Grey's Anatomy

Get ready for the latest installment of what is becoming an annual or even biannual tradition: the worlds of Grey's Anatomy and its spinoff Private Practice will cross over again.

Private Practice leading lady Kate Walsh is heading back to Grey’s Anatomy in January in a crossover involving Addison, Mark, and a patient played by guest star Leven Rambin.

The situation as we know it is as follows:

On Grey’s Anatomy half of the crossover, Dr. Mark Sloan (McSteamy, a.k.a. Eric Dane) pleads with Addison to come to Seattle and help perform surgery on Rambin's character.

One would assume that the girl is pregnant, given that Addison is the preeminent neonatal surgeon in, like, the whole country. But that has not been confirmed at this point.

Then, the story continues on Private Practice when, according to creator Shonda Rhimes, “complications arise and Mark takes [her] back down to L.A. for more surgery.”

As for Mark's connection to the new patient, whether sparks fly between Addison and Mark, and how Mark and Lexie are affected, that all remains to be seen. For now.

Are you excited for the latest Grey's Anatomy-Private Practice crossover?

We'll reserve judgment on this for now, but do you think they're overdoing it with these crossovers. By our quick calculations, this will be the fourth since April 2008:

• Addison returned to Seattle near the end of Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy. We forget the exact reason right now, which probably tells you all you need to know.
• Last season, Addison summoned Derek to treat her ailing brother, Archer (Grant Show). This story line continued for several episodes and on both programs.
• Just this fall, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) took a transplant patient to Los Angeles, where she resides, after she was unable to get the help needed in Seattle.

Last night's Grey's Anatomy was all about three children - a prematurely born baby, a terminal 10-year-old, and a 15-year-old whose drug use landed her in the ER - in dire straits.

Much like last week, there was a seemingly impossible case on the table, and the emotional stakes were high. Unlike Derek Shepherd, however, Arizona Robbins did not save a life.

But because of the way she carried herself, she may have saved countless lives down the road. How? For a full guide, check out our recap of "Invest in Love." Now, some thoughts:

Before touching on Arizona's big storyline, we must touch on Justin Chambers shirtless. You wish, right ladies? Yup, Dr. Alex Karev was forced to lose his shirt to save a baby's life.

Babies thrive on skin-on-skin contact, especially under duress, and as if Alex whispering to a preemie, "you're not alone," wasn't enough to make us swoon ... him shirtless? Wow.

We liked how Bailey mused that Karev would be good in pediatrics. It's almost like we've heard that before. Oh yeah, we have, three seasons ago, when he was working with Addy!

Cristina went rogue last night. It was kind of awesome.

Meanwhile, treating a teen who fell off a roof, Cristina goes rogue in the O.R. and Jackson has her back! She's testing Owen's patience and seems perfectly okay getting reamed out.

After all, she stepped in and performed invasive cardio procedure herself, even though she is technically unqualified and with two attendings screaming for her to stop. Rogue, alright.

Jackson thinks it's hot and later tries to plant a drunken kiss on her. She pulls back, but we're liking the direction this is headed ... a little romantic tension never hurt on this show.

The big star of the episode is Jessica Capshaw's Arizona, who treats 10-year-old Wallace. A proposed operation will only buy him two more months, so Robbins doesn't want to do it.

Until the Chief and a $25 million donation from Wallace's parents persuade her, that is. The surgery goes alright, but complications arise and he dies while Arizona tries to save him.

Arizona didn't save a life last night, but came through just the same.

This is where she really shined. Clearly furious with the huge dollar signs in the Chief's eyes, she told him how it is, and demanded to speak to the parents despite his objections.

She did, and given her obvious compassion, the parents decided to give the hospital $25 million anyway. With that money, she can make a lot of magic happen for years to come.

It was also Arizona's birthday, and she cried at the party Callie threw for her. We have to say, we love them together, and not just because they're lesbians. Because they're people.

They're just a great, believable and enjoyable couple to watch on screen who happens to be 100 percent female. Callie was second fiddle to Arizona last night, which was great, too.

Like last week, when it was Derek's storyline and Meredith just supporting him in bed, there doesn't have to be "couple" drama in every episode to make you appreciate one half.

Last week on Grey's Anatomy, Derek was front and center throughout "Give Peace a Chance." This week, with just as big a case hanging in the balance, it's Arizona's time to shine.

Here's a clip of Dr. Robbins, pediatric surgeon extraordinaire, telling peeps how she runs a different kind of show, and how pediatrics isn't just general surgery on a miniature scale:

Follow the jump for three more sneak previews from "Invest in Love," and see what Arizona and her team are up against ... as well as enormous financial stakes that may be involved:

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Promotional photos from this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, "Invest in Love," show the gang in a festive mood. Or are they? Arizona is under a lot of pressure to save a patient.

Yes, that's always the case for a doctor. But one of this patient's parents has a donation of $25 million Seattle Grace may be able to garner. You can imagine how the Chief reacts.

Arizona, along with girlfriend Callie, is front and center in many of the photos below, as are Mark and Lexie. What a cute couple they make. What do you think they're celebrating? 

Click to enlarge the images below and tell us what you think...

Now in Season 6, having peaked at the end of Season 2, Grey's Anatomy is facing an identity crisis. Still popular but lacking its past magic, it's trying to decide what to become.

All we can say is that if it becomes what we saw 12 hours ago, we are all for it.

Last week saw the doctors plunging into ER-style chaos with 12 different doctors giving 12 different accounts of one case. Last night, we saw something else equally unusual.

Again, it was a single case that took up the entire hour, but instead of 12 doctors' version of events, the focus was largely on just one, and the best one: Dr. Derek Shepherd.

Patrick Dempsey's McDreamy character may be eye candy, but he's got substance. Last night's episode proved that in spades, and was one of the series' best in some time.

Director and fellow Grey's Anatomy cast member Chandra Wilson made her debut behind the camera and produced an effort that may well net her an Emmy nomination.

For a full rundown, here's recap of "Give Peace a Chance." Below, our thoughts:

We saw two sides of Derek in "Give Peace a Chance." Defiant (against the surgical odds, and a Chief of Surgery he's butted heads with all season) and yet Zen-like. At peace.

When the hospital's lab tech, Isaac, tells him he has a giant spinal tumor and wants him to operate, Derek doesn't know if he's up for it. Isaac knows he's up for it, however.

Even after Derek opens him up for 10 hours the first time and doesn't do a darn thing because he doesn't want to risk paralyzing him, Isaac calmly says he'll get it tomorrow.

Get it tomorrow, Derek thinks? Are you insane? I can't go back in there.

Through his narration (the first ever for Derek, and a nice touch by Wilson), we learn that McD became a surgeon for the quiet, for the peace. He has four sisters, after all.

Channeling his patient, and with a little help from a recovering Meredith, a diaper-wearing Lexie and Mark, who's just there to support his friend, he's able to find that Zen.

Isaac, who's an awesome character in his own right, pulls through.

This was a riveting story to watch unfold, and aided by the way everyone else was relegated to the periphery, but still had a central role in boosting what was Derek's night.

Occasional funny lines and side plots, but no forced interactions or eye-rolling moments. Take note, Grey's. You won us over. Please, learn from it and try not to regress.

It's official. McDreamy has channeled his inner Sarah Palin and gone rogue.

In the below sneak previews of this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, "Give Peace a Chance," Dr. Derek Shepherd learns that a hospital employee has a spinal tumor.

He wants to do what he can to help, despite seemingly long-shot odds. Richard tells him no. McDreamy doesn't care and begins assembling a surgical team anyway.

Like we said, he's gone rogue, people, and there's no going back.

Here's the first clip from the episode, which also features Derek narrating for the first time, and marks the directorial debut of Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey):

Follow the jump for four more sneak previews from the episode, which is believed to revolve entirely around this story line (at least it's looking like a good one) ...

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As a veteran of the soap opera world, Leven Rambin knows all about backstabbing and bed-hopping.

With that in mind, Lexie Grey better watch her back. Or her man, to be specific: the former All My Children star has booked a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy.

According to Rambin's Twitter account, the actress has started filming scenes for the ABC hit already; and her character looks to be going after a certain, gorgeous plastic surgeon:

Soap Opera Weekly, meanwhile, reports that Rambin will actually recur on both Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

No details yet on her character, but expect her to show up later this year. And cause a few problems for Lexie and Mark, by the implication of this Tweet.

This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy features a character we haven't seen much of lately: Derek. McDreamy has been in every episode this season, but rarely front and center.

That's about to change as he fights to save the hospital's own lab technician, Isaac, from an inoperable tumor surrounding his spine. All the while, he battles Richard's authority.

"Give Peace a Chance" also marks the directorial debut of Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey), who steps behind as well as in front of the Grey's Anatomy camera this week.

Click to enlarge photos from this Grey's Anatomy episode ...

Last night's Grey's Anatomy was all about perspective - what happened to a patient who died (and shouldn't have) from the point of view of every doctor who worked on her.

What we saw were 12 panicked doctors saying they saw 12 different things, unfolding gradually via "Rashomon"-like recollections from each as the Chief interrogated them.

The episode, "I Saw What I Saw" (follow link for a full recap), marked a complete departure from the Grey's Anatomy we're used to. The question is whether it worked.

We're going to go with a definitive yes ... and no.

IT WORKED BECAUSE at the very least, it was fast-paced, compelling and far from stale. The us-versus-them theme is already tired, but at least we got to see it from both sides as the Mercy West doctors played an equal role, not just serving as invaders.

Also, Derek calling out the Chief as the real reason for the disaster - because he fosters a tense environment that quickly spiraled out of control - was ballsy and overdue.

Way to go, McDreamy!

IT DIDN'T WORK BECAUSE this isn't ER. At least it wasn't before last night. There was so much cutting, coding and collapsing that it was making us as nauseous and confused as some of those burn victims. No personal life drama or humor? At all?

We get it. There is panic, confusion and fear at the hospital. While different, the narrative structure seemed a bit cheap at times, and the episode felt like filler overall.

Seriously, Grey's. Try figuring out what you are and where you're taking the show before airing it, rather than throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks.

Three new clips from tomorrow night's episode of Grey's Anatomy, "I Saw What I Saw," depict an intense, combative scene at Seattle Grace. That's putting it mildly.

Words are exchanged. Accusations are made. Fingers are pointed.

A chaotic incident that results in 12 different accounts from 12 different doctors leaves everyone on edge and Richard searching for answers (and someone to blame).

When Alex hears a snide comment from a Mercy Wester, he loses it ...

Follow the jump for two more previews from the episode. Lexie, Cristina and others get grilled, while the animosity between the newcomers and old timers lingers ...

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