Dissecting Grey's Anatomy: Season Premiere Edition

Turns out, dude's got a brain aneurysm that's going to require a standstill operation which entails freezing the body, stopping the heart and draining all the blood for 45 minutes, at which point the surgery better be over cause if it's not he's not ever waking up. And the cost to our friendly no-health-insurance bar owner is going to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Meanwhile, McDreamy finds out that the whole reason his missus is in the Emerald City is because the Chief of Staff, recovering from a brain operation, requested her. And no, he doesn't care about the awkwardness. That's just how he rolls. And just to add insult to McDreamy's injury, Webber names Burke the interim Chief because he doesn't sleep with his interns. Oh, sweet irony, thy name is Grey's Anatomy!

Burke continues to woo his future baby mama Cristina, not knowing that she's pregnant, but assuming she's over him cause of her standoffish behavior. Right as she's about to spill the beans about their burgeoning blasian baby, he proposes they break up and she disappointingly agrees.

Meredith, meanwhile, has been summoned by Addison as her personal assistant for a pregnancy case. Unfortunately, their patient, a woman wronged herself, overhears parts of conversation and derides Meredith for going after another woman's husband. She asks Addison to remove her from her case to which Dr. Sassypants refuses, saying it was she who cheated on her husband, which would make Meredith the wronged woman (um, no it wouldn't?) and that the patient owed Meredith an apology.

McDreamy, the man wronged, gets to work on the standstill operation with the help of Burke. Isabel and Alex (who is particularly close to Joe) watch from above with their increasing flirty arguments over bedside manner and exchange such witty repartee as "die die," "pulse pulse," and "dead dead." And of course, Joe pulls through, despite the fact that McDreamy seems to think the most opportune time to swap favorite Joe stories (again, where was this guy last year?) is mid-dangerous surgery.

Georgie-boy, meanwhile, has been on a recon mission for old man Webber, acting as a top secret investigatory sponge (just go with it). He's the eyes and ears of the hospital, and someone get this man a merit badge. George hears all, George sees all. Clandestine stairwell kisses? George knows. Finance problems? George knows. Gonna be a baby mama? George knows. But he doesn't tell, loyal lap dog that he is.

He also serves as this week's hero, discovering that if Joe donates his body to science for the 45 minutes he's officially dead, then he'll get a grant which will pay for his surgery. Good, boy, Georgie! Alex seems to think so, too, cause they have a tender kiss and make up moment of their own.

Meredith heads over to McDreamy's trailer to get the dirt on who exactly is wronged and how. Turns out it's McDreamy's turn to throw a pity party as he recalls walking in on his wife and best friend en flagrante delecto. And he calls them dirty. As she's leaving, Meredith stops and asks what she was to him then. He said she was "coming up for fresh air." He was drowning, and she saved him. Oh, swoon. But wait, what's this? Meredith says that's not enough and leaves him?! What's the matter with her, that line was straight outta romantic comedy happy ending central. Why would she…? How could she…?

Oh, right. She's a surgeon. She's very clinical and precise and has no room for emotions. How could I forget. So she heads to the watering hole and sidles up alongside Cristina. She tells Meredith that she made her her "in case of emergency" person. Oh, how sweet. See? She's not so cold after all.

A season premiere week bonus: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack is out on CD. Um, we want it. You will too. Buy it here. Also check out the premiere post on The Grey's Anatomy Writer's Blog.