Spoiler: Grey's - "You weren't you. You were gone."

Following last week's episode, I had pretty high expectations for the Grey's Anatomy season finale that aired Thursday night. And I am happy to report that I was satisfied. The episode (or should that be plural) was a bit long; two hours seemed a bit much. As for my post about the finale, I am going to give less details than usual. I am going to give the facts of what happened, highlighting the high points chronologically.

- Derek figured out a way to get the tumor out of Izzie's brain. The surgery could lead to Izzie losing her memory and not being able to speak, but it would mean she could live.
- Cristina wants Owen to go see his mom, who thinks Owen is still in Iraq.
- An injured soldier comes into the hospital and wants his healthy, but pain causing, leg cut off so he can get a prosthetic leg and return to war.
- The chief bought a new surgery machine that makes surgical experiments possible. He lets Bailey use it and it is obvious he is trying to lure Bailey into staying with general surgery instead of specializing in pediatrics.
- Sloan asks Lexie to move in with him, but she at first doesn't get the hint and then tells him she would need 10 years so that she could get her life in order first.
- Everyone begins taking sides on whether or not Izzie should have the surgery or stick with treatments that may never work.
- Owen realizes he cannot commit to his new life because he still feels like he is at war. He then says he wants to go back to Iraq and Cristina says she will not support him.
- The soldier who wants his leg cut off explains himself and it becomes clear that the doctors would not be doing harm by performing the surgery but would instead be allowing him to return to war to save hundreds of other lives.
- The cancer miracle case, a woman who should not have survived but responded wonderfully to treatment and was living a full life, takes a bad turn and ends up on a ventilator with possible brain damage. Seeing her friend near death makes Izzie realize that the surgery may be a good idea. But the twist: Izzie signs a DNR.
- Meredith and Derek talk about going to City Hall to get married the next day. They no longer want to wait after Meredith realizes how precious life is.
- Cristina gives a speech about how being the best does not matter because no matter what they do their patients still die. She then tells Owen she can't let him die. Cristina then goes with Owen to see his mom.
- A few of the doctors are down on themselves because they cannot see why they are doctors when it seems like more harm than good is completed. Bailey takes them to see the joy of saving a child's life, thus reminding them why they are important.
- In a twist I totally didn't see coming, George enlists in the army!

SECOND HOUR
- Alex, Cristina and Meredith slept in Izzie's room following the surgery and are waiting for her to wake up.
- Bailey is offered the pediatrics fellowship but does not seem happy.
- Izzie wakes up, has a memory and can talk. Everyone gets excited until she begins repeating herself. She cannot remember past a few seconds, which could be a normal haze or because of a minor bleed during the surgery. Alex begins working with her, trying to get her to remember.
- Owen tells Cristina that he slept for the first time in months without nightmares and that he thinks this means he can be a better man for her now.
- Meredith tells Cristina her plan to go to City Hall to get married later that day and Cristina gives her a blue post-it with an old shopping list written on it and a pen: her something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new.
- An unidentified man is brought in. He pushed a young woman out of the way of a bus and he himself was subsequently dragged under the bus. He is in rough shape.
- Everyone is pissed at George for joining the army and plan to stage an intervention.
- Bailey won't talk to Arizona about the fellowship and when she finally does we find out that Bailey's husband threatened to divorce her if she took the new position because the new position would mean more unpredictable hours.
- Arizona hears about George joining the army and she says she thinks it is awesome, which angers Cali. We later find out that Arizona's brother died in Iraq because there was no doctor around to save his life, thus she thinks what George is doing is courageous.
- The girl who was saved from being hit by the bus refuses to leave the side of the man who pushed her. She thinks he is her prince and says he literally swept her off her feet.
- Cristina, in a move that seems very out of character and girly for her, tells Owen she loves him. He then tells her to meet him half way. Their storyline ends with them kissing and happy together.
- Alex, thinking Izzie would not remember, yells at Izzie for forcing him into a situation where he has to deal with her health problems. He even yells about his plan to kill her if it comes to that. But, surprisingly, Izzie remembers!
- Bailey goes to the chief and asks to be let back on as a general surgeon. She also tells him she plans to leave her husband because their marriage is already shattered, but the general surgery schedule is easier since she would now be a single parent. She then gives a moving speech about how everyone is scared in life.
- Meredith and Derek realize that there will always be some kind of crisis that gets in the way of their wedding so they write promises to each other and sign them like a contract. They have their own make-shift wedding.
- Meredith realizes the unidentified man is George after he writes in the palm of her hand 007, his nickname. All of the doctors then jump into action and try to save him.
- Meanwhile, Izzie stops breathing and because she is DNR they are not supposed to save her. But after Alex pleads with them, the chief agrees to try to save her.

The episode ends before we find out for sure whether or not George and Izzie live or die.

So here come the questions: Do you think both Izzie and George are dead? Were you completely shocked when we found out it was George who had been hit by the bus? Why do you think the writers chose to have George hit by a bus in his act of heroism if it would have been just as simple to send him to Iraq as a means to write him off the show? Were you also moved by Bailey's speech about how everyone is scared and life is scary? Do you think Meredith and Derek's exchange of vows was just cheesy enough to be lovable? Leave me comments about your overall thoughts on the episode and also feel free to leave comments about your expectations for next season.