Grey's Anatomy 6.12 – "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked"

What can I say? I actually liked the episode. More than I expected and I’m not sure if that’s because I just lowered my expectations or because parts of it really were “vintage Grey’s Anatomy”. I enjoyed the dynamics between the various couples or friends/co-workers. Unlike most of the recent storylines these were more like real life.

Am I the only one who though the chickenpox storyline was neither particularily funny nor cute nor required? What was all that about? Well, I know what the writers wanted to demonstrate with that storyline: even if your loved one is sick (and looks like it) – you love him anyway., I just didn’t find the way they choose to demonstrate that very entertaining.

Mark is getting on my nerves recently. I guess watching the way he acted in LA during “Private Practice” has ruined his character for me. Yes, Lexie was the one to end the relationship and thus technically he was the one who was left. But it’s not like his actions prior to the breakup didn’t play a role in the whole thing. He made big decisions without consulting Lexie and he choose his daughter over her. And it’s not like Addison did have to drag him to her bed. He dropped his pants pretty quickly in LA. In my opinion he has no right to be pissed at Lexie. Maybe Lexie should stick to the green recycling idea and hook up with Alex in the long run *g*. I don’t think I would mind that to be honest.

Sometimes the means of having the patient’s problem mirror one character’s problem is too obvious for my taste, but most of the times I like it. I did in this episode with opera singer + his boyfriend on the one hand and Cristina (get to her in a minute) and Alex on the other hand. If you really really love somebody you might accept that this somebody doesn’t love you as much as you love him and that he/she doesn’t treat you with the respect and care you deserve. But the question is: do you really have to accept that, because you love him? Or shouldn’t you better draw a line somewhere. For your own good. Alex is drawing this line and I like that he does. I always had a thing for Alex! Well, maybe not from the start, because he was such a jerk in the beginning, but he grew on me. I’m not quite sure what to think about him basically ending the relationship with Izzie, but I get why he does. Because he IS a good guy and he DOES deserve better than her (who had left him without a word in early season 6 and then blamed him for getting her fired etc) I’m so so over izzie by now and  I wouldn’t be sad at all to see her leave Seattle for good.

Cristina’s dilemma is a whole different story. Even though her way of thinking and feeling is so unlike mine, I could understand why she was troubled by what she said and that she believes she meant it. Since the pilot we know that for Cristina surgery is everything. It’s what she believes in and what keeps her sane (remember when she was singing “Like a Virgin” in the morgue?). To question her priorties would mean she’d have to question herself and her self-perception and that’s a really difficult thing to do. And choosing love over surgery is always coming with the risk of getting hurt sooner or later. Love is risky in a completely different way than surgery. Surgery could never leave you or break your heart. But love is real and it is what makes you alive and I really liked that Owen told her exactly that. I’m glad that he is wiling to fight for his relationship, even though he was hurt by her actions. But he loves her, so he tries to deal with it.

Richard Webber finally is stepping down as chief. Being stepped down ;-) It was about time and I hope it won’t be just temporarily, but for good. I’m afraid he’ll be back after some rehab though, when the chief job has caused enough problems in the Meredith/Derek relationship. Then Webber will relieve Derek from this burden to make sure Meredith has her happy ending. Or something like that.

I’m not 100% what to make of the way this was all played out. I definitely enjoyed that there was some drama in the Mer/Der relationship, because there is some dram in every real relationship. You disagree, you fight, you deal with the conflict, you solve it, you make up. I actually also liked (or at least didn’t mind at all) that I couldn’t sympathize 100% with either side of the argument or the way they dealt with it.

I usually love Meredith and I kind of understood why she kept Webber’s secret for so long. I didn’t like it and I though it was a dumb and irresponsible thing, but I could understand why she – as character Meredith Grey – did it. I disliked Webber for so long now that I wish she hadn’t, but sadly neither Meredith Grey nor Shonda Rhimes gives a damn about who I like or dislike. But now that she had told Derek she also should have been reasonable and responsible enough to know that something has to happen and that she doesn’t help anyone be keeping it a secret any longer. But there also was the very human emotion of ambition. She decided to look the other way for one more day to be able to do an awesome surgery.

Derek did the right thing to report Richard to the Board, there’s no question about that. I just didn’t like what he did to achieve it. He was a McAss for quite some of the episode. I get that he was mad that Webber brushed off his attempts to try to help him. But to just hand Webber the whisky and say “I know you’ll drink it” in this obnoxiously self-righteous way… not ok. That was the petty and passive-aggressive streak of him, which I know exists, so I wasn’t too surprised. I still didn’t like it.  And later on he was clearly blackmailing Meredith with the promise of bringing Izzie back. Another cheap shot. Not really McDreamy-like, but human in a way. Like it or not.

There were a few scenes which felt like “good old Grey’s” to me, even though I can’t really explain in detail why. Meredith, Alex and Lexie in the kitchen. The lunch hour and the talk about choosing between love or surgery. Cristina telling Mer about the Owen/Teddy thing. The way Cristina told her was so typical for her and I just love that Meredith understands what Cristina means, but also lectures her, that this way of thinking is so not politic correct. Oh, and of course I liked Owen and Derek and their bonding moment. The “twisted sisters” comment was hilarious.I even liked Teddy again, probably because there was no scene in which she had that pining for Owen look on her face ;-)

All in all. Some parts still (or newly) annoying. Some parts ok. Some parts surprisingly entertaining and much more realistic than a lot of the previous storylines in season 6. So… not bad. I guess I really have lowered my expectations :-). And having songs of my two favourite female singers in the same episode (Ingrid Michaelson with “Everybody” in the beginning and Brandi Carlile with “Oh Dear” when Alex broke up with Izzie) always helps with the gaining my sympathies…

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One Response to Grey's Anatomy 6.12 – "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked"

  1. Lillibelle says:

    As you know I didn’t like the episode too much. After thinking about it a while, letting it sink in, I think it’s because of the ending or how they dealt with the alcoholism-storyline. Why all of sudden the chief has to operate again? I guess it would have been better to force him into retirement and not to go the board. Doing the right thing. I mean we are talking about a tv series. You don’t expect so much real life, especially after some of the recent storylines ;-)
    The patient’s story was to obvious to me. Callie – not funny or anything at all. Mark – they should have let him without any storyline.
    Yes, there were some scenes that reminded me of old times, too. Mer lecturing, the “twisted sister” comment, the lunch, I could even live with the cute MercyWester, MerDer in the beginning, but it wasn’t enough to make me like the episode.

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