After having waited more or less 10 months for this episode to air in the UK, this episode does not live up to any expectations I may have had. Whilst it does have some good moments, this episode overall is a disappointment relative to the standard set by previous episodes. Read on to find out why…
Witty, often facetious, remarks, ludicrous sex…err…love triangles, melodrama and a touch of emotion is, if you've ever seen the show, basically what Grey's Anatomy is all about. If you're looking for that or even if you're looking for one of Grey's' emotional and sentimental episodes, then this is the wrong episode to watch. It starts off with Meredith's voiceover (as always) continuing right from where Season 2 left off. She runs out of the hospital, unable to choose between Derek and Finn, spouting out her usual semi-rants/life philosophies. In this instance, it's about "time" itself; an interesting concept, to say the least. However, a ridiculous love triangle is not why I tuned in to the episode and as Meredith speaks on, I find myself wondering when they'll cut to Izzie Stevens. Finally they do, and I brace myself for what could be a rollercoaster of emotions. Unfortunately, it's not. Whilst Katherine Heigl delivers with an understated yet captivating performance, she's not given nearly enough screen time to make full use of last season's events. Onto the other characters; they don't seem to have any point in this episode other than a few moments of self-realisation and to delve into some flashbacks. Derek and George are quarantined for most of the day in the locker room and talk about their respective love lives. George seeks Derek's advice about what to say to Callie. Whilst helping George, Derek realises he's never told Meredith that he loves her (he's a brain surgeon and he just realises this?). Cristina spends most of the day doing…well, nothing in particular. Aside from a few one-liners, she has a fairly blink-and-you'll-miss-her role. As does Alex and, in some ways, Addison too. Bailey, however, is slightly better than the others in this episode. She apparently seems guilty in not being able to save Denny and this should play out nicely in further episodes (provided the writers go ahead with this idea). The flashbacks are, in some ways, interesting. They provide further background info on the characters; and also some irony considering the events of the present day. For example, an ecstatic Izzie states how cool internship will be whilst Alex bluntly tells her she won't make it through the course. It's moments like these that are perhaps the saving grace of the show. And the relations of these flashbacks to Meredith's voiceovers are a nice way to link each segment of the episode. So, to sum up, a rather below-average episode that doesn't really give the viewer the feel that they are watching Grey's Anatomy. Having said that, though, this episode isn't very bad at all. Katherine Heigl shines in one of greatest performances thus far by a Grey's Anatomy cast member. It's the simplicity of her portrayal of Izzie's fragile state of mind that captures not only the viewers' interest but the viewers' hearts. It's this very performance that makes this episode salvageable and not a complete waste of time.
Rating: C minus





