The effects of the superstorm in last season’s finale are still being felt all across Grey Sloane Memorial. Richard Weber is still in serious condition, refusing care. Callie and Arizona’s marriage has fractured in a way that it might never recover from. Meredith and Derek are learning about the sleep deprivation that comes from a newborn baby in the house. And the hospital is once again facing financial woes, this time due to storm damage.

Richard and Meredith have always had an interesting relationship; their shared history through Ellis Grey ensured that. Through the years, they have both rather forcefully reminded each other that they are not family. Richard’s revelation about why he picked Meredith to be his medical proxy was just the latest chapter in that story. But the reveal that Richard was upset about the extraordinary measures taken to save his life? That’s new, and it is game changing for the character.

As much as I like James Pickens’ portrayal of the chief, I have long advocated his departure from the show (I thought he was going to meet the end during the shooter’s rampage). While my ongoing concerns that he would always be held in comparison to whomever was the chief have largely gone unfounded, I think his absence – and its effect on the hospital – would be a much greater story than anything they could write for him. Instead, Weber has a long road ahead of him, his desire not to have to live through this recovery will impact everyone, especially those that love him – family or not.

Sandra Oh has already announced that she is leaving the cast at the end of this season. The show has already lost several of the original cast members, and it won’t be long before it is contract for the rest. The promotion of the interns to the regular cast was a move to shore up the future, but will audiences be able to accept a Grey’s Anatomy with no Grey? No McDreamy? No Karev or Bailey or Yang? ER survived their cast transitions over the years, but today is a different television world.

The challenges did highlight the unusual chain of command at GSMH. Hunt runs the day-to-day operation of the hospital, including, naturally, the doctors. But, theoretically, the board runs him. I have never been a big fan of Owen Hunt – especially during last year’s arc – but this week he showed a keen understanding of exactly how to make the best of his unique position. Thankfully, it looks like his and Jackson’s idea of a gala might mean a quick end to the hospital’s financial woes.

As much as I love a good character conflict, I appreciate more a happy ending. At this point, it is hard to see that in the cards for Callie and Arizona. But the affair with Lauren Boswell is only a symptom of the original problem: Arizona still feels betrayed by her wife because of the loss of her leg. That was a part of the argument that they had last season, and though it has not yet been a part of the discussion yet this year, it is still obviously bubbling under the surface. It is obvious that Arizona wants to fix things, pushing the couples counseling. But Callie knows that she has to work on her problems with the affair separate from Arizona. I doubt it will be long before Arizona is forced to face those demons once again.

Notes & Quotes

• “What are we going to do when she fixes her marriage and leaves us?” – Derek
• I loved all of the call backs to earlier seasons in the premiere last week, but Yang bringing a bowl of cereal into bed with Alex, talking about his relationship troubles,
• The minute the patient asked Murphy to pass on her infidelities to her husband if she died, you know the patient was not going to make it, right?
• “Can I ask you one thing? When we’re done here, will you braid my hair?” – Yang
• “Callie, I made a mistake … one mistake.” — Arizona
  “Yeah, I don’t think it was a mistake.” – Callie

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In last year’s finale, Grey’s Anatomy left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in all kinds of turmoil. Sure, Meredith gave birth to a healthy boy and Jo and Alex have found their happy place, but the poo was hitting the proverbial fan. The weather was playing havoc with the hospital, Bailey was barely able to walk into the OR, Arizona cheated, Kepner declared unrequited love … and Richard Webber was lying injured in an electrified puddle in the basement. The two-hour season premiere proved that Grey’s Anatomy’s storm was far from over.

I don’t blame Catherine Avery for her opinions – she loves Richard – and her observations about Bailey’s guilt weren’t far from the mark. But she was all kinds of wrong, standing in the observation area screaming at Hunt and Bailey; “don’t make care decisions emotionally?” Pot meet Kettle. I rarely appreciate what the senior Avery brings to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, especially since the ownership storyline began. Debbie Allen is a powerhouse – she brought her A-game tonight – but I like her less as a quasi-antagonist than as a companion to Webber.

I usually go out of my way not to compare Grey’s Anatomy to ER, but it was difficult not to in this episode. There were many parallels between the Brooks/Webber tonight and Knight/Carter in the standout episode “All in the Family.” I didn’t feel the same sense of urgency in the doctors’ treatment here (at least until Yang and Bailey started going at it). The cut between the pair being found in the basement and being wheeled into the ER was too fast. Grey’s focused on the emotional aftermath of Brooks’ and Webber’s accidents, but ER handled the “emergency” so much better. I felt like we missed out a little.

It seems as if they’re going out of their way to make Shane Ross as unlikable as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I like Gaius Charles (Clear Eyes, Full Hearts!), but his character here continues to come across as petty and self-serving. His actions tonight pushed things into a whole new level of douchyness. He almost came clean with Derek about sending Brooks into the basement, but didn’t push hard enough. Even his final act, going to the pile to help with the recovery, was an act of selfishness. Spontaneous volunteers at a disaster scene like that cause more problems than they solve, but it was clearly about his guilt than anything else.

Notes & Quotes

• “Oh wait. Did you have sex with Leah in here? And Heather? Oh God, I don’t think I can do this … [looks at a shirtless Alex] Yeah I can.” – Jo
• “I think you should stick to ‘I’m sorry I’m such a slut.’” – Alex
  “Yeah … Good call.” – Arizona
• “Everyone I love either cheats on me or dies.” – Callie
  “Callie…” – Derek
  “Or cheats on me and dies. George did both.” – Callie
  “Arizona’s not going to die.” – Derek
  “Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” – Callie
• The minute Meredith told the interns the story about George and the Jello, you had to know they’d use that story on their own.
• Tonight marks the beginning of the tenth season, so the mentions Sloan, Izzie and George were nice reminders of the show’s history.
• “We’re a few houses on a side of a mountain … we take care of each other.” – Sharpie woman
• Was it just me, or was the pacing all weird tonight? The cuts and jumps just felt like they didn’t flow (Derek leaving the hospital, Meredith offers the guest room to Callie, but Callie makes it there before Derek does and is half in the bag before he gets there).

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This list is far from complete; if I were to yap on and on about everything I liked, this list could last until the pumpkin pie is served on Thursday. So this is just a survey; some of the many, many things that I count myself fortunate to watch or listen to:

Shawn Ryan – His latest show Last Resort might not have been a good – or successful – as I’d hoped, but Ryan continues to be one of my favorite showrunners in television today. While I wasn’t nearly the fan of The Shield that others are, I love The Unit and The Chicago Code immeasurably, and think that his season of work on Lie to Me was incredible. I’m not sure what he’s got up his sleeve once Last Resort ends, but I know I’ll be watching from day one.

Star Wars and Disney – There is a great deal of trepidation in the fanbase as Disney announced their purchase of Lucasfilm and their intentions to produce Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I understand why, considering just how disappointing and uneven the prequel films were. But I’ve got faith. While some of the people I’d been hoping to be involved with the project have indicated they won’t be a part of it (damn yous Brad Bird!), I’ve still got faith. Plus, as a big amusement park guy, I know there’s no way after watching the insane success that Universal Studios had with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and it’s planned sister zone in California and as-yet-announced-but-not-secret Orlando expansion), that I’m going to be able to walk through the Millennium Falcon sooner rather than later.

Joss Whedon – I’m just going to leave this name here, and expect you to understand why. If you’re having trouble, I suggest looking up the following projects: Avengers, Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, Dollhouse, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly/Serenity. Plus, he also gave us Amy Acker, so: bonus points.

Suits – It is simply the best show you’re (probably) not watching. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much you’ll like it. I’m just going to look down my nose like the Dowager Countess until you give it a chance.

Resurgence of Genre films – Avengers, Hunger Games, Looper … these are my kinda films. I absolutely bask in the fact that we’re getting some really great geek stuff in the theatres these days.

Game of Thrones – Yeah, I still to this day remember an instant message conversation with Carla before GoT premiered where I said that I wasn’t sure if I would get into the show or not. I hadn’t read the books, and had seen similar shows like Pillars of the Earth fail. I couldn’t have been any more wrong (I highlighted that part out as a pull quote because it has been inferred that I never admit to being wrong … it just doesn’t happen often); I am addicted to everything Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Since the show premiered I’ve read the full set of books twice, I participate in online discussions about theories regarding future books and love the weekly column Bob Degon and I produce when the show is on the air.

The Voice — Or, more specifically that the next cycle starting next year will be missing Christina Aguilera. I won’t particularly miss Cee-Lo’s inability to make a comment to a female contestant that doesn’t start with how beautiful she is, but I won’t miss anything about Christina.

Delta Rae – The first night of San Diego Comic Con this year, as I sat down with Keith McDuffee, Michael Noble and Tara Shrodes, somehow the topic of my favorite band came up. Keith and Mike were so kind to point out to me that they where incredibly aware of just how much I liked the band. Apparently, I mention them on Facebook and the Twitter quite often. Like, way often. But I don’t care. I’m no music critic, so I can’t break down their work like I can a TV show or flick, but I do know I like the band. So, instead of telling you, I’ll just leave you with their latest video:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0

Grey’s Anatomy – I get a great deal of flack for being a fan of this show, but I don’t really care. While I admit that there are shows on the air that I think are better, there’s no show I look more forward to each week than Grey’s. Make fun of me all you want, but I’m hooked. The far-reaching repercussions of last season’s plane crash have created several great character arcs … even if it did mark the departure of two of my favorite characters on the show, Mark and Lexi.

Nashville’s Clare Bowen’s voice – Nashville is a pretty good show. I — like all Friday Night Lights fans – am a big, big fan of Connie Britton. I also remember “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” But the biggest surprise of the show has been Clare Bowen’s performance, and her amazing voice. Her vocals on each of the tracks – but especially “Fade into You” – are just haunting. Bowen, who nails her southern accent despite originally hailing from Australia – is easily my favorite thing about the new television season. It helps that her part of the Nashville story is much more interesting than either Britton or Hayden Panettiere’s thus far, but it all comes down to her voice. I just can’t get enough. (Oh, and the second best vocal performance on the show thus far? Lennon and Maisy Shelly – Britton’s daughters on the show – singing “Telescope”)

My CliqueClack family – I wanted to end with Bowen’s voice (because, damn), but the guilt finishing with anything but Team CliqueClack would eat at me all through Turkey-Day (Except when the Washington Redskins take on the dastardly Dallas Cowboys … nothing gets through after kickoff). I have the great fortune to work with an incredibly talented group of writers … and Michael. We’re a fairly diverse group as far as individual backgrounds, shows & movies we’re fans of … heck, we’re even spread out across this great nation of ours. In the end though, I’m pretty lucky to have these guys as friends.

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