Joana

Yeah, I can totally see that. It generated a lot of buzz for the show, much more than it had had in years.

I see no reason to believe Meredith and Cristina have lost contact. We can safely assume they regularly talk to each other, that Cristina came to Derek's funeral and visited Meredith when she was attacked. Of course, all of those things have to happen off-screen and she can't be talked about all time simply because Sandra Oh left the show and isn't coming back, and there's no point pretending it's not the case.

Alternating schoolyears makes no sense if they're both staying in Seattle. It would be much easier and more practical to just go back to joint custody, which I thought was going to happen when I saw Arizona with that envelope in her hands. I assumed she had gone back to court and modified their custody agreement again, and that it would be the "beautiful payoff" that Kevin McKidd talked about. Then, when she mentioned plane tickets, I thought she was going to tell Callie to go to NY and try to sort things out with Penny, and take Sofia with her for a few days, as a sign of goodwill. Then I realized what was happening and my head exploded. Having Sofia split time between Seattle and NY on a year to year basis is literally the biggest nonsense they could come up with.

Also, at what point did a year-long fellowship officially turn into a permanent move? We were never told so. I realize it was necessary in case SR's departure was definite, but honestly, they could have just scratched that. Callie could have gone to NY to join Penny "for a year" and then be phased out next season. Sofia was hardly ever shown until she became a plot device, so it wouldn't look weird and the whole thing would definitely make at least as much sense as this here.

The second half of the last season was so horrifyingly awful that most of the viewers who managed to stick through that would stay aboard as long as the show got even marginally better (or rather stopped sucking quite as badly), which is what happened this season. And those who quit watching when PD left were probably countered by those who had stopped watching previously, but tuned in to see what the show would look like without him and then got hooked again.

Or that by the time their negotiations ended, Jessica Capshaw was too far along to be able to spend any meaningful time on the set and they had to tie it up in any way possible. It is funny though that each of Capshaw's pregnancies meant a disaster for Arizona's relationship with Callie. Africa, plane crash/amputated leg, custody battle.

This sums up my feelings about her as well. I liked her with Arizona, while it worked, but didn't really root for them to reunite when it stopped working. And while I could appreciate her contribution to the show, I was never really a fan and the way she's been written for the last couple of seasons certainly didn't help, so her departure doesn't really bother me. I do think a character of her significance deserved a proper send-off. She's barely had a couple of minutes of screen time in the last two episodes combined. And I really, really dislike the way the custody storyline was handled in the end. At the very least I expected her to break down in front of Arizona, acknowledge what she did and apologize. But no, she just moped around sooooo sad for a while and Arizona eventually caved in. It felt so rushed, and while Jessica Capshaw's pregnancy certainly was a factor in that, it could have been written much, much better.

I'm really not looking forward to their inevitable reunion next season. I think the show made a good point why they're essentially incompatible even without the trauma of a dead child. I wish they'd just be friendly co-parents, but it's obvious they'll be totally all over each other by episode 3 at the very latest.

Uhm, yeah, what was the point of that storyline? Other than making Jackson bad for walking out on his wife.

You're reading my mind as that's exactly what I was going to say here! Yeah, in my imagination that's totally how it all plays out. But seriously. All the custody drama for THIS? This???!! I assumed Arizona would eventually throw Callie a bone, approach her and encourage her to try and make things happen with Penny while enabling her to spend some time with Sofia, but to basically hand her Sofia over like nothing happened was just way too absurd and unbeliveable. Also, this can't be Callie's definite exit, right? Because it would be in a way worse than George being thrown under a bus or Lexie eaten by wild animals and never to be mentioned again. I suspect Sara Ramirez will be a guest star next season and pop up occasionally. Amelia broke my heart while she was on the phone with her mother. Why are biological families on this show always portrayed as the source of all misery and generally terrible people? Shonda definitely has some issues. So Meredith saves the day. After ruining it first, of course, but let's just gloss it over like we've been doing for a decade. I am liking her with Riggs, surprisingly. There wasn't a shadow of doubt in my mind even before the episode aired that Ben will be the hero and save both April and the baby, and will so redeem himself in Bailey's eyes and she'll love him again. So, yawnzzzzz. Alex "walking in" on DeLuca and Jo was a trope taken right out of a crappy Mexican telenovela. Blargh. And I'm not pleased with how that story played out. She should have said something the first two times he asked her to marry him. Obviously she wasn't secretly trying to get divorced in the meantime, so she was just stringing him along all this time and it's NOT cool, no matter how sad her story is. Maggie didn't find out about Meredith and Nathan and then cry and talk about her sad vagina. I'm kinda disappointed.

To me, S4 almost felt like a different show. I think a lot of magic was lost when they became residents - watching them getting around to becoming doctors and learning about their profession, each other and themselves was what made the show what it was. With them already teaching new interns (as 2nd year residents - does it really work like that? I didn't find it all that believable and hated that SL), acting like they own the place and with big changes in the cast setting in, the whole feel was entirely different. Of course, it was a time Gizzy happened. There was nonsensical OTT mess even before that, but that was the first storyline that really had no redeeming value for anyone involved and was purely played out for shock value. Not the last time, unfortunately. And then Izzie's character proceeded to get so utterly destroyed (although some of it was out of the writers' hands, with all the Heigl drama) that I couldn't really enjoy S5 since she got so much screen time and basically became a co-lead. I felt the show was able to pick up again once she finally left for good, and it turned out that the Mercy West merger was a breath of fresh air.

IMO, it doesn't get better. S3 was mostly enjoyable, even though some of the storylines were a mess. S4 is where literally everything falls apart and it continues throughout most of the next season and even S6. Eventually the show does stabilize, but it's never as consistently good again.

Dumping Kyle with a note was her shocking, horrible thing.

It's rapidly approaching the Ross/Rachel levels of annoying. I'd understand it if it was a couple viewers cared for or were deeply invested in, but I don't think anyone is really here for Owen and Amelia. Have them live happily ever after with a bunch of kids in a dream house of their own, fine. Or have them break up and never speak to each other again, whatever. Just make up your damn mind about it already. I don't think this Megan person will appear in the next episode. Having her pop up at the wedding of her brother of all times would be over the top ridiculous drama even for this show. The only thing worse would be her appearing at Meredith's and Nathan's wedding, which I'm sure has crossed the mind of at least one writer on the show at least once.

I agree and it's something I and certainly a great deal of other people have experienced on own skin. It's just that... you don't take your crap out on other people, especially if they are in no way responsible for your grief. Cristina is gone. She could be screwing the entire population of Switzerland for all we know. There's no reason why Owen shouldn't be allowed to date whoever he pleases. The notion that Amelia is somehow wrong for dating the former husband of the best friend of her former sister in law is even more absurd. She never knew Cristina. She means nothing to her. Also, she took over Derek's job while he was still alive. It's really not her fault that he's dead and she's not. I mean, I get why all of it might be upsetting for Meredith on some level. But really, she should just get over herself. She doesn't get to tell other people how they should be living their lives.

So I guess we'll never know what the point of bringing Penny in was, if that was going to be her send-off. Unless, of course, they complete the character assassination of Callie and have her leave Seattle after all the mess she caused and join Penny in NY off-screen, but I still think that's unlikely. On the other hand, it's clear now that "Meredith is brutally assaulted and is in MORTAL DANGER!!!!1" was nothing more than a ratings ploy after a long hiatus. It meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. She still treats everyone like crap when she feels like it and it turned out that the thing that's keeping Jo and Alex apart is something entirely different. Also, why the hell was DeLuca made a regular, except to look really, really (and I mean, really) pretty for his 30 seconds of screen-time per episode? And a huge LOL if Stephanie is going to treat this like losing the love of her life, which she probably will.

Yeah, how it all went down in the end of this episode was very gentle and subtle indeed!

That's pretty much the only half-plausible explanation I can come up with. That he wants to marry her couldn't have come as a surprise to her considering he had already asked before. She knew the offer was on the table - or in the drawer, rather. If that was some brand new information, to keep up with the Phoebe-theme :), that she found out in the meantime and that's keeping her from getting married, surely she should have talked to him about it. If she was married and trying to get divorced all this time but for some reason couldn't do it, that would be at least a tiny bit less insultingly stupid that just about anything else.

I would be super thrilled if the next episode revealed that Amelia moved out the same day Meredith shat ALL OVER her just as she was starting to be happy again and that they hadn't spoken since. Sadly, the promo seems to suggest otherwise. Because, really, that's what should happen. Amelia shouldn't be fighting for the scraps of Meredith's attention and affection. None of them should. It's been more than enough.

I actually... wouldn't be surprised if something like that happened. God, what has this show come to. Sadly, this wouldn't come across as a huge shock either. This will definitely happen. And so will this. And this.

LOL, exactly. They went out a couple of times. It's obvious the writers realized they hadn't given Stephanie a romantic interest since she broke up with Jackson (other than the time she mistook that 17 year old kid for a teacher, which was a comic relief more than anything), so they rushed to give her a doomed love story for the ages of her own. Needless to say, it was a far cry from the impact of Denny or even Henry. Poor guy, though. Jo's big secret has to be a BS retcon of some kind. I too believe she's already married, but whatever it is, it shouldn't have taken years of a comitted relationship and basically three marriage proposals before she came clean. Alex should be pissed. Callie continues to have her head up her ass. Approaching Arizona twice in the same day about changing Sofia's schedule is beyond dumb. And sure, blame Penny, because she's the one who pushed the move to New York and encouraged her to take Arizona to court. Except she did none of that. Like it's been said already, Penny did everything to make that relationship work, and as pathetic as it is, I've been in her shoes. I know what it feels to give everything - and then some! - to accomodate the other person and it's not enough. Because it's never enough. Her storyline has to be one of the absolute most pointless things ever to happen on this show, the way everything played out, but anyway, she's better off alone in New York. It's disgusting how self-absorbed Meredith is. Honey, not everything is about you. I'm so glad Alex called her out on her BS, except that it should have happened seasons ago. And Amelia's constant need of Meredith's approval and validation is pathetic and bordering on disturbing. Meredith was actually unintentionally right about one thing - Amelia should get a life of her own: the one that includes Meredith in very small doses. I'm far from sure the life with Owen is a good idea, though, but whatever.

I really dislike this "Meredith is suddenly resentful of Amelia" storyline. Of course, we'll have to see how it plays out, but I can't imagine it's going to be anything but awful. I thought that maybe she's upset because Amelia took credit for something Derek did, but nope, apparently it's just for doing his job... that she took over AGES ago. While he was still alive. Dumb. And that Owen is somehow never allowed to love anyone else because Meredith says so is just too idiotic to even dignify it with a comment.

Another strange thing is that basically none of their friends really talked to them about this situation or tried to intervene, except for Bailey's "chasing tail" comment that can't be taken as an advice. If it's "just a year", surely someone would point out to Callie that there's absolutely no reason she must be taking Sofia with her full-time? And someone else would probably make Arizona question herself it whether it's really worth going to court over it if they're coming back next year anyway. And someone would most definitely ask "Can't you two just talk about this, for God's sake?!" On the other hand, if it's a permanent move, no one seemed to bat an eyelid about it. Certainly her friends who were all gushing about how great she was would be at least a bit upset and sad she's leaving? You can't really make a coherent picture based on the things we've been shown. Basically, this:

I'm now thinking about this "It's only a year" thing. I hadn't given it much though since it clearly was said in the beginning that the research would last a year, so we all went along with it. But yeah, now that I've thought about it, there's something lacking there. The actual phrase "Just a year" should have certainly come up more often and I'm sure both of them would try to use it to their advantage. Like Black Knight said, Callie could claim it's actually a unique opportunity for Sofia and something she could only benefit from. She could also say that Arizona can visit any time she wants and Sofia would spend her holidays in Seattle, and the year will go by before they even know it. Arizona could on the other hand argue that it's unreasonable to uproot the child and disrupt her life twice over a single year - she would just get used to living in NY before she'd have to move back again. She could say that Callie can visit any time she wants and Sofia could spend the holidays with her. Or simply, that Callie can stay in Seattle and try a long distance relationship, like any sane person would. And yes, the opening scenes of this episode did seem like the two lawyers negotiating over the conditions of a permanent move. And honestly, if it's just a year, they could probably quite easily come to an understanding if they really tried. Callie could spend her time between Seattle and New York. As one of the owners of the hospital, I'm sure she could find a way to manage her schedule. And Arizona would probably be perfectly willing to let Sofia go and spend some time with Callie and Penny in New York during her school holidays. On the other hand, Callie did say she'd work part-time in New York, which I don't think she'd be doing if she considered settling down there permanently. She'd have probably wanted to find a full-time job ASAP, which surely would not be a problem for someone of her reputation. Maybe even the writers realized how ridiculous it was to have all this hoopla over just a year, so they tried to play down that fact as much as possible.

This is exactly what was so confusing about this storyline since the beginning. All this time the show made it seem like Arizona is the one facing an uphill climb and is likely to lose the custody, while in reality the odds would be against Callie. And her lawyer must have been aware of that and she probably pointed out that there's a solid chance they're going to lose the case unless Arizona's fitness as a mother was brought into question. That also must be why she made such a big deal about Penny's mistake - in those circumstances they couldn't afford a single wrong move. It was probably played out in such haphazard manner because the writers wanted to keep the viewers in suspense about the outcome and have a "shocking twist" in the end. I believe it's also why we were in the dark about Arizona's legal standing regarding Sofia until very late in this episode or why we didn't really see who sued and for what.