This is How We Do It/Grey Matter

Pete Nowalk on "This Is How We Do It"...

Original Airdate: 3-24-11

I know, I know. You’ve come to this blog hoping I’ll shed some light on next week’s episode. “It’s a music event? What does that mean? How does it work??” Well sit back and relax because I’m going to tell you…

Nope, not doing it. I’m too much of a rule follower. You don’t want me to tell you anyway. There’s only seven more days to wait. The music’s coming. IT’S COMING!!

In the meantime let’s stay in the moment. Namely, the very last moment of this episode. Arizona asked Callie to marry her. It wasn’t planned. There was no ring or getting down on one knee. It just happened, in the middle of a fight no less. As someone who rarely fights (yup, passive aggressive, non-confrontational, bury my resentments way down deep person here), I’m a little jealous of Callie and Arizona. They bicker. Rant. Say what they mean – even if it’s mean. Mark has been a thorn in their relationship’s side since the beginning. This happens in many relationships. How can you love someone whose best friend you hate? And what if that best friend is also an ex-lover/now baby daddy? This is a tough one for Arizona. She’s tried to suck it up. But there’s only so long one can bury their resentments. Mark wasn’t part of the deal when she signed up to love Callie. But now he’s very much in the deal. Rather than run away and find some new girl to love though, she stayed by Callie’s side. Even more, she keeps throwing herself in deeper. And now she’s asked Callie to marry her. This is what it means to have BALLS people. She’s not gonna run from the problem. She’s going to face it head on. Love Callie harder and insist that Callie do the same. Marry me, she says. And then, well, that’s when…

It’s maddening not to know. I feel your pain. Just seven more days. Breathe.

In the meantime let’s talk about Richard. Dude’s spent most of his life working. And what amazing work he does. He’s just invented a device that functions as a pancreas and, amazingly, might cure diabetes. It’s crazy. A surgeon’s dream come true… But now there’s Adele. She has Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis couldn’t have come at a worse time. As Adele finally tells him through tears, this isn’t fair. They’re finally the husband and wife they always wanted to be. And now…well now it might be too late.

Derek did his best to help the Webbers out. As you can imagine, the rules surrounding an FDA clinical trial are strict. Fudging with them is pretty much career suicide. And even though Derek ultimately refused to do this, you can see how easy it would’ve been for him to change Adele’s score by one point. No one would find out. That’s not Derek though. Meredith reminds him of that. As always, these two have each other’s backs – at home, at work…  It’s this type of relationship their patient Sonya won’t let her son Tarik throw away. Facing the end of her life, knowing that it’s approaching at a terrifying speed, Sonya has the clarity to see that Tarik needs to move back to London to be with his boyfriend Gavin (who is played by Colin Farrell in the spin-off episode in my head btw). Sonya knows meeting someone you like is hard enough. Someone you love though? Someone who loves you back? That’s once in a lifetime. Screw clinical trials. Screw self-sacrifice. Go, be happy, she tells her son.

April’s struggling with her own relationship. Stark, a.k.a. “Robert,” likes her. And she likes him back. But love? I don’t think April’s knows what love is yet. She knows it probably won’t happen with her and Robert though. She wishes it could – screw what other people say, let them make fun – but it’s been a month of dating and she’s not feeling it. It doesn’t help that Jackson and Lexie are feeling it – and each other – in front of her all the time. On washing machines, in on call rooms, on communal couches… Who the hell doesn’t want that? And how the hell are you supposed to carpe diem when you’re stuck at home with only a bowl of popcorn and old movie to keep you company?? Hells if I know. What I do know is it’s not going to come if you spend every night on the couch. I for one am hoping April gets off the couch soon. Maybe she should take pointers from Mr. Dirty Hot.

Alex gets his fair share of play. I’m guessing it’s the same for Lucy. Just look at them. Hot hot crazy ridiculously hot, right? Still, there’s something going on between these two that’s stalling their hook up. For episodes now they’ve been playing hard to get, flirting one moment, acting aloof the next. To be honest they’ve been pissing me off. Do it already! Luckily Meredith was there to put an end to the games. She tells Lucy about the real Alex, about the sad, ridiculous, terrible crap he’s been through. Not that Alex will ever know that. So Lucy dropped her guard and finally put the moves on him. April, are you taking notes?

Maybe you’re just like April and need more pointers. Fine. Let me present you Henry. “What’s so wrong with a great story?” he asks after Teddy denies him AGAIN. (Protest too much Teddy?? Methinks so.)  Maybe it’s the terrible tumors that grow on the guy but Henry knows there’s no time to wait. He wants Teddy so he straight up tells her that. Risks rejection. It’s inspiring. Crazy. And HOT. Same with our nurse Eli. This is a guy who can hold his own in an argument with Bailey all day and still get her to come home to him at night. How? Because he knows how to separate work and play. Compartmentalize. Let’s hope Owen can do the same now that he’s choosing Chief Resident. Just a reminder that becoming Chief Resident has been part of Cristina’s life plan since, well, forever. Having anyone, let alone her husband, get in the way of that is FORBIDDEN. Tough times for Owen ahead, I’m guessing.

You’ve now read this entire blog, suffered through my babbling, all in the hope that you’ll get scoop on next week’s episode. I’ve given you crap. So far...

Here’s what I can say. It would’ve been very easy not to do next week’s episode. Shonda could’ve buried the musical idea in that giant trash heap of big, bold, scary ideas that never get to see the light of day. Shonda’s not much a couch sitter though. She likes to bet big. And I can confidently say that all of us fans of the show have benefited from her love to gamble. We’ve been entertained, moved, inspired… So my advice is just to enjoy the suspense of the next seven days. And maybe, if you find yourself bored or sad or spacey or stagnant during this time, use the time to bet big in your own life. Break a few rules. Give the finger to the man. Really. Try it.