Derek goes to Mark and complains to him about Meridith keeping them a secret from Christina. Mark is surprised that Derek didn’t break up with her like he had said he would. He tells Derek that he’s fookish for hoping they’ll officially get back together that Meridith isn’t just going to grow up and want to be in a relationship. Derek says he isn’t expecting that.
A patient comes in by the name of Cathy, she is told that the cancer she is has spread and that she may lose up to 60 percent of her tounge due to cancer. She’s devastated to hear that the reconstructive surgery planned will leave her nearly unable to talk. Richard (The Chief) decides to try an innovative new surgery that would reactivate the nerve in her tongue. Mark is convinced they can handle this, although George worries that neither of them have ever done this. George makes a comment under his breath about them being a little old and not knowing too much about the new surgeries. They both look at George and tell them how they are not old and they are going to do this surgery. (This part is really funny, with the facial expressions they make towards George.)
Izzie anxiously waits for George to see if he’s told Callie, when she bumps into him he explains that he wasn’t able to tell her last night. She pulls him into a room where the semi-comatose “Really Old Guy” is, to ask him why not, but they’re interrupted by her interns. She tells her interns to get out and all of a sudden the “Really Old Guy” wakes up.
Everyone is in shock because the “The Really Old Guy” has been in a coma for a year, he wakes up and objects to being referred to as “Really Old Guy”. He tells Izzie that his name is Charlie and that he’s only woken up because he’s plans to die today. Christina and Meridith come to see Charlie and he tells them that he knows who they are. He goes on to tell Meridith about how she is with that Doctor. While Izzie examines him, he reveals that he knows everything about all the residents, after the year they spent lunching and gossiping in his room. He insists that George isn’t going to leave his wife for Izzie because men never do. She is naive if she thinks he will. He also tells Izzie to bring him Lobster it’s his last wish before he dies, Izzie tells him he’s not going to die and she’s not going to get him lobster, Izzie then freaks out and goes to see George to insist that he tell Callie tonight. He tells her he’s busy, and she starts to worry that maybe Charlie is right. Maybe he isn’t going to leave Callie. George tells Izzie that she can’t get upset, they are not in this together. Before she says anything he says because he has to tell his Wife that he married her for the wrong reasons.
Charlie starts pulling his tubes and wires out to help make the process of his death a little faster and Izzie is so annoyed with him, she helps him, she tells him oh look your still breathing, then she pulls a plug and says oh no that didn’t work, oh wait that was because it’s part of the lamp, the intern interrupts her and points out that he’s stopped breathing. They manage to bring him back, when Charlie wakes up he tells Izzie to stop saving his life. Izzie later goes to see Charlie and they tell her he is leaving the hospital today. She tells them he can’t she just brought him lobster. Izzie tells Charlie he’s probably right about George and then she realizes that Charlie has died, just like he said he would. She calls the residents and George to say some nice things about him in tribute. Izzie declares that he was a bastard, but one who knew what he wanted. And that gives her hope that you can get what you want, eventually.
Alex is given middle-aged intern named Norman and wants to dump him on the clinic. Miranda insists that she first needs a favor from him: He has to treat a teenage boy whose mother has brought him in because she suspects he’s on drugs. Alex tries to explain that his altered behavior can have a variety of causes, but Norman sides with the mother, praising her intuition and insists on the drug test. The drug test comes back negative and it looks like the boy is just going through normal teenage moodiness, until he starts spouting gibberish. Alex orders a neural exam. The boy has hydrocephalis, which is impacting his speech.
During the tongue surgery, Mark isn’t sure what to do next and says he’s never done this before. They realize they need an extra set of hands and send George to fetch Derek. The teenage boy collapses and Alex runs to get Derek, who’s busy with the tongue surgery. He tells Alex what to do: He needs to stick a needle behind the patient’s eye into his brain, which saves his life.
Meredith has to supervise Lexie and when the paramedics bring in a man who’s not breathing, Meredith has Lexie perform her first intubation on him. The man dies and Lexie is horrified that Meredith didn’t do more for him. Meredith explains that the man was already dead when he came in and that her responsibility is to teach Lexie. Since Lexie seems unwilling to learn from Meredith, she orders her to go to the clinic. Miranda is upset that the clinic is being treated as a dumping ground and orders her to go back, but Lexie begs her to stay since Meredith obviously hates her.Miranda tells Meredith that Lexie thinks she hates her and her mother, Susan — who died under Meredith’s care. Miranda insists that Meredith’s job is to help Lexie be a better doctor. Meredith tells Lexie that she was very fond of Susan and then explains every detail of what went wrong on the day she died.
Richard frets that he’s left Adele waiting because of the surgery. Derek advises him to tell her the truth about how much he’s missed her.
Christina the whole time has being faking being sad so she can get surgeries from Meridith, she is upset that Meridith hasn’t told her about her and Derek. Thinking she is weak and can’t handle it. Later Meredith overhears Cristina boasting about the cool tongue surgery and realizes she’s been faking her sadness. She confronts her and Cristina says she’s dealing. And that she doesn’t need to be “protected” from the news that Meredith’s back with Derek.
While in the elevator he new batch of interns, who have no idea that George is repeating his internship, consider him “the best intern ever,” until Alex points out that George is a repeater and that if they really want to learn from someone, they should learn from a resident. George says yes don’t learn from me. Norman looks at him shocked and Alex says what are you looking at. Then turns to Lexie and says Interns…But Lexie looks at him with disgust.
Miranda updates Callie, who’s been doing paperwork all day, on all the residents’ dumping of interns, but Callie couldn’t care less. Callie says she knows Miranda better at her job but she doesn’t want to fight her, or anyone, so she’s just going to do paperwork. Miranda admits she’s having trouble with being #2 when she used to be #1, but she’s going to help Callie since she obviously needs it. Callie accepts, with relief.
That night, George walks into the house. Callie looks at George and says “Just say it”, George looks at her and tells her he slept with Izzie.
“The Heart of the Matter”
Thursday, Oct. 18
EPISODE PREVIEW
The Chief’s wife, Adele, rushes their niece to Seattle Grace, the hospital where she once had her prom, Izzie reveals her feelings for George to a mutual friend, and the reaction is not what she expects, Derek teaches Cristina how to be a better teaching resident, and the world’s oldest living intern, Norman, misdiagnoses one of Meredith’s patients
