Grey's Anatomy - Episode 8.15 - Have You Seen Me Lately - Review

Have You Seen Me Lately? I guess you haven’t! Sorry about that.

We’re over half way through the season and Shonda is laying on the medical drama. Romance is over, it’s back to work for almost all of our doctors. And I for one enjoyed it immensely. For far too long the medical drama has taken a back seat in this...um... medical drama so with the 5^th years progressing to their boards and potential promotions, Shonda and team treated us to a medicinal treat of arm issues and preemies.

Intertwined in all of this the one couple absent from duty was Cristina and Owen, who were subjected to what can only be described as reverse ‘When Harry Met Sally’ sofa time. Oh dear. Things are not looking good for these two. In a scene reminiscent of Callie’s plea with Arizona, Owen declares that it’s simply not possible for someone to not want kids. And at the same time giving free choice a good kickin’. I can’t imagine Owen has won over too many fans. For a show that prides itself on being colour blind and sexuality blind, it is flying dangerously close to the feminism sun. Whilst there is probably a large proportion of people who are sympathetic to Owen’s point of view regarding abortion I wonder how many can accept his assertion that it’s not possible that some people might not want kids. I guess there are those I suppose. It’s one of the last taboos for women – to admit they don’t want kids. Cristina’s ovaries refuse to clack together at the sound of a baby crying as Owen’s are rattling like the baby toys he craves.

Okay, okay. He’s hurting and sad. But given all previous mentions on this subject he’s proved himself to have significant tunnel vision. My mind is cast back to the scene when Sofia and Callie leave hospital following the S7 trauma. Owen himself noticed Cristina’s reaction to Sofia...or as it turned out Callie. Surely alarm bells were ringing? Weren’t they? I guess not. It’s not a surprise that Cristina gets me in the divorce, not Owen, but I recognise that it takes two to make this problem. She is not innocent in this. I admire the character that she is, her strength in what she wants out of life but it’s plain to see that drive for herself, her ego, blinds her to others, and in this case her own husband. This will not end well. Begging will not help. But then I’m not sure if anything can help. I liked the cutting away from sofa to surgery. It allowed a nice dose of emotional drama amidst the commotion of surgical scalpel wielding.

There was an element of nostalgia present as I was thrown back in time to the moment when Callie ‘failed’ to wash her hands after going to the bathroom in season three (or was it four?); when the MAGIC crowd thought Callie was a freak; when tension surrounded everything to do with Izzie and George and Callie. It was nice then to finally see some real ‘grown-up’ interaction between Callie and Meredith and I must say this particular mini story arc is my absolute favourite of the season so far. I love it. I particularly loved the undercurrent of mystery, intrigue, covert operations, secret methods and intrigue between Webber and Torres in what is the funniest scene of the season; in the OR, in the dark. I really want to know if there are bloopers for it. There have to be. The beauty of this storyline is that it brings together two characters who rarely interact yet have ‘history’. We all want Meredith to rock her boards and we know that Callie is the badass with the study key. Teaching is the theme of season 8, I only hope we get to see one of these 4am coaching sessions.

Elsewhere in the hospital other unusual medical couplings were going on, and I can’t help feeling the writer was having a good ole laugh to himself. Bailey’s patient had ‘sausages for arms’ and Callie’s patient got his hand stuck in a meat grinder...a grinder that presumably makes sausages. Irony not lost on me. And ‘sausage arms’ was the focus for the next unusual couple, Bailey and the Plastics Posse. Continuing our teaching theme Mark, with absolute faith in Avery (why Mark? Why?) comes face to face (okay, there is a significant height difference) with Bailey. I can’t quite get a grip on Avery’s ability in surgery. He rotates between being completely crap and slightly less than crap. But in this instance, unusually, he’s rocking things under Mark’s expert teaching and Bailey’s having a surgical melt down. Whilst it was really nice to see Mark and Miranda sparring I’m struggling with having faith in his student.

Lexie belongs in neuro. Has she chosen a specialty yet? I know I know, there’s an army of Meredith fans dying for her to return to neuro, but really why would she want to spend 24/7 with her husband. It’s no good for a relationship and will only lead to fighting, tension, and eventual separation... trust me. Lexie is doing a fine job with Derek. And apparently with Amelia, whose visit to SGMW proved a welcome breath of fresh air. It was good to see some resolution between the brother and sister and for that sister to put her somewhat arrogant brother in his place. I wish I could believe he was simply being protective but for the main he was merely worried about her embarrassing herself. In the end though we see them working together successfully. I didn’t watch he follow up Private Practice – did the patient survive?

Once again Alex is being an ass. Really. This is getting so very tiring. I like Alex but how many chances does he get to sort himself out. Every time I think he’s learned a lesson the writers poke him in the stomach again and out comes the bear, grumpy, upsetting people, being an insensitive jerk. Then Arizona comes in to tell him she secretly likes him, to buck up his ideas and for a moment he’s redeemed. It’s getting old Grey’s. Buck up. Give him a decent storyline. If I were Justin Chambers I wouldn’t stay on this show if this is the best they can him. Not even a romance in sight!

"You know when I was a resident I was a full on whore show....Oh no..I mean horror show...freudian..oops"

And in case it goes completely unnoticed - Teddy continues to mourn silently. Did Henry exist? Or was he a figment of our imagination?

Have you seen me lately was a welcome return to the medicine and the interaction between the doctors as doctors. With Cristina and Owen the only couple being a couple I felt relieved that Grey’s Anatomy can prove that it’s still a medical drama. Sex and scalpels. That’s what I like.

Funniest lines completely belong to Callie:

“It’s a meat grinder...what...you weren’t thinking it too”

“Is this how you’re going to spend your time now, pulling strings like some kind of puppet master?” “I am really good at it”

Written by brouhaha aka @pipmaxine

Apologies again for the time lag in reviews. Life and all that!