Let's dive right in, since we've got a bunch of different plot threads to get to.
Christina and Meredith are still fighting because of the printer. Christina and Shane's plans continue to get more complex, as they try to print a conduit for a dying child. This results in them needing to use the printer for longer, but Meredith is not having it. She tells Christina that it's over, and that she needs the printer back, but Shane then yells at Meredith, defending Christina. Christina, who had been looking for a "human sex toy," then kisses Shane. While all of this is going on, Meredith is planning thanksgiving dinner at her house. What started off small turns into a big event, which Emma, Owen's girlfriend, is going to cook for everyone. The issue of inviting Christina is brought up, but although Owen and Emma both say it's fine if she comes, it doesn't look like Meredith will be inviting her.
The good: I do like the tension between Christina and Meredith. It makes for interesting conflict. I had some problems with how they handled it earlier on, but in this episode I think they struck a good balance of showing how ruthless these two women can be when it comes to their careers. Now that their careers are directly at odds with their friendship, it's heartbreaking to see how they've chosen. I also liked the thanksgiving thing, as I think it's hilarious that Emma is suddenly stuck cooking for such a large group. If I had one complaint it's that I would have loved to actually see this thanksgiving dinner. It would have been quite entertaining.
The bad: I don't think the Shane and Christina thing is a good idea... I don't know, it just seems extremely weird and out of the blue to me. Maybe they will do something interesting with it, but I know Christina is leaving the show after this year, and I hope they don't waste too much time on this Shane thing.
Richard is pushing himself too hard with his recovery in an effort to get back into things, and he ends up falling off of exercise equipment and hurting himself further. He and the interns decide to have a KFC thanksgiving together, instead of going to Meredith's for the dinner.
The good: This was just a tiny little plot, but I enjoyed that it showed the growing link between Richard and the interns. His relationship with them is really fun and sweet.
The bad: Eh. Did they need to have him injure himself? It felt a little bit like it stuck out of the texture of an otherwise sort of lighthearted plot thread. He could have just been too worn out, instead of actually falling down. I'm nitpicking, though.
In another tiny little thread, April invites Stephanie to the wedding with a plus one, and says she's not inviting Jackson, because his name (Avery) is at the top of the list, and Matthew is uncomfortable with it. She says that he can go as Stephanie's plus one. Later, Jackson tells Stephanie that they don't have to go to the wedding at all, but Stephanie seems concerned that Jackson might still have lingering feelings for April. Jackson assures her that he does not.
The good: I like Stephanie a lot, so that's nice.
The bad: Love triangles are stupid and this show needs to cut it out right now. If April is going to marry Matthew, fine. Have her marry Matthew. Stop it with the Jackson-related drama. I'm so fed up with it.
Stephanie was working on a patient during this episode that I must mention. Basically, a woman is dying and she and her husband are trying to pick out a girl for the woman's lover to date once she dies. Weird, huh? Yeah.
The good: There were some funny moments involving Stephanie's reaction to this whole plot unfolding. I also thought it was sweet that the husband and the "other man" were such good friends.
The bad: What was the point of this, exactly? Stephanie makes a rather weak connection between this patient and the situation with Jackson and April, but I didn't really get why they spent so much time on this patient. I think what's really been missing recently is a patient that can carry through several episodes and really grab our attention. This whole business with the husband and the wife and the other guy is really interesting, and maybe if more time was spent on it, we could feel some real connection to the characters.
Callie and Arizona are starting to patch things up, but Arizona is still sleeping on the couch. In an effort to be honest, Arizona tells Callie that she was with someone else while they were apart. During a surgery, Callie figures out that Leah was the girl, and things get real awkward, real fast. However, despite all the difficulties, Callie and Arizona are really going to try to repair their marriage.
The good: Acting wise, this was awesome. I like that Arizona isn't content with just being the bad guy entirely. She knows she made mistakes, but if she wants to be a partner in this marriage, she has to stop apologizing. This is great. I love how they're accurately showing how difficult this is for all parties involved. Even if Leah isn't my number one favorite character, I still liked how this showed her own heartbreak too. As love triangle dynamics go, this one works because there's not a will-they-won't-they pull. Nobody is supposed to think that Arizona could end up with Leah endgame-wise. She's just another complication in Calzona's marriage.
The bad: I thought the scene with the surgery was a bit much. Callie should have been more professional about the whole thing. Some anger at Leah is understandable, but not in the workplace, Callie!
Bailey's OCD behavior is getting steadily worse. Ben makes the mistake of casually mentioning it to Derek, who says that because he's on the board, he can't just ignore this. He has to report it. When Owen finds out, he says that Bailey has to be temporarily suspended until they can figure out exactly how bad it is. Ben tells Bailey, who refuses to admit that anything is wrong, until Meredith comes into the OR and takes Bailey's surgery. The extent of her compulsion is revealed, and it looks like things might be really bad for her.
The good: Good acting, especially Bailey. I also loved how they dealt with the line between friend and boss here, since Ben wasn't talking to Dr. Shepherd, he was talking to Derek, but Derek still has to say something. Bailey's character is more interesting and dynamic than it has been in years, so that's great to see.
The bad: Not much, although I will say I continue to be annoyed by Bailey's behavior concerning Ben's decision to come back and be with his family. It's his choice, and he knows what he's doing. Bailey is being really uncooperative with her husband about it all.
So, I think that's all the plots! I went through them relatively quickly, but at least I got the highlights. As you can probably see, the good outweighs the bad in this one. Yeah, I don't love the stuff with Jackson and April, but even in that there were some redeemable moments, and I continue to adore Stephanie's character. The strong plots were very strong, and I'm excited to see how all of these threads continue to develop.
7.5/10
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