Grey's Anatomy Review: Meeting Meredith Webber
So... what did you think?
Grey’s Anatomy aired its the much buzzed about alt-reality episode this week, "If/Then." Any installment whose premise is a dream sequence for the entire hour is bound to be subpar, right? Wrong. An hour that I believed to be total filler (mostly because Shondaland has to be running out of stories) may have been just that, but it was also enjoyable, and light and left me wondering: WHAT IF?
Let’s be clear that although this imaginary world was fun and different, I wouldn’t want to be watching it week after week. So let’s get to it - time to discuss the alternate reality that is Seattle Grace.
Bright and Shiny. Well, this was a completely different Meredith Grey Webber. The girl in the bubble gum pink sweater was the polar opposite of the woman we've been watching for years. Living in a house with her parents, Ellis and Richard, and engaged to geeky Alex?!? Wow. One that thing that wasn’t different? Ellis was still a world class surgeon and awful mother/person.
The best thing about this scenario was having Richard as Mer’s dad. This relationship is absolutely one of the highlights of this series. This also put Meredith on the other side of things - having her husband fiance cheat on her in the hospital. Super sweet moment of Mer crying on her dad’s shoulder.
Gotta love Meredith and Derek (McDreary) meeting up at Joe’s. “You’re just a guy in a bar.” Nice nod to the pilot.
Welcome home, Addison! Kate Walsh took a break from her less than stellar show to reprise her role as Addison. Oh, how i have missed those high arched eyebrows. P.S. Thank you for getting McSteamy back to his shirtless self.
And it looks like Addi and Mark finally got to have that baby. Speaking of Sloan...
I was a little disappointed that Mark didn’t make an appearance until the end, but his heroic carrying in of junkie Lexie was awesome. Girl rocked those dreads and tattoos, too.
Cristina Yang. First of all, terrible bangs. But it was nice to see that Yang still made it to the cardio god she is today. Cristina found her way, back to her person and the caring girl to Owen’s PTSD.
Owen, Callie, and their family were pretty boring, though. Things were just awkward.
“Shoot Me Now.” Charles is alive and well, not having died in Bailey’s arms. With only a few lines, at least he made them zingers.
Miranda Mandi Bailey. Without having Webber guide her through her early days, Bailey was a timid and soft spoken fired doctor. Pretty much my least favorite part. I like my Bailey bursting at the mouth and putting people in their places.
Nods to the Characters of Yesterday. Even though this was an episode with no point, you have to appreciate the mentioning of characters’ past.
- Yang having slept with Burke drove him out of the state. I miss the days of Preston Burke and his tight fitted turtlenecks.
- Izzie slept with a patient and stole a heart for him. Guess things didn’t change for her.
- George still was called 007 and never passed his intern test. Too bad he never got to save the guy in the elevator.
This was an episode that shouldn’t be kept on the DVR, but was worth watching once. Taking a break from the complicated world of SG is ok, but only for an hour. Let’s make a promise to not do this again this season.
It was better than the musical episode, but not as good as the standard installments of Grey’s Anatomy. What did you think, TV Fanatics? Was this an hour you would like to get back or did you enjoy the imaginary world? Would you rather things be the way they are or the alternate version? Sound off and let us know what you thought. Don’t forget to check back for the official Grey’s Anatomy Round Table. Until next time...
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Rank: New User
March 2nd, 2012 9:22 AM
I liked that kind of episode- all that what if. The idea was great but the actually episode was a bit weak...
February 29th, 2012 12:59 PM
what a pathetic attempt at trying HARD to prove that Addek wasn't meant to be. i'll tell ya, if Shonda gave Addison and Derek half a chance to show off their mutual chemistry, sexiness, and raw intensity, they'd blow up the screens and ratings (and kill MerDer in the process)
February 12th, 2012 11:19 PM
I feel that George deserved more than he got. His character (and the actor who played him) were worth more than 10 of Izzy. I feel they should have said something more along the lines of "He joined the army and is a field surgeon" or said that he went to take his fellowship at another hospital. Either way I felt it didn't fit him that they just made him a failure. I liked the nod to Izzy and I felt that was all she (and Katherine Heigl) deserved. The episode was entertaining though I did certainly miss the regular storyline.
February 9th, 2012 2:15 PM
I have always been a Grey's Fan. This is episode wasn't the best but it was still good. It was definitely worth the hour to watch it and wonder "what if." It was disappointing that Mark didn't appear until the end. Lexi made an interesting junkie. But Ellis was still a horrible bitch. I have never been sad that her character was never a major line in the show. It was somewhat predictable that the baby wasn't Derek's and that he Meredith met in the bar after all. Overall, it was worth the time and a good change of scenery from normal life at SGMW.
February 9th, 2012 8:07 AM
Absolutely mediocre. The writers should watch NCIS' "what if" episode "Life before his eyes" and take notes. I just couldn't see the caracters becoming this alternate personae and it was boring as hell.
February 8th, 2012 9:15 PM
I liked the episode. I like all of the Greys episodes. When Mark walked into the room after Addison told Derek it wasn't his baby, I really thought we were going to see another knockout between them from the prior episode when they fought on the balcony of the hospital. All in all, thought it was great. Meredith and Alex being together to me was dumb, but if Alex was with her just to use her to get ahead, then that makes sense b/c Alex can be selfish in that way sometimes. Owen and Callie being together was a bit boring, but for some reason the twins that they had, since the boys looked so much like Owen, made me wonder if Cristina would've given birth to twin boys and those "could've been them" if she never got the abortion. Great episode, though, but I am ready to get back to the reality of things.
February 7th, 2012 9:17 AM
Plz,I'm unsure as to whether Alex and Kepner were fooling around together prior to being discovered by Cris? Also was Mark living in Seattle or had he arrived to take Ad back to NY?
February 6th, 2012 7:47 PM
as for this episode, i liked seeing how the characters would've turned had the circumstances been different. i particularly loved the the kudos to the earlier seasons, with the music and some scenes and quotes that reminded us of the beginning of grey's. PLUS , we know shonda never does anything without reason, so maybe the pairings that were developing towards the end of the epi - MerDer, Calzona, Owenstina - are a hint that they actually are end game?! :) kind of like, some things are just meant to be..
(sorry again for the endless rant and my bad english, i'm not a native speaker :)..)
February 6th, 2012 7:46 PM
(cont) i think that shonda is a unique talent when it comes to storytelling, and keeping a show like this going for 8 seasons just speaks for itself. and we shouldn't forget that as an artist she wants to try new things and new concepts of storytelling, so i get that after years of establishing the show in a "traditional" way you want to get some of your own crazy ideas in there - such as this epi, the musical, the documentary epi or the golden hour..
i'm sorry for the rant, i just feel like some fans think they have the attitude that shonda needs to cater every single one of their needs or they're just gonna stop watching, and that's pissing me off a bit.
i guess what i'm trying to say is: there have been storylines and episodes that i liked more, and those that i liked less, but i never felt like watching was a waste of time.
February 6th, 2012 7:44 PM
I really liked the episode! I mean, I get that it didn't drive the actual storylines any further, and of course that's what we all want to see - the REAL drama, the character development, etc. BUT what I don't get is people whining about the characters being so "different" - well, that was the point of this whole epi! I sometimes feel like people should be reminded of the fact that this is just a tv show, that it is all fiction, and that, in the case of this specific episode, it was an alternative universe within the whole fiction...
yes, shows like grey's exist because the fans are invested in the characters - and i am no exception! i've had my share of storylines that i've actually dreaded but still, it has always been a great show, and honestly, if every little thing had always gone the way i would have wanted it to i probably wouldn't be watching anymore cause i would've gotten bored with the show.