TV REVIEW: Grey’s Anatomy “Throwing It All Away” is a Throw Away Episode

Grey’s latest outing offers a rapid pace, picking up right where it left off last week, but it lacks the emotional scenes, the typical Grey’s heart to make it a standout. I hate to say it, but it’s kind of … boring.  It isn’t the worst, but it is definitely not the best.  Let’s take a look.

The opening scene shows April Kepner (Sara Drew) and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) trying to save a car accident victim while Meredith’s voice over talks of human evolution, what we leave behind, what we discard. The things we no longer have use for, we give up, she says, just as the victim is declared brain dead.  The theme has so many possibilities – the people and relationships that have been thrown away in recent weeks.  The episode never fully explores it all in the heart tugging way I thought it would.

Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Alex (Justin Chambers) are talking to a sick little boy and his mom about a surgery to fix him without having to put him on a liver transplant list. He sees Arizona’s leg and asks if she’s a robot.  The leg deserves a supporting nod for all it goes through in this episode. More on that in a minute.

Owen shows up to tell Alex he’s suspended for three days and intern Jo (Camilla Luddington) is off Peds.  That was quick.  Alex argues, in typical Karev fashion, and wants to see the little boy through his surgery. Hunt is adamant that the two are going to be reprimanded. Jo takes her punishment much better when she finds out she’s on some exciting rotations including a harvesting venture getting donor organs ready from the car accident victim.  “Screw Peds!” she says.  No fake tears needed.

Meanwhile, out in gossip alley, Jo apologizes for being such a witch to Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) and listens to her scorned friend lament about how Jackson could just throw her aside like garbage.  As if on cue, a baby starts crying. The baby boy’s been thrown out too, Steph.

Dumpster baby, as super sensitive Jo calls him, has a heart problem and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) will have to operate.  But first someone needs to cuddle baby Oscar because he has a “failure to thrive.”  Yang forces Shane (Gaius Charles) to hold the little thing, telling him, “I don’t want to do it.”  You gotta love Cristina.

CAMILLA LUDDINGTON, JUSTIN CHAMBERS, JESSICA CAPSHAW. (ABC/Ron Tom)

Stephanie is a woman on a mission in this one, and at first it appears her mission is to kill someone with a gurney. She runs into Arizona first, knocking her over and breaking her prosthetic leg. Thank God she carries a back up in her car.  Lipstick, check! Hand lotion, check! Fake leg, check!

Next victim is none other than Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) in an awesome “take that” moment of the night.  She plows over him with another gurney, met with the cheers and clapping of the many staff who witness the “accident.” One even shouts, “two for two.”  Hilarious, and it sets up for some closure in the Jackson/Stephanie relationship debacle.

In the semi-emotional case of the night, a teenage girl is facing another surgery on her legs to relieve pain. Her life has been one surgery after another with nothing helping. Callie’s seen her through much of it and isn’t giving up. The girl asks if they can’t just cut them off. It hurts when she stands for more than three minutes. Callie says it’s going to work this time. Arizona says she’s not so sure. Uh oh.  Calzona is on a downward slope in this episode and after such a high just last week with the lovey dovey engagement and ring showing off.

The second obstacle facing the couple is HR and that pesky complaint by one of the interns about a hostile work environment. Arizona gets interviewed and it turns out that Leah (Tessa Ferrer) didn’t file the complaint against her.  She lodged it against … wait for it, Callie.  What?  Oh yeah, remember the drill through the leg incident? Girl can hold a grudge, apparently.

Callie is angry.  She is having a bad day. A really, really bad day.  She confronts Arizona for “pushing for amputations” and later yells, “Now I have to deal with your jealous ex-girlfriend trying to ruin my reputation.”  How many times can we jump on the Calzona roller coaster?  This relationship is more bipolar than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Yang and Shane kiss and makeup, minus the kiss. Cristina gives him a very non-Yang pep talk telling him he’s above being her concubine coffee retriever and is going to make a top notch surgeon. They’re friends again, just no benefits this time.

Cristina also talks to Owen about his big break up and what a bonehead move it was.  They’re back to being friends, with benefits last week, and joke about their relationship, love, the meaning of life.  Oh, these two.  Just do it again.

ABC/Ron Tom)
GABRIEL MICHAEL BATEMAN, LISA JOFFREY

In the big breakup of the night, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) is forced to tell Callie he has to bail on their research project because the White House doesn’t know how to share.  Those sensors are for his new job only.  Yes, Callie needs just one more thing today.  He makes it out alive, but Torres is not going gently into the night.

Meanwhile, for someone who’s suspended, Alex spends a lot of time in the hospital. He checks constantly on the little boy with the bad liver, not being allowed to join the surgery, but watching to make sure “they don’t screw it up.”  Meredith, who is always there for him, comes up with a solution to the “no Jo” policy.  He and Jo can sign a “love contract” and then they can continue on with continuing on.  He says no way.  In a pretty heartbreaking confession, Alex confesses that, “Jo’s gonna freak. She’s gonna leave me.  If you make it too hard, she’s gonna be like Izzy, and she’ll leave me.”

Wow! Shocked that Alex referenced his one true love in ten years, Isobel Stevens.  He’s scared.  Hell, I’m scared now!  He really does love Jo if he’s comparing her to Izzy, and I don’t know if Jo has it in her to return the favor.  Please, no more heartbreak for Karev.

Speaking of heartbreak, Stephanie and Jackson put a little closure in their relationship.  They both have to file accident reports in the same conference room.  Awkward.  Jackson says how sorry he is, he didn’t know he was going to do that, he didn’t want to hurt her.  Stephanie is having none of it.  She tells him, “I’m not gonna care about you.  To me you don’t exist. I don’t care.”  All is forgiven?  Uh, forgotten.

Back at casa Calzona, the two continue arguing with Callie still angry, but mostly with herself.  In a heartfelt confession, Arizona says she used to wake up happy and roller- skate.  “I’ve learned I don’t need much to be happy.  I need Sophia and I need you.”  Callie walks out of the room, and I’m shocked.  Again.  But remember this is a roller coaster, so she comes back and puts something on Arizona’s feet.  The final scene is the couple laughing with Callie helping her girl roller-skate down the sidewalk. Calzona lives to see another day!

Overall, the episode was so-so with no real emotional blow we’ve come to expect.  It did set up some interesting plot points that are sure to be explored in the coming weeks – Callie not taking the Derek dump very well, Alex plus Jo equals what, Callie and Arizona argue and make up (repeat), and Jackson and April can now be happy since he said sorry to Stephanie (dream on).  It also brought up some past characters with Alex mentioning Izzy and just as surprisingly Arizona and Cristina talking about the plane crash, remembering Mark and Lexie. Aw, Sandra Oh is leaving and the writers are getting sentimental. Well, don’t look now, but Isaiah Washington is reportedly returning as Dr. Burke for a guest stint in May.  Let’s throw this one in the memory banks and gear up for the drama filled last half of the season as we click, click, click up the roller-coaster.  And wait for that Grey’s heart-dropping descent.

Best lines of the night:

Meredith says, “I haven’t seen a blow off like that since high school” when Derek brushes of Callie.

Jo says, “It’s MY dumpster baby” when told she’s off Peds.

Cristina says, “Grumpy and Hairball found a baby in the trash.”

Callie tells Derek, “Now you’re taking your ball and playing with your new friends.” when she gets dumped by Derek.