Joana

How was it any different, though? Arizona was completely reasonable, no one was making any scenes, there were no dramatics and hysteria. Callie felt relieved about getting a divorce, not bitter. If anything, those two divorces were actually similar. I think it was just a case of the writing trying too hard to make everyone interact with each other as much as possible, thus some interactions didn't make too much sense. Like with Alex finding out about April's pregnancy.

So I guess every single person here agrees that Nathan's wife will miraculously reappear just when he and Meredith start getting serious about each other :D God, wouldn't it be refreshing if it doesn't happen? But I'm not holding my breath. Also, while the big revelation clears Nathan of any guilt, like expected, why couldn't it have been something that would make Owen look like less of a nutjob? A "Sophie's choice" kind of situation where you could see the point of both sides and Owen's anger wouldn't be as outrageously misplaced? Sigh.

That's something I have a problem with too. It made total sense to me that she would be reluctant about dating again. Both with the hot slutty doctor she cheated Callie on (actually, I've always thought that someone being attracted to her knowing about her leg is what made her cheat in the first place, but I digress) and Leah things just happened by themselves without her having to reach out and really do anything. Meeting new people, getting to know them and they getting to know you is a different prospect and something where her vulnerability and insecurity would play a big part. They made such a big deal about her not being the same person as before the accident and now it's being completely glossed over. Or quite simply, they've forgotten about the leg.

This was the second time Callie has referred to being bitter and angry about her divorce. Isn't that a bit of a retcon? It was all about her "happy single girl dancing joyfully in her underwear yeah you go girl" rebirth when it happened. Sure, divorce is not pretty even when you want it and initate it, but she sure wasn't shown as being too heartbroken at the time. Though I guess they needed a line for her in this episode and figured that her usual "I miss sex!" talk would be a bit of an overkill this time around.

It's so much better when she is shown as more than just a person who killed Derek and must pay for it. She actually had a semblance of personality this time and was lot less stiff and wooden, it was nice to see. I mean sure, her character is wholly unnecessary, but frankly, the same can be said about like half the cast at this point, so whatever.

This bugs me as well, but I think Riggs agreed in the end that the surgery is risky anyway and they might as well stick around and see if the condition improves, so I guess I can let it slide.

They weren't all that clear about it, but what I got is that she came over to him and things just went their way. Of course, how and why she decided to do it is anyone's guess.

Heh, that's what I was about to say! I liked this episode while I was watching it and enjoyed it quite a bit, but when I started thinking about it, I realized some things really annoyed me. Still, I enjoyed it way more than previous episodes. After a while I cared about the patient storylines and they didn't seem too contrived. It's nice that the show feels like it's finally going somewhere and they found a way to include most of the cast, and it worked pretty well - including Penny who I didn't mind this time. She was used in appropriate doses and I think the actress is finally starting to be more relaxed and confident. However... The show just doesn't know how to do sex talk. It's cringeworthy, especially coming from totally unsuitable characters like Maggie. Cringeworthy. Please make it stop. Arizona teaming up with Richard used to be funny, now it's super creepy. He would never talk to her like that. Awful writing. Like it's been said before in this thread, the enthusiasm over someone having a life threatening condition got old a long time ago. And yes, Arizona's leg must have grown back at some point. Alex would never pay that much attention to April (who looks very weird for some reason, BTW) as to conclude she's pregnant. It's not realistic in any way. "I don't won't the ring, but keep it in the drawer just in case" would be a TOTAL dealbreaker for me. The show apparently thinks it's cute and a display of true cosmic love. No. But all things considered, I think this episode is a definite improvement. Oh, and the BIG SECRET about Owen's sister is just beyond words awful. Was that the best they could come up with, seriously?! It's not like he put her on the helicopter and forced her to go, it was her patient, most of them would have done the same. I guess it shows they really want to make his character work, so they can't let it be something where could legitimately be at fault and what would make him look bad. Yeah, he's definitely hooking up with Meredith.

They're happy as long as they're not given any screen time, like Bailey and Ben. If the show ever decides to focus on them, you know they're toast.

April had definitely referred to him as her best friend before (around her wedding with Matthew) and I hoped the episode would focus more on their friendship and what drew them closer in the first place. Instead, we got a couple of flashbacks going from Jackson being all "Jeez, what a weirdo" regarding April straight to "I will always love you". I've felt that the sense of closeness and companionship that seemed to be there when they first started hooking up is missing for a while and this episode just confirmed it for me. Back then I did think that, despite all their differences, they still "got" each other at the end of the day. Now it seems that all they have is great sexual chemistry and that alone does not make a relationship work.

The whole Penny thing is weird as well. Sure she's got a lot of screen time, but she hasn't had that much of a story either. Basically we either saw her with Callie or as a punchbag for Meredith and Amelia. We don't know anything about her, except that she "killed" Derek and must redeem herself for it. Now, I'm not saying I want to know more about her, but if they wanted to introduce her as a new character, it could have been done so much better. And what would be even better is if the actress that plays her had ANY screen presence. I see the next episode deals with Richard's discovery of Maggie's and Andrew's relationship. Actually, last week it took me a few moments to realize why he was so upset when he found out who "the wild cat that can't be tamed" was. That's how much of an importance the show puts on his relationship with Maggie.

That's why I didn't like the concept of this April/Jackson-centric episode. It was clear it could either be retcon BS or rehashing the things we already knew with any possibility of an emotional impact long gone. Basically it turned out to be filler stuff - at the time the show desperately needs to get going somewhere, anywhere. Those are just textbook examples of lousy writing. A completely undefined relationship that lingers on for years in show time is something that should have never happened and certainly wasn't planned - it simply shows the writers have lost the plot somewhere along the way. As for Arizona, people not seeing anyone in a longer while is not something particularly unusual and they could have simply left it at that if they don't have any better ideas. Instead they've turned her character into an utter joke.

It's definitely not just you! At this point I do think those time jumps have ruined some of the storylines beyond repair. It's perfectly natural that not all stories and characters would have the same dynamics over time, it happens on pretty much every show, but when literally half the storylines have been stuck in the same place and so many characters haven't had anything happen to them in years, I don't think there's a way to write yourself out of such mess. And the pace they're going at isn't helping anything. We're now three episodes into the second half of the season and all we've had are basically standalone episodes with almost no relevance to what had previously going on. Yeah, April/Jackson divorce storyline seems to be resolved (for now, God knows what's coming with the baby she's expecting) but it really did not need an entire episode dedicated to it, the way it was done. I'm starting to think a show could really use a cleen sheet at this point. Like, drop half the cast and get rid of those already tired plots not going anywhere. Not likely to happen, I know.

And I must say I didn't really appreciate the way we found out about the baby. I don't think Arizona (a peds surgeon, no less) would ever make pregnancy jokes with a close friend who had experienced the horrendous trauma of losing a child like April did. It was in poor taste and I think Jessica Capshaw felt uncomfortable delivering it.

OK, there weren't any retcon shockers, which is always good. On the other hand, we didn't really find out anything new. They're incompatible, she couldn't handle the grief over losing her child and that's why she left while not really considering his feelings etc. We knew all that. And while it did shed some light on their story, it would have all been so much better if it had been showed as it happened. Not now. I didn't hate the episode. Those two performed really well, the acting was very good. But an episode like this would work better as a change of pace in a really dynamic season with a lot going on, which is basically the opposite of what GA is doing right now. Oh, and literally the last thing this show needs is another baby.

Arizona is still considering dating, I guess.

God, I hope Callie doesn't die, even though I'm not really a fan. Sofia has already lost a parent (which I didn't appreciate, Mark could have gone off with Lexie and still be involved in parenthood off-screen), losing two would be terrible. Especially since I've never really bought into Arizona as a mother. But on the other hand, the way things are going, it's doubtful whether Callie herself remembers she has a child. I wouldn't mind GA without Meredith, but I simply don't think it's happening at this point.

It crossed my mind during this episode, how many kids without buttholes are there? It's like when Arizona went into fetal surgery and had a seemingly endless supply of cases.

Ditto. It's a complete dealbreaker for me. I've always though that pairing would be as possible as, say, Richard-April. And about as welcome, as far as I'm concerned. But a lot of people are on that bandwagon and for the first time I'm actually seeing some signs in the show itself (though hopefully it's just me being paranoid) so I don't feel good about it.

Callie is apparently completely fine with it all, so I don't feel bad for her. However, that stairwell scene was SO uncomfortable to watch. They looked like a couple of teenagers going at it for the first time. Was that supposed to be sweet and endearing? It wasn't. I have a horrible feeling they're setting up Alex and Meredith. The "Are you in love with Alex?" thing came out of nowhere and Meredith's facial expression as Alex and Jo were making out was weird as hell. I'm not liking it. Overall, I found the episode kinda meh. The therapy bits saved it. I couldn't care less about any of the medical stuff. The prodigy kid thinks she knows better than the doctors shtick got really old. "Arizona considering dating again" amounted to 5 seconds of her preparing to go out. LOL.

It's obviously her turn to be Amelia's punchbag now after being done with Meredith.

And whenever family members do appear, they're usually overbearing or annoying or they simply suck at life, like Callie's mother. Maybe it's better to go all Sex and the City style and pretend these people were just dropped on the face of Earth at some point with no history or background.

I don't think Penny will be anything more than a background character now, so it probably won't be too bad. And honestly, nothing would really change even if she became a regular. Ben and Stephanie have been regulars for god knows how much time now and it's not like anyone ever expects them to have something meaningful going on for them.

The show is generally terrible with families. It seems that in GA's universe, families only exist to make your life miserable. Yeah, a lot of people have unresolved family issues but this show is taking it too far. Arizona is like the only major character without some over the top family drama going on, but even she lost a brother.

I just thought of something gross. Perhaps Penny was brought in as an eventual love interest for Arizona if Sara Ramirez is leaving? We know damn well these people can't date outside the hospital and by then Penny will be an established lesbian character and kinda obvious choice.