Start Me Up/Grey Matter

Tia Napolitano on "Start Me Up"...

Original Airdate: 1-13-11

Poor, clueless first year med students. “Too dumb to find the toilet,” as Cristina puts it. They’re peering into body cavities for the first time, trying to impress their residents…or at least stay conscious. All while surrounded by renowned surgical geniuses. No pressure, right? They’re star struck, over-eager, and intimidated. And somehow they always seem to be in the way. Just ask Jackson.

It’s tough being at the bottom of the surgical food chain! And I have to empathize with these “interns and residents of tomorrow.” I’m the writers’ assistant here at Grey’s. I spend five days a week in a room filled with, well, television genius. It was more than a little intimidating at first. Luckily, I’ve yet to pass out on the job, and no one writes on me with permanent marker. Although, it’s entirely possible I’ll end up bedazzled one day – our writers’ room is like a kindergarten stocked with glitter, glue and paints. But I probably shouldn’t give them any ideas…

Bedazzling aside, my job is kind of awesome. Ok, the bedazzling is kind of awesome, too. I get to sit in the room and take notes while the writers simultaneously goof off and unspool their genius. I also used to be the writers’ PA here, so I had the pleasure of posting (and posting, and posting…you fans have a lot to say!) all of your blog comments. And I know you guys aren’t reading this to hear what I ate for breakfast this morning. You want the inside scoop on this episode.

One tiny thing first. I’d like to do our writers’ PA, Fran, the favor our researcher, Meg, once did for me. Fran moderates all the comments on this blog, and there’s one rule that you should keep in mind when posting: be nice to Fran. Also, WHEN YOU YELL IN ALL CAPS AT FRAN, it’s a little bit scary. Don’t scare Fran. And don’t curse at Fran! Fran keeps the writers fed, and caffeinated. And writers that are well fed and well caffeinated write the best episodes. So please be nice to Fran. You wouldn’t want to get on her bad side…

Speaking of bad sides, remind me never to piss off Callie Torres! She’s certainly not that girl who forgives and forgets at the first glimmer of an apology. “I. Don’t. Want. You. In my life.” Could she be any clearer? It’s heartbreaking. But I was so, so proud of Callie for standing her ground. Girl’s got principles. All Arizona wants is a second chance with the woman she loves. Is that really so much to ask? Turns out it is. Because not only is Callie deeply hurt, she’s also pregnant. With Mark’s baby.

Wow. That lands on Arizona like a slap across the face. Do you remember when she iced Alex after finding out he slept with Callie? And that happened before Callie and Arizona were even dating. Mark Sloan might want to invest in a new deadbolt for his door. And a guard dog.

In a way, this is everything Callie wanted (she was the girl with the aching womb!). It’s just not wrapped in the pretty package she probably envisioned. But that’s life. And Callie knows it. And it’s not quite the fresh start Arizona was looking for either, though it is the beginning of something…

Bailey’s wading into unchartered territory, too. Talk of steamy on-call room rendezvous and dirty notes left in charts? Dr. Bailey? This is something the room struggled with. How can she still be Bailey while doing such un-Bailey-like things? What we figured out is that Miranda Bailey is still the same person, with a slightly new attitude. There are people, like Eli, who enter our lives and instantly change them, even if only a little. “Why the hell not?”

Our doctors are dynamic. They grow, change, roll with the punches. Look at Meredith, peeing on ten stolen pregnancy tests hoping for just one to be positive. She thinks she’s gone soft core. At least in the race for Chief Resident. But as the Chief points out, the residents have been getting evaluated since their first day at the hospital. It’s a marathon, not a sprint…kind of like trying to make a baby.

Not a bad deal for Derek, who’s happily “practicing” with his wife. But Mer’s fearing the worst, agonizing all day over the failed pregnancy tests. She’s an overachiever! And this failing thing? It’s not cool. Baby-making isn’t a surgery Mer can study up for and then rock. Practice does make perfect. So she’ll have to be patient.

One last thing. It’s so great to have Cristina back in the hospital! And just in time to haze the med students and caution Mer about poo-covered babies. Is there really such a thing as a clean slate? It doesn’t seem like it. Cristina’s back in the game, but she’s not starting over, just continuing to build the career she’s worked so hard for. She’s up against some fierce competition. But that’s how all our doctors thrive – under pressure. And I can’t wait to see how they step it up in the final leg of the race.