Grey's Anatomy: Superbowl Edition
By: Mark Runyon | Category: Show Review | 02/08/06 | 12:39 PM
 |  |  Grade: C- | Genre: Drama
Summary: This was a really disappointing episode. If I wanted to watch E.R., I'd watch E.R.
Ever since the dawn of time, television shows have been fighting tooth and nail for the coveted slot of being the dessert for all those hungry Superbowl fans. This year ABC decides to leave its latest golden boy, Grey's Anatomy, in its usual time slot to show those blood thirsty pigskin followers where they're favorite pummeled quarterback gets shipped after the game. It seems the usually steady writers of Grey's felt the need to get a flair for the sensationalistic as this week's episode morphed into E.R. Maybe it's just me, but there is a reason the medical dinosaur E.R. is 15th in the ratings while fresh Grey's is consistently lodged in the top 10. If anyone should be smuggling away the magic formula it should be E.R. from Grey's. So this week's over-the-top drama explosion is a tad bit inexplicable, and a colossal let down for that once in a lifetime ratings coup. |
Last week gave us a very poignant and touching episode. We discover Izzie (Katherine Heigl) had to give her child up for adoption at 16 so she could afford a better life for her daughter and herself. We also see Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) collapse under the weight of her mother's Alzheimer's, and the loneliness of a disease that keeps them arm's length apart. This week seemed like a star-studded action adventure by comparison. The evening revs up with the girls of Grey's (coming to a calendar near you) lusciously soaping themselves up in George's head. Since our overly prudish culture has seen fit to ensure we'll never see a nipple during halftime action again, perhaps this was ABC's way of furnishing us with that missing sex appeal...well assuming steam and bare shoulders is sexy I guess. The ridiculousness of the situation comes to a head with Christina saying to George, "You're smarter than me and you've got really great hair." That mop top? Reality sets in when sneezy, frumpy looking Izzie barges into his room, threatening to make George start crapping in the backyard if he doesn't unclog the toilet. So we're off to work after freeing Meredith from her death grip on her bed. After running two babysitters off, Bailey, in her oh so pregnant state, rumbles back into Seattle Grace to whip some ass among her unruly interns. What she doesn't count on is spilling her uterus on the floor mid-yell. Off to stork land, she goes.
 | | | Grey's Anatomy: Superbowl Edition | | Starring: Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight, Isaiah Washington & James Pickens Jr. |
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Ready for the twist? Bailey's husband saw fit to tangle his car with the pavement so he's snuggled up in the O.R. as Dr. McDreamy pokes around in his fleshy gray matter. Bailey calls and calls his mobile, but no one will tell her what's happened to her husband in the fragile state that she is in. If that weren't sensationalistic enough, how about I throw in Christina Ricci slumming it as a first week paramedic holding an unstable bomb lodged in a man's chest cavity. Has Hollywood run out of indie films for her to star in? Where's Vincent Gallo when you really need him? It seems bomb boy and his middle aged pal were reenacting World War II with official fatigues and live ammo, loaded into a bazooka a mere century old. Clearly they don't exactly qualify as the sharpest tools in the shed. Bomb boy's wife is spastically screaming her bloody head off in the waiting room until Alex comes in and gives her a taste of her own medicine. Once they figure out the ammunition round in dumbass' chest is still live, a code black is issued throughout the hospital, evacuating all personnel. Christina and Meredith boldly stay behind, and McDreamy happens to be next door doing a little skull patching.
Feeling ineffectual about her inability to see herself be turned into a crispy critter, Izzie decides to grab life by the balls and screw Alex's brains out in the on call room. Wasn't she still pissed at him for that little cheating episode with the syph nurse just a moment ago? Yeah like you didn't see that hookup coming from four episodes ago. Izzie sufficiently douses her painful dry spell, and I guess all is well in dysfunctional relationship land. Burke is pissed at Christina for fleeing the house before daylight. So either Christina is a vampire, or she is still having commitment issues. That's nothing new.
The brave anesthesiologist leaves poor bomb holding Ricci alone, pumping oxygen into this "soon to be" stiff. As if not moving your hand to avoid blowing up a hospital wing wasn't enough of a burden to worry with. Meredith and Christina find the loopy paramedic at her breaking point. She's babbling endlessly about needing to leave, not wanting this responsibility. In trying to calm her down, Meredith inadvertently switches places with flaky chick, putting her in the hot seat. Queue cliffhanger. Cut to next week's previews.
This was a really disappointing episode. If I wanted to watch E.R., I'd watch E.R. Grey's Anatomy has always been a step above this petty pandering yet this week they succumbed to the urge to suck. Was it a desperate plea to hook this heavy male demographic too lazy to flip to ESPN? It's only going to take them a couple of weeks for them to see through this clever bait and switch. Well this storyline has to be endured for at least another episode. Hopefully they'll have gotten this out of their system and can return to quality television in the weeks to come.
Original Airdate: February 5, Sunday 10E/9C
Season Premiere: 02.16 "It's the End of the World"
Checkout Grey's Anatomy Sunday nights at 10E/9C on ABC
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