It’s easy to get stuck in your comfort zone, but it’s oh-so-good to break out. This was the theme of the Thursday, March 10, episode of Grey’s Anatomy, which opened with several of Seattle’s best surgeons huddled around a cadaver that they planned to saw in half. Led by Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), they prepped to help a cancer patient at a nearby military hospital — only their practice was cut short when his condition forced them to operate sooner (sooner being immediately).
Is the Risk Worth the Reward?
As they rode to the other facility, Callie casually mentioned two important facts about the doctor they’re about to team up with: First, he is very, very handsome. And second, he asked about Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). Mer seemed relatively unenthused by this information, and was probably less so when they actually met Maj. Thorpe (Scott Elrod). Instead of the traditional hello, he opened the conversation with something more direct.
“How about you take 10 steps back through that door because no one’s touching my patient,” he barked at Mer, Callie, Miranda (Chandra Wilson), Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Jackson (Jesse Williams). Ultimately, it was left up to the patient to decide.
Thorpe argued that with aggressive chemo, the patient could have a few good years. “With our approach, you have a shot at a full life,” Callie snapped back. A full life sounded good to the (relatively) young father lying on the table, so surgery it was.
And while what Callie dubbed “the dream team” was perfectly prepared, that didn’t stop Miranda from leading them in a silent prayer before heading into the OR. “We’re each going to do our part,” she explained. “Nothing wrong with asking God to do his.”
Callie Has a Crisis of Confidence
When she realized the surgery might not be viable the way she had planned and practiced, Callie excused herself from the operating table and called Meredith to join her. “I don’t think I can do this,” Callie said, white-faced and terrified. Err, it seemed a little late to be realizing this, considering she had already started sawing away at the patient’s body, but Mer took the second-guessing in stride.
“It’s not always the worst thing when people push you,” Mer wisely says. “When people push you, they’re trying to help you. I’m trying to help you. Let’s figure this out. Please.” (Yes, please!)
Mer returned to the OR to give Callie a minute to think, which gave Thorpe some time to criticize the team all over again. “You fly in, do a flashy surgery that will make all the journals, and you’re gone in the morning,” he said. “He thinks you’re giving him his life back, but what’s that life going to look like?” The truth was that if Callie didn’t reappear soon, that life was not looking good.
Just about then Callie sashayed back into the OR with a new and improved plan to finish the job, and with the help of the rest of the team (and the prickly Dr. Thorpe) they succeeded.
Maybe Don’t Cut a Man’s Chest Open With a Clipboard
While Miranda struggled with that high-risk surgery, her husband was making some bold decisions of his own. When a psych ward patient crashed, Dr. Warren (Jason George) took matters into his own hands and used the metal piece from the top of a clipboard to cut open the patient’s chest. (FYI, there are no sharp objects in the psych ward.)
Though he ultimately saved the man’s life (or got lucky, depending on who you asked), Dr. Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) was not impressed. To be clear, neither was Miranda. Before she even got a moment to bask in the glory of a job well done, she was paged to return to the hospital to deal with her husband. When she finally stood in front of him, she didn’t mince words.
“Your time for pulling boneheaded stunts is over,” she said.
“This wasn’t a stunt. It was a judgment call. I took a risk, and it paid off, and this man is alive,” Warren coolly replied before adding that it was a “unique” situation.
“I got an earful on how unique it was! I’m clear on the situation,” Miranda said before suspending her better half for three days. Though he did seem somewhat surprised that she was disciplining him, he also couldn’t help but notice that she was the slightest bit impressed with his skills.
“You opened a man’s chest up with your bare hands and a clipboard?” she asked with the faintest hint of a smile.
Maggie Pushes Herself … to Admit She’s Dating DeLuca
In other news on the home front, after much resistance, Maggie (Kelly McCreary) finally went public with her relationship with Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti). Before making her big announcement, she called DeLuca over to her side.
“We’ve been seeing each other as a couple, romantically, in romance,” she awkwardly announced to Riggs (Martin Henderson), who clearly didn’t care at all. Still, good for her.
For all her wise speeches about the greatness of being pushed, Meredith finally made good on that idea herself, offering her number to Dr. Thorpe when he asked — well, almost. After first pretending she thought he was only asking for her information in a professional sense and handing him her business card, she thought better of it, turned back and gave him her actual phone number. (Insert cheering here.)
Tell Us: Do you think there’s a spark between Meredith and Thorpe?
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST.
