'Grey's Anatomy' recap: Do the Right Thing

Thatcher's arrival, meanwhile, allowed Meredith just the right amount of backslide into her formerly dark and twisty self. When asked if her dad needed a transplant just as her pager went off, she looked at it and said, ''Ooh, maybe not! Maybe he's dead this time.'' Sounded harsh, of course, but the situation presented her with an interesting dilemma: We all like to think we'd give somebody some liver if we knew we could and it would save his or her life, but it's also fair for her to act as if he wasn't her family, because he never earned that. Lexie did, however, earn a place in Meredith's life, and that's what made the situation so poignant. (Izzie: ''Why are we eating lunch in a room full of diseased organs?'' Meredith: ''We are hiding from Lexie and her big, sad, I-love-my-daddy eyes.'') Bailey was equally harsh toward Thatcher, telling Lexie there were 15 patients waiting for liver transplants, ''none of whom drank themselves into it.''

Izzie had her own patient-related angst when she helped on the case of a young, cool cancer patient guy — who was planning to propose to his long-term girlfriend. He had so much scar tissue buildup on his internal organs that they'd essentially fused together. Hunt said it was hopeless: ''You have to know when to say when, Stevens.'' Having just survived her own cancer against all odds, she wouldn't let it go, though. She even eventually swayed Hunt, convincing him to try another procedure that was riskier, but could save his life.

In minor merger news, the Chief told Callie she could come back to Seattle Grace — which is nice even though we had to figure she was sticking around. I also hope she and Arizona stick together for a while now. Their scene on the bench overlooking Seattle, when Callie was running her arguments to keep her job by Arizona, played sweetly. They're a nice couple. I didn't know about Arizona at first, and I adore Callie enough to be a bit protective of her, but this feels right now. And it's nice to have a regular old functioning, stable lesbian couple on television outside The L Word.

Finally, Meredith relented and decided to give her dad some of her liver. The decision came after a heartfelt plea from her sister: ''He never missed a single dance recital. He was even at my fifth-grade graduation. What is that? That's not even real.…So I'm asking you, give me my dad.'' Meredith marched in to Thatcher's room and told him matter-of-factly that a match had been found. He turned her down, feeling as guilty as everyone seemed to think he should. But then the Chief had a talk with him (as, um, Thatcher's deceased ex wife's longtime former paramour), and so did Meredith. ''I don't know what it's like to have a father,'' she said, ''but I do know what it's like to have a sister, and it's good.''

So Meredith saved her crappy dad's life and got to keep her sisterly bond intact. Marion (could she be any cuter?) got a fully functioning older boyfriend — who would be remaining in the home with her after all. Izzie, unfortunately, lost her cancer patient, once again bringing up the question of whether she can, as a cancer patient, handle seeing others die. He could've had a few more months to live without the surgery she'd pushed for but ultimately caused his death. ''You cannot be a doctor and a patient in there,'' Hunt told her.

All of which sets up some interesting scenarios for next week as the merger stuff really starts to hit. Do you think everyone will be safe? Will Izzie perhaps go away to collect herself while Katherine Heigl takes some time off to be with her new baby? Are you looking forward to an influx of new docs from Mercy West? Will Cristina ever find her place?

PREVIOUS Page 1 2