By J.E.
The newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy was number 3×21, and it covered a lot of ground for once. It seems like several different storylines are moving forward at last. Although I didn’t agree with the all the things that happened in the ep, I did like it as a whole. Here’s my recap of “Desire”:
Mer/Der: These two didn’t interact very much together, but that was by design. Meredith was actually reaching out to Derek; however, he didn’t respond because he’s still struggling with his desire to be chief of Seattle Grace. I think he’s finally able to see Chief Webber’s point of view that it will be impossible to balance work and family if Derek assumed that role. Plus, Derek realizes that Meredith is perhaps a lot more screwed up than he initially thought. At the end of the ep, he makes this whole speech about being her crutch — and it really sounds like he’s ready to give up on them as a couple.
George/Izzie/Callie: I admit that when George and Izzie first slept with each other, I was disgusted that the writers decided to go in that direction. But now that these two characters have been interacting with each other more and more in the last few episodes, I have to say that they’re sort of growing on me. They just look like they’re so in tune to each other and are actually having fun together.
Of course, there’s still Callie to deal with. In this ep, she confesses to Addison that the way George and Izzie spend so much time together makes her uncomfortable. Addison says there’s probably a good reason she feels that way, which prompts Callie to come right out and confront Izzie. She basically begs Izzie to back off from George, saying that she wants her husband back. And just like that, Izzie decides to comply and give George the cold shoulder for the rest of the ep.
Cristina/Burke: Burke is pressing for Cristina to make a decision about the wedding cake, but Cristina keeps putting it off because she has a huge exam to study for. Plus, I’m not even sure why they need a cake when Cristina insisted that she just wanted to go in front of a Justice of the Peace with only Meredith and maybe Derek as witnesses. Anyway, Burke is patient as usual and Cristina finally chooses a red velvet cake.
Mark/Addison/Alex: Sloan reminds Addison of how many days they have left in their “60 days of no sex” agreement. He has actually been adhering to the terms of the agreement, which shows that he’s really serious about getting back together with Addison.
But Addison’s not as into it as Mark is, and that’s because she’s got Alex on her mind. In fact, she gets jealous when she sees Alex acting protective of Jane Doe when the woman undergoes a C-section, and gives vent to her jealousy by reprimanding Karev for getting to close to a patient (a la Izzie and Denny). Then, she realizes where her feelings are really coming from, so she kisses Alex, pushes him into the nearest empty room, and has sex with him.
Then later, Mark realizes that something’s going on between Addison and Alex, so he abruptly tells her that he’s broken the agreement and slept with someone else. This catches her off guard, so she goes looking for Alex. But he’s been talking to Jane Doe, who overheard Addison tell Callie that she likes Alex because he seems so “stable”. Apparently Alex doesn’t like that, because he ends up being a complete ass to Addison, telling her that she’s not his girlfriend and that he’s too busy to go out for a drink with her.
My Reaction: As I said, I liked this episode because of the forward progress in a lot of these storylines. It’s clear that the writers are setting up Addison’s big spin-off move, and I’m ok with that. I’m looking forward to watching the new show and hope Kate Walsh can pull it off. Furthermore, I’d like to see Meredith and Derek break up once and for all. They are a boring couple and the show would be much more interesting if each of them started pursuing other love interests.
I hate the way Callie’s once-strong character has turned into a groveling wimp. It doesn’t seem like she would actually beg Izzie to stay away from George. If this had happened a couple months ago, she would have been demanding things and giving out ultimatums. Still, I’m interested to see how long her marriage lasts.
Finally, it was nice that the writers once again showed the interns being interns and studying for an exam together. I’ve missed this group camaraderie, especially since they’ve pretty much paired off since Season One. More scenes like this, please!