[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the "Love the One You're With" episode of Grey's Anatomy.]
It's time to put the pieces back together again on for the plane crash survivors on ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
The ABC medical drama picked up where the season nine premiere ended to see Derek, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh), Owen (Kevin McKidd), Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Callie (Sara Ramirez) starting to move on after the plane crash that claimed the lives of Mark and Lexie.
Following a flashback episode revealing their rescue, the survivors are presented with a rich settlement offer from the airline that could mean lives spent traveling the world (Meredith, Derek), paying for rehab (Arizona) and the education of the next generation (Zola, Sofia). The catch: it must be unanimous among everyone.
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Derek and Meredith -- now living very comfortably in the McMansion -- mull the offer, with Derek, still unable to operate, having a difficult time with the decision. To help, he winds up going to a warehouse where the plane is being pieced back together again and has flashbacks to the horrifying crash and after a brief powwow with the Chief, learns that the hospital had to pay an exorbitant settlement in an old case in which they were at fault.
Realizing that the airline will have more to learn if they don't settle, he's able to easily persuade Meredith, Owen (who's representing Cristina) and Callie. "We can't stand by and let this happen to other Lexies and Marks. We have to do something, we have to make this right," he tells them, setting the stage for something much greater to come.
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Speaking of Callie, Arizona -- who fired her at-home nurse -- finally is able to see the affect the crash has had on Callie after she comes home to find Arizona stuck in the shower sitting in a pool of urine as she's been unable to navigate the house on her own.
It's an emotional payoff for the couple that comes after Arizona blasted Callie for her unwillingness to make a decision about the settlement when she easily made one to amputate her wife's leg. (Memo to Emmy voters: Take note of not just Capshaw but also Ramirez, who is navigating the amputation story line with a balance of humor and heartbreak.)
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Owen and Cristina, meanwhile, are enjoying the small talk and sound of each other's voices, even if the discussion is all about work. After she returns from her forced leave of absence, she begins to find her place in Minnesota, eventually bonding with Dr. Thomas (William Daniels) -- who also happens to be a plane crash survivor. After learning his "signature move" during surgery, she realizes that she needs to start living her life again and ultimately tells Owen that they can't continue to hold on to one another as she begins to let go.
The funniest moment of the episode comes as Jackson (Jesse Williams), fuming over April's (Sarah Drew) return and commitment to "re-virginize," has a laugh with Meredith over the fact that the Chief "banged" both their mothers. As for his relationship with April, their attempt to stay away from one another backfires and they wind up hooking up.
Do you think Derek and company made the right decision to not accept the settlement? How do you think the case will impact Owen, who ultimately was the one who sent all the docs to Boise in the first place? Hit the comments with your thoughts. Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
