Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes often describes Seattle Grace as "high school with scalpels." But this week's episode took the analogy one step further, bringing high school directly to the surgeons by way of a bus crash. As catty girls, awkward outcasts, and backstabbing friends filled the ER, the surgeons ended up reexamining who they were in high school — and, in a few cases, reverting to their teenage personalities. To read my take on the episode, just read more

Maybe it says something about the kind of girl I was in high school, but my favorite story was Bailey dealing with the arrival of her old crush. It surprised me that Bailey could still be so easily wooed by the cute guy who's just trying to use her — but then I realized, she wasn't even Bailey around Marcus; she was "Mandy," the subservient girl who does what she's asked and prays to be noticed. Even George wanted Bailey to give Marcus one of her trademark long speeches; instead, Derek bore the brunt of her ranting about attractive, popular guys not seeing girls like her. (Who else cracked up at the mental image of high school Derek with his afro and band uniform?)

Speaking of cute and popular, the girl with the broken ass (hee!) led to a nice resolution with Callie's demotion. Callie is a rockin' surgeon, but she's not an organizer or a manager. And, like the pom squad ex-captain, she now gets to focus on the part of her job she really loves.

It's a shame that Gizzie ridiculousness nearly ruined the night's best medical case for me. I was touched by the story of the girl who stayed by her best friend's side as he slipped into a coma. But the second Izzie equated that girl losing her friend — who was effectively gone forever — with her losing George — who was very much alive and just not good at hashing out the issues of awkward sex — I was done.

Meanwhile, Meredith and Lexie (the prom queen and valedictorian) hashed out some childhood issues of their own when Thatcher showed up drunk in the ER. It was a nice twist that challenges Mere's idea that Lexie has the perfect life she never got — though Mere didn't realize it until Lexie told her off. And just when Lexie thought she had the upper hand, there's Alex with plenty of tough-life stories of his own, telling Lexie to grow up.

Some other thoughts:

  • I find the entire idea of Derek dating Sydney completely hilarious. I kept waiting to find out that Mark had paid her off again.
  • Meanwhile, who's that nurse flirting with Derek all of a sudden? I suspect we'll be seeing her again.
  • Best line of the night: "You look exactly like her dad."
  • I don't know what's with Hahn's respect for Izzie (presumably she still doesn't know about the Denny/heart situation), but it has to be so especially painful for a doctor like Cristina to be told to be more like Izzie.
  • When Mark explained the difference between pom and cheerleading, I was hoping he'd end up revealing that he was a male cheerleader.
  • Biggest groaner: the Chief explaining to Meredith that she was in the principal's office. Did this show always make things that explicit?

Your thoughts? Are you loving Alex as much as I am? Did anyone else have dead-Mere flashbacks at the promo promising a Grey's event? And what instrument would you have guessed Derek played in high school? I would have said trumpet.

Photos copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.

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