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Save Me

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“ You know how when you were a kid and you believed in fairy tales? That fantasy of what your life would be – white dress, prince charming who’d carry you away to a castle on a hill. You’d lie in your bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, prince charming –they were so close you could taste them. But eventually you grow up and one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they can trust. But the thing is, it’s hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely because almost everyone has that smallest bit of hope and faith that one day they would open their eyes and it would all come true. At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. Its like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important that it's happy ever after. Just that it's happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away. ”

Save Me is the eighth episode of the first season and the 8th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Meredith and Derek grow closer, Alex and Burke argue and perform a risky procedure, Izzie treats a psychic while Cristina treats a pregnant patient.

Full Summary[]

Derek returns to Meredith's bedroom and finishes getting ready as Meredith watches on.

Izzie is in the kitchen with George complaining that her cupcakes still don't taste right. He disagrees and says Martha Stewart would be proud of these cupcakes. Izzie thinks she's missing something, one specific ingredient. George suggests she just call her mother and ask, but Izzie doesn't want to do that.

Meredith watches Derek brush his teeth in the bathroom and suggests they sleep at his place tonight. She doesn't understand why they always sleep at her place and wonders if he even has one. Derek doesn't answer and heads downstairs to the kitchen. He greets George who offers one of Izzie's cupcakes for breakfast. Derek says he likes it here, that Meredith prefers having her things here, sleeping in her own bed as he gathers a bowl and cereal. George asks if he's a health nut as he easts muesli every morning, which Derek denies. Izzie says he definitely does, the last 7 days at least. Derek then realizes he's been there all week.

Cristina is sitting in a doctor's office. When someone comes in, she tells them she's starting an ENT rotation on the 9th and needs to have this done before that, but there are no openings until the 16th. The person tells her there are other options besides termination and tries to discuss them, but Cristina cuts her off telling her to put her down for the 16th. She will confirm after she rearranges her schedule. The person again tries to discuss options with Cristina, but she cuts he off saying she's not interested in the talking part.

Alex is examining Devo, a patient who recently had a root canal that wouldn't stop bleeding. Burke comes in asking for the bullet. Alex tells him Devo is a 17-year-old female hospitalized for excessive bleeding status post root canal, also had a significant new heart murmur associated with fever and is not afebrile on antibiotics. Devo asks if she's going to die, can they call her parents who are in the cafeteria, but Burke assures her she is not dying. He says Alex is going to run some labs, and he will be back later with her parents. Once he's gone, Alex asks what kind of name Devo is anyway. She mentions the 80s rock band and says her parents did too much blow. As she tells Alex she calls herself Esther, he pulls back the blanket to reveal she's wearing an ankle length denim skirt under her hospital gown. He teases her asking if she's Amish. She asks if he's ever seen an Orthodox Jew.

Cristina is reviewing scans, but says the patient belongs in psych and questions why they are turfing him to surgery. The psych resident explains the patient had a seizure 2 days ago, and another this morning. Meredith is reading his chart and wonders what he's talking about, the patient says he can talk to dead people, his family thinks he is dangerous and had him committed and reiterates it's a psych case, not neuro. Cristina asks if he even went to med school, which offends the resident. He says unlike the 'correspondence school' she attended, he learned not to jump to conclusions. He sarcastically apologizes and says psych can't take him back until he's cleared. He says the patient believes his seizures are visions, but the patient heard him and argues they are not seizures – he's psychic! Meredith and Cristina enter the room, greeting Mr. Duff and telling him they are going to start a workup, which he believes is a waste of time. As Meredith checks his eyes, Cristina tests his grip when he has another seizure. Once it stops, he tells them someone is going to check out, Cristina is not impressed and still thinks he's nuts. Mr. Duff says he's dizzy, not deaf and someone on the 4th floor is going to die. Just then, a code blue is called over the intercom for the 4th floor.

Cristina is fighting back nausea as she walks up to the nurse's station and joins George. He's still thinking about how the psychic called it with the 4th floor dead guy, but Cristina ignores him and asks if he's free to cover for her on the 16th. George is distracted by Derek and Meredith heading their way and says he's thinking of letting his hair grow. Maybe he won't shave, go for the stubble effect and asks Cristina what she thinks. She reiterates, he needs him to cover the 16th. He agrees and asks why, but she tells him it's none of his business and walks away.

Meredith and Derek are walking down the corridor discussing how she doesn't feel like she knows anything about him. He says she knows him – he's from New York, he likes ferry boats, but she wonders about friends. He says he's a surgeon, he doesn't have any friends. She continues asking who he hangs out with, what he does on his days off saying they are important questions. He wonders who it's important to, as she says they have sex every night, she thinks she deserves some details. He says she has more details than most, but she thinks it's weird and says she's withholding sex until she knows him better. He suggests she just roll with it, be flexible, but she says she isn't flexible, to which he disagrees with a sly smile as he's paged away. They stare at one another a moment, until he says they will find these things out, it's the fun part of being in a relationship, like the gravy as he runs off. She shouts back she doesn't want to be his gravy.

Burke and Alex are discussing Devo/Esther's treatment with her parents in the lobby. She needs a valve replacement as her labs show Von Willebrand's disease. They explain that she can't take the blood thinners necessary to maintain a mechanical heart valve, they are suggesting a porcine valve instead. Her father understand that's a pig valve, and Burke says it's the standard of care for someone in Esther's position. Her mother says she doesn't care, she just wants them to save her daughter's life.

Bailey and Izzie are in surgery, removing a lump. Mrs. Glass is awake and asks about the psychic in the hospital. Neither Bailey nor Izzie believe the psychic is real and Izzie says the ICU is on the 4th< floor, people die there all the time. Bailey is almost finished with the procedure and explains the next steps. Izzie is still stuck on the psychic and says he's a fake, that she can see further into the future than he can. Bailey wonders why it bothers Izzie so much, which Izzie denies.

Derek is testing nerve response on Mr. Walker's leg. He can't feel anything until Derek gets to his thigh. Derek asks him to try to wiggle his toes, but he is unable to do so. Mr. Walker says he was able to wiggle them about 10 minutes earlier as Derek reviews the X-Rays. He says the spine looks clear and asks to clarify how he was injured. He was rock climbing in Snohomish. It was a small drop and he was belayed. He says his family is on their way. Derek tests his leg strength and Mr. Walker asks if he should be worried now. Derek tells him to relax but calls for a nurse to get an MRI and Meredith to accompany him.

George is trying to intubate a patient, while Alex tries to help him but only makes him more nervous. George makes a mistake and inserts the ventilator into the esophagus. Burke arrives and inserts the ventilator on the first try.

Cristina is in Mr. Duff’s room, and he flirts with her. Looking at the test results, Cristina tells the patient that he is epileptic. She requests an MRI, while Mr. Duff manages to figure out that Cristina is pregnant, as if he had a vision.

Cristina asks Miranda Bailey not to have Mr. Duff as her patient anymore. Bailey agrees on the condition that Cristina takes over her post-operative paperwork for the following month. Bailey then assigns her a case together with her on a patient with breast cancer who is also pregnant.

Derek and Meredith look at the X-rays of the paralyzed patient, and she starts asking him personal questions because she feels she still doesn’t know anything about him.

Cristina talks to the patient, Zoey Glass, who asks to wait until the end of the pregnancy to undergo chemotherapy. Cristina says that it’s not possible because pregnancy hormones accelerate the cancer. According to Cristina, none of these treatments will allow the baby to survive. The doctors ask the patient to decide whether to undergo the treatment and thus have an abortion, or to refuse it and die later.

Derek and Meredith talk to Mr. Walker and his wife. Meredith asks if the patient has been under stress recently, and then she discusses with Derek, telling him that sometimes mental trauma can manifest in the body. Mr. Duff shows up and tells Mr. Walker that he believes him and that it's not just a psychosomatic issue. Derek reassures Mr. Walker, telling him that he’s not crazy.

Devo Friedman argues with her parents because she doesn’t want a pig valve implanted in her body, as it is a non-kosher animal. Burke warns Devo that she would die if she didn’t undergo the surgery. Devo asks Alex to find another solution.

Izzie performs an MRI on Mr. Duff, while he flirts with her too.

The residents find themselves talking about hospital food and chatting among themselves. Cristina points out a nurse, Nurse Harper, and tells George to make a move on her.

George advises Izzie to call her mother for her birthday.

Cristina is in the room with Zoey Glass, who talks about how she conceived the baby at an advanced age after trying for a long time and now has to face a difficult choice. Cristina interrupts her and tells her that she has a good chance of survival, and that by giving up the treatment, she wouldn’t see her child grow up.

Mr. Walker tells Derek that he can’t move his hands, so Derek immediately prepares an operating room because he believes there is a clot in the patient’s spine. Meredith fears he might be wrong and that it could be an unnecessary surgery. Derek wants to rely on his instincts.

Alex performs an ultrasound on Devo and sees that her condition is worsening. The relationship with the patient becomes more intimate, and there seems to be a connection between the two. They start talking about faith.

Izzie reaches Bailey to show her the CT scan of Mr. Duff’s brain. They notice that there is an arteriovenous malformation in the left lobe. Izzie wants to prepare the operating room, but Bailey stops her because she must first get authorization from the surgeon. Bailey says that Izzie is too emotionally involved with the patients. She denies it.

Derek and Meredith are operating on Mr. Walker. Meredith is still not convinced about the surgery and questions the ethics of performing a surgery blindly.

Bailey and Cristina enter Zoey Glass’s room. The patient has chosen to have an abortion. As they leave the room, Bailey asks Cristina if she has ever performed a dilation and curettage. Cristina will have to perform it.

Alex and George are in the office. George asks Alex how he manages to have so many women around him. Alex jokes about it. Alex discovers that it is also possible to transplant a bovine valve into patients. Alex tells George that he thinks too much and acts too little.

Alex enters Devo’s room, where her parents are also present. He informs the family that he found an alternative transplant and that Burke could implant a bovine valve instead of a pig valve. Burke arrives and listens to the conversation. Alex tells Burke that the bovine valve is superior to the pig one, challenging him in front of the patient’s family.

In the hospital corridor, Burke relieves Alex of his duties because he didn’t consult him first.

Izzie enters Mr. Duff’s room and asks him to sign papers to proceed with the surgery. She explains that he needs surgery to prevent the malformation from rupturing. She tells him that his visions are caused by this condition. But he calls her "Cricket," and she is surprised.

Cristina enters Zoey’s room to prepare her for the curettage, but she and her husband have chosen not to abort. Cristina tries to convince her, but Zoey asks if she can guarantee that she will survive after the treatment. Cristina cannot guarantee it, so Zoey explains that her own mother also died of cancer, and therefore, she wants to keep the baby. Cristina requests a psychiatric intervention, but Zoey tells her not to bother.

Cristina, alone and pensive in the dormitory, is joined by Burke, who has been avoiding her all day. Burke tells her that he doesn’t know how to perform the bovine transplant. Cristina tells him that at least his problem has a solution.

Meredith and Derek are still in the operating room with Mr. Walker. There is damage to the sympathetic nervous system; time is running out, and they absolutely need to find the clot.

While George is walking down the corridor, Nurse Harper asks him to help her intubate a patient. Meanwhile, Burke, passing by, sees George O’Malley performing the procedure and watches him closely. The procedure goes well, and Harper compliments George.

Burke meets Alex on the stairs and asks how long it will take to get a bovine valve. Alex is happy that Burke followed his intuition. Burke asks Alex to also find a rabbi for a blessing for Devo.

Derek and Meredith find the clot in Mr. Walker’s back. After the surgery, Derek and Meredith find themselves talking, and Derek tells Meredith that he considers their relationship a real one. Meredith asks him to prove it.

Cristina brings Zoey the discharge documents. Zoey tells Cristina that she misjudges her, but she talked to her husband, and they have decided that it’s okay because the baby will live many years with the father. Cristina cannot understand her.

Izzie enters Mr. Duff’s room and asks the patient to sign the forms again. Duff is worried because he has always lived with these visions and feels they are part of him and fears they will disappear after the surgery.

Devo is on the operating table and is sedated. A doctor experienced in bovine valve transplants assists and directs the operation via a video call on a television. Burke puts on his gown.

The residents find themselves in a corridor talking about the day, joking about the fact that Meredith wouldn’t have let Derek perform the surgery, thus killing the patient. George arrives and talks about his "fiery encounter" with the nurse. Alex gives him a condom. Izzie explains that the psychic will have the surgery and that maybe he believes in his visions because he told her things about her past that he could never have known.

Meredith meets the patient, Mr. Walker, who thanks her and shows her that he can move his hand.

After the surgery, Mr. Duff tells Izzie that "she" (someone who appeared to Izzie) is still there and that the ingredient for her recipe is a spoonful of coconut extract, so he hasn’t lost his visions.

Izzie finds herself at home eating a chocolate muffin and finally calls her mom.

Derek takes Meredith to his trailer and tells her a lot of information about himself.


Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Uncredited[]

Medical Notes[]

Cristina Yang[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Pregnancy
  • Doctors:
  • Treatment:

Cristina made an appointment to terminate her pregnancy.

Devo Friedman[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Excessive bleeding post-root canal
    • Heart murmur
    • Von Willebrand disease
    • Mitral regurgitation
  • Treatment:
    • Root canal
    • Antibiotics
    • Bovine valve replacement

Devo, 17, had a root canal and couldn't stop bleeding afterward, so she was sent to the hospital, where they detected a heart murmur. Her fever went down with antibiotics. She was diagnosed with Von Willebrand disease, which made her ineligible for the mechanical heart valve, meaning she'd need a porcine valve replacement. Devo declined due to her religious beliefs, but Alex found out that she could get a bovine valve instead. Using a video feed from a doctor who had performed the procedure before, Burke replaced her valve. She woke up stable after surgery.

Mr. Duff[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Epilepsy
    • Arteriovenous malformation
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Mr. Duff was put in the hospital by his family, who felt he was dangerous because he talked to dead people and claimed to have visions. He had seizure activity, so he was sent to get that checked on before he could be sent back to psych. He was diagnosed with an AVM. He didn't want to have the surgery because he still believed he was having visions. Izzie eventually convinced him to agree to have the surgery and after he woke up, he had another vision.

4th Floor Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Cardiac arrest
  • Doctors:
  • Treatment:
    • Attempted resuscitation

A 4th floor patient coded and attempts and resuscitation were unsuccessful.

Zoey Glass[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Breast cancer
    • Pregnancy
  • Treatment:
    • Frozen section biopsy

Zoey, 47, had a frozen section biopsy to check for cancer. She was also pregnant. She declined to terminate the pregnancy. She reconsidered for a brief time before ultimately deciding not to terminate and continue the pregnancy, making her death inevitable.

Tommy Walker[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Paralysis
    • Clot
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Mr. Walker fell rock climbing and was left with ascending paralysis. Scans didn't reveal a cause, so Meredith suspected a conversion disorder. When the paralysis reached his upper body, Derek took him into surgery, believing there was a clot that the scans weren't showing. After hours of searching, they found the clot and evacuated it. After surgery, he woke up and the paralysis started to reverse itself.

ER Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Intubation

George attempted to intubate a patient, but Burke had to step in and do it himself.

George's Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Intubation

Olivia called George into a room to intubate a patient, which he did successfully.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"David" Nellie McKay
  • Derek gets ready for work.
  • Izzie tells George the cupcakes still don't sound right.
  • Derek defends himself.
"Feels Like" Masha Qrella
  • The interns talk.
  • Cristina points out Olivia to George.
  • Izzie looks at her phone and George encourages her to call her mom.
"Rapture" Laura Veirs
  • Alex explains to Devo that her condition is getting worse and they talk about faith and beliefs.
  • Izzie gives Bailey Mr. Duff's scans.
  • Derek and Meredith start the surgery.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Glass decide to do the abortion, so Bailey tells Cristina to do it.
"I Love the Rain the Most" Joe Purdy
  • Zoey Glass decides to forgo any treatment for the breast cancer.
  • Cristina and Burke talk.
  • Meredith and Derek look for a reason for the paralysis.
"No Illusions" 78 Saab
  • Cristina delivers discharge papers to Zoey Glass.
  • Zoey explains her position.
  • Izzie talks to Mr. Duff about his surgery.
  • He signs the consent form.
"Fix You Up" Tegan and Sara
  • Meredith's patient and his family smile.
  • Mr. Duff tells Izzie the missing ingredient.
  • Meredith gets in Derek's car.
  • George and Olivia leave the hospital together.
  • Cristina watches Zoey Glass leave with her husband.
  • Alex examines Devo.
  • Izzie adds coconut extract and calls her mom.
  • Derek takes Meredith to his land in the woods and tells her that he lives in the trailer.
  • Derek shares his personal life with Meredith.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This episode's title originated from a song called Save Me, but it is unclear by which artist. There are at least two dozen different artists with songs named Save Me from before this episode aired, including Aretha Franklin, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Aimee Mann and Remy Zero (this band's song was also the theme song for the show Smallville).
  • This episode scored 18.33 million viewers.[1]
  • Goof (medically incorrect): When Dr. Grey suggests that Mr. Walker has a conversion disorder, Dr. Shepherd asks if it's psychosomatic. This is a common mistake. A psychosomatic disease is a genuine physical ailment caused in part by psychological factors. However, a conversion disorder is considered a somatoform disorder (one that cannot be fully explained by organic conditions and are largely due to psychological factors, i.e. what many people consider to be "psychosomatic").
  • Goof: There were several religion-related mistakes in this episode.
    • First, the religious Orthodox Jew refused to have a "pig part" inserted in her body. But, according to Jewish Law, in order to save one's own life, one must break any of the laws of Judaism (except idolatry, adultery, or murder).
    • When Esther is praying to herself she is reciting the silent Amidah prayer but then covering her eyes as if she is saying the 'Shma' prayer. On top of this, the words she is saying don't mean anything. She also bows three times after her prayer but in the wrong order.
    • The Jewish girl wanted a rabbi to pray over her before her surgery, but the rabbi was female, which is not permitted according to Orthodox Judaism. Also, the religious chants she is singing would not be something appropriate for this occasion. Also, Orthodox women do not sing in front of men.
  • This was the episode submitted for Sandra Oh for the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards under 'Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series'.[source?]
  • The Grey Matter blog post for this episode was written in retrospect during the hiatus between season two and three.

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

Meredith: I want facts, and until I get them, my pants are staying on.
Derek: Or you could just roll with it, be flexible. See what happens.
Meredith: I'm not flexible.
Derek: Now there I disagree... We'll find these things out. That's the fun part, you know? That's the gravy.
Derek: My mother's maiden name, Maloney. I have four sisters. I have, uh, nine nieces. Five nephews. I like coffee ice-cream, single-malt scotch, occasionally a good cigar. I like to fly fish. And I cheat when I do the crossword puzzle on Sunday. And I never dance in public. Um, favorite novel, The Sun Also Rises. Favorite band, The Clash. My favorite color is blue. I don't like light blue, indigo. The scar right here on my forehead, that's why I don't ride motorcycles anymore. And I live in that trailer. All this land is mine. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it. So that's it. That's all you have earned for now. The rest you're just... just gonna have to take on faith.
Meredith: You know, you keep taking everything on faith. How do you know what's real and what's not?
Derek: You just do. You know some people would call this a relationship. Time to exchange keys, leave your toothbrush over.
Meredith: Who, who would call it that?
Derek: Me, I would.
Meredith: And I'm supposed to believe you? Show me something. Give me a reason to believe.
George: How's a pompous cocky jackass like you always have women all over him?
Alex: Little bluebell pills. Lots of them.
George: Oh, c'mon.
Alex: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. O'Malley, you think too much. Can't you see it? You gotta dance and jab, dance and jab! Like me. I am the Ali of this place.
Cristina: Dr. Bailey, I want off the psychic case, I'll take whatever you've got. Can I switch?
Bailey: Ask nicely.
Cristina: What? This is me doing nicely.


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.


References[]

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