Grey's: "You deserve to be here. Act like it."

During tonight's Grey's Anatomy episode, everyone is stressed about the merger, which, if you think about it, leaves the patients to suffer. The doctors refuses to take breaks or go home because it shows weakness and all they can talk about is the possibility of losing their job. There is no way they are at their best or able to truly concentrate on the patients, which is a shame. Anyway, here is a synopsis of the episode.

- Cristina tells Arizona that she wants to be a part of the pediatrics rotation. This seems out of characters for Cristina but her reasoning, as told to Arizona, is that in pediatrics you get to operate on all parts of the body and don't have to narrow down a real specialty. But then we see Cristina's interaction with the kids and realize that this is an awful idea since she has no people skills let alone children skills. We later find out that the real reason Cristina wanted to join this rotation is that she is worried about being fired. She realized that everyone else has a reason to not be fired - Izzie because she is sick, Meredith because she has Derek, Alex because he is Bailey's new favorite - but that Cristina is expendable. So Cristina thought that if she proved herself to Arizona and became her favorite, then she wouldn't be fired. Arizona finally catches on, with Callie's help, and she confronts Cristina telling her she hates being used and, when she tries to protest, that she hates being lied to even more.
- In other Arizona news, Callie, who is also worried about the merger since she knows the chief is still mad at her for walking away from Seattle Grace, announced that she is looking for other jobs - in particular, one in Oregon. At first Arizona seems to understand this but later she opens up about how she doesn't want to do the long distance relationship thing. We also learn a bit about her insecurities and now that they are labeled each others' girlfriends, things between them have the opportunity to grow.
- Izzie returns to work three weeks early mostly because she is also afraid for her job, but partly because she is going crazy in the trailer. She also is sporting a wig that she says is to comfort the patients so that they do not know immediately that she has cancer, but it is all the people who know her can stare at and it makes for some awkward encounters. While at work, Alex hovers a bit. But when he points out that she is not being safe - not eating, not taking her pills, working surgeries that are hours long - we realize that he is truly looking out for her best interest. At the end of the episode Alex confronts Izzie and tells her that he understands she has to keep doing what she loves, which is being a doctor, but that she also must take care of herself.
- The medical case that is at the center of this episode includes a mother who was in a car accident and her son who is paranoid schizophrenic. The mother has a mass in her stomach that needs to be surgically removed, but because her son has no one else to care for him, she refuses. She only gets more adamant about not leaving her son when he gets paranoid with Lexie and runs away. But while loose in the hospital he falls down a flight of stairs and is injured. Though his injuries are not as life threatening as his mother's, Lexie gets the idea that if both are in surgery at the same time and are forced to recover together, then maybe the mother would agree to the surgery. In this end, this is what happens and both people are allowed a chance to survive.
- While everyone in the hospital is freaking out, Richard will not talk to anyone. Even when Derek barges in and demands answers, Richard refuses to say anything substantive, though he does acknowledge that he is angry at Derek and does not feel like he owes him anything. All episode we see nurses, residents, interns, etcetera worrying about their fate. The first round of cuts was made at the end of the episode and many employees, including much of the intern class, received the email. But what this experience taught the characters is that they need to stop worrying and just live life. And as a way to visualize this, the main characters - Derek, Mark, Owen, Cristina, Meredith and Lexie - take some time having fun away from the hospital; They drink some beers and play some baseball.

I liked this week's episode. But I do have one thing I want to point out: I find it very difficult to believe that a hospital would allow a patient, who only weeks earlier was near death from cancer, to return to work as a doctor. How can Izzie possibly be ready for the stress, long hours, etcetera of that of a doctor? Did anyone else find this weird?