| “ | We're trained to be vigilant. To chase down the problem. To ask all the right questions. To find the root cause, until we know exactly what it is. And we can confront it. It takes an extreme amount of caution, or we can overstep ourselves. We can create problems, where none exist. Our intentions are always pure, we always want to do what's right. But we also have the drive to push boundaries, so we're in danger of taking things too far. We're told to do no harm, while we're trained to cut you open with a knife. So, we do things, when we should have left well enough alone. Because it's hard to admit when there's no problem to treat. To let it alone, before we make it so much worse. Before we cause such terrible damage. | ” |
One Step Too Far is the seventeenth episode of the eighth season and the 165th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Short Summary[]
Derek encourages a hesitant Meredith to work with him again in neurology. Jackson’s mother, Catherine Avery, returns to Seattle Grace with a urology fellow and develops an interest in Richard. Cristina becomes increasingly suspicious of Owen’s every move. Meanwhile, Alex tries to deny the fact that Morgan may be falling for him.
Full Summary[]
In the middle of the night, Owen and Cristina are lying in bed. Meredith's voice over talks about how surgeons are trained to be vigilant and find the problem. Cristina's awake and holds his nose. He wakes up, but she has nothing to say but "hi". Irritated, he turns around and goes back to sleep.
At 3:12 AM, Cristina is lying in bed. Owen comes home and goes into the bathroom. She's awake and takes his phone to check it.
4:40 AM. Cristina is awake and trying to reach Dr. Hunt at the hospital. She denies that Owen came home and asks the person at the hospital to page him. She will hold.
Cristina is at the hospital. She hears laughter in an on-call room. She finds Morgan and Alex eating and laughing together. She closes the door and enters the next on-call room. She walks in and Owen wakes up. She says he didn't come home, but there was a bus crash, he says. He asks why she's here. She stammers she brought him coffee after his rough night. But she forgot the coffee. She tells him to go back to sleep and leaves. Nurse Emily walks by, raising Cristina's suspicions even more.
Derek and Meredith are sitting in bath together. He wants her to come back to neuro, but she says they decided that was a bad idea. He says that was when they wanted to get Zola back. He misses her on his service and asks her to come back for one day for neuro's magic and mysteries.
Richard is sleeping in the skills lab. He's woken up by Bailey and Catherine Avery. There's another doctor with them, a fellow of Catherine's. Bailey tells him Dr. Avery's here for their bladder surgery. He gets up and greets them. Catherine takes a look at the bladder they grew from the patient's own stem cells. She says all these late night phone calls paid off. Richard says they couldn't have done it without her consultations. She calls him a flatterer and says that she's going to find her son before they put this bladder in places the sun don't shine. She tickles his chest and says he should find a cup of coffee. She orders Dr. Keaton to come with her and leaves. Bailey seems to remark the flirtation. Richard says he likes to sit with Adele until she falls asleep and to be there in the morning. Bailey worries when he gets sleep then, but he assures her he's fine.
Alex and Morgan are using an on-call room as Morgan's place to live. While he's eating, he asks her to ask him another card again. She's too worried about Tommy, who has a brain bleed. Alex corrects he barely has a brain bleed and assures her they're watching him. She thinks he's this close to failing his boards. He denies it and gets a page. It's from Robbins, so Morgan decides she's coming with him.
Meredith tells Cristina that Derek put her on his service despite her objections. Cristina needs Owen to confirm her trauma victim is brain dead. Through the ER window, they see Owen share his snack with nurse Emily. Meredith claims it doesn't have to mean anything, but Cristina doesn't hear her. Meredith leaves to find Derek.
Jackson reminds Mark that he has to tell his mother that they're buried with work today, so Jackson has no time to spend with her. Catherine comes in and kisses her son hello. She comments he looks skinny and asks if he forgot his tux. He's her date tonight for the Frontiers of Medicine benefit tonight. Catherine introduces Mark and Jackson to Mara Keaton, her star urology fellow. Since Mara is considering Seattle Grace Mercy West for an attending position next year, Catherine thought it'd be good for Jackson to show her around. Mark says he can absolutely spare Jackson for a few hours, breaking his promise to Jackson. Kepner will cover for his work.
Cristina is in a room in the ICU, watching Emily at the nurses' station. Her patient's husband has signed the consent forms to take the man off life support. The man takes a short moment to say goodbye to his partner of 22 years and while he talks about a memory, the ventilator is turned off. However, he suddenly realizes he can't do this and urges the nurse to put the ventilator back on. So, she does.
Cristina tells Owen what happened. She wants to get in on Teddy's preemie surgery, but Owen orders her to stay with the man to make him realize this is the only option left. He wants her to do her job and find some damn compassion. Emily comes over and suggests she could help, as the men know her. Cristina snaps at her, but Owen tells Cristina to let her help and thanks Emily. Cristina says thanks, too, but Emily realizes she doesn't mean it.
A patient is talking to Derek about how she screwed up her job interview in an embarrassing way. She didn't get the job, but Derek says her next interview will go better because they will remove the cyst today. Lexie explains how the cyst will be removed. The patient asks about the tumor they found. Derek explains it's benign, and they'll leave it for now until it starts to cause problems. When it does, it'll be easy to remove it. Today's surgery will stop the seizures and the dizziness. The patient is excited. Derek and Lexie leave the room just as Meredith arrives. Meredith claims she was kidnapped, while Derek tells Lexie Meredith is thinking about coming back to neuro because she misses the magic. Meredith objects.
Teddy and Arizona are explaining to Morgan that heart surgery is necessary. They can't wait till after the brain bleed has cleared up. Callie comes in and says Tommy's hip dysplasia can be treated with a harness. She also gives Arizona scones, knowing her wife skipped breakfast today. However, Arizona doesn't like pumpkin scones. Alex takes it and wants Morgan to eat, worried that she doesn't eat enough. The attendings notice how much he's caring. Alex will scrub in as it'll look good for his boards, but on their way out, Morgan jokes he shouldn't as he's been up with her all night. Callie asks if Alex really should be dating the heart-patient intern mom. Arizona is convinced he wouldn't date his intern, but Callie brings up how he's been treating her. Arizona however claims Alex is just trying to be more human and she's to be thanked for that.
Catherine tells her patient that the bladder is ready. They joke about it, making the patient laugh and eventually pee. After today, she won't have to be scared anymore that her bladder will let go every time she laughs. Or sneezes, or coughs, or has sex, the patient completes. Richard says she'll have a very full life once Dr. Avery's done with her. Looking at Richard, Catherine says she likes to think that everyone lives a very full life once she's done with them.
Meredith, Derek, and Lexie are in the OR. Lexie is doing her first solo cyst. Meredith thinks it's a boring procedure, showing no interest in neuro anymore at all, but Derek urges her to be a good sister and cheer Lexie on. Callie comes in, needing Derek to come and check on her patient. Derek says he'll be right there. Lexie knows how to continue the surgery. He promises to be right back, but asks Meredith to observe.
Jackson and Mara have arrived at the gallery. Jackson wants to go, as he has a difficult year because of the studying for the boards. Mara however wants to observe the surgery for a moment. They sit down and Mara asks if he's still dating anyone. Jackson doesn't answer and asks about her education. She tells him where she studied while he continues to look through his study cards. He gets how she managed to build such an impressive resume. Meanwhile, Derek entered the OR. Mara is amazed by him and asks Jackson to watch a little while longer, but he's disappeared.
In surgery, Teddy and Arizona agree Tommy's heart is the smallest they have ever seen. Suddenly, things get more complicated as Tommy's brain bleed has progressed to stage 3. Tommy needs a ventriculostomy. Arizona says they can page Marcus as Shepherd is in surgery, but Alex is determined to get the best surgeon possible. He rushes out to get Derek.
In Lexie's OR, the cyst is draining really well. However, there's a little bleeding. Meredith calmly explains they just need to find the source. In order to do so, they need to extend the craniotomy a little. So Lexie does.
Cristina is explaining to her patient's husband that the patient is only breathing because the machine is doing so for him. The man thinks his husband will die if they put off the machine, but Cristina explains he has already died. Emily comes in with an EEG of another patient. Cristina shows him there is brain activity, whereas his husband has had no activity at all for the past 72 hours. The man asks her to stop. Cristina says she's just trying to explain things, but he doesn't want to hear it. Emily interferes and tells Sam he can take all the time he needs. Cristina agrees to this and leaves, watching from outside the room how Emily comforts Sam.
Lexie's extended the craniotomy and fixes the bleeding. They then see the tumor and Lexie asks if they should take it out. It's so easy that even she could do it. Meredith asks a nurse to call Derek in OR 2 to ask him about this. He's about to finish his surgery, so he'll be here any minute. They'll wait for him.
Derek has stabilized Callie's patient's spine. Alex comes in, saying he needs Derek now in OR 4 for Tommy's brain bleed. Callie informs Derek that Tommy is intern Morgan's baby, which convinces Derek to go. Callie will finish.
Jackson tells Mark his mother is trying to set him up with Mara and reminds Mark about their deal to tell Catherine that they were busy, but this was a great opportunity for Mark to get Jackson laid. Mark wants to get him laid, as it's also good for him. He wants to pass on wisdom. He says Mara is a good catch, as she's only here for one night. Jackson refuses to give his mother that satisfaction. "It's not your mother that you should try to satisfy," Mark jokes.
Cristina walks into Mike's room and asks Sam if she can answer any of his questions, but he declines. He'd appreciate it if she stopped circling like a vulture. She nods and leaves. Outside the room, Emily once again offers to talk to him, but Cristina refuses. Emily says Sam is grieving as he's losing his husband, but Cristina wants him to think clearly. Emily tells her how Mike ended up in the hospital to prove she's gotten to know them pretty well. Cristina asks if she's ever been married. Emily hasn't. Cristina tells her to stay out of it, then, because she claims Emily can't have any idea what is going on then, nor what Sam needs.
Meredith finds Derek in Arizona's OR and says the surgery went great. Lexie even managed to take out the tumor and she did perfectly. Derek asks why the hell they would do that.
Derek says they did not have consent for the surgery, but Meredith objects that the patient would have to have another brain surgery then and the tumor was right there. Derek says they should have paged him. She tell him they did - twice. Meredith says Lori is fine, but Derek says they have to wait until she wakes up to know for sure. He asks for scans as he wants to know everything they did.
Catherine and Richard are operating on Irene, talking about Irene's life. Bailey is preparing the bladder and notices Catherine's flirting again. She tells them she's ready with the bladder, in case they were interested. As she brings it over, Mara comes in and says she lost track of Jackson, so she would like to scrub in with Catherine. Catherine doesn't allow her to and tells her to find her son if she wants to go to the benefit tonight. Richard comments the benefit sounds fun, but she says it hasn't been since she became an Avery, as she's always representing the Foundation so she has to look fancy. Also, in the OR, people expect her to do Harper Avery Award-winning work, even though she can't win the award. She says you can crumble and burn out under the Avery pressure, like Jackson's father did. She doesn't want it to happen to her son as well. Richard understands. Catherine wishes she could go back and be Catherine Fox again, as she was way more fun back then. He comments she's still fun now. She's glad he noticed.
Cristina is searching for food in April's fridge. Meredith comes in too, not liking the lunch served in the cafeteria. They find food and sit down. Meredith tells her about the tumor removal and Derek's worries. Cristina says she spent all day with Owen's nurse. "Owen's nurse?" Meredith asks, but Cristina quickly corrects herself to stupid ICU nurse. She avoids the subject by talking about the food. Alex comes in for food too, and Cristina asks him how long he's been sleeping with Morgan. He says he's not, but Cristina recalls seeing them in the on-call room together... before dawn. Yes, studying, he says. And feeding her, Cristina adds. While Alex says she's his intern and a patient, Meredith thinks this is gonna be like Rebecca. Morgan will fall for him and go crazy and pee on Meredith's couch. He tells the two of them to go to hell, but Meredith asks him to keep her of her couch anyway. Just as Meredith asks Cristina about Owen, April comes in and takes her food from Cristina. Jackson comes in and tells April to stop Facebooking his mother, but April says she isn't. Jackson asks how she knows then that he and Lexie broke up and now she's trying to set him up with a urology fellow because of that. Jackson steals food from April as well, just as Mara knocks on the door. April tells her Jackson is right there. They go off to continue the tour. Meredith wants to talk about Owen again, but Cristina tells her to drop it. She assures her everything is fine.
Mara proposes they go to the cafeteria to grab something to eat and talk, but Jackson tells her he knows about his mother's plan and apologizes, but he's not interested. Mara says she's not here to service him, she's here to serve his mother for a grade. She has to find out as much as she can about his life, including when he'll stop screwing around in plastics. Jackson realizes she's a spy then, but Mara says she ranks this task slightly above wiping vomit from bedpans, and his mother is very demanding. He knows his mother, so he must know she can't go back empty-handed. So, if he were really sorry and not just a presumptuous pig, he'd tell her whatever he wanted her to tell his mother. And if possible, he'd do it in the cafeteria because she's starving. Not a chance, he says, because it's jambalaya day. He asks her to come with him.
Meredith and Derek are in Lori's room. She hasn't woken up. Meredith sent Lexie to wait for Lori's labs, but she's confident Lori will be fine. Lori's parents rush in. Meredith tells her the surgery went great, but they won't know more about her condition until the anesthesia wear off. Lori then wakes up, and initial exams are good. She's responding well. However, she is unable to speak and panics.
Outside the room, Derek is explaining to the parents that the part of the brain that forms words has been damaged in the surgery. There's a chance that she can regain some of her function with therapy. The parents are furious. Derek says he did his best, but this was an outcome he did not foresee. He made a mistake. The mother says they're suing him because their daughter's life is ruined. Lori's father takes his irate wife further off to spare their daughter from overhearing. Meredith tells Derek it was her mistake, he wasn't even in the room. His mistake, he says, was leaving them alone. He does say, however, that she didn't think at all in the OR. Meredith wants this to be her mistake, as it will destroy Lexie's confidence. He says she should know, and if she's not strong enough to handle it, she shouldn't be a surgeon. As he walks into the room, Lexie comes over.
In post-op, Catherine is telling the story of the OR to Irene in a funny way to make her laugh, but she doesn't have to pee anymore, which makes her extremely chipper.
Outside the room, Catherine tells Richard they're quite a team. What would make this day even better if he were to replace Jackson as her date for the benefit tonight, as she would like a grown up along. He starts saying he wishes he could, but when he looks into her begging eyes, he says he'd be happy to. They walk off, arms hooked, with Bailey looking after them.
Emily is in the room with Sam, telling him he needs to stop seeing this as giving up on Mike. He's helping him. Cristina calls her name, but she ignores her. She says it is a hard step, but it is what Michael needs. Cristina steps in and says it would've been better if Mike died in the crash, as he'd be just as dead, but then Sam wouldn't be feeling like this. This way, he's died in slow motion. She explains he can take some comfort in the fact that if he had seen Mike die at the side of road and taken away in a body bag, he'd be as dead as he is now. Although Cristina didn't know him, she imagines Mike would want him to have that comfort. This makes Sam ask her to bring him the papers.
Jackson and Mara are eating in April's office, eating candy and talking about Catherine ignoring boundaries. He advises her to stick to her guns, as that will make his mother respect her. She claims she's unarmed, but he can tell she has guns.
Meredith is explaining to Lexie that they damaged Broca's area. Lori can understand speech and know what she wants to say, but she just can't say it. Lexie thinks Derek must be able to fix it, but it's irreparable. Lexie feels horrible, insisting there must be something they can do to fix it. Meredith says it's her fault too. Lexie breaks down, but Meredith says they can't cry right now. She's gonna have to go to Derek, and he'll be pissed and disappointed and he won't talk to her for days, but she can take it, learn from it, and never make this mistake again. Lexie nods.
Callie overhears Alex and Morgan talking about Tommy's case and Alex's career. Morgan teases him about failing his boards and goes off to see her boy. Callie asks him if they're a thing. He says they are not, she just needs someone to keep an eye on her since her boyfriend dumped her. And she's his intern. Callie talks to him about the process of imprinting in animals, where the little kitten lets the big gorilla cuddle it because there's no mother or cat boyfriend in town to do it, and compares it to Morgan and Alex. She says Morgan's smitten. He angrily walks off, thinking this is not that. "Big dumb gorilla," Callie says.
Richard is getting dressed in a lounge. Bailey comes in and asks if she's ready for his date. It's just professional, he claims. She asks if Catherine knows that too, meaning they way they have been flirting all day. He says he's not flirting, he's a married man with a wife that he loves in a nursing home. Bailey knows he loves his wife, he's killing himself and not getting any sleep because he loves his wife and to make sure she knows she's loved. While she takes care of Richard's bowtie, she says it's okay that he's giving himself a break, because everybody flirts with each other at this hospital. He's a good man, they all know it, even Catherine. There's flirting for fun, and flirting for profit, Bailey says. She knows which one he's doing and leaves him to think about Catherine's flirting.
Mike's been taken off life support. Cristina explains it's only a matter of time now. Sam thanks her and sits down on Mike's bed. He says this is the reason it took him three years to tell him he loved him and another three years before he moved in. He wasn't scared to commit, he was scared of how much he loved him and of this feeling that he'd never be able to find happiness without him. He breaks down and Cristina leaves the room. Emily follows her and asks if she can do anything for her. "Can you stop screwing my husband?" Cristina asks.
Cristina is walking off, saying she has no idea why she said that. Emily follows her and stops her. She and Dr. Hunt are not. She admits she flirted with him, but she flirts with everyone, it's how she gets through a long shift. It doesn't mean anything to her and they've never done anything. She switched shifts because of something with her boyfriend. She offers Cristina to call him and look through her text messages, but Cristina says it's fine. Emily swears she'd never do such a thing with the Chief and apologizes as Cristina walks off.
Meredith walks down a hallway and hears Derek screaming at Lexie about sticking to a surgical plan. Meredith stops and shares a look with Lexie, convincing her to stay strong during his yelling.
A dressed-up Mara and Jackson approach a dressed-up Catherine. Jackson encourages Mara to tell Catherine she and Jackson decided not to join her at the benefit tonight. Mara does so, but says unless Catherine really wants them to come. "Guns," Jackson reminds her. "Since you brought me across the country to run a personal errand for you when I could've been gaining valuable surgical experience, I've decided to take the night off," Mara says. She wants to continue standing up for herself, but Catherine suggests she stop right there. She figures out Jackson captured her spy. He did. He tells her to have fun and fly safe and kisses her goodbye. He and Mara then leave, with Catherine screaming after them that she was gonna uninvite them anyway, as she has a date.
Morgan is talking to Tommy while Arizona and Alex are discussing the case. Callie comes over to talk to Arizona and Morgan asks her to take a picture of her and Tommy. Callie takes her phone while Morgan asks Alex to come over and be part of the picture. He does so, and Callie takes picture. She shows it to Alex. It shows Morgan holding his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. "Smitten kitten," Callie whispers to him, making him feel awkward.
Richard approaches Catherine and says she looks lovely. She already thought he was going to stand her up. He's afraid he is. He apologizes. She asks if it's about the flirting, because he knows she's just having fun and his wife has nothing to worry about. He says his wife has Alzheimer's. It's bad and she's in a care facility. He goes to see her every night and she usually doesn't know who he is, and even though she knows he's a friend, he knows she's not really there. He misses laughing and talking with her, and feeling like a man. Today, he felt like a man again and it felt good. So he doesn't trust himself going to dinner with her. And his wife needs him, and he needs to see his wife. Catherine tells him he's a good man. They hug and he thanks her for the fun day.
Jackson shows Mara to an on-call room. He asks if she's sure she wants to change, because they could also go somewhere where she could look that amazing. Actually, she's not that hungry. She kisses him and asks him if he could help her with her zipper. He closes the door as he starts unzipping her dress.
Richard is taking off his tux.
Jackson and Mara are having sex in the on-call room.
Tommy is on the oscillator again, with Alex overseeing things.
Lexie is lying down in the on-call room. Meanwhile, Meredith's voice over talks about how surgeons always have the best intentions, but have to push boundaries sometimes, which causes them to sometimes take things too far.
Derek is lying in bed, thinking about Lori. This is why she can't come back to neuro, she says. He can't even look at her right now, so it's no good for them. She sits down. He doesn't want to talk about it, nor does he want to take his mind off it. He doesn't want her to leave him alone either, so she lies down next to him and takes his hand.
Owen comes home and Cristina is sitting in bed, awake. She says he didn't come home and she already replies for him that there was a some sort of crash. She asks why he's staring at her. He is doing so to figure out how upset she is and if he wants to get into this. She says he does want to get into this with her. He walks into the bathroom, saying he's tired and it's late, but she says that's the point. It's always late. It shouldn't be, and he should want to get into this with her, but he doesn't. She asks where he is. He walks back into the room and says he's right freaking here, home. "No, you're not," Cristina says. He sits down and she says he needs to be honest with her, because she's going crazy. She asks if he loves her anymore. He says he loves her so much it hurts. Cristina says they can work on that and talk about it, but they need to talk, because she means it when she said she was going crazy. She even accused Emily of sleeping with him. She apologizes, but her whole body felt like he was cheating on her and then he comes home saying he loves her, which relieved her. He recalls he said he loves her so much it that it hurts. He said it hurts to love her. "Just say it," she says. He turns around and looks her in the eye. He's not cheating on her with Emily. But he did cheat on her. Tears well up in her eyes.
Cast[]
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
- Summer Glau as Emily Kovach
- Amanda Fuller as Dr. Morgan Peterson
- James Avery as Sam
- Rebecca Hazlewood as Dr. Mara Keaton
Co-Starring[]
- Ginny McMath as Irene
- Chelsea Harris as Lori
- Charles Emmett as Mr. Bosson
- Rosalyn Sidewater as Mrs. Bosson
- Payton Silver as Dr. Knox
- Teresa Huang as O.R. Nurse
Medical Notes[]
Irene[]
- Diagnosis:
- Urinary incontinence
- Doctors:
- Catherine Avery (urologist)
- Richard Webber (general surgeon)
- Miranda Bailey (general surgeon)
- Treatment:
- Artificially grown bladder
Irene, 50, was in the hospital to receive the bladder that had been grown from her stem cells. She had urinary incontinence before her surgery, but that was resolved with her surgery.
Thomas Peterson[]
- Diagnosis:
- Brain bleed
- Pericardial tumor
- Hip dysplasia
- Doctors:
- Arizona Robbins (pediatric surgeon)
- Teddy Altman (cardiothoracic surgeon)
- Callie Torres (orthopedic surgeon)
- Alex Karev (surgical resident)
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Treatment:
- Tumor resection
- Ventriculostomy
Thomas had a small brain bleed that was being monitored. He also had a pericardial tumor that he needed surgery to remove. Callie told Morgan that his hip dysplasia could be treated with a harness. While they were in surgery, his brain bleed progressed to stage 3, so Alex went to get Derek, who came in and repaired the brain bleed.
Lori Bosson[]
- Diagnosis:
- Arachnoid cyst
- Meningioma
- Aphasia
- Doctors:
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Lexie Grey (surgical resident)
- Meredith Grey (surgical resident)
- Treatment:
- Marsupialization of the cyst
- Tumor resection
Lori, 27, came into the hospital after having dizzy spells, syncopal episodes, and seizures, which were found to be caused by an arachnoid cyst. She also had a brain tumor, but since it wasn't causing any problems, they decided to leave it alone and just drain the cyst. While the cyst was draining, Lori had some bleeding. They extended the craniotomy to find the source and cauterized it. Extending the craniotomy exposed the tumor. Lori woke up from her surgery but presented with aphasia, caused by damage to Broca's area. Derek informed her parents that with therapy, she could regain some of her function, but not all.
Michael[]
- Diagnosis:
- Car accident injuries
- Doctors:
- Cristina Yang (surgical resident)
- Treatment:
- Mechanical ventilation
Michael had been in a car accident. His heart ruptured on Monday and that was repaired. His lungs collapsed on Tuesday and his kidneys failed on Thursday. Three days after that, he was brain dead. His husband, Sam, had signed the papers to end life support. However, once the machines were turned off, he told Cristina to turn them back on. Cristina explained that they hadn't seen any brain activity for 72 hours and that Michael was already dead. Cristina explained how he had died in slow motion, but he was still dead. Sam agreed to turn off the machines.
Motorcycle Cop[]
- Diagnosis:
- C-7 Fracture
- Doctors:
- Callie Torres (orthopedic surgeon)
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Treatment:
- Surgery
Callie had a patient with a c-7 fracture. She called for Derek to keep an eye on the cord while she operated. Derek said his motorcycle days were over, but he believed the cop would walk again.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Stone In My Heart" | Graffiti6 |
|
| "Shuffle a Dream" | Little Dragon |
|
| "No Way" | The Naked and Famous |
|
| "This Man" | Graffiti6 |
|
| "Lick the Palm of the Burning Handshake" | Zola Jesus |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
Grey's Anatomy 8x17 promo
- This episode's title originated from the song One Step Too Far, originally sung by Faithless.
- This episode scored 9.62 million viewers.[1]
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Quotes[]
- Arizona: Alex Karev is trying to be more human, and I think that we can thank me for that.
- Derek: That's a perfect craniotomy, right, Dr. Grey?
- Meredith: You dragged me back into neuro to watch Lexie do a boring procedure?
- Lexie: Hey, it is not boring.
- Derek: It is not boring. It's her first solo cyst. Be a big sister. Cheer her on.
- Mark: Where's your hot tourist?
- Jackson: Yeah, she's not here for a tour. I'm being set up. My mom's trying to expand the Avery dynasty. You were supposed to tell her we were busy.
- Mark: You and Dr. Hotness should be getting busy, if you get my point. Actually, she should be getting your point.
- Jackson: What are you, 12? Why are you so obsessed with me getting laid?
- Mark: 'Cause it works for me. It's called passing on wisdom.
- Jackson: Also pimping.
- Mark: She's here for one night.
- Jackson: No. I am not going to give my mother the satisfaction.
- Mark: It's not your mother you should be trying to satisfy.
- Jackson: Child!
- Catherine: It's exhausting. Once upon a time I was Catherine Fox, ever since I've become an Avery, every fund raiser gala-charity brouhaha that comes along I gotta squeeze into some pantyhose, get zipped into a couture gown and represent, and every time you go into an O.R, they expect you to do Harper Avery award-winning work, even though I can never win a Harper Avery. The name comes with way too much pressure. You can crumble under it, burn out. Happened to Jackson's father. I do not want it to happen to Jackson.
- Richard: Yeah, it's a... it's a lot to hold up.
- Catherine: Don't you wish you could just go back sometimes? I would love to just be Catherine Fox all over again. I was so much more fun back then.
- Richard: Oh, you're still fun now.
- Catherine: I am, huh? Glad you noticed.
- Mara: I'm not here to service you, Dr. Avery. I'm here to serve your mother for a grade. And she has tasked me with digging up as much as I can about your boards, your standing, your love life, and when you're gonna stop screwing around in plastics.
- Jackson: You're not a setup. You're a spy.
- Mara: I rank this task slightly above wiping vomit from bedpans, but your mother is a very demanding woman, and if you know anything about her, you know I can't go back empty-handed. So, if you're really sorry and not just a presumptuous pig, you would do a girl a solid, and you will tell me whatever it is that you want me to tell her. And you can do it in the cafeteria, because I'm bloody starving!
- Jackson: Not a chance. It's jambalaya day. Come with me.
- Callie: Are you and Morgan a thing?
- Alex: No. No. Her dumbass boyfriend bailed. She just needs someone to keep an eye on her. She's my intern.
- Callie: Right. You ever see one of those gorillas that likes to cuddle the little kitten and raises it as its own?
- Alex: Unh-Unh.
- Callie: It's called imprinting. The, uh, scared little kitten lets the big gorilla cuddle it because there's no mama cat around or, you know, the dumbass cat boyfriend left town.
- Alex: That... This isn't that.
- Callie: Watch out. Cause... she's smitten.
- Alex: She is not. You know what? Go watch your animal channel or whatever. (walks off)
- Callie: Big dumb gorilla.
- Miranda: Getting all ready for your date?
- Richard: It's not a date. It's a function with a colleague.
- Miranda: Mm-hmm. Does she know that?
- Richard: What do you mean?
- Miranda: I mean, the way you two have been flirting with each other all day.
- Richard: I am not flirting.
- Miranda: Well, why do I feel like I need a shower?
- Richard: Are you suggest-- Look, I am a married man with a wife in a nursing home.
- Miranda: I know that.
- Richard: I am not... Oh, god. I love my wife, Bailey.
- Miranda: Oh, Dr. Webber, I know you love your wife. You're killin' yourself because you love your wife. Not gettin' any sleep, you're trying so hard to make sure she knows she's loved. (fixing his tie) G-Give me that. (whispers) Come here. (sighs) (normal voice) You can give yourself a break. Okay? Everybody in this hospital flirts with everybody else. It's fine. You're a good man. I know it. We all know it. But I don't know if Dr. Winky Pants knows it. What? I'm just sayin' there's flirting for fun and then there's flirting for profit. I know which one you're doing.
- Richard: I'm sorry, Catherine, I can't go.
- Catherine: Is this because I've been flirting with you all day?
- Richard: No. No.
- Catherine: Oh, come on, Richard. You know I'm just having fun. Your wife has nothing to worry about.
- Richard: (sighs) My wife has Alzheimer's.
- Catherine: How bad?
- Richard: It's bad. She's in a care facility. I go see her every night. She usually doesn't know who I am. She knows I'm a friend, but she's not there. And I miss her. I miss laughing and talking. I miss feeling like a man, not just a friend. Anyway, today, I wasn't lonely. Today I felt like a man. And it felt good. So I don't trust myself going to dinner with you tonight. And my wife needs me. And I need to see my wife.
- Catherine: Richard, you are a good man. You know that?
- Richard: I'm trying. Thank you for a lovely day.
- Cristina: You have to be honest with me because I am going crazy here. Do you, um, Do you love me anymore?
- Owen: It's not about if I...
- Cristina: Owen,, please answer the question.
- Owen: I love you so much that it hurts.
- Cristina: Okay. Well, okay, then. Then we can work on this. We can talk. You know, we have to talk, because I cannot be like this anymore. And I mean it when I say that I'm going crazy, 'cause... 'cause that nurse, Emily? I mean, I-I accused her of sleeping with you.
- Owen: You what?
- Cristina: I'm sorry. I just... I mean, I feel like... My whole body feels like... Like you were cheating on me. And then you come home and you tell me that you love me, and I'm...I'm--I'm--I'm relieved. I mean, I'm so relieved because...
- Owen: Stop. Stop. I said I love you so much that it hurts.
- Cristina: Okay.
- Owen: I said... it hurts to love you.
- Cristina: Just say it.
- Owen: I'm not cheating on you with Emily.
- Cristina: Okay.
- Owen: But I did cheat on you.
See Also[]
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A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Grey's Anatomy Season 8 | ||||||
| #01 | "Free Falling" | #09 | "Dark Was the Night" | #17 | "One Step Too Far" | |
| #02 | "She's Gone" | #10 | "Suddenly" | #18 | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" | |
| #03 | "Take the Lead" | #11 | "This Magic Moment" | #19 | "Support System" | |
| #04 | "What is It About Men" | #12 | "Hope for the Hopeless" | #20 | "The Girl with No Name" | |
| #05 | "Love, Loss and Legacy" | #13 | "If/Then" | #21 | "Moment of Truth" | |
| #06 | "Poker Face" | #14 | "All You Need is Love" | #22 | "Let the Bad Times Roll" | |
| #07 | "Put Me In, Coach" | #15 | "Have You Seen Me Lately?" | #23 | "Migration" | |
| #08 | "Heart-Shaped Box" | #16 | "If Only You Were Lonely" | #24 | "Flight" | |
| << Season 7 | Season 9 >> | |||||