Let the Bad Times Roll

"Carpe diem. How annoying is carpe diem? How are you supposed to plan a life? A career? A family? If you're always carpe-ing the diem? If we all seized every moment of every day, there wouldn't be doctors. Who would sit through Med school? We'd all be too busy, living in the now. Whatever that means.I'll admit that the Romans had a point. You gotta live life. And living means that every morning, when you wake up, you have to choose. Between seizing what life offers in the moment, and forging ahead, no matter the weather. Or closing the curtains, and shutting out the day."

- Meredith Grey

 is the twenty-second episode of the eighth season and the 170th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
The residents agonize over their upcoming exam results; Arizona's childhood friend needs medical help; the doctors try to help a patient who is missing one third of his skull; Julia wants to start a family with Mark.

Full Summary
Episode summary

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan
 * Chyler Leigh as Dr. Lexie Grey
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
 * Kim Raver as Dr. Teddy Altman
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Avery
 * William Daniels as Dr. Craig Thomas
 * Holley Fain as Dr. Julia Canner
 * Jordan Belfi as Nick
 * Cynthia Watros as Mrs. Connor
 * David DeLuise as Charlie Connor
 * Jane Daly as Meredith's Examiner
 * Tom Everett as Jackson's Examiner
 * Ron Bottitta as Keith Collier
 * Jill Remez as April's Examiner

Co-Starring

 * David Pevsner as Jackson's Other Examiner
 * Jim Lau as Meredith's Other Examiner
 * Cathy Diane Tomlin as Alex's Other Examiner
 * Thai Douglas as April's Other Examiner
 * Susan Ortiz as Cristina's Other Examiner
 * Rachel Anderson as Nurse Carol
 * Raff Anoushian as Cabbie
 * Phillipe D. Preston as Entitled Incompetent #1
 * Levi Freeman as Entitled Incompetent #2

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song Let the Bad Times Roll, originally sung by The Vandals.
 * This episode scored 9.24 million viewers.
 * In this episode, April is upset for betraying Jesus by sleeping with Avery. In the past, however, April had only sourced her virginity to waiting to find the right guy. This is the first time April mentions religion in motivating her virginity. However, April explains to her examiners that she had been keeping her religious background secret in order to better fit in with the scientific community she had been surrounded by.
 * One resident failed each of the three major tests involved in a surgical resident's career. Alex entered his internship having had not passed the test to get in. He later retook this and passed. George failed his test to become a resident by one point but also later retook it and passed. After failing her Boards in this episode, April becomes the first female to fail a test and has yet to retake it, though it as stated that the next exam wasn't until June 2013.

Quotes

 * Miranda: (to Derek Shepard) Honesty is gonna bite you in the ass.


 * Cristina: My guy's a freaking fossil. The last time he was in an OR, it was lit by candles.


 * Lexie: Oh, hey!
 * Mark: Hey.
 * Lexie: Thanks, for today, for letting me...
 * Mark: You did a good job in there.
 * Lexie: Thanks!
 * Mark: You okay?
 * Lexie: I love you! Oh, oh my God, that just came flying out of my face! (mumbles) I love you! I just... Oh, did it again. I... I love you. I do, I just, I love you and I have been trying not to say it, I've been trying so hard to just mash it down, ignore it and not say it! Jackson is a great guy. He is. He's gorgeous and he's younger and he doesn't have any grandkids or babies with his lesbian BFF's and he's an Avery and he liked me, you know. He really liked me! But it was never gonna work out, because I, I love you. I am so in love with you. You're in me! It's like you're a disease, it's like I'm infected by Mark Sloan and I can't think about anything or anybody, and I can't sleep, I can't breathe, I can't eat. And I love you, I just love you all the time, it's... every minute of every day. And I... I love you. God, that feels good to just say that! I feel so much better! I love you! Mark...
 * Julia: Hey, Lexie! (to Mark) I thought you said the lobby? You ready?