Begin the Begin

"Fresh starts thanks to the calendar they happen every year- just set your watch to January, our reward for surviving the holiday season is a new year. Bringing on the great tradition of new years resolutions, put your past behind you and start over. It’s hard to resist the chance of a new beginning, a chance to put the problems of last year to bed. Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins? It’s not a day on a calendar, not a birthday, it’s not a new year, it’s an event— big or small, something that changes us, ideally it gives us hope, a new way of living and looking at the world, letting go of old habits, old memories. What's important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning, but it's also important to remember that amid all the crap are a few things really worth holding on to."

- Meredith Grey

 is the thirteenth episode and mid-season premiere of the second season and the 22nd overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
The Chief enforces the 80 hour work limit with an iron fist so Meredith has free-time, and so does Cristina, but she chooses to go to Palm Springs with Bailey for a heart retrieval while the Chief asks Derek for a favor regarding Ellis Grey. George has a teenager who is actually different while Alex treats a man who has a bezoar and Izzie works on Denny Duquette.

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

Guest Starring

 * Stephen Spinella as Malar Pascowitz
 * Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette
 * Lauren Tom as Audrey
 * John Prosky as Mr. Singleton
 * Becca Gardner as Rebecca Singleton
 * Shannon Cochran as Mrs. Singleton
 * Kate Burton as Dr. Ellis Grey

Co-Starring

 * Joyce Guy as Administrator
 * Rob Narita as Anesthesiologist

Featuring

 * Linda Klein as Nurse Linda

Uncredited

 * Anjul Nigam as Dr. Raj Sen

Denny Duquette, Jr.

 * Diagnosis:
 * Doctors:
 * Treatment:

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from Begin the Begin originally sung by R.E.M.
 * This episode scored 18.97 million viewers.

Quotes

 * Meredith: Such a good dog! Who's Mommy's good boy? (turns and looks at Izzie and George) C'mon, what are you doing, we're gonna be late.
 * George: Uh— We need to talk about the dog.
 * Izzie: That's not a dog, it's a hyena that escaped from the zoo, dressed in dog clothing.
 * George: Whatever. I don't chew up his clothes. I don't urinate on his bed. I don't try to mount him from behind.
 * Meredith: People, he's our dog. We love our dog. He loves us.
 * Izzie: Mount you from behind?
 * George: He tries to.