TV Review: GREY’S ANATOMY: Season 10, Episode 20: Go it Alone [ABC]

ABC‘s Grey’s Anatomy Go It Alone TV Show Review. Grey’s Anatomy: Season 10, Episode 20: Go it Alone was a well paced filler episode. Not too dramatic, but set just the right tone at this stage of the season. I found the muzak version of Madonna’s “Holiday” in the background of the first scene to be a buoyant choice.

Season 10, chapter 20 opened with Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) being questioned by Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) about her speech for the Harper Avery Award, and had she written it yet? Owen saw a hurried and frantic Cristina packing for the award ceremony in Boston. She declined his offer to accompany her in typical Yang “go it alone” fashion and told him she’d be home in less than 24 hours. How she declined his overture of room service and champagne is a testament to her focused, single minded personality. Sandra Oh has continued to grow Cristina Yang in to a deeper, less mysterious, more three dimensional human being…and we love her for it. She has consistently, for the last 10 years, been a complete delight to watch. Grey Sloan will not be the same when she has gone.

The boy in the bubble, Braden (guest star Armani Jackson), is still at the hospital and in desperate need of help. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) explained the scary, complicated gene therapy procedure to his very concerned parents. Visibly excited, she had figured out a way to genetically disable the HIV virus and use the derivative enzyme to help rebuild his immune system. This was his best shot, and though the parents were justifiably freaked out, they conceded. We’re looking for a happy ending here, but in true Grey’s style, you never know.

Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) was burning the candle at all ends and in this episode looked the worse for wear because of it. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) gave him a valid lashing while he prepped for surgery, as he forgot to tell her he’d sent the kids to Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins’ (Jessica Capshaw) house. Perhaps balancing the brain mapping project, the teaching of residents, various surgeries and home life has all become too much for McDreamy. In the end Meredith and Derek realized they were juggling too much and that something needed to change. We got the sense they’d figure it out…together.

Several relationships had challenges this week. Callie and Arizona chose to flip a coin to figure out which of them would carry their second child. Mid coin toss Arizona adoringly decided she wanted Callie to do the job. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) had treated a deaf girl earlier in the episode. Both had opposing opinions on Jackson’s suggestion for a cochlear implant and wound up in an explosive fight. The conflict turned in to a difference of ideas regarding faith and blew up from there. A well played storyline by the actors, but I found the intensity of the argument over the top.

The best and most tender moment of the episode was at the very end, when Cristina called Meredith from just outside the Harper Avery ceremony. She realized she didn’t want to be alone, she wanted to be with her, drunk, she thought Owen should be there too, to hold her purse. While the lyrics “welcome to your life” (from the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears) piped in to the scene, accompanied by Dr. Grey’s VO, we watched Cristina walk hurriedly into the function. She turned and found both Owen and Meredith waiting at the table for her. Clearly moved, she reached out for her best friend’s hand, they held tight and waited for the envelope. Cristina did not win the award, and as the music swelled, we knew that the company she kept was award enough.

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