‘Grey’s Anatomy’ was beginning to worry me.

The last few episodes of the usually captivating show were depressing, bland and often downright boring.

Thankfully, Thursday’s episode, titled ‘Wishin’ and Hopin’,’ returned to the show’s winning formula and restored my faith.

The previous episode hinted the show may be back on an upswing when it ended with not one, but two, marriage proposals in the last minute.

Thursday’s episode, which returned to Seattle Grace Hospital a week later, begins with a bang when Meredith is told her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother, Ellis Grey, woke up fully lucid.

The catch? Her mother has no idea she lost five years of her life to the disease.

Meredith’s interactions with her mother throughout the episode are poignant and heartbreaking, as she tries to explain to her mother what she missed during her illness.

The episode further explores their complicated relationship, shocking viewers when Ellis yells at Meredith in disappointment, calling her simply ‘ordinary.’

More plot twists fill the episode, adding the excitement ‘Grey’s’ was recently lacking.

Less then five minutes in, Callie and George announced they eloped to Las Vegas. This unexpected plot twist helped breathe life into the somewhat tired romances of the show as the episode showed them coping with their rash decision.

Uncomfortable sexual tension between Alex and Addison also helped add a new dimension to the relationships of the show.

But the biggest relationship question of the episode: what did Christina say to Burke’s proposal?

The episode, which began with a shot of Christina staring at the engagement ring, did not resolve the question until its very end, when she said yes and gave the show a happy moment it was missing in previous episodes.

All of the relationship twists add depth to the show, but the highlight was watching the hospital deal with a cancer patient whose blood became toxic due to an interaction between her radiation treatment and an herbal supplement.

A screen shot of an operating room filled with passed-out surgeons on the floor was the action climax of the episode.

The distinctive aspect of ‘Grey’s’ compared to other medical shows is the strange, unique afflictions the writers come up with for the patients, which they then relate to the doctor’s lives.

Through the strange toxic blood affliction, Thursday’s episode returned to a focus on the patients.

The episode’s one downfall was that it was too jam-packed with plot twists, leaving the viewer overloaded with information.

The show does tie them all together, however, with the opening and ending monologues, which give the viewer a sense of closure.

‘But, inevitably, there are times when you find yourself in the worst case scenario,’ Meredith narrated at the episode’s end after confronting her mother only to find she is no longer lucid. ‘When the patient’s body has betrayed them and all the science we have to offer has failed them. When the worst case scenario comes true, clinging to hope is all we’ve got left.’

SIDEBAR

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Isaiah Washington seems set on keeping the controversy surrounding him alive. After allegedly using a homosexual slur to refer to cast mate T.R. Knight on set in October, Washington repeated it during a press conference at the Golden Globe Awards, after ‘Grey’s’ won best television drama.

Later, he issued a statement apologizing for his actions and announcing he is seeking treatment.

‘I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance,’ Washington said in a Jan. 18 statement.

Washington’s actions only fueled rumors, which have been circulating since October, that Washington doesn’t get along with the rest of the cast members and that he could be fired because of the negative press he has given the show.

Other cast statements added to the controversy.

‘I’m going to be really honest right now; he needs to just not speak in public. Period,’ Katherine Heigl told an Access Hollywood reporter at the Golden Globes after the incident. ‘I’m sorry, that did not need to be said. I’m not OK with it.’

As of now, however, there have been no definite statements regarding Washington’s future, but his character Dr. Burke’s engagement on the show may hint he isn’t going anywhere for now.

Published on February 3, 2007 at 12:00 pm