Failure to Launch: Much of this week's Grey's took place outside of Seattle. With so much on the line, it was fun to watch the doctors squirm. Everyone reacts to pressure differently. Cristina (Sandra Oh) gets defensive. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) becomes a badass. Alex (Justin Chambers) yells. Jackson (Jesse Williams) gets irritated. And April (Sarah Drew) freaks the hell out before getting philosophical.
Most surprising part of the exams was Jackson and April getting freaky in the bathroom. Alas, Jesus must really not have liked her transgression that time, because she failed exam.
We discovered the secret to Bailey's (Chandra Wilson) brilliant advice. Derek (Patrick Dempsey) finds himself as the go-to guy for all sort of problem, but mainly for Mark and Lexie. Bailey gives him sage advice: The trick of her trade is always a metaphor. That way, the doc in need can take advice without ever placing blame for the outcome. Genius. Miranda Bailey is an evil genius.
Let's make a season-finale checklist. So far, we know there is a death, a cliffhanger and that the cast bawled through the table read. We admit it, we are scared. Creator Shonda Rhimes has never been one to shy away from the sad and dramatic, so buckle up for a roller coaster of emotions.
Sarah Drew told us that when one resident fails the board exams it "creates a lot of drama amongst all the residents." First her virginity and now her future as a doctor? We expect another meltdown.
This episode only convinced us that the core relationship of the show is truly Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). We loved the old-school Grey's with Cristina helping Meredith during her worst hour. Nothing says friendship like a surgical mask and IV fluids. Similar to laying down on an OR floor, Cristina doesn't leave Meredith's side. Something not as great is their breakup scene. If Cristina leaves Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Seattle, she'll also be leaving her person, Meredith.
"I miss you" and "I need you, Lex" are things we actually dream about hearing from Mark (Eric Dane) and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) these days. And if we close our eyes and forget the context, then tonight's episode was heaven. That is until Lexie cries. It absolutely killed us when Lexie finally admitted to Derek that she still is in love with Mark. She was just so desperately sad that we have to convince ourselves that it's a matter of time before they reunite. If Chyler Leigh cries, we cry. P.S.: How amazing is Derek as an older brother to Lexie?
One resident will fail their board exam, and Sarah Drew says it will, "create a lot of drama amongst all the residents." We saw Alex fail to make it to his exam tonight, but could he end up coming in under the wire while someone else fails?
There's not much way around the finale facts. "We know somebody dies. It's really really intense. Everyone bawled their way through the table read for the finale," Drew dishes. And most unsettling, "Everything is up in the air at the end of the finale." Death and a cliffhanger? We're going to need some therapy over the summer.
Holy hot hookup, Batman! If you've been living under a rock you might have missed that a steaming hookup between April and Jackson (Jesse Williams) is imminent. So what pushed these friends towards the bedroom? "April goes through some pretty dramatic things, starting with being completely stressed out about failing," Drew explains. "I think she is just jumping out of her skin." And apparently out of her clothes, but does this mean April loses her V-card to Jackson? "They definitely hookup but I can't tell you if he loses her virginity or not."
We all know April isn't the most laid-back of characters but Drew puts it more bluntly: "She's a basket case. She's on a totally emotional rollercoaster knowing that one out of five people fail the exam." But this stress might actually lead to some good changes for April. "We really get to see a pretty cool transformation in her that I think that some people with love and some people are not going to love," says Drew. Maybe April does have reason to worry about passing the board exams: "Yes, there is one person who does fail. And that creates a lot of drama amongst all the residents." What is Grey's Anatomy without drama?
Speaking of crazy drama, it's season finale time and creator Shonda Rhimes know how to bring the tears out like flood waters. This year will be no exception. "We know somebody dies. It's really really intense. Everyone bawled their way through the table read for the finale," Drew dishes. "It's huge, it's big, it's sad, and it's intense. And it's left really unsettled. Everything is up in the air at the end of the finale." Sounds like a shocking Grey'scliffhanger if we've ever heard one.
