Grey's Anatomy: Season 3
Episode 11

Synopsis:

George's father has surgery for his cancer; Thatcher Grey arrives to see his new granddaughter; Meredith finds that Derek has trouble sleeping.

(From ABC)
After a successful operation on his heart, George's father undergoes surgery for his cancer, Thatcher Grey visits Seattle Grace in order to see his new granddaughter, and Meredith discovers that Derek has trouble sleeping soundly.

It wasn't flashy. No bombs were detonated or guns fired. Even the surgeries on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" went relatively smoothly this week. (Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you've saved this episode, the first new one to air in five weeks, for later viewing.)

But it was a strong and sometimes emotional hour with a nice bit of symmetry at its center: We saw George and Meredith struggling with two drastically different — but equally painful — experiences of family.

George is getting closer to his dad than ever, but his father's cancer has spread. Bailey and the Chief did extensive surgery, but Mr. O'Malley may not survive. So George risks losing a parent he loves deeply, and he's grappling with taking over as patriarch of his close-knit family.

Meanwhile, Meredith is feeling the pain of barely knowing her father.

He came to the hospital this week to visit his newborn grandchild (Meredith's half-niece, for those keeping score), who is quite ill. So Meredith had to witness the warmth her dad offers his new family — warmth she craved but didn't get from him during her own childhood.

The Chief encouraged Meredith to talk with her father and it looks like she'll have the chance: The baby won't be leaving the hospital anytime soon, so Thatcher Grey should be pacing the halls of Seattle Grace again next week.

Alex and Addison operated on the baby together — and almost kissed later in the episode, a fresh development in a story line that's been brewing for months.

In other news: Izzie finally deposited the $8.7 million check from Denny's estate, crying uncontrollably throughout the transaction. But the money probably won't sit idle for long.

A young patient with a severely deformed spine has a chance to recover through radical surgery, but her insurance won't cover it. Izzie is clearly moved by the girl's plight, so odds are she'll use some of her windfall to pay the bill. Once again, she's getting in awfully deep with a patient.

And the power struggle that is Burke and Cristina's relationship has ground to a halt: Neither one will be the first to approach the other, which left them in silence throughout the episode. Still, as the hour ended, she was napping on a couch in his hospital room, watching over him as he recovers from further surgery on his injured hand.

They may not share the bubbly affection that Meredith and Derek enjoy, but in their own icy way, Burke and Cristina are still very much together.

Cristina and Burke have made up, but still aren't speaking. She wants Meredith to ask Derek how Burke's hand is healing, but Meredith doesn't want to get in the middle. Cristina keeps trying to get other people to ask him, but Burke is onto her. He won't tell anyone but George, as long as he promises not to tell Cristina. Addison asks Burke why he and Cristina aren't talking and he explains it's like "Say Uncle," where whoever gives in is the loser. She tells him he's being pathetic.

On rounds, Meredith is presenting the case of a newborn, her niece that was born with complications, when her father comes into the room. He's there for an update since his wife and daughter have the flu. He quickly excuses himself, but Meredith is so rattled, Cristina has to take over the presentation.

Mr. O'Malley is feeling good after his heart surgery, so the family turns up in party hats to celebrate since it'll be a while after his next surgery the one to get rid of his tumor before he feels good again. George asks Miranda to give him the unvarnished truth once they know more.

The oncologist tells Mr. O'Malley that if the cancer has spread, there won't be any point in doing the surgery. Mr. O'Malley begs Richard and Miranda to take the tumor out anyway, if that's the case, because his family needs him and he knows he can fight it. Richard agrees, but forbids Miranda to tell George about it.

When they open him up, they find the cancer has indeed spread. Honoring Mr. O'Malley's request, they proceed with the surgery. Meredith, who is scrubbing in, is also sworn to secrecy.

George warns his family to be prepared when they see his father because this is a much more extensive surgery than the heart one, but he's the one who can't handle seeing him with a tube down his throat and his new scars. Meredith, who's been trying to avoid her own father, is the one to comfort him.

George brings his father's file to Burke and asks for his opinion. He's surprised they proceeded with the operation and tells George the danger now is multi organ failure, so he needs to watch the kidneys, since they'll be the first to go. No one understands when George is ecstatic over his father's urine bag filling up, except for Callie, who does a victory dance with him. In his excitement, George kisses her in front of his whole family.

Heather, an embittered 17 year old girl with a spine that's curved so severely she can't stand up straight, is in for a kidney surgery that Izzie assures her will improve her quality of life. Heather sarcastically asks if it will get her laid.

Miranda won't let Izzie scrub in on the surgery until her psychiatrist clears her, which he won't do until Izzie deposits the check.

Heather tells Izzie she's too pretty to be a doctor, and that she doesn't want her in on her surgery. Izzie assures her she won't be because of what happened with Denny. Hearing that Izzie has her issues too, Heather apologizes for being bitchy to her.

Derek proposes a radical surgery that will replace the curved section of Heather's spine. If it's successful, she can stand up straight. If not, she could be paralyzed or die. Heather agrees, over the protests of her mother.

Izzie asks to be on such a rare surgery and, since she still hasn't deposited the check, Miranda turns her down again. Izzie, crying hysterically, finally deposits the check and presents Miranda with a note from her shrink, saying she's cleared for surgery. But Heather's insurance won't cover the $200,000 surgery, so it's been canceled.

Mark is chewing Alex out for not getting his paperwork right when Addison overhears and reprimands him. The next day, Alex hands him his cappuccino and Mark loses it when there's vanilla in it. Seeing this, Addison invites Alex to be in on baby Laura's surgery.

The baby has a perforated bowel and needs another surgery. Alex sits in on and checks on the baby afterward. Addison asks if he still wants to go back to plastics and he says no. He admits he put the vanilla in Mark's coffee on purpose, because Mark was rude to her. They're just about to kiss when a nurse barges into the room.

Meredith keeps waking to find Derek watching her. He informs her she snores. When she finds him sleeping in George's empty bed one morning, the truth comes out: He used to sleep on the couch and set an alarm to get back in bed with her. She says she has abandonment issues, so from now on, she wants him to sleep in the same bed with her.