Staring at the Sun (Grey's Anatomy)
Encyclopedia
"Staring at the Sun" is the eighth episode of the third season of the ABC
series, Grey's Anatomy
. The episode was written by Gabrielle Stanton
and Harry Werksman
and was directed by Jeff Melman
. It originally aired on November 16, 2006, running for 43:07 min.
The next morning, a "bright and shiny" Derek decides to be cordial and friendly to Addison. She is surprised at his unprecedented exuberance and he is surprised that she is still wearing their wedding rings. The rings are stuck and Derek advises her to use soap.
"Bright and shiny" Meredith strides in happily into the locker-room and announces that she is leaving "dark and twisty Meredith" for "bright and shiny". After noticing that no one is really paying any attention, she finds out that George's father has been warded after losing consciousness and breaking his clavicle
. George reinforces that everything will be fine but he is clearly shaken. Bailey assigns George to scut duty as "family members do not treat family members". Cristina says that she is scrubbing in on Burke's surgery and Bailey reluctantly lets her go. Meredith is sent to the pit, while Alex is assigned to Mark with Izzie shadowing him. Bailey reminds her not to interact with her patients.
Callie has fixed George's father's clavicle and is getting along very well with his brothers. George thanks her but reminds her that they have broken up and leaves. Callie is dejected at what he says.
Bailey lets George pick an intern he wants to be assigned to his father. After witnessing Burke letting Cristina decanulate a heart by herself, he chooses her. By now, he is highly suspicious of Burke's hand and confronts Cristina several times about it. She brushes him off every time, saying that Burke is fine. However, one of these confrontations is witnessed by Bailey, which reinforces her own suspicions as well.
The Chief and Cristina perform the endoscopy
on George's father and the biopsy
results return abnormal. He has stage III metastatic cancer of the esophagus
and the cancer has also spread to the stomach. Overwhelmed by his father's medical condition, Callie sleeping with Mark and Burke's hand tremor, he confides in Izzie and Meredith, but they are unable to provide much comfort.
His father's health takes another turn for the worse when Cristina discovers a leaking aortic valve
; he will need to undergo valve replacement
before the cancer can be treated. He insists that Burke does the surgery and the prospect of George's father's life in the hands of Burke has Cristina worried.
Meanwhile, George is unable to communicate with his family when they cannot understand his medical jargon and he cannot simplify it for them. His brothers' constant teasing of him makes the situation worse and he blows up at them. Only Callie is able to make them understand their father's medical condition better using car analogies.
Meredith, Bailey and Derek work on Mia Hanson, a girl who was backed over by her mom's SUV in the driveway. She suffers from crush injury to her abdomen, as well as blunt trauma
to her head. Her parents, being corporate high-fliers, are unable to connect and comfort the girl. She constantly cries out for Anna, her nanny, even though Anna was the one who knocked her down. Anna, however, was fired by Mia's parents. The poor parenting strikes a chord in Meredith, who did not have the most attentive of mothers in Ellis Grey. Bailey is also reminded of how much she is neglecting her son by working. The nanny is eventually re-hired and both parents resolve to bond with their daughter.
Mark sends Alex and Izzie to run his errands for him and Addison chides him for treating them like slaves instead of teaching them. She tries to let the Chief know, but realises that he is distracted and depressed from his marriage woes. Derek is roped in to counsel the Chief, however it ends in disaster after both of them start arguing over their marriage. The Chief decides to make his marriage work and tells Meredith that he is going to stop visiting Ellis Grey. Ellis is upset that he is leaving her for Adele and frets over raising Meredith by herself. Meredith tells her she did the best she could.
Alex and Izzie are to monitor Frank, who underwent pectoral enhancement surgery for his girlfriend to prevent her from leaving him. Frank has a tendency to speak about himself in the third person
. Alex is skeptical at his extravagant measures for love, but he tells him that sometimes "grand gestures" are necessary to impress a girl. An inspired Alex lets Izzie remove the tube that drains the seroma
from Frank, despite her probation rules. She is extremely happy to be able to do something medical and in the heat of the moment, Alex pulls her in for a kiss. She pulls away, saying that she can't. Later in Joe's bar, Izzie expresses surprise at Alex's feelings for her and he apologises for his actions ("Alex is sorry he's such an idiot"). She offers to buy him a drink and he accepts.
At the end of the day, Bailey calls her son and sings to him. Addison is on a ferry boat, where she tosses her rings into the water. Cristina tells Burke that George knows about his hand. Elsewhere, Meredith and Derek soak in a tub, and decide that although they are not cut out to be "bright and shiny", they are still happy to have each other.
, Level 42, Wendy and Lisa
, TV on the Radio
, The Offspring
and Rooster
.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series, Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
. The episode was written by Gabrielle Stanton
Gabrielle Stanton
Gabrielle Gail Stanton is an American television writer and producer best known for her work on the series Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty.-Career:...
and Harry Werksman
Harry Werksman
Harry M. Werksman Jr. is an American television screenwriter and producer.Harry Werksman overcame being born in Pittsburgh by spending the first seven years of his life moving between Pittsburgh , Palm Springs and Scotland...
and was directed by Jeff Melman
Jeff Melman
Jeffrey L. Melman is an American television director and producer. Melman has directed for several present-day network television series. More recently Melman has directed episodes of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives...
. It originally aired on November 16, 2006, running for 43:07 min.
Starring
- Ellen PompeoEllen PompeoEllen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress, known for playing the title role of Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
as Dr. Meredith Grey. - Sandra OhSandra OhSandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
as Dr. Christina Yang - Katherine HeiglKatherine HeiglKatherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
as Dr. Izzie Stevens. - Justin ChambersJustin ChambersJustin W. Chambers is an American actor and former Calvin Klein male fashion model. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Alex Karev....
as Dr. Alex Karev. - T.R. Knight as Dr. George O´Malley.
- Chandra WilsonChandra WilsonChandra Danette Wilson is an American actress and director, best known as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama, Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
as Dr. Miranda Bailey. - James Pickens, Jr.James Pickens, Jr.James Pickens, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the ABC drama television series Grey's Anatomy, and for his supporting role as Deputy Director Alvin Kersh on later seasons of the Fox Network science fiction series The X-Files.- Early life...
as Dr. Richard Webber. - Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery.
- Sara RamirezSara RamírezSara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
as Dr. Callie Torres. - Eric DaneEric DaneEric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
as Dr. Mark Sloan. - Isaiah WashingtonIsaiah WashingtonIsaiah Washington IV is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007.-Personal life:...
as Dr. Preston Burke. - Patrick DempseyPatrick DempseyPatrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
as Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Episode Recap
Derek and Meredith make out in a bathtub, but Meredith stops Derek from getting too intense, telling him that they are taking things slow. She decides that she wants to be fun and they both resolve to be "bright and shiny" people.The next morning, a "bright and shiny" Derek decides to be cordial and friendly to Addison. She is surprised at his unprecedented exuberance and he is surprised that she is still wearing their wedding rings. The rings are stuck and Derek advises her to use soap.
"Bright and shiny" Meredith strides in happily into the locker-room and announces that she is leaving "dark and twisty Meredith" for "bright and shiny". After noticing that no one is really paying any attention, she finds out that George's father has been warded after losing consciousness and breaking his clavicle
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
. George reinforces that everything will be fine but he is clearly shaken. Bailey assigns George to scut duty as "family members do not treat family members". Cristina says that she is scrubbing in on Burke's surgery and Bailey reluctantly lets her go. Meredith is sent to the pit, while Alex is assigned to Mark with Izzie shadowing him. Bailey reminds her not to interact with her patients.
Callie has fixed George's father's clavicle and is getting along very well with his brothers. George thanks her but reminds her that they have broken up and leaves. Callie is dejected at what he says.
Bailey lets George pick an intern he wants to be assigned to his father. After witnessing Burke letting Cristina decanulate a heart by herself, he chooses her. By now, he is highly suspicious of Burke's hand and confronts Cristina several times about it. She brushes him off every time, saying that Burke is fine. However, one of these confrontations is witnessed by Bailey, which reinforces her own suspicions as well.
The Chief and Cristina perform the endoscopy
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
on George's father and the biopsy
Biopsy
A biopsy is a medical test involving sampling of cells or tissues for examination. It is the medical removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
results return abnormal. He has stage III metastatic cancer of the esophagus
Esophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
and the cancer has also spread to the stomach. Overwhelmed by his father's medical condition, Callie sleeping with Mark and Burke's hand tremor, he confides in Izzie and Meredith, but they are unable to provide much comfort.
His father's health takes another turn for the worse when Cristina discovers a leaking aortic valve
Aortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It is normally tricuspid , although in 1% of the population it is found to be congenitally bicuspid . It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta....
; he will need to undergo valve replacement
Valve replacement
Valve replacement surgery is the replacement of one or more of the heart valves with either an artificial heart valve or a bioprosthesis . It is an alternative to valve repair.There are four procedures:...
before the cancer can be treated. He insists that Burke does the surgery and the prospect of George's father's life in the hands of Burke has Cristina worried.
Meanwhile, George is unable to communicate with his family when they cannot understand his medical jargon and he cannot simplify it for them. His brothers' constant teasing of him makes the situation worse and he blows up at them. Only Callie is able to make them understand their father's medical condition better using car analogies.
Meredith, Bailey and Derek work on Mia Hanson, a girl who was backed over by her mom's SUV in the driveway. She suffers from crush injury to her abdomen, as well as blunt trauma
Blunt trauma
In medical terminology, blunt trauma, blunt injury, non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma refers to a type of physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack; the latter usually being referred to as blunt force trauma...
to her head. Her parents, being corporate high-fliers, are unable to connect and comfort the girl. She constantly cries out for Anna, her nanny, even though Anna was the one who knocked her down. Anna, however, was fired by Mia's parents. The poor parenting strikes a chord in Meredith, who did not have the most attentive of mothers in Ellis Grey. Bailey is also reminded of how much she is neglecting her son by working. The nanny is eventually re-hired and both parents resolve to bond with their daughter.
Mark sends Alex and Izzie to run his errands for him and Addison chides him for treating them like slaves instead of teaching them. She tries to let the Chief know, but realises that he is distracted and depressed from his marriage woes. Derek is roped in to counsel the Chief, however it ends in disaster after both of them start arguing over their marriage. The Chief decides to make his marriage work and tells Meredith that he is going to stop visiting Ellis Grey. Ellis is upset that he is leaving her for Adele and frets over raising Meredith by herself. Meredith tells her she did the best she could.
Alex and Izzie are to monitor Frank, who underwent pectoral enhancement surgery for his girlfriend to prevent her from leaving him. Frank has a tendency to speak about himself in the third person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
. Alex is skeptical at his extravagant measures for love, but he tells him that sometimes "grand gestures" are necessary to impress a girl. An inspired Alex lets Izzie remove the tube that drains the seroma
Seroma
A seroma is a pocket of clear serous fluid that sometimes develops in the body after surgery. When small blood vessels are ruptured, blood plasma can seep out; inflammation caused by dying injured cells also contributes to the fluid....
from Frank, despite her probation rules. She is extremely happy to be able to do something medical and in the heat of the moment, Alex pulls her in for a kiss. She pulls away, saying that she can't. Later in Joe's bar, Izzie expresses surprise at Alex's feelings for her and he apologises for his actions ("Alex is sorry he's such an idiot"). She offers to buy him a drink and he accepts.
At the end of the day, Bailey calls her son and sings to him. Addison is on a ferry boat, where she tosses her rings into the water. Cristina tells Burke that George knows about his hand. Elsewhere, Meredith and Derek soak in a tub, and decide that although they are not cut out to be "bright and shiny", they are still happy to have each other.
Title Reference
This episode's title refers to songs by U2U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Level 42, Wendy and Lisa
Wendy and Lisa
Wendy & Lisa are a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band The Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasing their debut album in 1987...
, TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
and Rooster
Rooster (band)
Rooster were an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2002. Comprising singer-songwriter Nick Atkinson, guitarist and songwriter Luke Potashnick, backing guitarist and vocalist Ben Smyth, bassist Nick Howell and drummer Dave Neale, the band released two studio albums and five UK top-40...
.
Music
- "Not Big" - Lily AllenLily AllenLily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
- "Everybody Get Movin'" - Get Set GoGet Set GoGet Set Go is a band formed in 2003 in Highland Park, Los Angeles, California. They are generally seen as indie rock. Their main songwriter is known as "Mike TV." They are known for a tendency to mix dark lyrics with upbeat or "catchy" melodies...
- "Time Of My Life" - The Watson TwinsThe Watson TwinsThe Watson Twins are an American musical group based in Los Angeles with alternative country and indie folk influences. They are identical twin sisters named Chandra and Leigh Watson....
- "Where We Gonna Go From Here" - Mat KearneyMat KearneyMathew William "Mat" Kearney is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of four top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40...
- "Breakable" - Ingrid MichaelsonIngrid MichaelsonIngrid Ellen Egbert Michaelson is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Bones, Grey's Anatomy The Big C and One Tree Hill, as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle and Opel's/Vauxhall's...
- "God Bless The ChildGod Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label.Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in...
" - Chandra WilsonChandra WilsonChandra Danette Wilson is an American actress and director, best known as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama, Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
as Dr. Miranda Bailey