happy. We're supposed to be happy. Grateful for friends, family. Happy just to be alive. Whether we like it or not. Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate."

- Meredith Grey

 is the ninth episode of the second season and the 18th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
None of the doctors can resist cutting as Izzie tries embrace the season by making a perfect thanksgiving dinner but doesn't know how, however Burke saves the day and helps her, while Cristina, Meredith, and Alex hide at work instead of helping Izzie; and George has to embrace his own O'Malley tradition by shooting a turkey.

Full Summary
Episode in detail.

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
 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd
 * Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Special Guest Star

 * Brian Kerwin as Holden McKee

Guest Stars

 * Greg Pitts as Jerry O'Malley
 * Tim Griffin as Ronny O'Malley
 * Sarah Utterback as Olivia Harper
 * Steven W. Bailey as Joe

Co-Starring

 * Andrew James Allen as Colby McKee
 * Michael Matthys as Dr. Kent
 * Dee Nelson as Cheryl Leonard
 * Mike Faiola as Guy
 * Peter Howard as Hal Leonard
 * Jack Yang as Walter
 * Gregor Manns as Levi Johnson

Uncredited

 * George Dzundza as Harold O'Malley

Holden McKee

 * Diagnosis:
 * Doctors:
 * Treatment:

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song Thanks For the Memories, originally sung by Frank Sinatra.
 * This episode scored 20.33 million viewers.
 * The dialog between Burke and Izzie when they are cooking dinner is almost exactly the same as George's appendectomy in the pilot. It even had the same background music.
 * This is the first Grey's episode to begin with a rap song.

Quotes

 * Cristina: Where does Meredith keep the booze?
 * George: I don't think she has any.
 * Cristina: How is that possible? She's a WASP. Liquor is like oxygen to a WASP.
 * George: Which is why we're out of liquor.


 * Cristina: (about inviting Burke to the Thanksgiving dinner) What was I supposed to do? Blow off my boyfriend for Thanksgiving? I tried to. He wouldn't blow. He's like something sticky that won't blow off.