We've talked about the episode in depth in our review and Grey's Anatomy Round Table. Now it's time to get the writer's take on last week's drama at Seattle Grace.

Below are some excerpts from what Joan Rater, who authored "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked," had to say about the various story lines therein ...

Derek is now Chief!

Actually he’s just the interim Chief but the way he went about getting there is what I’d like to start with. Richard is drinking again. Richard is a recovering alcoholic who’s been sober a long time and the fact that he’s drinking again ... Derek feels torn.

At the beginning of the episode we see that Derek has realized that in order to be a friend to Richard, he has to go to the Board. Because along with the drinking comes the lies and the poor judgment. This is about more that just a friend struggling with sobriety.

Meredith sees it differently.

She says the Chief was drinking but promised Meredith he would stop. And she trusts him, he wouldn’t lie to her. And, more importantly, Meredith didn’t confide to Derek the surgeon about Richard drinking again, she confided to Derek her husband.

There have to be lines drawn. Meredith screams, “Post it!” Derek backs down.

What I love about this scene, besides the fact that the actors played it brilliantly, is that it shows how they’ve matured. This is a real grown-up argument. Meredith isn’t running away, getting all dark and going to Cristina for help getting out of her marriage.

She’s staying and fighting. Grow, mature, try to be happy.

Now ... the scene where Derek pours Richard a drink.

We talked about that scene a lot. Derek doesn’t trust Richard and Richard is going into a very difficult surgery and he’s bringing Meredith with him. And promising her a procedure that Bailey says she’s not ready to do. Derek can’t let that happen.

So he goes and confronts Richard. Tempts him.

It’s a little bit cruel, but Derek feels that it’s justified, in the scene where he asks Owen what he should do. Owen gives him the go ahead, if someone’s fighting dirty, it’s okay to fight back dirty as long as you’re doing it for the greater good.

And when Derek leaves Richard’s office it’s like both he and Richard know Richard is powerless. Derek is saying he sees Richard. He may fool Meredith, but Derek sees him.

Derek now knows what he has to do. He has to convince Meredith to go to the Board - and if he's Chief he’ll hire back Izzie. He makes her choose between Izzie and the Chief.

And of course he knows that she’ll choose Izzie. He’s playing a big game of chess and it’s like he just said checkmate. It’s about doing the right thing. Ends justifying the means.

But it’s also about ambition.  

Follow this link to read the entirety of the writers' blog ...

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