{Note: O.K. Ducklings, I’m out of town; so tonight’s recap comes to you by way of Ellen, a onetime Seattleite who’s funnier, more timely, and has better grammar than your usual recapper; so do your best to be extra nice to her!}

Previously: Bailey pregnant, Meredith is the only one who can see her
mother, the dog, Izzy as underwear model, unhappy nurses.

Narration: In surgery, there’s a red line on the floor that marks the point
where the hospital goes from being accessible to being off limits to all but
a special few. Crossing the line unauthorized is not tolerated.

Shot:
Nurses striking.

[More: An episode about lines, but refreshingly not too heavy handed and
only involving 3 patients, a new Nazi who turns out to be the anti-Nazi, a
musical Burke, and secrets about Izzy revealed . . . ]

George and Izzy contemplate the strike line. George says he cant cross the
picket line, but Izzy (wearing a really cute green jacket and argyle
sweater — I wonder where that is from?) says they have to: they’re healers!
George may be a healer, but he’s also a union guy — his mom is a teacher and
his dad is a truck driver. Crossing the line would be like spitting on
their graves (has his father died since Thanksgiving? Mysterious).

Narration: In general, lines are there for a reason.

SO comes up behind George and Izzy, and asks if there has been any blood
yet? Scab nurses?

Narration: For safety, for security, for clarity. Izzy thinks the nurses
know they’re on their (the nurses) side. SO points out that there are sick
patients inside. If she feels that way, Izzy says, she can be the first to
cross the line. She does, and gets things thrown at her. But she’s just
doing her job (and being a scab).

Izzy is incensed that the nurses threw food at SO, so she goes in too. She
even yells at Olivia (who I think is also Syph Nurse? — it it indeed syphilinurse) for throwing
something at her. At least she knows (one of) their names. She yells for
George, but he’s not coming.

Meredith at Mama Grey’s Alzheimer home.

Narration: If we choose to cross the line, you pretty much do so at your
own risk.

The receptionist tells Meredith that Mama is great — she really lights up
when the Chief comes to visit. Meredith sees them talking and laughing, and
the Chief taking her mothers hand.

Narration: So why is it that the bigger the line, the greater the
temptation to cross it?

The nurse liaison (?) from last week is trying to instruct the doctors and
the temp nurses about the charts — they’re organized by room number (this
seems incredibly logical). She says doctors don’t know how to help, and
they’re the reason she quit being a nurse.

The Chief and Patrick Dempsey confer in the hallway to meet the demands
about overtime, they need 40 new nurses, which would cost $2 million per
year. The Chief doesn’t know where he’d get that kind of money. Patrick
Dempsey notes that he always finds spare change under the couch cushions.

Hanging out at the desk, SO, Alex, and Izzy, shortly joined by Grey,
speculate on who will be Baileys replacement. It turns out to be Sydney, a
perky brunette fourth year, who can only be described as the Anti-Nazi
(thanks ABC, for the ready made nickname). She is really, really perky.
She was waiting in the locker room, but she realized maybe they were looking
for her! So she came out here! Here they all are! This is great! They
look like a great group! Its going to be great! She uses the word
awesome! She proceeds to hug SO, causing SO to say ow, not because AN is
hurting her, but simply because she is touching her. These two are going to
get along great (mad cap fun clearly will ensue — or perhaps dramatic
conflict?). Anyway, ANs philosophy is to heal with love. She asks where
George is, and the others inform her that he won’t cross the picket line.
AN loves this! Standing up for what he believes in! SO and Alex run off
for a consult on a rash, Meredith has patients to see. Inexplicably, AN
calls Izzy Izzy McGee. Izzy points out that her last name is actually
Stevens. AN says she knows, she was just rhyming. She likes rhyming!
Luckily Addison comes by to rescue Izzy (who seems to forget about the whole
I made you think you had to save the quint who was going to die anyway
incident just to get away from Perky Hell).

SO and Alex go to consult for rash. Surgeons have been called in because
its spreading very fast. Behind the curtain, they find two people making
out in a hospital bed. It’s because they’re newlyweds! (They waited for
marriage? In liberal Seattle?) The patient is the wife, so SO asks the
husband to dismount.

Walking down the hallway (who are these mysterious patients she needs to
check on?) Grey goes into room with old lady calling for Lenis Grey Lenny?
Old lady seems distraught. She cant talk. Meredith cant find her chart
and tells her to calm down. The woman keeps asking for Lenny, who is
apparently her husband. Meredith assures he hell be back soon. The woman
has more trouble breathing, and Meredith calls for a nurse, but . . .

. . . they’re all outside protesting! Syph Nurse comes to talk to George.
She tells him he can go inside and they wont throw things at him, but he
assures her that he’s not afraid of donuts. He cant cross the line. He
doesn’t want to go home. He could get kicked out of the program, but he
cant cross the line — he’s a union guy. She loves it! He takes the sign and
joins the line. She looks so proud — the nurses all love it and cheer for
him.

Short credits, and thus begins another action packed episode.

********

Grey walks into hospital room and the elderly lady is having trouble
breathing. She calls to a nursing student who comes in to help, but clearly
knows nothing. Meredith intubates, with the inept help of the nurse (who
doesn’t seem to know where, or what, anything is — isnt this more of a
liability than an aid?). When Meredith gets the woman breathing (with a
tube), the nurse responds awesome.

Next we find Addison and Izzy conferring over a young pregnant patient,
Cheyenne from Chehalis. Cheyennes baby has a tumor on its neck, and they
need to operate to save its life — the tumor is obstructing the baby’s airway
and its spine. They want to do an exit surgery where they partially
deliver the baby by C-section, sustaining it through the surgery with the
umbilical cord, then cut the cord and deliver the baby: You’ll be like
your baby’s life support machine. Mom is worried about the expense. Addison
says that it’s not a problem, the doctor at the clinic is a former
student of hers, and the hospital will take care of it. After Addison
leaves, Izzy says that its not charity — the hospital gets a right off for
the surgery and it makes Addison look good. The Mom has to go — she works the
graveyard shift at a truck stop in Chehalis (3 hours away). Izzy promises
to take care of her.

Meredith finds the Chief by the board. She mentions her mother, and he
tells her to give Mama Grey his best.

Back in Rash lands, SO is drawing on Wifey’s leg while Alex looks on. She
has to go — they’re running a 10k tomorrow. They love sports! They love the
outdoors (what a Seattle couple! Way to reinforce those stereotypes) AN
comes in, and newlyweds tell her that the rash first appeared when they were
hiking on Rainier. They discuss the trails they took. Before Rainier they
were windsurfing in the Puget Sound — she cut her leg on some oyster. But
this isn’t a simple skin infection . . . .

In the hallway, Grey & Dempsey are making eyes at each other: Dempsey is
assuring Grey that the dog is fine (dog? What dog?) when Addison comes
over. She invites Grey to visit — the dog, that is. Grey walks away, and
Addison wants Dempsey to consult on tumor baby.

Back outside to the protesting nurses (fair hours! Fair wages!) George is
walking the line with Syph Nurse, but she wants to tell him about patients
quirks. Other nurses do too — and they want him to go inside and let the
doctors know — its not that they don’t care, they just want fair hours/fair
wages. But they also want their patients to be okay (oh, the torturous
ambiguity of strikes!).

In the operating room, Alex and SO are competing over cutting into Wifey’s
leg. AN is looking on. It seems strange that the muscle is so damaged.
Suddenly AN announces that all non-essential personnel must leave, because
Wifey’s leg has flesh-eating bacteria. Ew.

Looking on at the old lady she’s just saved, Meredith is interrupted by old
lady’s 3 lady friends (none of whom are wearing purple, btw). They tell her
that old lady was DNR, she wanted to die. And now they are mad.

******

Back to the Steel Magnolias and the old lady who ought to be dead.
Apparently Deady has a lesbian daughter (but shes very nice Ed: The
point of this is ?). Deady’s two sisters are dead (one of pneumonia (not
croup! That is for children), the other of unknown causes but she was
cremated (presumably that was not the cause of death). Her husband is dead
too — that was the Lenny she was speaking of when Meredith snatched her back
to the land of the living. Deady wanted to cross over. Meredith is a
bitch/bad person for saving her life. Note: At least one of the friends
seems to be Jewish. Another has a southern accent. Oh, the diversity of
old white ladies!

In the hospital, George is letting the doctors in on instructions from the
nurses to administer to patients. Chief wants George to be a surgeon, but
he’s only inside to check on the patients. George is a union man! Fine,
says the chief. Mrs. OBrien in 2412 is allergic to chocolate, and
something about a patient hiding his diuretics (you might too). He
eventually runs off (after saying that he means no offense).

Back to Wifey and the Flesh eating bacteria! AN, SO, and Alex are filling
in the husband. This is not a joke (you think?)they tell him. SO takes it
upon herself to tell AN (and husband and Alex) what’s what here–they could
cut out the infection, but SO says they have to amputate. Alex notes that
they could try to cut it out. AN tells Alex that he gets a Gold star for
saying that . Wifey is active and likes adventure. AN tells husband that
they’ll try to save the leg. SO complains, but Alex says cutting out the
infection is cooler than amputation. Thats what it’s all about, really not
saving a patient’s life, but the cool factor.

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about teen mom Cheyenne. Addison and
Dempsey say she should be able to take the baby home to Chehalis by the end
of the week. Great! Izzy seems skeptical (I mean, really, Chehalis?).
After they leave, Izzy looks at Cheyennes books. Cheyenne tells her the
books are for school, and she’s been reading Shakespeare (out loud) to the
baby. Baby Mama says its strange — before she couldn’t go to (high) school
she never liked it, but now that she can’t, she does. Izzy asks what
plans/preparations Cheyenne has made for the baby — this turns out to be
nothing (not even a crib?!?). Cheyenne was saving money to get her own
trailer (awesome), but nine months goes by fast. [Know what goes by
faster? Unprotected sex.]

Back in flesh eating bacteria surgery, AN and SO fight about whether they
should be amputating, which, according to SO, will save Wifey’s life, or,
according to the Anti-Nazi, trying to save her leg (and probably her life
too). AN also seems to just love Alex because, unlike SO, he’s
compassionate (healing with love, remember?). I’m pretty sure he’s just
kissing ass.

SO walks out, sees Burke, and talks to him about flesh eating bacteria
(which he thinks is cool). SO tells Burke she thinks the new resident is
killing their patient.

*********

Burke is in flesh eating bacteria OR (what happened to all non-essential
personnel clearing out?) and says that he doesn’t often see flesh eating
bacteria. AN says this isn’t surprising, considering he’s a heart surgeon.
Burke is clearly checking up on AN, asking her what the treatment protocol
is. AN gets pissy — she’s trying to save this woman’s leg, she’ll stand there
all night scraping out the flesh eating bacteria (EW) and if its still
spreading shell cut it off. SO clearly would prefer a saw, because she’s
not compassionate (sticks and stones, AN). AN asks SO if shell be
scrubbing back in, but she just storms off.

In the lobby, the steel magnolias are trying to charm the Chief into killing
their friend. Let Deady die! Chief says they have to talk to a next of
kin/someone with durable power of attorney. The Steel Magnolias say that
lesbian daughter Alice lives in Oregon — they could get her to fax something
allowing Deady to go to the light. But no, it must be an original
signature. They try batting their eyelashes to get him to relent, just this
once. It is heartening that this doesn’t work.

Izzy walks by Cheyenne reading to the baby (that is in her stomach).
Foreshadowing here.

Downtown Seattle from the south shot.

At Joe’s Bar, the nurses toast George, while SO laments her run in with AN.
She cant believe AN said she’s not compassionate! And in front of her
boyfriend! She’s really compassionate (does this woman look in the
mirror?). Grey is upset because she’s going to have to kill her patient
tomorrow. They note that its now Izzy’s turn to complain about whatever
bad happened to her that day, but she just runs off. Alex calls George a
nurse, and George wonders what’s so bad about that. A nurse walks by SO and
pours the ice from her empty drink on her leg (is that really THAT bad?).
SO and the Nurse start to get into a fight, and everyone starts yelling.
Joe breaks it up, and Meredith notes that its time to go. George runs out,
because, after all, they’re his ride (could he be any more emasculated? No,
I didn’t think so).

Izzy’s back at the hospital, and Teen Mom is still awake. Izzy tells her
that she is from Chehalis too, from a trailer park just behind Teen Mom’s.
In fact, Izzy’s mom still lives there. She has another secret — she pulls a
photograph from her wallet — her daughter. !!!!

*******

Izzy’s daughter is 11 now (she’s younger in the picture). She used to live
in Santa Barbara, but her family moved, and Izzy doesn’t know where. Her
name is Hannah, and she collects pigs (note to Josh: clearly an inferior
barnyard animal — so true.). Izzy says something about Hannah’s mom, and Cheyenne asks
whether Izzy isn’t Hannah’s mom? Izzy says that she is Hannah’s mother, but
not her mom. Izzy says that this is where she and Cheyenne come from and
these things aren’t talked about. But there’s more than one way to be a good
mother, and that giving up her child was the best she could do for her
daughter at 16 (there must be some lesson here about a lack of sex
education, right?). Cheyenne says that she loves her baby. Izzy says of
course she does, but notes that she is reading her Shakespeare and when
you’re working 12 hours graveyard shifts at the diner in Chehalis, you don’t
come home and read Shakespeare to the baby.

Another tourism bureau shot: Seattle waterfront and a ferry at night.

SO arrives at Burke’s apartment (where she lives?), and he’s playing a
trumpet (he plays the trumpet?). She says she could hear him down the block,
and while she likes it, she’s concerned about the neighbors, thus proving
her capacity for compassion (apparently SO finds both hugs and words
painful). Burke asks about the leg — SO says its okay now, and they’re
monitoring it over the night. Burke seems upset, and says Never in my
career have I questioned a fellow surgeon in their OR. I never understood
what the problem was, an intern dating an attending, until today. With
this, SO goes in to the other room.

Sunrise.

Outside Seattle Grace, the nurses are still protesting.

Inside, George fills Grey in on patient quirks with info from the nurses.

Burke asks George for help, but George tells him he can’t. He shouts the
nurse’s mantra, fair hours/fair wages. Unfortunately (and boding ill for a
nurse-friendly resolution to the strike) no one seems to care.

Izzy hands George coffee. He asks whether she realizes how rarely doctors
say thank you to nurses. Then he looks around, seems paranoid, and says he
shouldn’t be seen talking to her.

As George walks out, Alice the lesbian daughter of Deady arrives to talk to
Grey about Deady mom. They go off to see Deady.

More mother arrivals: Cheyennes mother arrives and talks to Izzy. She
says that Izzy promised to take care of her daughter, but instead is telling
her to give away the baby. She’s pretty mad (wouldn’t you be?). Izzy says
that Cheyenne is smart and could have a life involving more than teen
pregnancy, trailer parks, and graveyard diner shifts. Chehalis Mom says
that Izzy thinks she’s a fancy superior doctor and doesn’t want her telling
Cheyenne what to do. Izzy doesn’t play the I’m from Chehalis/lived in a
trailer/was a teen mom card, and says that Chehalis Mom should try to get
past the fact that Izzy is a fancy superior doctor, and consider whether
what she says isn’t right.

Back in flesh eating bacteria land (a place I hope never to go), Wifey is
doing great. AN got out most of the flesh eating bacteria, and the rest
should be taken care of by a turn or two in the hyperbaric chamber, which
Alex is going to explain. SO looks on, and AN looks smug. Smugness, of
course, is the dark side of perky.

Lesbian daughter (with partner in tow) Alice signs the DNR in front of the
steel magnolias, Grey, and the Chief. The plan is to give Deady a sedative,
turn off the machines, and remove the tube. Alice kisses her mom goodbye.
The Steel Magnolias don’t need to give kisses — they’ve already said goodbye,
and just want to be there for the end. Grey looks like she’s going to cry,
and the Chief offers to do this, she can leave. But Grey wants to do it
herself. She injects the sedative, turns off the machines, and takes out
the tube. Nothing immediately happens.

In some room, Burke is doing paperwork. SO comes in distraught. AN wants
SO to apologize. But SO didn’t make Burke do anything. He says that its
his fault: He’s her teacher, but she came to him as her Boyfriend, and he
responded that way. She says that she’s not used to being wrong (what a
charmed life). But he points out that second guessing a resident isn’t her
job.

Back with Deady, Grey asks the Chief how long it’s been since they took her
off the tube. He responds that its been 2 hours and 17 minutes. She says
that she saw him at the nursing home with Mama Grey. She said she heard he
goes 2-3 times a week, and asks him why is he keeping this a secret. He
says he doesn’t know (um, maybe because he and Mama Grey had an affair years
ago when they were both married? Just a guess). Still, he says that hell
stop going if she wants. She doesn’t answer but turns to check on Deady.
She asks him if he thinks her mother is lonely. And he does.

*********

Deady is being touched, stroked, hand held by the lesbian daughter Alice and
some of the Steel Magnolias while the Chief and Grey look on (do these
surgeons really have nothing better to do in the midst of this nurse’s strike
than stand around waiting for an old woman to die? Really?).

Cut to Cheyenne in surgery with Dempsey, Addison, and Izzy. The baby is
delivered, and Izzy takes her to the incubator.

Birth! Life! Death! A whole life cycle playing out dramatically in one
hospital! (This is a women-centered episode too — one woman dying, one woman
giving birth, and another just married. Hmm.)

Back to Deady breathing shallowly. Everyone is looking on with love and
touching her. Silently willing her to die? This is weird. Grey sees her
take the last breath. The Steel Magnolias are sad but relieved when Deady
finally dies. Meredith calls the time of death, and walks out starting to
cry. Of course, Dempsey sees her walk into some kind of closet. Uh oh. He
joins her. She cant talk because she’s crying hysterically. Eventually,
she gets out the words that she doesn’t want her mother to die alone. He
comforts her. He gives her a bag to breathe into because she’s
hyperventilating. He holds her hand. She puts her head on his shoulder.
Uh oh. She’s okay. He repeats this sentiment. She lifts up her head, and
says thank you. They look they’re going to kiss, but she doesn’t move, then
gets up, leaving him sitting on the floor. (What a jerk.)

Izzy is (in the NICU?) with the baby in the incubator and Cheyenne.
Cheyenne asks Izzy is she ever wishes that she hadn’t given the baby up for
adoption. Izzy probably lies, and says no. Cheyenne asks whether she can
still name the baby is she gives it up for adoption. Unfortunately babies
are not like pedigreed dogs that are registered and officially named
forever. Cheyenne cant really name her, but she can name her for herself.
Izzy named her daughter Sarah, which Cheyenne thinks is a pretty name. It
was also the 12th most popular name in the United States in 2004 [#].

Meredith tells the Chief to keep visiting Mama Grey — she lights up when he
does. It keeps Mama Grey happy, and alive.

Wrapping things up further, SO tells Burke that she will apologize, but
doesn’t want to do it in front of Alex. Burke says she has too. He doesn’t
have to apologize, because he’s an attending, and he doesn’t apologize to
residents (the kind of rigid hierarchical attitude that caused the nurse’s
strike, perhaps?). SO does go up to AN and, with Alex and Burke standing
there, apologize for second guessing AN. AN is thrilled! Apology is
accepted! AN wants a hug, but SO walks off. Only so much, really.

The Chief and the nurse coordinator are talking about where he could
possibly get the money for 40 more nurses. She remembers seeing an approval
for a multimillion dollar surgical robotic dog (kidding) arm. He says that
the robotic arm will bring in lots of business. She suggests he give it up
in favor of something even better: Nurses. Although, its worth noting that
a robotic arm will never go on strike and throw donuts.

Narration: We cant help ourselves. We see a line, we want to cross it.
Its the thrill of trading the familiar for the unfamiliar. Once you’ve
crossed, its almost impossible to go back.

Cut to Addison and Dempsey in bed, with the dog, in the trailer.

Izzy gets into bed with George. He asks if she’s okay, and she says yes,
she is. Meredith gets in too. Turns out she’s okay too. Nothing happened
today. George continues playing with his PSP (last week a Sidekick, this
week PSP, next week a video iPod?). Izzy announces that they don’t know
everything about each other. They all agree.

Narration: If you do manage to make it back across that line, you find
safety in numbers.

In bed together, they turn the light out.

George asks if anybody wants to have sex? This elicits much laughter from
his the women.

Next week: Something terribly ominous following the Super Bowl (which Seattle is totally going to win!). What is a code black?

{p.s. This post was made using my sidekick and some of the apostrophes and em-dashes may not have translated properly.}

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