After a lengthy hiatus (the last new episode aired back in 2006), everyone’s favorite interns are back at work. And it’s almost like no time has passed: After the jump, catch up on George’s dad finally getting that cancer surgery, Meredith and Derek actually dating, Addison and Alex flirting, and Izzy’s ongoing struggle with her candy-striper status.

Yet another episode opens with Meredith in bed - this time sleeping/snoring (through her voiceover duties), with Derek watching her. She snorts, wakes up, and asks him if he’s one of those weirdos who watches women sleep. He doesn’t really answer. [ed: nice red sheets]

Downstairs, Izzy and George are getting ready for work, having breakfast and eating the paper [ed: what time do these people have to be at work? What time do they get up? Aren't they exhausted interns who shouldn't have time to linger over the morning paper?]. George gets something out of the fridge and Denny’s $8.7 million check drops on the floor. George picks it up - so annoying! $8.7 million on the floor! He tells Izzy she should deposit the check in a bank, do him a favor and deposit the check in the bank! She refuses, and wonders if he is misplacing the anxiety about his father’s surgery on her check. George retorts that she deserves $8.7 million. She’s not so sure — and she won’t deposit it, but she will give him a ride to work, if he’s nice to her for the next seven minutes.

{lovely shot of ferry boats}

On morning rounds, Izzy asks Sandra Oh how Burke’s doing but she doesn’t know - they’re not speaking. They made up, but they’re not speaking to each other. SO asks Meredith to ask Derek about Burke’s hand [ed: kind of like a game of telephone?]. Meredith doesn’t want to get in the middle of it - things with McDreamy are going well, and she doesn’t want to mess it up. Izzy suggests SO just swallow her pride, but Alex notes that her gut isn’t big enough for that.

In O’Malley land, there’s a part-ay going on - party hats and noise makers and everything. They’re celebrating Papa O’s successful heart surgery (the one that outed Burke as a tremorring surgeon). George does get to present the patient, and having finally won the respect of his dopey family his medical jargon that they don’t understand is met with cheers. The interns do look proud. But the celebration will have to stop - there’s serious stuff to discuss. The Chief and the Nazi are both there - the prognosis is not wonderful. Papa O asks about chemo, but they’re sketchy on it. He might be so cancerous that there’s nothing they can do. But it’s hard to say, especially in front of George. The bottom line is that the party has to go home - doesn’t it just suck when cancer ruins your party?

In front of Burke’s room, SO corners Derek to ask about tremors. He suggests she ask him herself. Burke looks druggy. SO tries to get Meredith to ask about his hand, but no one will. They exchange meaningful looks. He calls back George - and wishes him well. They seem to have made up after the whole tremor/lying thing.

Finally, we meet the only new patient of the day, who is hunched over at ninety degrees. Her name is Heather, but she’s also Mae Whitman who played Ann on Arrested Development (”Oh Ann!” George Michael’s sometime girlfriend, when he wasn’t trying to date his cousin Maeby), so I’m going to call her Ann [ed: don't like it? do your own recap]. Ann has some crazy scoliosis — it’s actually vater syndrome, as Izzy informs us. ” Looks like hell,” observes Alex helpfully. Ann has a punk haircut and a punk attitude - she’s not the brave and heartwarming crippled girl. Being crippled sucks! Izzy suggests the surgery will improve Ann’s quality of life, and she asks if it’s going to get her laid. Because, although Izzy looks shocked, sex IS the most important thing in life, after all (right?). Atti-tude. She’s there to have kidney stones and some ribs removed but Callie (there for the ribs) is scheming for more. She asks if there have been more radical surgeries — and of course there have. This girl has had a steel rod inserted in her spine, but it didn’t work. Callie continues to scheme.

Rounds moves on to Meredith’s niece, Baby Grey - she had some surgery and as Meredith is presenting, her erstwhile father Thatcher (and grandfather to the baby, and Mr. Katimski) comes in. There are meaningful looks exchanged between the Greys and Meredith can’t continue once he leaves. SO does her once-a-month nice deed, and takes over for her.

[short credits]

Back from the first round of commercials, a shot of the marina on Lake Union.

The Nazi makes assignments: Grey with Papa O, Sandra O in the pit, Karev with Sloane, Stevens with Ann. George takes the day off. George asks Dr. Bailey about his dad, and asks her to be straight with him as “things progress.”

Izzy asks Bailey if she can scrub in on Ann’s surgery. She’s ready, but her psychiatrist hasn’t given her the all clear. And why not? That pesky little $8.7 million check. Izzy thinks it’s irrational, but Bailey informs her that it’s irrational not to deposit the check — think of the thousands of dollars in interest she’s wasting every single day. No scrubbing in until the check is off the fridge and in the bank.

Meredith goes to pharmacy. Sandra Oh comes in and needs something ASAP - the pharma guy observes that everyone needs everything ASAP. Christina reminds him that there are people dying while he’s complaining. Christina asks Meredith if she’s okay after seeing her dad. She says she just wishes the baby would get better so they would all leave. That’s not wrong — what would be wrong would be her wanting the baby to not get better. Christina moves on from this moment to ask her again if Meredith will ask Derek about Burke’s tremor. Christina can’t talk to him, because if she does, he “wins.” Meredith asks what he would win, and Christina, unsurprisingly, doesn’t have an answer. Meredith then asks if Christina has a father — she has a step father, who she sees for Yom Kippur. And that is that.

Sloane is extra cranky today - Alex didn’t do his charts correctly and gets berated. Addison comes in, and asks if McSteamy likes abusing the interns. He says yes. And he reminds her that this is a bad week for him — she doesn’t get to be on the high horse this week (yes, he actually says “high horse”) although he doesn’t say why, and then storms off.

Callie asks Bailey what she knows about McD - too many women, lots of hair, elevators, likes long walks on the beach (wtf?) — the typical neurosurgeon. But what Callie really wants to know is how she can get him to do a consult that the patient hasn’t requested and he doesn’t want to do? The Stare Down. Bailey is good at this, as though we didn’t know. She demonstrates for Callie on Callie. Callie runs off, and Bailey giggles.\

Izzy is prepping Ann. Ann observes that Izzy is way “too hot” to be a doctor [ed: because, it's true, pretty people are only actresses and singers and models - only the unattractive use their brains]. Ann declares that pretty people are dumb! Izzy admits that she won’t be in on Ann’s surgery - although she’s a doctor, when her fiancé dropped dead a short while ago she went a little nuts. Ann is amazed that something crappy happened to a pretty person! [ed: Of course this is actually a lie -- people who are more attractive than you have zero problems, obviously.] She’s now sorry she was bitchy. Izzy forgives her - Ann is in pain, and I is a bitch sometimes for no reason at all. This gets a laugh.

On the bridge of confrontation, Callie Stares Down McD about Ann. Although he is at first skeptical of her medical opinion that being hunched over at a 90 degree angle “sucks,” the Stare Down works. He’ll come by for a consult in the morning.

Papa O talks to the Chief and Bailey about what the oncologist said: If the cancer has spread too much, they’d just close him up. It’s true. They’d close him up, send him home, and it’s weeks or months to live. He doesn’t want that - they must take the tumor out! Everyone needs him. He can’t be closed up when he knows he can fight it. He asks for their word - take the tumor out! The Chief says he must do the best he can - but closing him up to die isn’t the best thing. But Papa M insists. [ed: the first time I watched this I thought he was asking them to kill him on the table if the cancer had spread, but I guess not?]. Bailey looks surprised that the Chief is agreeing to this, but he and Papa O shake on it. She then asks if this falls under confidentiality — the Chief tells her that no, she cannot tell George.

[commercial break]

McD is once again watching Meredith snore/sleep, but this time he looks more tired and less enamored. She wakes up - he’s watching her again. Why doesn’t he sleep? Something woke him up - her snoring! He loves her snoring, it’s charming. She is offended. And she tells him that his morning breath isn’t charming. Since he’s up first he should brush his teeth!

Downstairs in the Grey household again. [ed: Izzy has quite possibly the most ridiculous morning hair ever - ringlets? Really? And an oversized pink shirt? Poor choices.] The Papa O surgery is today, and George is okay. Izzy didn’t even bake anything because she knows it will go well. She looks at the food stained check.

[Shot of space needle and a rainy seattle day at SGH.]

McSteamy comes in all wet [and in a leather jacket - there's his problem, where's his north face? This isn't NYC anymore. No umbrellas! Only camping gear!]. Alex hands him his “bone dry cappuccino, and he observes that “at least something is dry around here - does it ever stop raining?” [ha ha ha, it rains a lot in Seattle!] But the drink is — horror of horrors! — a VANILLA LATTE! Apparently Alex is trying to poison Sloane [with vanilla syrup! death!]. This is the final straw for Sloane, who tells Alex to head back to the gyne squad, with all its squishy pinkness. Addison does have a good surgery for Alex, if he wants in.

Burke is in his room watching rain and Olivia comes in. She’s all chatty and asks about the tremors, and he tells her that Christina can ask him herself! She’s at the door — how subtle. George then comes in, and asks Burke if he knows Christina is stalking his room. George also brings Burke his dad’s file - the surgery does have a 50% morbidity rate? But 50% do survive - so George shouldn’t pay too much attention to statistics.

McD is doing the consult for Ann like he promised. He knows she’s been through many painful and unsuccessful surgeries, but he thinks some radical stuff can help her. Callie is beaming. He can get her standing up straight. They would take out the curved part of her spine, and replace it with a titanium mesh cage around her vertebrae. There have been successes, but an unsuccessful surgery would result in paralysis or death. But that’s not as bad as being bent over at 90 degrees, Ann observes. Death is not the worst thing. Izzy is so excited - can she be in? Bailey tells her only if she deposits the check! She gets a 5% return on 6 month cd, and in the time they’ve been talking, Izzy could have made $400. Deposit the check, and get in on the surgery.

George is in O’Malley central, playing cards with Dad. Papa O tells him that he’s sorry about running over George’s dog Bucky when he was a kid. He ran him over - not on purpose - but he told George that Bucky ran away. George was kind and loved animals, and he just couldn’t tell him that he killed his dog. So sad! Also, George is crazy for letting Callie go. She gets him in a way his family never has - George grew up feeling different, and Papa O is sorry about that. But George tells him he can’t be saying his goodbyes - everything is going to be just fine! And f-ing discard already. George discards: “Dog murderer!” And they both laugh loudly.

[commercial break]

Back at SGH, Meredith, George, and Mrs. O are wheeling Papa O down the hall and Mr Katimski comes up to say a really awkward hello to Meredith. Um, she’s a little busy for a family reunion right now. He is super awkward. The O’Malleys ask if that is her ex-boyfriend — she corrects them — that’s her ex father [ex boyfriend? that's just a little creepy]

In Papa O’s surgery things are going well until they open up the abdominal cavity and see that the cancer has spread (and apparently cancer is black? who knew). It’s everywhere — throughout the stomach, lymph nodes, and liver. But they’re not going to close him up - they’re going to proceed. Meredith doesn’t understand, but they tell her that Papa O asked them to proceed. He asked for a chance to fight - and the request was private. Ok, she says.

Addison goes in to see Burke. He’s feeling better, and looking forward to going home. Addison is sure Christina is excited for that. But they’re not speaking. It’s not over - it’s just silent. Addison had heard this but thought it was gossip, and asks why they’re not speaking. Burke explains: Did you ever play “say uncle?” Someone pins your arm harder and harder until you say uncle. Then they have all the power. So, he is not saying uncle, and neither is she. “That’s pathetic,” Addison observes. If you do something wrong you apologize. He didn’t do anything wrong, and she doesn’t think she did either. It’s pathetic! He sits there thinking.

[Space needle skyline]

George is pacing, and Callie comes in. He’s all alone - the fam is eating. He’s nervous - but someone would have told him if there were complications. Callie tells him that it’s okay to be scared. But he’s not. She tries the Stare Down, but it doesn’t work on him. He’s just scared of her! This worked on McD, but it’s not working on George. He’s just wide eyed and scared. They giggle. But then Meredith and Bailey are at the door, and things seem serious.

The entire O’Malley clan goes to see Papa O - and find major scars and organs taken out, and on breathing tubes. They all go in, and George totally freaks. Half of his stomach and his esophagus are gone. George can’t even be in the room. Papa O has a big, huge scar down his whole abdomen, a “cool scar” according to the Bros O’M. George escapes to the hallway, and Meredith comes out for a hug.

[commercial break]

Again, Meredith is sleeping and snoring. But when she wakes up, there’s no McD in her bed. He’s in George’s bed [ed: don't freak out, George is at the hospital tonight!], because he cannot sleep with the snoring! She thinks that he has got to be kidding, but he’s not. He waited until she fell asleep and then left. He actually does this all the time - Izzy announces that he sleeps on the couch, sets an alarm, and gets back in bed before she wakes up. They then have a pillow fight — in George’s bed — and he exposes her to his morning breath.

In the kitchen, Izzy stares at the check, and rips it off the fridge. Then she’s at the bank, weeping hysterically with her silly hair (actually the same hair and outfit from the previous morning - continuity problems!). She begs the banker to take it. He notes it’s covered in food. Is it a joke? Kind of - a really cruel joke. And she doesn’t really want to deposit it, because she wouldn’t look like that if she did. She’s supposed to do something good, and then she yells: “Can he just deposit the damn thing already?” Apparently, he does.

Back at SGH, Burke is surprised they proceeded with the surgery, but George says that his dad has a strong constitution. But he’s not conscious. Burke looks worried. He says that the main concern now is multi-system organ failure. He advises him to watch the kidneys. If they fail, everything else is starting to go. George asks about Burke’s hand — he says he doesn’t mind telling George about the hand, but he will mind if George tells Christina. George observes that they have a strange relationship.

Thatcher is cooing to the baby Grey - when baby Grey gets home she’ll have her own room (more than Meredith has!) while Meredith watches like a stalker from the hall. Alex walks by and asks what she’s up to — and she’s “fine” she announces. Alex actually goes in, like a normal person, and finds that the baby has a distended abdomen. Mr. Katimski is flummoxed, and they page Addison.

Meredith finds McD. She tells him that her father is at the hospital — but he’s not here for her, he’s with his other family. McDreamy is sorry. On the topic of her snoring - she asks him about when they sleep at the trailer: Where does he sleep? Apparently he sleeps in the hammock outside. [ed: This probably doesn't work out that well in the winter. Or any months aside from July, August, and September, really.] Meredith tells Derek that she has abandonment issues (no s—). He has to sleep with her from now on (even though he will likely get no actual sleep if he does this). He says ok.

Izzy presents Bailey with a note form the shrink - she deposited the check. But Ann’s mom is just downstairs screaming at the bastard insurance company. I can’t even remember all the expletive-substitutes she used. Apparently the surgery is too experimental and the insurance co. won’t pay for it. She can’t pay for it on her own — the surgery alone is $200k, plus all the other hospital costs. Bailey hadn’t told Izzy she could scrub in, but now there’s no surgery. (A little foreshadowing — clearly Izzy will or will contemplate paying for the surgery herself).

Addison comes in to see the baby, and decides baby Grey must go to surgery right now! Another surgery because her bowel is perforated. Addison and Alex ask Mr. Katimski to sign the consent form. Oh, blundering Thatcher. His granddaughter doesn’t have time for him to waffle in his Mr. Katimski waffling manner. He reluctantly, and bumblingly, agrees.

[commercial break]

In baby surgery - Alex observes that all the organs are so tiny (even baby-sized?)! But Ad says the baby is tougher than he thinks. Oh no, baby’s monitors are beeping! But then she’s okay again. Addison is very relieved — this is Meredith Grey’s niece, and if something happened to her, people might think Ad did it on purpose (I really hope this is a joke). The Chief comes in to see Meredith watching the surgery. He says that Mr. Katimski is pacing the halls, and suggests she go give him an update. She suggests that he does. But Thatcher isn’t a “fan” of the Chief’s. Meredith suggests he is not a big fan of hers, either. The Chief doesn’t think that’s true — he observes that Mama Grey was a force, and if she wanted things a certain way that was how they’d be. Thatcher is a good man (although that didn’t stop the Chief from having an affair with his wife). He may have a side that Meredith doesn’t know about. Meredith doubts that he tried to send her cards every year that were intercepted by her mother, because that’s just not how her life works.

The Bros O’Malley are looking at daddy while George looks at his urine. Callie comes in. George is obsessed with the pee — he’s excited about it! He finds that he has a certain amount of the pee — 130 cc’s of pee! This is great news, and George and Callie, much to the bewilderment of the rest of the clan, start jumping around and then making out! [Gross. And WTF.]

Ad runs into Sloane. She’s sorry he’s hurting. He asks: Is she sorry he’s hurting, or is she sorry? He stomps off.

She goes into the nursery to find Alex with the baby. He says he’s just checking up, and Addison observes that everyone needs human contact. He says that it sucks to be a baby who needs surgery, when she “hasn’t had a chance to deserve this.” Addison asks if Alex really wants to do plastics? In that field at least people sign up for their pain there. Addison says that he’s right that it sucks watching a baby struggle. But when you see them heal and go home and imagine their life, that’s great! But if Alex wants to do plastics, she understands. He confesses he gave Sloane the vanilla latte on purpose. Why? Because he was rude to Ad. They almost kiss but a nurse comes in. Oops! Yeah, yeah. They’re sorry, they’re not sorry? Unclear.

Izzy checks on Ann. She can walk to the bathroom by herself, bent over at 90 degrees, and she’s back to bitter mode.

Meredith sees Thatcher watching the baby and walks on. He comes out and calls her name, but she keeps on going.

[Freeways, space needle, SGH -- and then a bunch of quick shots -->]

George is at the hospital, looking at a magazine. Bailey looks sad. Christina sleeping on the couch in Burke’s room, while he watches her. Alex in the elevator, Ad in another elevator. Sloane looking pensive. The Chief and Bailey look at each other, sad. Christina and Burke stare at each other. Callie sits on the stairs, and Izzy comforts George. Meredith is sleeping with a breathe-right strip, but she’s still snoring. McD wakes up, frustrated.

And: TO BE CONTINUED!
Next week:
Thatcher and Meredith actually have a conversation.
Ad didn’t want a baby with Sloane.
Izzy gets personally involved — again, and in trouble for it with Bailey.
And maybe they’re going to take George’s dad off life support?

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