‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Recap: Mark Sloan Signs His Own Death Warrant
In a flashback episode, we learned what exactly happened after the plane crash.
After the Grey’s Anatomy season premiere, viewers still had plenty of questions about the plane crash, and thankfully, most of those holes were filled on the Oct. 4 episode, as we learned exactly what happened when the doctors were found. After being rescued and taken to a nearby hospital, the doctors were forced to get back on a plane to Seattle — and fortunately, they were sedated this time.
It seems Mark (Eric Dane) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) weren’t the only ones who had to cope with post-crash complications. A traumatized, mute Cristina (Sandra Oh) suffered from violent outbursts, forcing her to be put on psychiatric lockdown. After injuring his hand in the crash, Derek (Patrick Dempsey) learned that that he’ll only be able regain 80 percent of its original function. We all know that it will not be a beautiful night to save lives if Dr. McDreamy’s magical hands are not at their best! With Callie’s (Sara Ramirez) encouragement, Derek decided to undergo a more risky surgery that offered more recovery for his hand.
During a bath, Cristina finally broke her silence and relayed her traumatic experiences to Owen (Kevin McKidd) — but instead of dealing with her demons, Cristina decided to run from them. As she packed up her car to “flee” what she believed to be a cursed Seattle Grace for Minnesota, she and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) got in a heated argument, which led to Meredith revoking Cristina’s “person” title. (Weep!)
Although we all know Mark’s tragic fate, the road ahead didn’t always seem so dim. An upbeat Mark appeared to be on his way to recovery; He was smiling, cracking jokes, and doing what he does best: flirting! But the Chief (James Pickens Jr.) recognized Mark’s mood it for what it really was: “The surge,” which the chief defines as the last surge of energy before a terminally ill patient dies.
Arizona’s situation was a difficult one. Being a doctor, Arizona knew that the options for her infected leg were limited, but she refused to face it. Callie fought to find an alternative option for Arizona, but while she operated on Derek’s hand, Arizona went into septic shock and Callie was faced with an urgent decision: to amputate or not to amputate? Unfortunately, Callie gave Alex (Justin Chambers) the go-ahead to remove Arizona’s leg. (Obviously.)
We also saw Mark have to make the agonizing decision to be taken off life support after 30 days of no improvement. Little did Mark know, he was signing his own death warrant.
Unlike Cristina, Meredith was able to see the good in Seattle, inspiring her to give up the job she was offered at Harvard to stay at Seattle Grace Mercy West and focus on her family.
But it wasn’t all bad. In the last minutes of the episode, Cheredith fans did receive some comfort. Although Meredith dethroned herself as Cristina’s “person,” Cristina called Meredith from Minnesota and warmly reminded Meredith that she will always be “her person.”
— Jenny Pickard
More Grey’s Anatomy:
- ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 9 Trailer: A Shocking Proposal & 4 More Spoilers
- ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Death: Shonda Rhimes Made The Right Decision
- ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Jessica Capshaw Teases ‘Dark’ Future For ‘Calzona’