The Name of the Game

"A good basketball game can have us all on the edge of our seats. Games are all about the glory, pain and the play by play. And then there are the more solitary games. The games we each play all by ourselves. The social games, the mind games. We use them to pass the time to make life more interesting... to distract us from what's really going on. There are those of us who love to play games, any game. And there are those of us who love to play a little too much. Life is not a spectator sport. Win, lose, or draw, the game is in progress whether we want it to be or not. So go ahead... argue with the ref, change the rules, cheat a little, take a break and tend to your wounds. But play. Play. Play hard, play fast... play loose and free. Play as if there's no tomorrow. Okay, so it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game... right?"

- Meredith Grey

 is the twenty-second episode of the second season and the 31st overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
In light of recent events, Bailey is being mommy-tracked, so she becomes Derek's intern to get some OR time. George discovers many secrets during the day, not least that Meredith has a sister, one of Addison's patients, and Callie is living in the hospital. Meredith begins knitting, while the Chief and Cristina battle it out during a skills class.

Full Summary
As the episode opens, Meredith is knitting and swearing off men. During March Madness. At Joe's. Talk about cool. Almost as much so as George and Calli, who dominate Preston and Cristina at charades (much to the latter's consternation).

Dr. Yang gets the chance to better channel her competitive streak against the Chief when both take the same training course. After initially struggling with the new surgical technology they are demoing, Dr. Webber lays the smack down on Cristina and teaches her a lesson she will use to finally rid her apartment of George: Stick to the basics. When she interrupts a game of chess between George and Preston by walking around naked, a flustered Dr. Burke tells Mr. Bad Haircut to beat it. Young O'Malley's then calls Calli, who he discovers living in the hospital storage. His reaction: "Do you know how to cut hair?"

The lesson: When you like someone a lot, this kind of thing just doesn't faze you.

In medical news, Derek and Miranda remove a tumor from a seventh-grader's brain. While he's awake. In order to ensure that none of his brain incurs damage throughout the operation, the surgeons have the boy -- a spelling bee champion -- spelling words most of us have never heard of. After some crazy moments, the operation is a success. Alex, meanwhile, draws the ire of of Dr. Burke with his brutal honesty toward a lung cancer patient. In telling her not only that she will die, and soon, but that she should be more up front with her teenage daughter, Dr. Karev's bedside manner proves controversial -- but effective.

The real drama starts when a pregnant 22-year old named Molly is admitted to SGH and placed under Addison's care. It is soon discovered that the patient's father is Thatcher Grey, who remarried after leaving Meredith's mother Ellis. It's George that actually makes the discovery but as he is still not acknowledging the younger Dr. Grey's existence, he empowers Izzie and Cristina to relay the news. Before Izzie can so do tactfully, Cristina blurts it out. Shocking. Nervously, Meredith meets Molly, who is unaware of the connection. The two get along reasonably well, as Meredith learns a little about Molly and the existence of her older sister, Ellie.

When Dr. Webber sees Thatcher in the hallway, he tells her of Ells' Alzheimer's disease and the toll it has taken on Meredith. From Thatcher's bitterness and remarks, it is clear that Ellis' work drove him away and implied (although not overtly stated) that Richard played a role in the marriage's demise as well. Thatcher tries to find Meredith, who sees him coming and hides. George shows what a good friend he is, even after all that has taken place, by intercepting her father and diffusing the situation. In short, George tells Thatch what a wonderful daughter he has, then promises to pass along his best.

Just when it seems Meredith's life can't get any more complicated, she's introduced to her dog's handsome vet, Finn (Chris O'Donnell), who we get the impression will make some future appearances.

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

 * Chris O'Donnell as Dr. Finn Dandridge

Guest Starring

 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette
 * Jeff Perry as Thatcher Grey
 * Mandy Siegfried as Molly Thompson
 * Jusak Yang Bernhard as Seminar Teacher
 * Steven W. Bailey as Joe
 * Emilee Wallace as Amelia Carver
 * Harrison Knight as Andrew Willis
 * Mare Winningham as Susan Grey
 * Laurie Metcalf as Beatrice Carver

Co-Starring

 * Soledad St. Hilaire as Lola
 * Obie Sims as Neuro Fellow

Denny Duquette

 * Diagnosis:
 * Doctors:
 * Treatment:

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song The Name of the Game, originally sung by ABBA.
 * This episode scored 22.35 million viewers.

Quotes

 * Izzie: So George? He's really, really your type, huh?
 * Callie: You don't see him. Either of you. He's just, he's just George to you. He's ... he's just O'Malley, your roommate.
 * Izzie: You don't have to get all...
 * Callie: He makes my world stop. George O'Malley is sweet and kind and smart and strong. And he makes my world stop. So you shut up about him. Don't forget to clean it up, when you're done smashing.
 * Izzie: Holy crap...George is her McDreamy.