| My Review of 6.20 - "Hook, Line and Sinner" |
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| Written by Admin |
| Monday, 03 May 2010 22:55 |
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This week's episode bounced back in the ratings compared to the last one before the hiatus, as it dominated the key 18 to 49 demographic. Hopefully, it'll trend upward as we pick up steam towards the season finale. Read on for my full (and rather lengthy) review.
Note: Just a friendly reminder to please refrain from making references to spoilers in the comments. Thanks!
Where do I begin...saying that it was an epic episode for Callie and Arizona fans would be an understatement. So much Callie/Arizona content to make up for the last few eps. I feel like it's been the pattern all season. They give us a few frustrating eps in a row in terms of Callie/Arizona scenes (be it lack of interaction with each other or lack of physical intimacy earlier on) and then they give us a gem that restores our faith. It was a satisfying episode in that even though the issue isn't resolved, at least our complaints with regards to the previous eps (i.e. little screentime, not getting AZ's perspective) were addressed. At the beginning of the episode, we start off with them being so far apart and little understanding between them. By the end of the hour, they acknowledge the grim reality they are faced with, together.
I feel like this is the first time that we've seen them actually have a heart-to-heart. In the past, we've seen one-way conversation where they comfort the other, or the beginnings of an heated argument and then they get interrupted, or AZ pouring her heart out and Callie not responding the way we were all hoping for and then AZ sorts it out herself and all is okay. We've never actually seen them engage in two-way dialogue throughout an ep. And that's what so great about this one. The storyline actually progressed a little because the writers finally let them interact and address the issue directly with each other. So thank you, writers, because we were all worried for a while there that we were going to see the story unfold through Mark or never get to hear AZ's perspective at all. This ep delivered on the confrontation we were all hoping to see.
So this episode picks up where the previous one left off. Well, not exactly, because the Callie and Arizona talk has escalated from staring at each other in uncomfortable silence to a full-blown shouting match (not to mention AZ has since dried her hair):
Callie: No, it doesn't make any sense! Everybody wants a kid and you of all people...you wear rollerskates for shoes! I don't get it. Arizona: You know what?! I don't know! Maybe there's something wrong with me! 'Cos it's not natural... it's not womanly. Maybe I'm cold and heartless and dead inside! Callie: No, I'm not saying that!! Arizona: Well, yeah, but a little bit, you are!
When words like "unnatural", "unwomanly" and "dead inside" are being hurled, I'd say the floodgates have been opened. I expected them to have a calm conversation about their views on the baby issue, so kind of surprised to see them shouting at each other. I want to see how it got to that point. One person must've touched the other's nerve first and then hell kind of broke loose. They are both intense that way.
Callie cannot fathom that someone, a pediatric surgeon (of all people), does not want kids, and believes that picturing it harrrder will do the trick.
Callie: No. <tries to calm down and breathe slowly and sits on the bed across from Arizona> You know what? Just humor me for one minute, okay? Close your eyes. <Arizona shoots a look at Callie, as in gimme a break> Close your eyes. <Arizona relents> Now picture a baby. A warm... smushy little... baby. Wrapping its chubby little arms around your neck. Breathing that...that intoxicating baby smell. Doesn't it just melt you? Arizona: <matter-of-factly> Nope. You know what makes me melt? Spain. The beach. You in a bikini. Me holding a Sangria. Oh, wait! What's that I hear? Oh...the baby's crying. We can't go to Spain! <dripping with sarcasm>
Gee, Arizona doesn't hold back when she is fully engaged in an argument, especially with the snark. But guess what, AZ? Your little petting farm of chickens and dogs doesn't maintain itself either! Not sure how constructive being sarcastic is, especially since it frustrates Callie even more rather than help her understand AZ's viewpoint, but I am not complaining, since JCap's expression was priceless. This just proves how much opportunity there is for spark between them when given the material. Love.
By the way, the saccharine description of a baby irritated me to no end - maybe I am dead inside, too. Plus, I'm sure Arizona is fully familiar with the physical attributes of a baby and there's no doubt that she likes kids enough to be in pediatric surgery. The point is, she likes kids just fine, and having a mental image of a baby is really not going to change her mind about having kids of her own. But I can't fault Callie for trying, because it's the first step in learning about where Arizona stands and it's certainly progress in terms of their communication. I have to add that this is such a tricky scenario to construct; the writing and acting have to be nuanced such that it's believable for AZ to like kids but not want them herself.
Just as Callie is fully taking in the painful truth that Spanish beaches, bikinis, and chugging Sangria are all higher up than having a baby on the list of things that Arizona would like to do, we hear frantic ringing of the doorbell.
Callie: Sangria? That's why I don't get a kid? I can make you a freakin' Sangria.
Mark comes in hollering for suture kits and asking where Robbins was, and Callie, looking pretty angry coming out her bedroom, says that she's in there. His scream for "ROBBINS!!!" got an annoyed Arizona to come out, who asks, "Ugh! Why is he screaming?" Everyone's just staring at a frantic Mark, who is trying to tell them that the baby's here. It's not until a blood-curdling wail from his apartment that everyone springs into action. As usual, Jessica nails the timing on the "Oh god! He's serious!"
Callie, Arizona, Huntlet, and Cristina all rush out and appear en masse at the door of Mark's apartment, to witness that Teddy's already delivered the baby. After Arizona tells Callie to get her bag, she takes the baby from Teddy and tries to get the baby to start breathing on his own. She was starting to get a little worried when no response came for a few seconds, before the baby finally wails, to which she exhales, "That's my boy!", all maternal like. Callie returns to the apartment just as AZ hands the baby to Mark, and Mark and Callie bask in awe at the newborn.
The next morning at the hospital, in Sloan Sloan's room, Mark thanks Arizona for all of her help. Sloan asks for her bag and proceeds turn it upside down to dump all of its contents onto the bed, which is not the most civilized way to look for something, but anyway... Amidst all of the other crap from her bag were 3 balls, metallic toy cars, and some plastic animal figurines, with most of them being choking hazards (as AZ regretfully and worriedly points out). That's certainly one way of getting rid of a baby you didn't want. Sloan Sloan hands the contact information for the couple who is supposed to adopt the baby to a distraught Mark. Arizona feels sympathetic and offers to make the call, but Mark declines her help and says he'll take care of it.
Mark is holding the baby and cooing at him while Sloan Sloan laments the fact that she has no place to stay and that she doesn't have anything, including a job. Mark takes the hint and invites her to stay at his place until she figures things out. Now suddenly presented with living arrangements, Sloan Sloan has second thoughts about giving up the baby and teases Mark about raising the child themselves. Arizona appears at the door and overhears their conversation. She perks up and suggests that the newborn should go to the nursery to be monitored and get his newborn checkup. It feels to me that AZ is trying to get the baby away from them so that they won't get too attached and change their mind about the adoption, because this is not going to end well, as far as she can see. Mark insists that the baby's all good because he did the monitoring and the exams. AZ starts to leave but decides that something needs to be said, and asks Mark for a quick word when he has time.
Out in the hallway, AZ confronts Mark about calling the adoptive parents, but Mark says that Sloan is having second thoughts. Arizona is slightly agitated by now and tells Mark that, "Sloan picked those parents. She asked you to call them. She was pretty clear". Mark retorts that by law that they have 48 hours to decide. Callie joins Mark and Arizona, and is excited to hear that Sloan might be changing her mind. Arizona, still on her sarcastic streak, declares that the baby needs parents, not an 18-year-old child and a father she met 5 minutes ago. Ouch...yeah.. AZ hasn't exactly been expressing her viewpoints in the most politically correct of ways lately. I can see why Mark told her to "Shut up!" Callie jumps in to defend her woman and warns, "Mark..." Mark tells AZ that she doesn't get to tell him what to do and speechifies about his need for a family. I understand where AZ is coming from even if she did sound a little judgmental. She's trying to preserve what is the most logical outcome for all involved, and probably what is best for the baby. And given that she walked in on them in the middle of their conversation, she's probably worried that Mark might've been manipulating Sloan Sloan into keeping the baby, even though she brought it up first. We can always count on AZ to fight for what she thinks is right.
In the nursery, Callie, in her baby-induced haze of joy, bounces over to Arizona and tells her that the baby smiled at Mark. Arizona, however, does not share her sentiment:
Arizona: That poor baby's parents just sitting there... Callie: Stop calling him the baby's... Arizona: That baby's parents. The mature, capable, financially secure, emotionally stable, loving parents who were deemed fit by Sloan and the State of Washington are sitting there by the telephone staring at the sky blue nursery wall that they just painted. Those are the parents. Not "Mr. Midlife Crisis" and his teenage kid who brought her infant son a bag of lollipops and Juicy Couture onesies. Callie: So.. she has a lot to learn. Arizona: <emphatically> No. She doesn't. She made the one sound parenting decision she needs to make. She found a lovely couple to raise her baby. And she did that months ago when she wasn't flooded with postpartum hormones, or...or overwhelmed by heartfelt pleas from her dad. When she had time to think...clearly... about what was right for her and..and what was right for the baby. She made a decision. A good decision. And it would...it would be great if we could all just try and respect that. Callie: Okay... <backing off>
Hum. Yet another impassioned speech about parents and children, reminiscent of the lecture she gave Karev about not judging parents in 6.13. The way JCap delivered it with such poignancy gives the writers several options. AZ could just feel strongly about her positions on certain things because of how much she has witnessed from being in Peds, or they could create some backstory for AZ, given how personal she made the speech sound. Personally, I would prefer that it's the former rather than the latter, because that has the potential to be a little too soapish for my taste.
At that moment, AZ is paged by Sloan Sloan. She and Callie rush to her room, where both baby and Sloan Sloan are fretting. The only difference is that the infant only knows to cry and Sloan Sloan knows to push the panic button. AZ picks up the baby to calm him as Mark returns with a baby bottle. AZ tries to hand the baby back to Sloan Sloan so she could try feeding him, but she flips out at that. The "What the hell?" expression that AZ gave Callie when she whipped around was priceless. Mark coddles Sloan Sloan, saying that she's tired and hands her a sippy drink, and both the infant and Baby Sloan appear to be mollified for now.
I am not usually one to gush, but I cannot get over how adorable this picture looks. And as for hard-luck Callie, this is the second time in 24 hours that she is faced with AZ holding a baby in front of her.
Outside of the newborn ward, Mark and Callie stare at the baby through the window, and Callie calls the baby delicious and looks ready to devour him. Mark is considering taking a couple of weeks of paternity leave to help Sloan Sloan if she does keep the baby, but Callie isn't so sure that is enough. She actually reiterates Arizona's point about Sloan Sloan making a good decision to give her up. She then shares her problems with Mark:
Callie: Arizona wants to go to Spain. She's picking a sun tan over a family, which I don't get. Yet another instance how far Callie has grown. I am impressed rather than running away, Callie tries to figure it why AZ doesn't want kids. Upon Callie's revelation, I was thinking, "Aha! Here it comes.. they are finally getting to AZ's issues with having a baby..there we go..."
Callie finds AZ in a room, looking at a chart. Arizona looks up at Callie for a moment before returning to her chart. Callie forges on with, "I get it" before closing the door and taking a seat before launching into a psychoanalysis of AZ's aversion towards having kids:
Callie: You watch parents go through horrible, unimaginable pain.. At this point, AZ freezes and looks up at Callie, but not before being momentarily distracted by Callie's cleavage. Callie: everyday... and you went through horrible and unimaginable pain when you lost your brother. Arizona continues to look and Callie and frowns slightly. Callie: And your parents never got over it. And if we had a baby... our baby is not going to be one of those kids in your NICU. <Arizona looks down> Our baby won't be your brother. <Callie exhales> Do you know how happy our baby would be? <smiles at AZ with hope> Arizona: <pauses and says coldly in a lower-than-usual pitch> I am going to say this once, and I'm not going to say it again. I'm not broken. I'm not some psychodrama. My lack of interest in having a child is not some pathology that you can pat yourself on the back for having diagnosed. I like my life. I like it the way it is. I don't want it to change. I thought I liked it with you in it...I hope I'm not wrong. At that, Arizona stands up and leaves the room and ignored Callie's grasp of her arm.
Wow. I never imagined something like this would come out of AZ's mouth, especially directed to Callie, of all people. Telling Callie that "I thought I liked it with you in it...I hope I'm not wrong" is probably not the best choice of words and a little hurtful towards someone who is just trying really hard to understand her and work it out with her. However, AZ was probably getting more and more frustrated and offended that it's impossible for people to believe or accept that she does not want kids. More so, it's insulting to insinuate that there is something wrong with a woman who would prefer not to want to have children, like it's a pathology, as AZ said. For what it's worth, the lashing out did get the message across finally, because Callie has been going on for a whole day about how wonderful babies are and trying to convince AZ to see that and kind of in denial about AZ's stance.
Also interesting that AZ said with such conviction that there is that she is not broken and not a psychodrama. We are not used to seeing a character on Grey's without some deep-seated issue. So part of me can't help but wonder if she is just incredibly deep in denial, although the writers said in the podcast that the issue is really that AZ does not want kids (unless they change their minds later...). But in any case, I'm kind of pleased that they made the statement that a woman does not necessarily need a reason to not want kids and that there is nothing wrong with her. I have to admit that I was guilty of that bias, because I have tried to come up with reasons. It's just harder to wrap one's mind around it (as is the case with Callie) given that AZ likes kids compared to someone who doesn't care too much for them.
At night, Arizona is lying on Callie's side of the bed, looking dour. As Callie joins her in bed and tries to get close to her, AZ turns her back to her. Callie lies on her side and props her head up with her right arm while she rests her left hand on AZ's side. As Arizona continues to ignore her, Callie nuzzles her shoulder tenderly with her nose before broaching the subject again:
Callie: My cousin's baby punched her in the face. <hand caresses AZ's shoulder where her nose just nuzzled> Literally. She had a black eye from a one year old. <AZ sighs> Who needs it, right? <voice breaking> I don't need that. They scream....they're grimy...they <tearing up> smell like poop..<AZ turns around to face her and takes her hand> and the house smells like poop. <sobbing> Arizona: <as Callie continues to shake from sobbing> Don't...don't...don't <barely a whisper> AZ holds Callie's face in her hands and leans up to kiss her. Callie in turn cups AZ's face with her left hand and deepens the kiss and presses into AZ.
That was devastatingly beautiful. To me, it was the most powerful scene between them to date, in that we get to see them connect physically and emotionally. So much complexity packed into it and so much expressed between them. The angst has brought the spark in a major way. Ironically, they've never felt as much a couple to me as they did in this scene, even if they could be on the precipice of a break-up. The desperate feel of the kiss, as though they were clinging to each other and affirming their need for the other, really tore me up inside. It's the most raw and powerful kiss I've seen on TV in a while.. must have to do with their devastated state of mind and Callie literally kissing and crying at the same time, which more than likely was leading to some angstsy, tearful, passionate lovemaking. They love each other so much that Callie is willing to sacrifice her happiness, her dream of raising a family, to be with Arizona, and Arizona appears to be prepared to give up own happiness so Callie can have a shot at happiness. Sob... it's true love... twu wuv... It at once makes me warm and fuzzy and breaks my heart at the same time. Whether they sort it out or break up, I'm just glad that we got to experience just how deep their love for each other really is, which makes this storyline completely worthwhile, no matter the outcome.
It cannot go unsaid how flawless Sara and Jessica's performances were in this scene... well, throughout the ep, but especially in this scene. The way Sara delivered her lines with a wavering voice and the gradual breaking down was perfect. The more Callie tried to list off the bad things about kids to convince herself that she didn't need kinds, the more heartbroken she became. And JCap's initial expression was quite hard when Callie started talking about the baby punching her cousin's face. But as soon as she said "Who needs that?", her eyes flitted a bit and her face softened as she is hit with the realization that Callie was trying to give up her dream to hang onto her. And that realization turned to a mixture of pain and love while uttering the "Don't....don't... don't...", not letting Callie give up her dream for her. Their lines and expressions were delivered with such subtlety and depth combined with the natural physical intimacy, that their emotions come across as completely honest and makes the whole scene and their pain credible. God knows, we have seen enough over-the-top acting and twisted/wrenched faces on the show.
Meg Marinis did a surprisingly good job at achieving balance in this conflict, something that I was worried about before. People are torn between their perspectives and cannot take one person's side more than the other. And they shouldn't on this issue because no one is more right than the other. And when people are torn, it means the writing has done its job.
Two people who are madly in love with each other but an obstacle (except for a triangle) keeping them from being together is the most heartbreaking yet riveting type of romantic drama. I'm relieved that the writers have been treating their relationship with respect so far.
On another note, it's satisfying to see that Callie finally found someone who loves her back just as much and who will not allow her give up a piece of herself. All the more reason that they are endgame.
So this ep had them clearly express their (polar opposite) positions on having children. The writers have certainly written themselves into a quagmire - how do they get out of it while remaining truthful to the characters and the storyline? At the moment, it doesn't seem like either of them will budge (or let the other budge) on this issue. So either they break up, or something significant occurs to make one of them change her perspective. Callie going from wanting kids to not wanting kids would be more drastic than Arizona deciding that she might be open to the idea of having children with Callie after all. I can't see the writers leaving this unresolved beyond this season, so either they break up, or someone big happens in the last couple of eps. It would be wonderful if we could get another ep with Callie/Arizona scenes with substance.
Random thoughts:
Both JCap and Sara looked more stunning than ever this episode. Need I say more?
I will never get tired of Cristina's fangirl routine on her cardio gods. Sandra Oh is consistently genius. And her "bless you, bless you" to Teddy's double sneezes was pure hilarity.
The Huntlet character is going from bad to worse. He ruins for both Cristina and Teddy at the same time. All because he feels that he can't handle being around Teddy. And even if he sends Teddy away, what kind of relationship does he have with Cristina if the only way it'll work is for Teddy not to be there? How authentic is it really?
Don't all bash me over the head now, but in this particular shot, doesn't the baby look a little geriatric, a la Benjamin Button? Just sayin'.
I couldn't get invested in the adoption storyline because Eric Dane couldn't sell the emotional scenes. It was hard to feel for the character when he was just reciting the lines with his one-face-fits-all expression. And a couple of the scenes were downright cringe-worthy, especially when he had to lash out. Aie.
Enjoyed the Bailey/Alex/Lexie storyline. I have missed seeing Bailey as a mentor, and glad to see Lexie standing up for her own career. I imagine that women voluntarily taking a subordinate role to their men happens quite often in real life, so I'm glad they made an effort to get that message across.
It took me a while to realize that (mainly because I was averting my eyes from the shark hook-induced gore) the crab boat captain is played by the same actor who played Agent Pearce (a beloved character) on 24. That was a pleasant surprise.
Didn't like Derek's attitude in this ep. I get that nepotism should not trump skill. While it makes sense that he wants the best and the brightest working for him, he didn't need to put down Teddy like that in the OR, especially since she is competent herself. He's a pretty cutthroat Chief.
Necklace update: Callie had hers on pretty much throughout the ep, except for the last scene.
Comments (57)
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It was challenging yet undeniably enjoyable to capture this ep. So many memorable moments...
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Gotta say tho, i totally cracked up when AZ said, in her snarkish and matter-of-factly tone, "nope". That expression on her face was just priceless. 
I don't know what will happen by the end of the season, technically only Shonda does. A dear friend has asked my why I was being so negative these days, I don't know. But from now until 11: 01 EST on May 20th I will be thinking only happy positive thoughts! 
Another great review, I just love how you capture Az and Callie's expression throughout the episode