Grey's Anatomy
Recaps

Grey's Anatomy attempted to cram all the holidays into one episode last night, and while there were the predictable high points, there was also plenty that fell short.

If you missed any of the drama, here's a recap of "Holidaze." Now, here's a look at what worked and what didn't on Thursday evening, because each is a long list ...

Hits

• Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd as Teddy and Owen. While some of their dialogue was schmaltzy, they were believably awkward, conflicted and unsure what to do about their feelings for each other. Sandra Oh's Cristina fits into this story well, too.
• Derek and Arizona. Their efforts to save the boy and do whatever it takes - at their own expense - pretty much solidified them as the coolest people ever.
• Bailey and her dad. We have issues with the fact that Bailey's personal life is rarely, if ever discussed, and then we have a major story thrust at us out of nowhere. It felt forced. Just the same, Chandra Wilson sold us at the end, like she always does.
• A nice performance by Kelsey, the girl who survived with no heart, and her boyfriend, played by Nathan West (husband of Chyler Leigh). Loved them both.

Our sentiments, exactly. Sloane is not doing it for us, either.

Misses

• A Christmas and New Year's story. On Thursday, November 19.
• Izzie's just gone again? Why even bring her back at this point?
• We know she wants to be a great surgeon and everything, but Meredith is really stupid enough to buy what the Chief is trying to sell her? Come on, people.
• Leven Rambin as Mark's daughter? Not a fan. At least she didn't do much for us this week. He really isn't speaking to her? She just sits there silent? WTF? 
• The most awkward Christmas dinner ever. NONE of these people have families?! Thatcher and Richard would NEVER both be there. We just couldn't buy it.

Grey's Anatomy continued its recent string of solid episodes last night, although we definitely enjoyed the previous two, single-character-centric episodes a little more.

We also didn't need another doctor thrown into the fold. That said, Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver, below) was introduced well, and the episode as a whole was good.

If you missed any of the drama, here's a recap of "New History." Now, a look at the major developments of Thursday night and why they worked (for the most part) ...

The gift: Owen has a present for Cristina: Teddy, a cardio surgeon who he served with in Iraq. In vintage Cristina fashion, she's far from impressed with the new girl.

Ultimately, she respects her elder, though, and Teddy proves to be the excellent teacher that Dr. Yang lacked for so long, talking her through a very difficult procedure.

Cristina is so giddy we actually see her skip! Sandra Oh is so brilliant, she actually made that look awkward. That was so un-Cristina, and it subtly showed. Wonderful.

Dr. Teddy Altman and her relationship with Owen were introduced last night.

Here's the interesting thing about Teddy: She and Owen were never involved ... but she wishes they were. She tells him as much after she learns that he and Beth broke up.

Owen doesn't know how to react to the news that Teddy has feelings for him. Clearly there's something going on there, and we don't know what. Well handled all around.

The work husband: Adele accuses Bailey of having an affair with the Chief because he didn't come home last night. Has Adele not been married to him for like 30 years?

She says his behavior lately reminds her of when he was with Ellis. Bailey conceded that the Chief can be her "work-husband" but assured her an affair is NOT happening.

Something's definitely up with this guy, though. He looks tired and nearly kills a guy by botching a routine surgery. The stress is taking its toll ... and he's back to the bottle.

We loved the look on Meredith's face when she sees him drinking at Joe's, and the relationship of Bailey and Richard in general. She wants to protect her work-husband.

Still, she tells him, get it together. It was nice to see a Richard story line not centered exclusively around him being a jerk who feuds with the surgeons over budget cuts.

Alex did not take the return of his wife very well.

I can't forgive you: Izzie returned to the show last night, and no, she's not pregnant. Sneaky promos. Her old science teacher thinks she is, though. He thinks she's 16.

His dementia is what brought her back to Seattle Grace, to get him treatment. She succeeds, strong-arming the Chief and holding her $8 million donation over his head.

That case was great to watch, and guest star Joel Grey did a terrific job, but what does Izzie even bring to the show anymore? Her big "return" felt as forced as ever to us.

When Alex saw her, it was heartbreaking. Words fail him. He doesn't even know what to make of it. Nearly do we. Finally, the spouses confront each other and have it out.

Izzie starts blaming Alex for getting her fired, saying the job was all she had, and that she cannot forgive him for it. Irate, he fires right back and puts her in her place.

Alex says that she made an assumption about that, didn't give him the benefit of the doubt, and took off. For that, he can't forgive her either. Burn. Bring on her next hiatus.

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.

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.

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.

Last night's Grey's Anatomy is not likely to be very well received by its fans.

Four new Mercy West doctors arrived at Seattle Grace, as the merger took effect. All our Seattle Grace favorites got their respective asses kicked, and one of them got fired.

That would be Izzie Stevens, who abruptly left after almost killing a kidney transplant patient (who ended up going with Miranda Bailey to L.A. and Private Practice at 10).

How long will Izzie be gone? Did she leave Alex? We can only wait and see.

Meanwhile, Lexie, Alex and Cristina fought to upstage their counterparts, while Callie's dad returned to convert her, but thanks to Arizona, he's the one who saw the light.

For the full rundown of events last night, here's our recap of "Invasion."

Izzie did not handle herself well amid pressure from Mercy West invaders.

As the residents of Seattle Grace continue to freak over looming budget cuts, bigger problems made sure those were the last things on their mind - at least for this week.

Meredith's father Thatcher has played an enormous role on Grey's Anatomy, even if he seldom appears on it. Mer's daddy issues are dark, twisty and well-documented.

So when he showed up last night needing a liver transplant to survive - and unable to get a donor liver because he hasn't been sober for a year (just 90 days), you can imagine the tension in the room. It got worse when it turned out Lexie wasn't a match. Meredith was.

What decision did she make? Did he end up surviving? And what other resident let her emotions get the best of her yet again, leaving her future a bit up in the air?

Follow the link for a recap of last night's Grey's Anatomy, "Tainted Obligation."

The residents of Seattle Grace are freaking out over the Chief's impending staff/budget cuts. Who's staying and who's going? Who's confident, panicking and/or plotting?

Mark, Lexie and Cristina, respectively.

Yang's stint in pediatrics was an epic fail from the start (but a humorous one), while Lexipedia's second-year resident panic mode was both endearing and sad to watch.

Mark? He's Mark. He knows he's not going to get fired because he's the man. Owen doesn't think that far ahead. Derek is pissed with the way the Chief handles it.

In the end, the core gang survived, and even played a little baseball to celebrate and shake off the stress that is obviously still lingering. Classic Grey's Anatomy.

Follow the link for a recap of "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me."

Despite approximately 79 sneak previews giving away much of the plot, the Season 6 premiere of Grey's Anatomy still provided some plenty of dramatic high points.

Even though we knew the season-opener revolved around the death of Dr. George O'Malley, his colleagues went through the stages of grief uniquely and emotionally. 

Their respective story lines and personal struggles were neat to watch.

In this two-hour Grey's Anatomy event, 40 days passed in the Seattle Grace universe, 20 in each hour, picking up right where we left off in May. The episode titles set the stage, but there were plenty of developments and vintage Grey's Anatomy moments you never saw coming.

Follow the links for recaps of:

• "Good Mourning"
• "Goodbye"

Izzie mourns the loss of George ... until she burst out laughing.