Grey’s Anatomy – Recap & Review – Let The Bad Times Roll

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Grey’s Anatomy
Let The Bad Times Roll

Original Air Date: May 3, 2012

Karen Belgrad – Senior Editor
karenbelgrad@thetwocentscorp.com

I assume at this point, all of the residents have Alice Cooper’s “Schools Out” resonating in their heads (not the milquetoast version from this week’s Glee, either). They’re all looking forward to no more pencils, no more books, and no more teachers’ dirty looks. But they’re not quite there at the beginning of this hour.

Last week we saw our gang get ready to take their test (by puking, by having sex, by flying back to Seattle, etc…). This week it’s all about the actual tests in San Francisco, and a few patients back in Seattle to boot. It’s a crowded episode, so let’s cover all that took place.

We open to Catherine (guest star Debbie Allen) informing Richard that one of his interns failed the exam, but not revealing which one. We cut to four residents (sans Alex) describing the exam as hell/interrogation. None seemed confident that they passed and we learn the next exam is in June 2013. And from there we flashback to exam time itself. There are three sessions to the exam and the doctors have to pass two thirds of it in order to pass the boards.

Alex: Alex’s examiner (played by Ron Bottita) is waiting impatiently, deciding to give him another fifteen minutes to arrive. When he does finally get there, he’s failed the first session by not showing up in time. He has to pass the next two with flying colors. We see his third session in detail, where he gives his answer only to realize it was a trick question, he gives an impassioned speech about patient care and needing to be there for the end of Tommy’s life (I guess not counting the time he wasn’t there).

Cristina: Cristina probably has the hardest time with her examiner, but I had the best time with hers! Mr. Feeney! KITT! Dr. Mark Craig! Yes, her examiner is played by the awesome William Daniels, and even though the two butt immeasurable heads during the exam, I was just happy to see him on my screen. But back to the exam, Cristina is exceptionally confident, giving specific answers with cutting edge technology. However her examiner seems to be looking for more old-school methods. They end up sniping at each other over her over confidence and she viewing him as a relic. It does not seem to go well.

Meredith: With her queasiness on full display, Meredith has a difficult time keeping her nausea in check when her examiner’s (played by Jane Daly) questions seem to be very bowel related (general surgery questions). During her first break, Cristina’s mind of matter advice from last episode fails, and she’s once again heaving (it’s hard to keep finding synonyms!). Before the third session, she breaks and calls Derek, looking for his blessing to quit. But little does she know that Derek has obtained awesome advice from guru Bailey. And that advice is to answer all questions with metaphors, letting the person find their own way to resolution. So Derek tells Meredith the test is a mirror, which causes her to conclude that she won’t be able to look at herself if she quits. Bailey rules. So Meredith continues with her exam, upchucking every few minutes in a waste bin, to the examiner’s chagrin. But Meredith rocks her answers, pointing out that all of them as doctors can handle a little vomit. (And with that… did I miss your favorite regurgitation descriptor?)

Avery/April: I’m going to combine their exams into one section, as they definitely overlap their arcs. Avery is still quite bothered about his mother and Richard’s night together. April is not handling her deflowering with grace and tact. Avery spends his early sessions distracted by his mother’s booming laughter coming from the next room, where she’s acting as examiner. April is a panicked and sweaty mess, making her examiners pretty nervous about her mental state. During the break, when Cristina cruelly locks her out of the ladies room, April retreats to the men’s room. She and Avery are in there alone together, where she vents about her broken promise to Jesus and he worries about letting his mother down. April admits that their night felt good, and the two start to verbally replay it. Avery locks the bathroom door and he and April go to a stall for a quickie. And… um… did Avery bring a condom to the exam, because odds are that virginal April wasn’t on the pill. Any-hoo… Back in their exams, Avery is much more composed; while April is oddly calm discussing her history of keeping her religious beliefs under wraps with her scientific colleagues. April’s examiner (played by Jill Remez) does her best to get her back on track.

So who passed?: At hour’s end, we learn that Cristina, Alex, Meredith, and Avery have definitively passed. So with one in five of all doctors failing, and Catherine telling Richard that one of his doctors failed, we assume that April and her somber expression have failed. However… there were more than five doctors leaving Seattle in that airport van. Could the whole thing be a fake out?

Arizona: We did have some activity back at the hospital, one of the stories being that Tuscon/Flagstaff/Phoenix… er… Arizona’s childhood friend Nick (played by Jordan Belfi) has come to have Callie remove his tumor. And while the memories of their sweet childhood tree house wedding is cute, Arizona is stunned to learn that Nick has had cancer for six years and it has now metastasized to his heart. There’s little more the doctors can do, and Arizona rails at him for waiting so long for treatment. He protests about how hard it was for them when her brother died, but Arizona isn’t having it, declaring Nick an idiot for not coming to her sooner.

Lexie/Mark: Julia (remember her?) tells Mark that she and her FSH levels want to have a baby with him. Mark seems to seriously consider the option, stating that he does love Julia (did we know this?). Derek plays big brother for thirty seconds and clues Lexie in to the goings-on . It dove tails nicely (surprise) into their patient, Charlie (played by David DeLuise) who fell of a ladder and is now missing part of his skull. The doctors fix him up nicely, but Derek presses his wife (played by Cynthia Watros) to level with him when he wants to get back on the ladder, despite his clearly clumsy ways. The metaphor of the patient is enough for Lexie, who FINALLY comes clean to Mark about loving him. In fact, once she says it aloud, she can’t stop saying it. Mark doesn’t have a chance to get a word out before Julia shows up for their prearranged meeting. So, will Mark say it back? Or has he moved on for good?

In the smallest of side notes, but very importantly, Bailey shows around some residency candidates that Owen saddled her with. But by seeing the potential doctors ask about offices, parking, gyms, and smelling pastries, the attendings become determined not to let their current doctors leave. Except for Derek, who is still willing to relocate to Harvard should Meredith decide on Boston. Oh, and Teddy continued to make small conversational inroads with Owen.

And that was it for this week! So much happened and it really was an hour stuffed to the gills. What parts worked for you? Do you really think April failed? And which of our residents will fly the Seattle coop?

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