The Name of the Game

Season 2, Episode 22, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Meredith and Izzie take up knitting. Derek operates on Andrew, a spelling bee champ with a serious head injury. Bailey gets in on Andrew's surgery because she's worried that her coworkers won't recognize her Nazi-status now that she's a mother. Addison's patient has an unborn baby with medical issues. After Alex fails to bite his tongue when a terminal patient routinely lies to her daughter about her health he gets a lesson in bedside manners from Burke. George also begins to overstay his welcome at Burke's apartment after Callie visits him. Meredith has more confusing and uncomfortable encounters with members of her family. One of the female doctors meets a veterinarian named Finn. Izzie flirts with Denny and they play more naughty-Scrabble. Meredith, Derek, and Addison sarcastically take another small stab at their friendships.moreless
9.2
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Superb
471 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

Netflix
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
Hulu Plus
Subscription
Amazon Prime
Free Trial/Subsc...

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (29)

See All

  • Fun to see how each character deals with the cards that life has dealt them in this episode... from knitting to nudity!

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By phrend, Dec 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    Meredith swears off men and takes up knitting to keep occupied (though it looks like the Vet may kill her hopes of celibacy).

    Izzie continues to get cozy with her favorite patient... he asks to see one of her boobs... and she laughs it off in a way that leads me to believe that he's gonna get what he wants - if he doesn't die first.

    George proves that he still cares about Meredith by shielding her from her estranged father and going in to great detail while telling him (her father) about how great she (Meredith) is.

    Cristina figures out that "the basics" (in this case, walking around the house in the nude) still work - which finally prompt Burke to give George the boot.

    This episode was pretty funny, and, as usual - I can't wait for the next one to air!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 1

  • Great episode for knitting old wounds. Almost half of the characters have been dealing with some annoyance or another that was filling them with anger, causing them a lot of grief. This episode sort of untied the knot a lot of them were caught up in.moreless

    8.8
    "Great"
    By JohnnySoftware, Dec 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    Izzie gets to to enjoy some time in the company of her favorite patient. He feels well enough now to flirt a little bit with her. While she doesn't encourage it, you can tell she likes it.

    She seems more content than she has been in several episodes.


    Cristina has been going around the bend because she sees George staying over at her apartment as a problem. She totally considers him a third wheel. Her boyfriend however, clearly relishes having another guy in the house to goof around with. She finally takes the advice of a senior doctor to follow the "basics" - and applies it to getting rid of George. Her gambit works. It was unadorned brilliance on her part.

    Most of Cristinas solutions to problems are cold, dispassionate, and logical. In a sense, this one was too - but it was by far her most intuitive gambit ever. It really humanizes her.


    The show opens with Meredith knitting and having sworn off men. She says she has become celibate.

    Things with men have repeatedly gone bad for her in the last several episodes: she has lost McDreamy (and her dog) to his estranged wife, wrecked her comfortable friendship with former household mascot George (upsetting her female roommates a lot), blown a chance to reconcile things with her father.

    Everything does not get solved for her this episode. But fate is offering her a lot of olive branches. You get the feeling that despite how bad she is hurting and what a porcupine she is becoming, fate is still willing to throw her a bone.


    Bailly has been dealing recently with the dual demands of being mommy, doctor, and leader. In charge of almost everyone and everything around her, almost.

    Now, finally, she just wants to help - and she does.


    All the stories woven into this episode were really good. Things are starting to go better for the characters that fate had recently been zapping with one emotional blow after another.

    The show was very well written. It was nice to see things starting to go nicely.

    The next episode will probably see some of these characters progress some more in their relationships.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 0

  • Merediths father appears at the hospital as his other daughter is about to give birth. So Mere finds she has a sister, Izzy and Denny get closer, George is someones 'mcdreamy', alex does not sugar coat the condition of patients, cristina goes back to basimoreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By kikayqt, Dec 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    Funny, Meaningful, Romantic...the episode made me laugh and cry all in a span of an hour (of course with the ads.) As much as the focus was on Mer and her dad, I think all characters were given mini stories in and of themselves. I liked the way George protected Meredith but still gave her the shoulder when she said thank you. Cristina competing with the Chief was just hilarious --- Denny and Izzy are slowly moving to the next level and so is George and Callie. I loved the fact that George is Callie's McDreamy!!! I think the hair cutting scene toward the end was very symbolic of George trusting and falling for someone else other than Meredith. The confrontation between Alex and Burke also made me think of truth and to what extent should things be kept to oneself.Im so excited for Chris O'Donnell coming in as Mer's next love interest. The show just keeps on getting more interesting!!!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 1

  • George becomes McDreamy and that's only half the fun.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By SWERJ321, Dec 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    "She's George's McDreamy." A classic line that showcases the key problem the ladies have with George, unable to see him as anything more than the goofy friend. The scene with George and Meredith's dad was excellent as is his romance with Sara Ramirez. She's even more of a delight than in Spamalot and her tirade to Izze and Meredith over George was great. Can't wait to see this romance continue.

    I liked the scene of Alex defending himself and saying "this is who I am," showing his depth. I was surprised to see Laurie Metcalf on but she did a good dramatic turn, especially at the end.

    I had hoped for more of Bailey dealing with trying to be "the Nazi" again after giving birth but it's nice to see how she's unable to face the fact she is a bit softer now.

    The rivalry between Christina and the Chief was odd at first but caught on especially with the Chief showing her why he's in charge. The scene of the Chief and Meredith's dad was incredibly charged as we instantly know Mr. Grey knows what the Chief did and calls him on it.
    While I thought it a bit extreme, I have to admit, I liked Christina going nude around the apartment to get George out.

    Of course the big one was Meredith dealing with the fact that her father showed more love to his new family than to her. That his wife knew about her was a surprise and I really liked how the actor portrayed her father as a man who truly was broken, making you feel for him despite everything.

    And the ending has CHris O'Donnell coming in which promises a lot more fun as we enter the home stretch of the season.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 1

  • George becomes McDreamy and that's only half the fun.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By SWERJ321, Dec 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    "She's George's McDreamy." A classic line that showcases the key problem the ladies have with George, unable to see him as anything more than the goofy friend. The scene with George and Meredith's dad was excellent as is his romance with Sara Ramirez. She's even more of a delight than in Spamalot and her tirade to Izze and Meredith over George was great. Can't wait to see this romance continue.

    I liked the scene of Alex defending himself and saying "this is who I am," showing his depth. I was surprised to see Laurie Metcalf on but she did a good dramatic turn, especially at the end.

    I had hoped for more of Bailey dealing with trying to be "the Nazi" again after giving birth but it's nice to see how she's unable to face the fact she is a bit softer now.

    The rivalry between Christina and the Chief was odd at first but caught on especially with the Chief showing her why he's in charge. The scene of the Chief and Meredith's dad was incredibly charged as we instantly know Mr. Grey knows what the Chief did and calls him on it.
    While I thought it a bit extreme, I have to admit, I liked Christina going nude around the apartment to get George out.

    Of course the big one was Meredith dealing with the fact that her father showed more love to his new family than to her. That his wife knew about her was a surprise and I really liked how the actor portrayed her father as a man who truly was broken, making you feel for him despite everything.

    And the ending has CHris O'Donnell coming in which promises a lot more fun as we enter the home stretch of the season.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Goof: At the end of the episode, when Richard comes out of the elevator, you can see one memeber of the crew standing on the left operating the door mechanism. Edit
    • Near the end of the episode, when Richard comes out of the elevator to meet Cristina, a tall man with spiked hair walks out. That is actor/screenwriter James Hall. Edit
    • Laurie Metcalf (Beatrice Carver) guest starred in this episode as did Jeff Perry (Thatcher Gray). Laurie and Jeff were once married and are now divorced. Laurie's current husband Matt Roth also guest starred on Grey's Anatomy in Season 2. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Original International Air Dates: Bulgaria: July 25, 2006 on bTV Spain: September 19, 2006 on Cuatro Australia: September 25, 2006 on Channel 7 The Netherlands: November 7, 2006 on Net 5 UK: December 21 2006 on Living TV. Norway: January, 9 2007 on TV2 Sweden: January 9, 2007 on Kanal 5 Croatia: April 2, 2007 on NOVA TV Finland: April 4, 2007 on Nelonen Italy: April 27, 2007 on Italia 1 Ireland: July 3, 2007 on RTE2 Romania: August 7, 2007 on TVR1 Edit
    • Music Featured In This Episode: 1. Girl, You Shout! by Dressy Bessy plays when Meredith is knitting in the bar 2. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley plays when George, Cristina and Izzie are eating lunch, talking about George's patient's "family" 3. C'mon Yeah by The Sunshine plays when Chief beating Cristina 4. Wreck Of The Day (Acoustic) by Anna Nalick plays when Thatcher stares at the OR Board 5. The Fear You Won't Fall by Joshua Radin plays when George finds out where Callie lives Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Richard: Nice work today, Yang. Hopefully your fellow interns will be as adept on this scope as you. Cristina: Thank you, sir. But, um... you weren't looking. You actually had your eyes closed so how- I was watching you and you didn't even need the ... you didn't even need the screen to help you guide the needle holder. Richard (smiles): Old school, Yang. Muscle memory. You wanna win? Always go back to the basics. Edit
    • (Cristina walks in naked into the kitchen. George looks up and immediately covers his eyes with his hands. Burke looks too and is shocked) Burke: Cristina, what the hell are you doing?! Cristina: Oh, uh being comfortable in my apartment. (Burke looks at George who still has his eyes closed) George: I didn't see anything. I did not see anything. Burke: Get out. (George scrambles up fast to leave but ends up falling onto the floor. Cristina smiles walking back into her room) Cristina: Basics. (George runs out the door, Burke gives Cristina a look) Edit
    • Denny: You made me a sweater. Today. In one day, you made me a sweater. Izzie: Yeah, well, you know, I had some time so... Denny: Well that vow of celibacy must really be something. Izzie: You know what, just accept your gift and say thank you. Denny: Oh, does this mean I don't get any sexual favors? Sweater instead of sex. Izzie: Smell it. (Denny gives her a look) Go on. Smell it. Denny (smells it and smiles): It smells like Izzie. Izzie (smiles): Yeah I wore it for 3 hours so that is the closest you're going to be getting to this body mister. You wanna play some scrabble or are you too tired? Denny: Scrabble, please. (she starts to it out) Just show me one boob. (Izzie laughs) Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Webber: They call me Doctor Webber! This is a play on the famous line, "They call me Mister Tibbs!" from the 1967 movie In the Heat of the Night. It stars Sidney Poitier. Edit
    • Episode Title: Name of the Game This episode is named after the song title by the band Abba. Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Grey's Anatomy Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 2 Episodes

See All
Ep 27
Losing My Religion
Ep 26
Deterioration of the Fight...
Ep 25
17 Seconds
Ep 24
Damage Case
Ep 23
Blues for Sister Someone
Ep 22
The Name of the Game
Ep 21
Superstition
Ep 20
Band Aid Covers the Bullet...
Ep 19
What Have I Done To Deserv...
Ep 18
Yesterday
Ep 17
(As We Know It) (2)
Ep 16
It's the End of the World (1)
Ep 15
Break on Through
Ep 14
Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
Ep 13
Begin the Begin
Ep 12
Grandma Got Run Over By A ...
Ep 11
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Ep 10
Much Too Much
Ep 9
Thanks for the Memories
Ep 8
Let It Be
Ep 7
Something to Talk About
Ep 6
Into You Like A Train
Ep 5
Bring The Pain
Ep 4
Deny, Deny, Deny
Ep 3
Make Me Lose Control
Ep 2
Enough Is Enough (No More ...
Ep 1
Raindrops Keep Falling On ...

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use