Grey's Anatomy - Episode 8.06 - Poker Face - Review

If bringing in stars of cheesy but brilliant 70’s and 80’s shows is what gets Grey’s Anatomy back to it’s very best then I say bring it! David McCallum (Sapphire and Steel) seems to be doing it for NCIS, now in Poker Face, 806, we have Lee Major (Six Million Dollar man) and Marilu Henner (Taxi), following up Debbie Allen’s (Fame) inspired performance as feisty guest stars to lend some gravitas to the patients.

Put your hand up if you like this Meredith? My hand is raised (hmm, can you tell I’m spending too much time with kids lately!). There were so many lovely things about her story arc this week. Firstly she’s fixing things. Last week she began by realising the best thing she can do to get her baby back is to play the game. And she continues in Poker Face by playing along with Derek, acting her part, being deceptive but in such a contrary, more wholesome way to her clinical trial trick.  We know that she may have been blinkered when it came to anticipating her husband’s reaction to her tampering with the trial but we can be reassured that she knows her husband well. He needs to be inspired. And the best thing about this is that she’s manipulating the situation for him, with, seemingly, no hidden agenda for herself (well...ok...marital harmony might have something to do with it). We also get some Lexie. And, as a bonus, we get Lexie sans Jackson (oh, thanks be!). I love the sister dynamic between these two. It’s developed off screen too much, as many of the good stories are, but when it comes on screen its great TV. Continuing with her poker face Meredith also found herself being pulled in by her pink scrubs to the mouse trial, allowing screen interaction with Richard, April and Bailey. Being the ‘fixer’ she finds herself in yet another compromising situation where she’s being a great doctor, at the wrong time in the wrong place, which of course, upsets Bailey. *Sighs* A lot upsets Bailey these days. Has she even smiled during S8 yet?

"Bailey, why are you so angry these days? Go get Ben and make some whoopee!"

Meredith is at her best when faced with adversity and far from being ‘the mighty fallen’ she rises to the challenge, dressed in gag inducing pink vagina squad scrubs, the performance carried off beautifully by Ellen Pompeo.

Cristina and Owen are doing ‘it’ everywhere. Whilst I get the relevance of this – using sex to avoid The Talk – I so don’t want to see it. Simply because I always get the feeling that Owen/KMK is going straight for the tonsils the first go. Poor Sandra Oh never stands a chance in these scenes. 

We know that Cristina and Owen are headed to a dark place, so for those that like it, enjoy the making whoopee whilst it lasts. When she’s not getting it on however Cristina could be found co-piloting with badass Callie (more on her in a minute). And she’s completely lost her nerve. She’s paranoid about the bad outcome leader board. She’s at the top, or is it the bottom, whatever, she has no bad outcomes at the moment and means to keep it that way. I’m guessing that this is the start of a tense time for Cristina in surgery and I welcome it. I’ve been waiting for the fall out of the Teddy/Cristina drama from S7 to begin and I suspect that her bailing on this surgery was a sign of testing times in the OR to come. Whilst I love Cristina (she shares top spot on my ‘favourites’ list), I am one who thinks she needs to humbled a bit before she can really shine, and I mean that a in tough love kind of way. But it was so great to see Callie and Cristina sharing scenes. I’ve really missed this unique and unusual friendship. Like the Derek/Mark alliance this is a relationship that is completely under-used on the show.

It seems risk aversion was a disease scouring the halls of SGMW this week as Alex fell victim to it by failing to agree to a request from the bionic man. Seriously Karev – the guy is half machine, he’s indestructible. He’s the six million dollar man (or probably a lot more millions in todays money). Of course he’s going to survive this surgery! Once again Alex is pushed down, and forced into his mean-ass ways. If there is one character on this show that Shonda and her writing team have failed to progress it is Alex. And this is my biggest criticism of Poker Face. There are interesting parallels here with 708 Something’s Gotta Give – Alex is having a really crappy day and takes it out on April. Although on the one hand showing us that a year later he’s still a douche bag, on the other I maintain my view that the intention is to get Alex and April together, in some kind of ‘Love Hate’ way.

The parallels with 708 actually seep through the entire 806 episode and I had to check that the writers were not the same (William Harper/708 v Peter Nowalk 806).  In 708 Richard keeps Bailey, who’s having a pancreatic crisis, out of the VIP wing, in Poker face Bailey keeps Richard out of the mouse lab. Derek is annoyed with Lexie, who’s on his service, in both episodes. And Callie and Cristina bond, in 708 over broken hearts and PTSD (with some of my absolute favourite scenes of S7 – the hair cut/let’s make lemonade scenes) and in 806 over badass surgery. This kind of parallel writing happens more than we realise but it was very noticeable here.

So what of badass Callie? I am one of those fans who is keen to forget Season 7 Callie. From very early on, way before the break-up, I found her to be irritating and selfish. If you want an example – and I can reel off many, so be careful with your challenge then just go to 704, Can’t Fight Biology. What girl (straight or gay) ever condones boys staring at girls’ boobs, never mind when it’s a grown man, supposed best friend and the girl in question is your lover? Seriously bad writing and poor characterisation of Callie. Anyway, getting back to season 8. I am relieved that the Season 6 Callie seems to be back: charismatic, stunning, sensitive and a badass surgeon in the OR. 

"Cristina, as long as you're getting more sex than me, you will not be working in my OR. Out!"

I’ve read in many places Shonda telling us that she never pays attention to fan feed back, that she doesn’t write differently as a result of what the fans want or ask for. I completely understand why she says this, I respect her for saying it, because to say otherwise would really cause fan-eruption, but frankly I don’t believe it. Season 8 so far for Callie, Arizona and Mark has been a tick box exercise in addressing fan concerns during hiatus: The happy family scene in episode 801, wedding rings, necklaces and most especially Arizona holding Sofia; the piece of paper in 805; and now the ‘get the hell out of our marriage Mark’ in 806. The cynic in me might say (ok, I realise I am actually saying it) that Callie’s perspective remains a selfish one, this could have been a great moment for her to realise just what Arizona has been feeling all along, but I am willing to over look that because (the cynic continues) I know that some things will not get addressed with a big storyline this season and this is one of them. I am content that the writers have found a route to explicitly remove Mark from this couple’s romantic relationship, rather than deal with it off screen as they do so many other issues. That is was done with humour and not as a serious story arc is disappointing but certainly not fatal. And when it comes to love scenes I will take Callie and Arizona’s chasteness (often commented on in the forums),

Sweet. Much anticipated and needed Arizona and Callie time.

...and for that matter Meredith and Derek’s fully clothed bed rolling (as remarked by Shonda this week)

Meredith and Derek do not look like they're still fighting to me!

...over Owen’s tonsillectomy on Cristina anytime.

"Scalpel ready! I'm going in!" (is it me, or does Sandra Oh look a bit scared?)

In other news during this episode, we witnessed the blossoming of April into Chief Resident. For those hoping that April will fail and be succeeded by Meredith, it seems this is unlikely to happen as week by week they give April more gravitas in the role.

Another great show this week as the Grey’s team once again delivered the all round goods to us, showing us consistency of quality. Season 8 is turning out to be pretty darn good.

But next week can we please have Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica and The A-Team) and Tom Selleck (Magnum, P.I.)...yeah yeah I know he’s starring in some cop show now but still...small sizzling guest appearance...I do miss that ‘tash. *Sighs*

The Highlights this week...

Meredith and the mice... “Dr Bailey, READ MY RESEARCH!.....Hey, that kinda works”. Meredith the Doctor never disappoints.

Meredith and Lexie: “Are you gonna remember all this or do I need to write it down?....I need to write it down”

Cristina, protecting Meredith from Alex’s snarky comments and then at the same time “you are embarrassing me...yep, you know what, you’re making me gag....wearing the vagina squad scrubs in public it’s...uhhh...we have standards Meredith!”

Badass Callie in the OR - the whole of it

And yes, a highlight for me was Callie finally telling Mark to butt out. Hopefully no more Calsloana, it’s back to Calzona. (yeah, that play-on-words was really terrible ;-)

Written by Brouhaha aka @pipmaxine