When the clinical trial story line went south I think few anticipated the impact it would have on the show. But now that we're dealing with the aftermath I'm pleasantly surprised by how it unfolds. After so many years it feels like we're done dealing with individual seasons, we're in these characters lives and we're there to follow them anywhere. The shifting relationships on the show are actually a good thing and, unlike some other shows, aren't hard to keep track of.
If Grey's Anatomy excels in anything, it's relationships. They are treated with care and delicacy and give you the time and space to accept and fall for. It happens again with Zola, who's not your average lead-couple's child. Not very many fans would picture an older adopted baby as Mer and McDreamy's spawn but it works, because we get time to adapt. It's also refreshing to see Meredith grow in front of our eyes. In a way she's still the disconnected, impulsive girl we've known so long, the irrational other half of Derek or the helpless person of Cristina. But now she's also a mother, who will do anything for her child. The episode portrayed it in a timely but effective matter. I for one am all in.
Of course, the show has countless characters all dealing with their own problems. I'd lie if I said I never thought the show was too crowded but with a two-parter season premiere, all of the stories fill up the time pretty nicely. I absolutely love how all characters developed and flourished in some way. Teddy became a wife, Avery a Gunther, Bailey a student, I can go on and on but it was fantastic. Very few shows can handle this much character driven stories in such capacity that everything works.
A standout story was that of Cristina. You don't see abortion very often on shows and when it happens it almost never goes through. Of course this one didn't go without a hitch either but it's so true to the character of Cristina there really wasn't any other way. Meredith's rant might have been predictable but it felt true. Cristina is not a mother. She would do her best to be one but for all the wrong reasons. And if you know her, whether it's after eight years or a few episodes, you would support her.
After all is said and done my only wish for the episode was a reconciliation of Alex and Meredith, which is my favorite relationship on the show. It's very platonic but it's so essential for me. Instead, I got a "I know" from Meredith. Was that all? It was all, in words, that is. Because the final shot was absolutely perfect for me. Derek walking away and Alex stepping in was perfect. It felt true to me that even if Derek is the love of her life, Cristina and Alex are her most loyal companions. I absolutely loved, loved, loved that final shot. That's what television is supposed to be like. Characters, relationships and moving you in ways you never wanted but so desperately needed.
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