Oh. Mah. GAH!!
*Spoilers! Don’t read if you haven’t seen it!*
Not much on TV surprises me anymore but during the Grey’s Anatomy finale last night, I jumped as if my pants were on fire. The first time Gary Clark (Michael O’Neill) pulled out his gun and just put one right between Reed’s eyes? Craaaazy! I knew it was coming but it was still so shocking. I might need to buy a new chair or at least replace the arms I shredded with my nails during intense scenes.
This episode made me glad I stayed with the show through the uneven seasons and botched storylines (anything revolving around Izzie); it proved Grey’s can still be heartstopping drama. I think this ep topped the ones with the bomb in the chest and the pole through two people from the train crash, both standouts from past seasons. For two hours, I barely breathed and just watched in horror as the gunman went on a rampage at Seattle Grace, mowing down innocents right and left. With Cristina (Sandra Oh) unknowingly giving him directions straight to Derek’s office! April drives me nuts sometimes with all her neuroses but Sarah Drew turned in powerful work (e.g. her reaction when she discovered Reed’s body), as did most of the cast. My guts were wrenched as Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) sobbed when she thought Derek (Patrick Dempsey) was dead, and then had to stay focused to treat Owen (Kevin McKidd) as her baby just died inside her. I did like how she and Cristina had to save each other’s man (the women ruled!), and I’m looking at Dr. Avery (Jesse Williams) with new eyes now that he stepped up and pulled that trick on Clark with the wires.
If I had to be super picky, I didn’t like how Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) had a complete turnaround at the end about wanting kids. She’d been so dead set against the idea and all of a sudden, she decided she wanted 10 children with Callie (Sara Ramirez). She just went through a seriously traumatic episode so I’m not sure how sound that decision was. I’m also not certain that Lexie (Chyler Leigh) loves Karev (Justin Chambers) instead of Sloan (Eric Dane). But these are little things. Overall, Shonda Rhimes kept me riveted without resorting to any special effects; she used good old-fashioned storytelling and that’s what made it special.
What did you think of the episode?
Nerd verdict: Heartstopping Anatomy finale
Photo: ABC/Scott Garfeld
11 Comments
le0pard13
May 21, 2010 at 1:07 pmI don’t watch GA, but I really enjoyed your energy and feeling in this review, PCN. You’re not spoiling anything, but it was fun to read what happened. Can you tell me what that trick was Dr. Avery pulled on the shooter Clark? This was so much fun! Thanks, Elyse.
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2010 at 11:21 amOh, thanks! The trick Dr. Avery did was simple but effective. The shooter had a gun to Cristina’s head. She was operating on Derek because Clark had shot him. Clark said he’d shoot Cristina if she didn’t stop working on Derek because Clark wanted Derek to die (he blames Derek for not having been able to save his wife when she was treated at the hospital). Avery surreptitiously pulled the wires that connected Derek to the heart monitor and when it flatlined, convinced Clark that Derek was dead so he wouldn’t shoot anyone else.
Eddy
May 21, 2010 at 1:44 pmTonight’s theme: Choices. (“Grey’s” always has a theme.)
I’ve not been pleased with GA overall recently and have stuck with it only through habit. But, you are right, this episode was edge-of-your-seat compelling. One plot flaw that had an easy fix was the SWAT guy not stopping Clark when he had the chance. That could have been fixed by having practically any other character, from a central to an extra, pick up a dead security guard’s gun and shoot Clark in the shoulder.
The Best Acting Award of the Night goes to Kevin McKidd when Owen talks to Meredith and Kepner before entering the OR where Christina is working on Derek. We had to back the DVR up and watch that scene again once we knew what he was looking at. Honorable Mention goes to Chandra Wilson when Bailey told Clark she was a nurse and in the second half when Bailey loses it since Bailey NEVER loses it.
Any episode of any program with Michael O’Neill in it is a good episode to watch. I know that he graduated from the Sam Elliott/Tommy Lee Jones School of Acting where he always plays each character the same, but damn, he does it so well!
I have to wonder though, was this episode a potential shark jump? Even though (thankfully) it didn’t leave us with a major cliffhanger, think of other shows that ended their seasons with mass shootings, explosions, crashes, etc. Did those other shows survive another season?
I agree that, much like the season ender of Private Practice, they resolved a handful of relationship issues rather abruptly. But, I guess that’s where the “choices” theme comes into play.
PS – When we watched the season finale of Private Practice, I assumed that they had been canceled because SO MUCH got wrapped up in the last five minutes. They weren’t canceled, but I wondered if they thought they would be.
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2010 at 11:29 amAfter reading your comment, I rewatched McKidd’s scene and you’re right, it was well done. There was that moment of “Oh, shit” but then he covered it and gave no indication of what he saw. So subtle but good.
I have to admit I don’t like Michael O’Neill’s acting. As you said, he gives the same performance in everything. It’s always ACTING, while I prefer the subtle approach (see above comment re: McKidd).
I don’t watch PRIVATE PRACTICE but didn’t feel like this was a shark jump. I’m glad they didn’t have a cliffhanger, which I think is overused.
Lainie
May 21, 2010 at 4:02 pmI have to say I was rather disappointed. The acting, as always, was superb, however, I felt that on the whole, the episode was very unrealistic.
Suddenly no one had cell phones?? Not one person picked up a cell phone during this crisis. I thought Karev would have pulled out his cell and called for help instead of dragging himself to an elevator he couldn’t operate.
Bailey (brilliant as always) just gave up when the elevators didn’t work? Why didn’t she call and try and get some outside help.
Why did it take the SWAT teams so so so so long to get into the hospital. Why would Yang not slice his jugular and her scalpel when his back was to her??
I felt there were so many holes along the way. I’ve loved Grey’s from the beginning, and loved the Denny episodes and the bomb in the chest bit. Those killed me. I was disappointed in this finale.
I also question why these shows revert to so much violence?? Remember ER? The helicopter falling out of the sky? The Congo executions? That’s when I stopped watching. It just became so disturbing.
I’m not usually so picky. I really enjoy sitting back and being entertained but this stuff really bugged me!
Love you!!!
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2010 at 11:41 amHi Lainie!!
At first I thought the same about cell phones but then there was that scene which showed even if they’d called, help couldn’t come right away. Shonda Rhimes said in this interview she wrote it following exactly the SWAT protocol she was told by consultants. As for Yang rushing the shooter, people react differently in a life-threatening situation. Some people freeze, while others take action. She’s a petite woman, she may have thought she couldn’t take on a big guy wielding a gun.
Love you back and big hugs to all!
EIREGO
May 21, 2010 at 4:34 pmI waited to read this until after I got to see it on my dvr.
OMG!!! I couldn’t believe it!!
“Do you know how to get to Dr. Shepherd’s office?”
“Sir, I’m very busy. You shouldn’t even be back here-”
BLAM!
“Hey, what’s going on?”
BLAM!!
Geez! That was wild!! It got kind of all we-going-for-the-emmy-speech quite a few times toward the end, but the story itself stayed strong.
Really glad I recorded to watch so I could do the rewind thing on Owen.
Great job to the crew of Grey’s Anatomy!!
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2010 at 11:43 amThat scene made me double-jump. It set the tone that anything could happen and kept me on edge for the rest of the ep.
jenn
May 25, 2010 at 2:06 pmOk. I haven’t watched Grey’s in a while because I was all like: really, meredith and mchotty or whatever the heck they used to call him were soooo back and forth.
That said, I’ve always liked the show but no longer get the channel. Guess I’m going to have to do some backtracking on hulu. I heard from tons of people how incredible this episode was. And, the thing is, I have a friend who works in the ER, and crazy stuff happens there all. the. time. It just does, so the unreality of the show doesn’t bother me so much.
DB
June 29, 2010 at 4:51 pmOk,I’m not a GA fan.I just happened to be watching the season finale tonight and I’ve got to say while the story idea was good,I found the execution to be questionable.As one of the other comments mentioned,the reaction of the SWAT and the apparent lack of cell phones seemed rather flawed.I mean does SWAT protocol really involve letting an armed and dangerous individual simply get up and continue about his merry little rampage after he’s been put down with a shot to the shoulder??And surely one would expect a wave of police to arrive in reaction to a large hospital being put at risk?I mean it must be protocol to remove the threat as quickly as possible so aid can be gotten to those who had been wounded during the rampage?This reality failure spoiled what would have been a good episode,for me anyway!Maybe actual fans of the show would have been too riveted by the unfolding events to be overly concerned by these little flaws.I’m sure it was plenty dramatic for those with a vested interest in the characters!
Pop Culture Nerd
June 29, 2010 at 4:59 pmHi DB,
I had the same thoughts as you but Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creater and writer, claimed in this interview she followed SWAT protocol to the letter. I don’t know any better so I guess I have to take her word for it.