The interns are trying to help Izzey come to terms with the death of her beloved Danny. For the entire episode her friends try to help her, she's unable to cope with the devastation... until finally, Meredith coaxes her up at the very end.
Richard is being pressured by his wife to retire; she gives him an ultimatum i.e. retire or divorce. Things are really not looking that good for the Chief
Keeping with the theme of time, we are treated to flashbacks throughout the episode, beginning with the orientation cocktail hour the interns attended before their first day at work. At that event, a pompous Alex mocked female surgeons and predicted that the beautiful Izzey wouldn't last a year in the program.
Fast forward to the present, and Alex is cradling a baby found in a garbage can. He and Addison race against time to identify its mother, who is one of four 14-year old Catholic school girls. Until they find out which one, they are unable to perform the life-saving surgery the abandoned infant needs. Fortunately, one of them finally confesses and the baby can be saved. That is just the beginning of the drama at SGH, however, as a patient admitted with the flu is soon diagnosed with... the plague. Her distraught husband is quarantined, as are Derek and George, who operated on the woman.
As they sit alone in the sealed-off locker room, eating all the food in other people's lockers, Drs. Shepherd and O'Malley find surprising insight and comfort in one other. George talks about what Meredith and Callie (and his admiration for Derek's hair), while Derek tells him about Addison and Meredith. It's bona fide male bonding!
Cue the flashbacks. After consoling Izzey, Christina recalls first meeting Dr. Burke, the man that would change her life. She's forced to ponder what would happen if she never saw him again. The emotionally challenged intern runs to the hospital (where he's still recovering) in shambles, begging him to never leave her. They embrace in his bed
The most revealing and emotional flashbacks of the night involve Derek, however. We finally see the anguish of the immediate aftermath when he discovered Addison's cheating, and how he left for Seattle. Then we fast forward to his meeting Meredith that night at the bar.
After he is released from the quarantine, he visits Meredith's house and professes his love to her. Derek tells her she has a choice to make and that he once had a choice to make... and made the wrong one. Little does he know that Finn has already been there and effectively said the same thing... or that Addison has discovered the panties Meredith hastily forgot in the exam room the previous night. As the credits roll, Addison tacks them to the hospital's "lost and found" bulletin board.
Should make for some interesting fallout next week!
Questions arising from this episode:
- Will O'Malley say "I love you" to Callie?
- Who will Merideth choose, Finn or Derek?
- Will Addisson accept the end of her marriage?
- Will the Chief retire?
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