| “ | 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. | ” |
Begin the Begin 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 Twin Falls, Idaho 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.
Cast[]
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 Stars[]
- Stephen Spinella as Mauer Pascowitz
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette
- Lauren Tom as Audrey
- John Prosky as Mr. Singleton
- Becca Gardner as Rebecca Singleton
- Shannon Cochran as Mary Singleton
- Kate Burton as Dr. Ellis Grey
Co-Starring[]
Featuring[]
Uncredited[]
Medical Notes[]
Ellis Grey[]
- Diagnosis:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Doctors:
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Treatment:
- Residential care
Ellis was shown at Roseridge Home for Extended Care. Derek came to visit her to see if she was eligible for a trial.
Burke's Patient[]
- Diagnosis:
- Mesothelioma
- Doctors:
- Preston Burke (cardiothoracic surgeon)
- Cristina Yang (surgical intern)
- Treatment:
- Surgery
Burke and Cristina were seen preparing to operate together on a patient with mesothelioma.
Denny Duquette, Jr.[]
- Diagnosis:
- Viral cardiomyopathy
- Doctors:
- Preston Burke (cardiothoracic surgeon)
- Miranda Bailey (surgical resident)
- Izzie Stevens (surgical intern)
- Treatment:
Denny, 36, was told to come into the hospital when a heart became available for him, which he needed due to cardiomyopathy. However, the donor showed signs of coronary artery disease, so the heart was not suitable for transplant and he was sent home.
Rebecca Singleton[]
- Diagnosis:
- Elevated hormone levels
- Tumor
- Doctors:
- Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (OB/GYN and medical geneticst)
- George O'Malley (surgical intern)
- Raj Sen (psychiatric resident)
- Treatment:
- Tumor resection
- Oral medication
Bex, 14, was in the hospital for a biopsy on an enlargement of a pelvic lymph node. Bex was found to have elevated hormone levels which were caused by the consumption of birth control pills, but that could be controlled by oral medication. The ultrasound showed a tumor, which was compressing what they believed to be an ovary. However, further testing identified it as a testes, meaning Bex is intersex. The tumor was benign, but because of their condition, they recommended therapy for the family. Bex's parents asked Addison to remove the testicle, but she refused to do so without Bex's consent.
Mauer Pascowitz[]
- Diagnosis:
- Bezoar
- Mercury poisoning
- Doctors:
- Richard Webber (general surgeon)
- Alex Karev (surgical intern)
- Treatment:
- Laxatives
- Surgery
- British anti-Lewisite
Mauer was in the hospital to be treated for abdominal pain, caused by a bezoar. He had eaten a novel he'd written. Before his surgery, he was sweating profusely and babbling incoherently. The bezoar was removed successfully, but was diagnosed with mercury poisoning.
Heart Donor[]
- Diagnosis:
- Coronary artery disease
- Doctors:
- Treatment:
While attempting to retrieve a heart for Denny Duquette, Bailey saw signs of coronary artery disease, so the heart was deemed too damaged to be transplanted.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Hide Another Mistake" | The 88 |
|
| "One of These Days" | Kraak and Smaak |
|
| "Ride" | Cary Brothers |
|
| "Break Your Momma's Back" | Slow Runner |
|
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.[1]
- This episode marks the first appearance of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette, Jr.
- In her 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, actress Jennette McCurdy mentions she auditioned for but ultimately did not get the role of an intersex teenager on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. It can be assumed that the role she auditioned for was Rebecca "Bex" Singleton.[source?]
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.
See Also[]
|
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
|
The Grey Matter blog post on this episode can be found here. |
| Grey's Anatomy Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" | #10 | "Much too Much" | #19 | "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" |
| #02 | "Enough is Enough" | #11 | "Owner of a Lonely Heart" | #20 | "Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole" |
| #03 | "Make Me Lose Control" | #12 | "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" | #21 | "Superstition" |
| #04 | "Deny, Deny, Deny" | #13 | "Begin the Begin" | #22 | "The Name of the Game" |
| #05 | "Bring the Pain" | #14 | "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies" | #23 | "Blues for Sister Someone" |
| #06 | "Into You Like a Train" | #15 | "Break on Through" | #24 | "Damage Case" |
| #07 | "Something to Talk About" | #16 | "It's the End of the World" | #25 | "17 Seconds" |
| #08 | "Let It Be" | #17 | "As We Know It" | #26 | "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response" |
| #09 | "Thanks for the Memories" | #18 | "Yesterday" | #27 | "Losing My Religion" |
| << Season 1 | Season 3 >> | ||||