No, I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. Yes, I’m still watching the show and still very invested in Cristina and Owen. I promised several people I’d do my best to get a blog post up, so here it is! And like I usual style of late, it’s going to be more thematic than chronological.

This season hasn’t been the easiest by far. What with the abortion storyline and then the fallout over their lack of true communication, leading to Owen’s one night stand, and now to them essentially being estranged, it’s been a rough, rough road. But as ochforever pointed out in the comments section of the previous post (that I wrote a gazillion years ago), Cristina and Owen’s relationship certainly has taken more of a center stage this season. Perhaps that’s why things are so messy for them. Because if you’re front and center in Grey’s Anatomy, you can bet that Shonda is going rain holy hell on your head and throw up all sorts of obstacles. And because of that, there have been some really poignant and amazingly acted moments (see her post for examples).

My hope is to find time to revisit the previous episodes I missed, so I will attempt to remain mostly focused on “Migration” (an apt name for what is going on with the residents). On a superficial level, I really liked watching Cristina and the rest of the residents all partying at Meredith’s house because it reminds me of the earlier years of Grey’s Anatomy when the original interns would let loose and “dance it out.” It’s as though each season gets progressively darker, so it’s always nice to see moments of brevity.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate when the show returns to its dramatic roots and has scenes like the ones Cristina and Owen shared in this episode – all angst-ridden. But isn’t that why we like them? Isn’t that what drew us to them or caused us to fall under their spell? Season five set the tone of their relationship, and they haven’t deviated far from the intense and emotional love affair that began about four years ago. I remember lauding the show for finally having a relationship that felt real – one that could translate off the screen. And though there have been some twists and turns that have that soap opera flair, I still think this remains true. (And we can probably attribute that, in part, to Sandra and Kevin, who both wholeheartedly fight for truth in their characters’ actions. Although, I’m sure if Kevin had his way, he wouldn’t have had Owen cheat on Cristina.)

The angst king and queen.

What I really loved about that first scene with Cristina and Owen is that despite their current troubles and the pickle that they’re in, Cristina – in her vulnerable, drunken state – goes home to Owen and crawls into bed with him. When he asks her what she’s doing, and she replies that she doesn’t know, I think that she is telling the absolute truth. Cristina is conflicted. For the first time in her life, she is really presented with the dilemma of going with her mind (moving away to Mayo) or listening to her heart (choosing to stay with Owen). Now, notice how I didn’t say that she has to stay in Seattle Grace to be following her heart. And I think that’s really important because the way I felt about Cristina’s actions in this episode was her subtly telling Owen that she would be open to him coming with her. If Cristina were to ask Owen to do that, you just know that he would do it without a moment’s hesitation. And I think it is this aspect of Owen that makes her feel guilty. Because if the roles were reversed, she would not be able to just go with him and disregard the accompanying implications for her career.

So, the moment in their bedroom, where Owen awakens to see Cristina staring at him. For a moment, he’s got to be thinking that he’s dreaming because even if Cristina didn’t put him in the doghouse, he would put himself there. This man has a serious predilection towards guilt. And instead of openly accepting her falling into his arms, he continues to give Cristina an out and stops her in case she wants to change her mind. He does this in the bedroom and then later in the on-call room. I don’t know, it just made me feel even more touched by what was going on.

But when Cristina continues to cling to him, Owen envelopes her in his embrace, and he gets this look on his face that just screams how much he’s missed this. How desperately he has missed being the person she turns to when she is upset and just holding her. So when she climbs off of him and leaves, Owen’s heart breaks because he knows that things are not resolved between them. And it makes that brief moment of union all the more bittersweet.

Nice "growth." Lol.

Watching Owen give Cristina space is tough because it’s clear that he wishes that he didn’t need to. And in that scene where he asks each attending as to the status of their residents (whether they’re staying or going), it’s hard for him to admit that he doesn’t know the status of his own wife. And I will say that I was glad that Teddy is finally over her “I hate Owen” binge. Because he is her friend, and right now, Owen’s corner is missing the one person he wants the most – Cristina. (By the way, I find it ironic that the person who was arguably the reason why Owen took this job in the first place is supposedly leaving while he stays behind.)

Now, according to Shonda, Cristina has been on this beautiful journey of self-discovery, of coming to terms that she is both Owen’s wife and a brilliant surgeon, but she identifies herself as a surgeon first. Personally, I feel like if Shonda is highlighting this sentiment (and it appears in a description of the season finale and in an interview she gave) then to show any change or growth, one would have to assume that the sentiment evolves. Because how is there change or development if she comes out of the plane crash still feeling the same exact way? It doesn’t make sense. I don’t put a lot of trust in Shonda because burn me a million times, shame on me. But I can’t suppress this cautiously optimistic hope that finally, change in Cristina’s priorities will come – and stay changed. I don’t need this conflict of career versus love being Cristina’s issue every single season but in different manifestations. I really don’t. And if you’re going to set up season eight’s arc to create the ultimate portrayal of love versus career, then you better make sure it really is the ultimate choice.

"He's my person."

In Cristina’s final conversation with Meredith, I was shocked – and beyond pleased – that Cristina shut her “person” down by telling her, “He’s my person.” Finally. And honestly, I think this started in their marriage counseling session when Owen begged Cristina to be his person. And since, she’s been working with it. But I think the time she truly realized it was when she started thinking Owen was cheating on her with Nurse Emily. And ironically, it was cemented when she found out that he’d had a one night stand. I say that because Cristina didn’t take this information and go running to Meredith with it to commiserate together about how men are pigs. No, she kept it to herself and spent time trying to figure out what she was going to do. Her trying to forgive Owen versus just simply leaving him (as Meredith suggested) shows that Cristina considers Owen her “person.” Why? Because in the same way that she forgave Meredith of her transgressions, Cristina was forgiving Owen of his because she loves him. Basically, by saying that Owen’s her person, Cristina is pretty much saying that she loves Owen unconditionally. But that doesn’t mean she still has to work at doing so.

It’s interesting because Meredith seems to be letting Cristina’s choice have more of an influence on hers regarding placement while Cristina is choosing programs based off of merit. So, her choice to go to Mayo is not her wanting to leave Owen (or Meredith) per se but her choosing the best program. And isn’t that how Cristina has always operated? Examining all the facts and then choosing the best candidate. (Remember her process in choosing which resident to take her place in doing the first solo surgery? That was when Owen told her to go with her gut.) I thought this was a mature move on Cristina’s part; and oddly, it is now Cristina giving Meredith a lesson in being a good wife (which leads Meredith to choose Boston). I say that it’s odd because this show is portraying Meredith this season as becoming this great mom and supportive wife, contrasting Cristina’s lack of desire to be a mother and her not really being that considerate with Owen. Should we take this as a good sign for Cristina on a personal level? I think so.

Other than their first meeting in season five, this relationship has pretty much always had Cristina has the driving factor in that she dictates the pace. Other than Owen kissing Cristina in the exam room before having to go back to Iraq or at Joe’s bar, he has really let Cristina decide where they are going next. Even when he was sitting outside Cristina’s apartment and then tells her, “I think you’re beautiful,” he was laying his cards on the table and letting Cristina decide what to do with the information. And throughout the seasons, you will see Owen presenting his side to Cristina then letting her take it from there. “All you have to do is say yes.” “People matter. I matter. We matter.” I think that it’s interesting because he doesn’t really forcibly push her into doing things (except when he asked Cristina to stay instead of answering Teddy’s page), which is a stark contrast to Burke – at least in Cristina’s eyes (which we gleaned from her “he took pieces of me” speech). And as I’ve said, that’s how Cristina operates.

"I'm happy."

In the on-call room scene, we see him, once again, placing the ball in her court. She initiates the kiss. And this leads to Owen having a (brief) moment of happiness before Cristina tells him that she’s leaving. (Superficial note: Thank you, Shonda, for having a shirtless Owen.) I really like the imagery of Cristina lying on Owen’s chest. It demonstrates an intimacy that these two haven’t shared in a while. Too bad it appears that just as they’re on the mend, she says throws a wrench into things by leaving. And we aren’t allowed to know if this is goodbye or a request to try to work things out despite her going to Mayo. At least, in my opinion, Cristina is not necessarily leaving Owen specifically. She’s just off to greener (surgical) pastures…for now. But, as we know, being in a life and death situation can put things into perspective. If you recall, it took the gunman being loose in the hospital for Callie and Arizona to reunite and compromise on the issue of a baby. And I thought it was interesting when Meredith told Cristina that Owen deserves to be with someone who wants a baby. I agree with that. The question is: Is there any part of Cristina that would want a baby? Honestly, she’s been shown to be quite the godmother, despite her joking remarks to Meredith in season six about what she considered her role as a godmother would be. I mean, Cristina absolutely adores Zola and is so good with her. Am I looking too much into things? Time will tell.

Question mark.

Okay, time for discussion questions:

1. Did you notice that when Owen was erasing the residents’ names off the whiteboard, he left the question mark next to “Yang”? Intentional?
2. ochforever posed this question, and I think it’s interesting. When did Cristina realize that Owen was her person?
3. What do you think of Cristina actions and revelations in this episode? Her coming to Owen and initiating a reunion of sorts?
4. How do you think the plane crash will affect Cristina? Are you, like me, looking forward to the moment Owen realizes that his wife was in a plane crash? (I’m imagining Owen reacting in the same way he did when he realized that Cristina was still in the hospital with the gunman on the loose.)
5. Do you think Cristina would ever want a baby with Owen?
6. Give me your predictions about the season finale next week! Where do you think Cristina and Owen are going to go from here? Who will die? ([SPOILER] If it’s someone at the plane crash site, we know that our options are only Lexie, Arizona, and Mark because everyone else just signed on for 2 more years.)

I know many of you are upset. I’m right there with you. I also know there is really only one scene you all really want to talk about, so let’s just cut to the chase. (Also, I simply haven’t been able to bring myself to watch the whole episode yet. Forgive me. Life has been busy, and people’s comments are not exactly inspiring me to watch.)

It appears that Cristina’s paranoia isn’t completely misplaced. Though she was off-base in regards to her target. In the very last scene, Owen admits to Cristina that he did cheat on her. And then… everything fades to black. Thanks, Shonda. You really know how to make us fangirls feel good.

Couldn't we get a close-up on this framed photo in a happier episode?

We should’ve seen something like this coming when Shonda ominously Tweeted that Cristina and Owen fans should be forewarned that this episode was going to be painful. But she also promised that things will get better. Do we believe her? I want to. But I will say that it does make me feel a little more secure because we have a fellow fan in Kevin McKidd, who also says that things will get better.

I never thought Owen would cheat. I really didn’t. As I said before, he came on this show and exemplified honor: his military background, his behavior in the workplace, and his respect for his patients. And though he’d been presented with the opportunity to cheat before, he never did. He had feelings for Teddy while he was engaged to Beth, but he didn’t act on it. When Teddy came back into his life, he didn’t act on those (really) confused feelings again. And I think it’s safe to say that Owen loves Cristina more than he ever loved Beth.

Remember when Cristina woke Owen up in the on-call room and then they proceeded to flirt? I miss those days.

“I love you so much that it hurts.” Well, I love this couple so much that it hurts. We must all be a little masochistic in loving this couple. They’ve gone through darker storylines than any other couple on this show. And we’ve survived them all. Will we survive this one? I really hope so, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for jumping ship. This is a really bitter pill to swallow. It’s just so off the beaten path of where we thought this couple was headed that we feel betrayed. And we’re entitled to those feelings.

For me, I really loved how Cristina and Owen had never been cheaters (while on this show). I know that Cristina has claimed to have cheated in her relationships in the past, but since this show, she has essentially been the only monogamist. And that’s what I loved about her. And when Cristina and Owen’s relationship started, I was comforted by the fact that they retained that sacred quality.

Call me naive, but I am still going to withhold judgment until I get all the information. I may be grasping at straws, but I feel like we need a clarification of what Owen meant when he said that he did cheat on her. There is a whole spectrum of what “cheating” can mean. And I’m desperately hoping we’re closer to the lower end of things.

The old "I forgot the coffee" excuse.

Regardless, the question is whether or not Cristina will forgive him. I think, on some level, she can understand why he would be tempted to do so. (And I’m guessing that whatever it was, it was a one-time thing based off his use of the past tense.) These two have been on rocky grounds for a while now, despite the temporary respite from the angst that was merely a front. Because deep down this entire time, Cristina and Owen have had unfinished business. The abortion was the catalyst, but that was not the main point. Their biggest problem is that they’re not on the same page with regards to what they want in their relationship. And they are terrible at communicating, often choosing to sweep things under the rug rather than talk it out.

Even the therapy session didn’t help. Based on Cristina’s actions afterward, it seems that the therapy session occurred at a time when Cristina and/or Owen still were not ready to truly talk things out. Owen has been avoiding Cristina while Cristina has been harboring all these suspicions to herself instead of confronting him (until this episode) and having the painful talk they both need to have.

What I did like was that Cristina wanted to discuss things, and she wanted to work on their relationship. It seems that she learns this lesson again and again, and its effects only last until the writers need to insert another rift between the two for the sake of drama. I get it, we’re on a television show. That’s how things work on Grey’s Anatomy.

Though it hurts and has become tainted, I’m sticking with this relationship. I was not kidding when I said that I’d go down with this ship. I have faith in the actors that they will take whatever story (in this case, crap) the writers throw at this couple and churn out beautifully acted scenes. I’ve said this before. It sometimes sucks that these two are so good. If only Sandra and Kevin were horrible at the angst, then we’d stop getting it. But there’s no one else to blame since that’s what I signed myself up for when I fell for this couple.

I don’t know if the writers can turn things around to a point where fans will forgive them. I really don’t. Of course, it depends on what Owen did. And honestly, if the worst he did was kiss some random woman, I wouldn’t really be too fazed by it. Especially if it came after hitting Joe’s bar. That’s probably because I still remember Cristina and Jackson’s drunken kiss. So, if Owen’s “cheating” resembles that, then I can deal with it. If it goes beyond that? I’m going to have to evaluate long and hard what exactly is the point of this whole arc.

"It hurts to love you."

I guess the silver lining is that we’ve been promised growth for both these characters. Supposedly, people were supposed to recognize their own marriages in the situation that Cristina and Owen are finding themselves in, but I very much doubt that is the case. If Shonda was referring to the stereotypical celebrity marriages, then fine, she can say that she was right. But based on real (and successful) marriages that I’ve seen in normal people? I would venture to say that this is not what they’re like.

Anyway, I don’t want to give false hope, so let me just be pragmatic. Let’s see what happens in the next few episodes before we start freaking out. Trust me, your emotional and mental status will be much better if you keep telling yourself that we don’t know all the details yet. I mean, it was not by chance that this episode ended in that dramatic and suspenseful way. With no resolution or reaction (other than Cristina crying harder). Supposedly, the next episode is April 5th, so we’ve got 3 weeks to digest this tidbit and make our peace with it (or sharpen our pitchforks). However you wish to respond, it’s up to you. Me? I’m going to do what I always tend to do when the shit has hit the fan on this show: bunker down and prepare myself to calm down a lot of people while (not so) secretly hoping for the best.

When Sandra cries, the whole world cries.

Okay, I know that many of you have so much to say about this, so here are some optional discussion questions. But feel free to just vent (in a respectful manner, of course).

1. Will you go down with this ship?
2. Do you think Owen slept with another woman? If so, is it someone we know?
3. [SPOILER] Based on the sides, in episode 19, there is a scene where one of our doctors meets a woman at Joe’s then walks her to her car afterward, and they start kissing. Do you think this is a flashback? (Note: To date, I don’t think Grey’s has done a flashback in this manner. Other than when we saw young Ellis and Richard.)
4. Do you think Cristina will forgive Owen? Or will she leave him (temporarily)?
5. How do you think things will “get better”? How do you think they can repair this damage?
6. With Cristina’s board exams coming up, do you think she will pass and take a fellowship elsewhere?
7. What did you think of Owen’s remark of loving Cristina so much that it hurts? (I found it interesting that he repeats that right before he admits that that he did cheat on her.)

By popular demand, I am trying to get this out before the next episode airs as I know you all want to discuss the events that occurred for Cristina and Owen during Valentine’s Day.

Here we go. Quick and dirty. (And partly because I still haven’t had the chance to watch the episode in its entirety, but I caught the Cristina and Owen scenes, thanks to the wonderful COforever.)

We start off the episode with our couple apart (Cristina sleeping alone and Owen in the vent room) and Cristina insisting to Meredith that she won’t beg. Even though she sense that Owen is going to leave her, she tells her friend that she’s a surgeon, she’s focused on her career. There is no way that she is going to beg Owen to stay with her. But this is much earlier in the episode, and she’s about to eat her words.

When I first saw that there was going to be a car crashing into the ER, with Owen pushing Cristina out of the way, I thought, Yes! A life and death situation with Cristina and Owen. They’re going to realize they love each other. It’s going to be awesome! Yeah, I was wrong. Instead, what we saw was both of them getting off without a scratch. Though, Cristina was pretty traumatized. And then, she gets the additional shocker of Owen just walking away after making sure she’s okay. No life and death situation for me. But that’s okay.

Our very own knight in shining...lab coat?

Only on Grey’s Anatomy do we have something as major as a car crashing into the ER end up not even fazing anyone. Because they still end up operating on the patient (which I admit I have not watched yet). But more importantly, he’s still ignoring her, and she’s still testy with him because he’s ignoring her. And what I’m talking about is the elevator scene.

My heart was breaking during that scene. When Cristina Yang cries, you bet your eyes are tearing up with hers. That uncomfortable silence gives way to Owen quite bluntly telling her, “I’m moving out.” And even though earlier in the episode, Cristina had told Meredith that she thinks Owen is leaving her, she never really expected it to happen. But it is. The look of shock on her face proves that she didn’t really see this coming. Because I think she really believed that Owen would never leave her. He had made her that promise when he proposed, that she would never be alone again. But she crossed a line. It wasn’t necessarily that she got an abortion; it was the circumstances around it. The fact that she seems to not really consider him when she makes life decisions. That she takes him for granted and doesn’t pay as much attention to his needs or dreams in the same way she does for others. She has been so focused on Teddy’s well-being, that she missed Owen’s silent suffering.

I know the elevator is supposed to be Meredith and Derek's place, but Cristina and Owen "own" it for me, now.

I love this scene, despite the pain it caused me. It was gut-wrenching to see Owen basically tell Cristina that he’s lost hope over the survival of their marriage and never once look at her. I think it’s because he can’t look at her. If he looks at her, he will lose it. And Cristina? She’s stunned speechless, lost in the flood of emotions that this news is bringing her. But as Owen jolts her out of her thoughts, she can’t do anything else but say, “Okay.” But clearly, she is not okay with it. Clearly, faced with the end of marriage, she is not ready for the idea of not having Owen as her partner in life.

Now, onto Teddy and Owen. Teddy was out of line. I understand that she’s grieving, but what she said was cruel and horrible. There is no sugar-coating it. Don’t get me wrong, I see where she is coming from. She has to find someone to blame for her husband’s death, and that person is Owen. Personally, I think it’s because she feels guilty for not having been there and for her part in it. She called the shots on Henry’s surgery, and he ended up dying. She’s got to be feeling guilty.

But that doesn’t mean she gets a free pass for what she says. There will be consequences, and she’s really burning bridges. I do pity this character because it seems she is always being used as some driving plot device for Cristina and Owen. Her hatred of Owen is window into where Owen himself can be headed emotionally in respect to his situation with Cristina. So, when Teddy comes in, speaking ill of Owen, saying how ridiculous it is that Owen thinks that Teddy can so easily forgive and forget, the words are really resonating for Cristina herself. Because that is exactly what Cristina was trying to ask of Owen — to forgive and forget the abortion.

This is why, later, as Cristina comes to the (magical) vent room, she is ready to take a bite of humble pie and plead with Owen to not hate her. Because this is a clear reference to her not wanting their marriage to end up in the bitter and hateful state that Owen and Teddy’s friendship is at. The moment Cristina says, “I’m begging you,” Owen turns around. And he realizes that she’s ready to talk and, hopefully, patch up this marriage. She’s admitting that there is no brushing this under the rug.

"Anything can happen on a vent."

And because Owen legitimately wants this marriage to work and because he really does love Cristina, he reciprocates her gesture of truce. I love that she puts her hand on his heart. It’s like a sign that she still owns his heart, as he does hers. Seriously, I haven’t been inspired to wax poetic about a Cristina and Owen scene in a long, long time. I’m telling you, it’s the magic of the vent room. So happy that it came back and worked its wonders again.

Discussion questions time!

1. According to the (rare) interview that Sandra Oh gave, Cristina won’t be turning to Meredith this time around. What are your thoughts?

2. What were your original thoughts upon seeing the car crash? Did you, too, hope for some fanfiction-worthy series of events?

3. Owen and Cristina are headed for marriage counseling. What do you hope for them to talk about? I’m personally hoping that Cristina’s previous miscarriage is discussed.

4. What is your take on Owen not looking at Cristina in the elevator then finally turning around in the vent room scene?

5. Will Cristina and Owen ever have a happy Valentine’s Day?

It seems I must continue to start these reviews with an apology. I’m so sorry that I am behind in my reviews, and I know that I’m skipping 2 episodes, but I feel that this was such an important moment in their relationship that it warrants skipping. Also, to be quite honest, it does not feel as though there has been any progress in their relationship until now.

Usually, I would go through each scene and dissect them, but I know that the main topic of discussion is the last one, so that is the focus of this review. (And since my free time has significantly dwindled since I first started writing these reviews, it will probably continue to be the method of how I write the reviews – focusing on the general theme versus nitpicking each scene. But we’ll see.)

I’m already expecting there to be many viewpoints of this, and I highly encourage everyone to discuss their opinions (respectfully, of course) in the comments section below. Follow the jump for my take on things but feel free to skip ahead if you just have to get something off your chest.

“You killed our baby. You never forget that.” Those are some seriously angry words coming out of Owen’s mouth, and I know that it caused a lot of discord amongst the viewers. Even within the Cristina and Owen fans, I know that this has caused some divide. I think that’s the point. But going with my pattern of defending the character who is being harped on the most, I will say that Owen is speaking the truth.

Now, regardless of pro-life or pro-choice definitions of when life begins, one could argue that Cristina didn’t kill their “baby” but “fetus.” Personally, I find that the differentiation of the word is more for legal purposes and speaks nothing of emotional ties. For Owen, the moment he knew that Cristina was pregnant, he was thinking of “baby.”

Owen has made it abundantly clear that he wants children. The question is if he wants children, period, or children with Cristina. I think the part that hurts the most is that he had put so many dreams on his and Cristina’s future offspring that it felt real to him. He could already imagine the two of them raising a child together, watching him or her grow up, and being a close-knit family (much in the way we assume Owen himself grew up).  And what made it even harder to lose was that this baby/fetus was not only a part of him but a part of the person he loved most.

[SPOILER] This is why I think it will be interesting to see how things fare in the next episode, the alternate universe episode, where Owen does have children but he’s not with his soulmate, Cristina. Shonda had said that Callie and Owen’s relationship is their worst mistake. So, I wonder if alternate universe storyline is to show us Owen’s “envisioned life” with a wife and kids looks like – but not with Cristina. [END OF SPOILER]

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And since this isn't made by Cristina, Owen can probably keep it down.

“Killing” is a strong word, and I’m sure that if they had been discussing this in a different setting, those would not have been the words he used. The writers have intentionally pushed off this discussion until Owen exploded, his anger exacerbated by the proceedings of the day. It doesn’t help that Teddy is mad at him. It really doesn’t help that Cristina has been buddying it up with Teddy, taking advantage of their marriage, and making fun of him. One part of the Cristina and Owen relationship this season that has made me cringe is seeing Cristina take Owen for granted. In this episode, it took on a disrespectful tone as she conspired with Teddy to steal the patient behind Owen’s back. And then, when they got caught, she laughs at his anger. That doesn’t help matters. Yes, I can see that this is a way for Cristina to make Teddy feel better, since Cristina probably still feels guilty over her and Owen’s roles in Henry’s death. She thinks that Owen can take it. And maybe, on a normal day, he could. But not today. Not when these feelings of anger and frustration have been building up inside him since she decided she wanted to abortion.

I don’t think Cristina was trying to be cruel. I really don’t. Note how she tells Owen that Teddy can get whatever she wants from him or her because of how they kept Henry’s death a secret. I think this is an extension of when she made fun of April to distract Teddy. She’s trying to help Teddy grieve. And if she can benefit in getting a ton of cardio surgery cases, who is she to say no? She tells Owen that he just needs to “take it” – bear the brunt of Teddy’s anger. Cristina knows a thing or two about grief and suffering, and before, she took it out on Meredith.

A shot of whiskey in honor of Kevin McKidd's Scotland roots?

For me, I saw the Teddy situation as Cristina viewing herself and Owen as good cop, bad cop. As a team, they would help Teddy heal. Unfortunately, Owen was not in the mood to play the bad guy, especially since he was in need of some healing, too. But Cristina didn’t pick up on it. It reminds me of “Holidaze” when she told Owen that she may be insensitive at times, but she’s not blind. Well, in this case, she was unintentionally being insensitive and a little blind to Owen’s internal suffering over the abortion.

For example, we caught the look on his face as he watched Cristina playing with Zola in the hospital, when Meredith and Derek were forbidden to see her. But Cristina didn’t. We also saw him enjoying playing with Sofia during the “men’s episode” and vaguely confiding in Derek about Cristina’s abortion. None of these times have been moments that Cristina could’ve witnessed, but I can only assume that there have been other moments when he’s let his mask of being okay slip.  Sometimes the people we love are the last to know because we don’t want them to protect them. I think that was the case with Owen in hiding his feelings.

Owen will never forget. But will he ever forgive?

But clearly, he couldn’t hide them any longer. Catalyzed by Teddy and Cristina’s insubordination, Owen finally couldn’t contain his emotions. I don’t necessarily condone his words. Those were really harsh words. But I can see where he’s coming from. And it probably didn’t help matters that he sees her being such a wonderful godmother to Zola right before. We’ve already seen that Cristina is really good with Zola. And we’ve also seen that it’s like adding salt to an open wound whenever he sees her with Zola because it’s a reminder of what he almost had but ultimately lost. In his mind, that could have been their baby. She could have been kissing their baby on the cheek, telling their baby about the heart surgery she just did that day. But it’s not. Because Cristina decided to get an abortion.

Now, I don’t want to step into the pro-life versus pro-choice debate because like I’ve said before, in the blog post about the season premiere, this is not about that. This is about a marriage that was entered into without certain important discussions occurring first. And the issue is whether or not it’s a relationship worth salvaging when they’re on opposite sides.

I know that before, some viewers liked the idea that Cristina decided not to go through with the pregnancy. For me, personally, if I wasn’t going to get the Cristina and Owen baby that I wanted so much, I guess that was one of the ways I could accept not getting one, since they did it together. However, there really was no winning side to it. One person has to concede. In this case, Owen did. But he doesn’t want to be the one that keeps on having to compromise.

Back in the golden days, we praised how Cristina and Owen had a balanced relationship, how we loved that all Owen asked of Cristina was to meet him halfway. He’s asking that again. (Do you like how things always come back in a circle?) The problem is that there isn’t really a halfway point between not having children and having children. And as we said when this situation first popped up for Callie and Arizona, there really isn’t a way to resolve this dilemma unless someone changes their mind. Or the relationship has to end.

Ellen Pompeo recently gave an interview where she said that in reality, if a couple were to face this issue, they’d probably break up. I agree with that. But this is Grey’s Anatomy, and Shonda has been known to change her mind. (Uh, Meredith has Zola, and she’s married – legally – to Derek. This, happening after Shonda swore up and down that Meredith didn’t want marriage and babies.) Also, this is a show based heavily on relationships, and Cristina and Owen represent one of the core relationships. That alone brings me comfort that they will survive this. (If they don’t, I feel that there wasn’t a point for Cristina to get pregnant in the first place.) How? I don’t know. I really don’t.

It may not seem like it, but there is always hope. (Side note: Sandra is really good at crying.)

It seems to me that these two want to be together. They’ve fought so hard to be with one another, that it would almost all be a waste if they didn’t survive this. You don’t put a couple through two separate cases of post-traumatic stress, the most confusing “love” triangle (almost square – we can’t forget Jackson), and almost getting shot by a bereaved gunman just to break them up. Out of all the couples on this show, they have had the most angsty relationship ever. There has to be a payoff, right?

I’ll leave you with the final words of the voiceover, which definitely seem to suggest that reconciliation is not out of the picture.

“That’s when the real work begins. To find hope where there seems to be absolutely none at all.”

To all of you who are still out there reading these, thank you so much. I really do intend to catch up at some point. I really do.

Now for some discussion topic starters:

1) What did you think of Cristina’s treatment of Owen versus Teddy in this episode?

2) Do you think that Cristina qualifies as being a good wife?

3) Are Cristina and Owen going to survive this? If so, how?

4) Has Cristina been oblivious this entire time? Or has Owen just been that good at hiding it from her?

5) Does it upset you that I don’t have as many pretty pictures to look at because I decided to get this out sooner than later? (Also, shoutout to carlithiel for being wonderful and providing Cristina and Owen screencaps. Saves me the extra time it takes to make them myself.)

6) [SPOILER] Shonda has mentioned that Cristina and Owen will be having some sort of therapy in an upcoming episode. What do you think this will be? And do you, like me, take this to be a good sign? [END OF SPOILER]

I know, I know. I’m way behind on these reviews. I will catch up.  Since this episode was the most recent, I thought I’d start at the last episode before the hiatus then make my way back to where I left off.

For once, the drama and the angst were not about Cristina and Owen’s relationship.  Yes, Cristina played a supportive role in Meredith and Derek’s dilemma with Zola’s custody, and they both were involved in the heart-wrenching storyline of Henry’s death.  But Cristina and Owen’s own issues, namely the fact that they still have not yet discussed the abortion, remained untouched.  And you know, I don’t think it would have gotten the screentime that it deserved had it been thrown into the mix of events that occurred.  So, in a way, I’m grateful that we still haven’t gotten the discussion that we’ve been wanting.

But let’s start from the beginning.  It’s nice to see Owen back in scrubs.  I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true.  Don’t get me wrong.  Owen rocking the Chief-appropriate suit and tie totally does it for me, but seeing him back in action and being a badass doctor makes me feel all nostalgic about when he first showed up on our screens.  Too bad the camouflage has been put away for good.

I like that we get a moment of brevity for Cristina, Meredith, and Alex before the proverbial shit hits the fan.  Shonda said at the end of last season that season eight would be going back to these core characters.  And that was somewhat true in this episode as we saw these three bound together as Meredith learns that she is not going to get Zola back.  First, we see Cristina going to her friend and comforting her.  And they have a moment that reminds us of all the other obstacles they’ve faced together in their lives: Cristina’s first pregnancy, Meredith’s near-death experience, etc.  Shonda never loses the chance to remind us viewers that these two have the “greatest love story” on this show.  Sometimes, this friendship goes well beyond natural boundaries that you or I would define in our friendships.  But sometimes, how close they are makes sense.  They are two women who did not have “bright and shiny” childhoods, chose a profession that is nowhere near easy, and clung onto each other almost out of a need to be able to survive.

She's clearly not a "robot."

Over the years, Cristina has gotten more comfortable with displays of affection – whether it’s her friends or her love interest.  This is one of the reasons it really bugs me when people still call her a “robot” or a “machine” (as Teddy later puts it).  She’s not.  And I loved that Owen quickly defended Cristina on that.  She can be calculating and clinical when it’s necessary, but she has a heart, she is vulnerable, she feels sorrow and pain.  Meredith and Derek losing Zola means that she loses Zola, too.  As we’ve seen, she’s spent quality time with her goddaughter, caring for Zola when Meredith and Derek couldn’t.  The awkwardness she felt toward baby Tucker is not there with Zola.  She kisses Zola goodbye, coos to her, and treats her with a level of affection that betray the sentiment of the remarks she once made about Sofia and her tiny features.

In this episode, she hugs Meredith while they sit on the gurney.  And then, later, she talks to Derek and gives him reassurance about his wife.  Cristina’s snarkiness and wit may have been what first caught my attention with her character, but it’s this softer side that really drew me in and made me realize that this was a character worth investing in.

We see both sides of Cristina juxtaposed against each other: the ambitious, competitive surgeon and the supportive, empathetic friend and colleague.  I appreciate how throughout this entire ordeal, Owen really tries to advocate for his wife, to correct the others’ misconceptions.  Teddy may think she knows Cristina, but she clearly doesn’t.  While she may know of Cristina’s talents and be able to push Cristina to her professional limits, no one knows better than Owen Cristina’s personal limits.  He’s already seen Cristina go through the most difficult period of her life, and he doesn’t want that to happen again.  Once again, Cristina is put in a position of saving the life of someone who’s close to her.  The similar situations of having to save Derek with having to save Henry present a very likely trigger.  Remember, post-traumatic stress relapses occur when the person is triggered.

And the student becomes the teacher.

I am not sure if Owen did the right thing to keep Cristina in the dark about Henry.  There are downsides to her knowing and not knowing.  Given that Henry’s death was the ultimate outcome, I don’t know what would have been the better choice.  She would have ended up feeling guilty either way, but I almost feel as though that because she didn’t know, she will always think that there was something else she could’ve done, that she would’ve tried harder.  I’m not saying it’s rationale as the show presented the situation as futile – even I know the pulmonary artery is a pretty important artery.  And, of course, she probably still would’ve felt this way even if she had known it was Henry on the table.  Like I said, it’s difficult to determine which way is “better.”

I do believe, though, that relieving some of the stress was beneficial to Cristina’s mental well-being.  She was the only one that wasn’t anxious about doing the surgery.  Owen was frantically keeping an eye on things from the gallery, then rushing into the OR the moment they hit a snafu.  It wouldn’t be good if her if she had another relapse.  I am, however, a little disappointed that it took her so long to pick up on what was going on.  Granted, the delay in her realization provided the groundwork for what has got to be one of the best Cristina and Owen scenes thus far this season.  But it made Cristina come off a little obtuse.  It reminds me of the time Cristina found Owen outside the ambulance bay, having just caught him looking at Teddy, in “Holidaze” and she tells him how she may be insensitive at times, but she’s not oblivious.  Well, she was a little oblivious in this episode.  She’s a smart cookie.  She had to have known that something was up when Webber continued to massage the heart for about twenty minutes.  (That’s a long time to be doing compressions.)

Honesty is the best policy...unless you're a doctor in Seattle Grace.

Of course, I can easily forgive this because the scene of Cristina breaking down after learning the identity of her patient was beautifully done.  I thought it was a wonderful choice for us to not hear what was being said.  And Kevin McKidd and Sandra Oh gave such stellar performances that words were not necessary.  All the information we needed or could ask for was delivered through their performance.   And the song that played throughout was just perfect.  I haven’t fallen in love with a scene in a while, so this was quite a treat.  (And as a side note, it even earned the favor of one reviewer who is unabashedly not a Cristina and Owen fan.  If you follow me on Twitter, you may know who I’m referring to.)

Hug of Life 3.0

Now, this brings us to Owen’s choice to not tell Teddy.  I completely get it.  And I’m thankful that they had a scene of Owen telling Webber how he needs to tell her.  He wants to tell his friend.  And if it weren’t for the fact that she was the only one that could save a woman’s life, he would.  But Owen has always preached the respect for human life.  And he knows that Teddy, given some time, would come to see that this was the right choice.  Yes, Owen shouldn’t have lied to her.  But these are extenuating circumstances.

I found it interesting that he continued to go to the OR even though he knew he would have to lie.  He put himself in a position where he would have to continue the illusion that Henry was recovering.  And I personally think he did this (i.e. the writers had him do this) because Owen wanted to be able to tell Teddy the second she was done, the second that someone else could take over.  Because though he cannot tell her just yet, he will tell her the moment he can.

I don’t know if Teddy and Owen’s friendship can survive this.  It’s as Webber says.  She will blame everyone for letting this happen.  Even though it was her plan to do it this way.  But what else can we expect from a woman who just lost the man she loved?  Despite the fact that this was a man she knew was not exactly in the prime of his health.  But they made plans for the future, and having that taken away suddenly will not settle well with her.  Add on top of that the fact that she was lied to for an extended period of time?  Forget it.  I fear we will be seeing the wrath of Teddy for some time to come.

I think Owen would be horrible at poker. His eyes give it all away.

I am not worried about Cristina being unable to forgive Owen because she knows that he always has her best intentions at heart.  Yes, we see that she is angry at him, as she hits his chest.  But then she clings to him and turns to him for support.  And I think that is telling of where these two will progress once we get back from the hiatus.

What did you think of the episode?  Should Owen have told Cristina that it was Henry all along?  Where do you think Cristina and Owen will go from here?  What are your thoughts on how Cristina was initially portrayed in the episode while she was kept in the dark?  Did you like seeing Owen back in doctor mode versus administrative mode?  Do you prefer him in a suit or in scrubs?  Let me know below!

By now, we all know what has happened for Cristina and Owen in the season eight premiere, and those of you who shared the same hopes I had in the last blog post are probably a little disappointed.  I will openly admit that I was wrong in thinking that Cristina’s lack of desire to have children was rooted in some personal baggage.  But Cristina clearly states that she doesn’t want to be a mother, she wants to be a surgeon.  And she has every right to feel that way.  But you can’t blame a fangirl for wanting a cute ginger Asian baby, right?

I think it’s safe to say that I’m probably going to be consistently behind by a couple episodes because I am the world’s slowest screencapper.  But don’t the visuals enhance the post?  (Let me know below!)  So, please bear with me.  If there is a bit of time that goes by, just know that I’m doing my best to get these blog posts out as soon as I can.  Pinky swear.

Anyway, back to the show and our favorite couple.  As I am going to span both hours, I think it would be more reasonable to focus on the main topic at hand: the abortion and what it means for Cristina and Owen.

Heartbreak Moment #1 (Cristina Version)

Our first shot of Cristina and Owen is appropriately separate.  While Cristina is going above and beyond her previously-described “godmother” role, Owen is helping Derek build the “dream house.”  For someone who turned up her nose at the idea of waking up in the middle of the night time and time again or having to change poopy diapers, she certainly is doing just that.  Rather than sleeping on the couch or in another room (Lexie doesn’t seem to be occupying her room of late), she is essentially co-parenting with Meredith.  In the middle of nowhere, Derek and Owen are doing physical labor in a show of manliness.  And while Owen may claim that he doesn’t want to know how things are for Cristina, we can tell that he’s lying.  On the other hand, Derek is much more convincing in his apathy toward Meredith’s well-being.

Heartbreak Moment #1 (Owen Version)

If seeing Cristina acting like a mother were not torture enough to those of us who wanted a Cristina and Owen baby, seeing Cristina be all adorable and sweet to Zola (with Owen looking on) was just added salt to the wound.  Don’t get me wrong, I was glad for that scene.  Because despite it all, I still have a kernel of hope that we could get a Cristina and Owen baby.  A tiny miniscule kernel that when Cristina has obtained her goal of being a top-notch surgeon, she will be open to the idea of wanting a child (to carry on the legacy…or just in general).  But who am I kidding?  I just think half-Asian/half-Caucasian babies are the cutest things ever.  (Okay, all babies are pretty cute.  But I’m biased in this case.)

Owen spends most of the premiere working on the husband and wife whose story somewhat parallel Cristina and Owen’s situation.  On a very superficial level, we get to see Owen outdoors (which is always a plus because natural light is good for Owen), hero Owen, teacher Owen (with Alex), and slightly dirty Owen.  All of which are wins in my book.

Owen needs to spend more time outside.

It wasn’t the most comparable of parallels, but I guess a necessary amputation of a leg is somewhat related to Cristina’s “necessary” abortion.  For Cristina, it isn’t technically a “life or death” situation in the sense that having this baby would kill her.  But figuratively, as Meredith later puts it to Owen, having this child, whom she would resent on some level for interfering with her career goals, would kill her.  I don’t think that makes Cristina a bad person.  In fact, just the opposite.  If she were unfeeling or neglectful, she wouldn’t care about resenting her child’s existence.  But she would.  Owen also made a similar argument back in season seven when told Cristina that anything that prevented her from becoming an excellent surgeon would kill her.  Granted, he was talking about becoming chief resident.  But having this child would get in the way of her career goal.

I find it interesting that Meredith and Owen are almost on the same side of the matter, but Meredith is just the first one to concede to Cristina’s side.  Note how Meredith also subtly suggests that she thinks Cristina actually wants this baby or could have this baby.  Of course, for Meredith, it’s got to be painful because she herself cannot have a successful, full-term pregnancy.  But she loves Cristina, so she will acquiesce and support Cristina in her decision – even if it isn’t the one that Meredith would make if she were in Cristina’s position.  Meredith would be shouting from the rooftops instead of contemplating termination.

"I don't want to be a mother. I want to be a surgeon." (And there goes my theory about her being afraid due to previous baggage.)

I know that some people didn’t like how it was ultimately Meredith who has that speech with Owen that leads him to stop avoiding Cristina.  But she brings the perspective that Cristina cannot provide, being the child of a mother who resented her.  I think Ellis Grey loved Meredith to the fullest capacity, but she was very much a career-driven woman.  And there have been many references to Cristina being very similar to Ellis Grey.  However, I believe that Cristina can and is doing better.  Ellis herself told Cristina to not make the same mistakes she made.  And so far, Cristina has avoided the major ones.  Her marriage to Owen is proof of that.  (And obviously, Owen is quite a step above Thatcher, especially in his ability to understand Cristina’s drive and schedule.  This was a pitfall for Bailey and Tuck’s marriage as well.)

Owen takes Meredith's words to heart.

In a way, I guess we can see that Cristina’s decision to not have this child at this time is her way of not following Ellis’ path.  To not put herself in a position where she resents her child and have that child grow up feeling that resentment as Meredith did.  And also, to not do it solely for the sake of her marriage because of the strain that would inevitably put on her and Owen’s relationship.  Before, in the previous blog post, I spoke about the option of adoption.  Now, I take it back.  I don’t think Cristina could go through this pregnancy and then give up the baby.  First of all, Owen would want to raise the child.  Second, Cristina herself said that she would love the baby – and I couldn’t see her parting with her own child.

I’ve read a few comments on other sites that talk about how it’s selfish of Cristina to choose to have an abortion.  I disagree.  At this point, we can assume that Cristina has really thought about her decision and isn’t making it lightly.  The fact that she waits suggests to me that she can’t go through with it without knowing that Owen is on board.  And honestly, I really believe that if push came to shove, she would have seen this pregnancy through if Owen hadn’t supported her decision for the abortion.  Because I think she loves him that much.  Clearly, we don’t know whether or not this is true, but that is just what I think.  So, why don’t I think it’s selfish?  Well, I definitely disagree that it’s selfish on the grounds that she is terminating a pregnancy when there are women out there who struggle to get pregnant.  I honestly don’t see how her personal decision is related to another woman’s desire to have children.  To me, they are completely separate.  Also, ask yourself this, ladies: Would you go through nine months of pregnancy and the experience of labor (when you yourself don’t want children) for some totally random stranger with no compensation (i.e. excluding surrogacy)?  If you said yes, then you should be nominated for sainthood.  Most of us wouldn’t.

For Cristina, this was not a miracle, it was a mistake.  The one percent that is listed in the warning on contraceptives.  (To those who speak of Cristina’s irresponsibility, there was supposed to be a mention of the fact that Cristina was indeed on birth control in the season seven finale that didn’t make it to air.  And before I get in trouble for using non-aired material, I would just argue that she’s a doctor and doesn’t want children, so of course she would exercise preventative measures to keep from getting pregnant.)  This is, to put it bluntly, an unwanted pregnancy – at least in Cristina’s mind.  The way I read the situation, it is just more than “I don’t want to ruin my career.”  There is also the added layer that Cristina believes having this child at this time would inevitably be both damaging to the child and her marriage to Owen.  And disappointing two loved ones – arguably, the most important two – would be devastating.  It would “kill” her.

Poor, poor Cristina.

Now, it may seem like I’ve done a complete turnaround from my position in the last blog post.  I guess that’s true, and it is really because of what Cristina said to Meredith.  She doesn’t want to be a mother; she wants to be a surgeon.  But there is still that nagging thought in my mind that goes back to Dr. Campbell in “An Honest Mistake”: What will Cristina have when she no longer has surgery?  Yes, she’ll have Owen.  And that is more than enough.  I just wonder how big of a role timing has to do with Cristina’s decision.  (See?  I didn’t totally change my mind.)

In the end, Cristina made the “right” decision for her and for her marriage to Owen.  It goes back to Ellis and Thatcher’s relationship and how it mirrors Cristina and Owen’s.  I think we can assume that Ellis had Meredith in some ways because of Thatcher.  And I think Ellis always resented Thatcher for “making” her have a child when she didn’t want one.  And she resented Meredith as well.  Though Ellis had an extremely successful career, it was really at the expense of Meredith’s childhood.  And I don’t think Cristina could survive knowing that she got to where she was by neglecting her own child.

Thus, while Cristina did make her choice because it would have been torturous otherwise (which I guess can be construed as “selfish”), I think that it made sense for her.  Though I wish we had a different outcome, I am thankful that the abortion occurred in the manner that it did – with Owen at Cristina’s side.

Other than putting Shonda’s name in the television history record books for having a major female character go through with an abortion despite one parent wanting the baby, one could argue that another result of this storyline was the reaffirmation of how much stronger Cristina and Owen’s relationship is compared to the other couples on this show.  I am not as confident that any of the other couples on this show, if put in a similar situation, could come out intact.  There are better ways to demonstrate how solid Cristina and Owen are, obviously, but these were the cards we were dealt; so, it’s futile to dwell on how we wish Shonda had just opted not to get Cristina accidentally pregnant again.

I think Owen proved his mettle in this episode as a loving husband.  As adamant as Cristina was about not wanting children, Owen felt just as strongly about the opposite.  But, as we saw, he loves Cristina more than his dreams of having children.  I guess you could say that Cristina and Owen were in a “sinkhole” and Owen decided to remove what was keeping Cristina (and him) in the “sinkhole” to save them both.  (And that’s probably as close to comparing the two couples’ situations as I will be able to get.)

Heartbreak Moment #2

“You’d cut off my leg, wouldn’t you?”  That was the proverbial olive branch.  Because Owen knows that if somehow the situation was reversed (disregarding biology), Cristina would support Owen in his decision.  Cristina loves him.  In my opinion, her chickening out of the abortion appointment(s) before the one we see both Cristina and Owen attend show it.  Owen was angered by her decision because she didn’t take him into consideration.  Well, that is no longer true.  The season eight premiere showed Cristina trying to have a discussion with Owen.

Which brings me (chronologically out of order) to the scene at the elevator.  While some have complained about how Cristina chose Meredith over Owen, I think that Cristina made very clear that she was not blowing Owen off but needing to take care of a time-sensitive manner.  Because it was time-sensitive.  The Zola situation was already bordering on becoming irreparable, and waiting any longer could have jeopardized Meredith and Derek’s chances completely of keeping Zola.  For all intents and purposes, her “goddaughter” was in trouble.

"Let's stare at this paper and pretend to nod knowingly."

From a writing perspective, Cristina needed to be involved in Meredith’s rescue because Derek wasn’t going to do it.  Also, it brings the three remaining original interns back together, also mending the bridges that Alex had burned.  Timing-wise, I appreciated that Cristina and Owen’s heart-to-heart scene came toward the end, where we could then end on them together, holding hands and looking at each other so lovingly.  I think it would have been disruptive if the stairwell scene had occurred first, then Cristina saves Meredith, and finally having Cristina and Owen’s last scene.

Ugh. That face. My heart can't take it.

Yes, my heart broke during this premiere.  Yes, I teared up.  When the premiere ended, I was left with a sense of awe at how powerful of a performance Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd gave.  Also, my disappointment was assuaged slightly by the fact that our couple remained together in the end.  Things are certainly not all settled between them, but at least we know that they are invested in working through these problems together.  And hopefully, they will have a more in-depth discussion sooner than later.  Communication – it’s what most of us want.

Okay, my ever beloved (and patient) readers, I want to know your impressions of the premiere regarding Cristina and Owen.  Were you disappointed?  Did you think this outcome made sense?  Where do you think these two are headed for the rest of the season?  Is this matter really put to rest?  Do you think Owen knows about Cristina’s previous pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage?  Now that Cristina and Teddy’s professional relationship is prepared, will Cristina focus more on her personal life?  Should I invest in Hermione’s Time-Turner to be able to finish blog posts on time?  Will you accept my preemptive apology for being late?  Tell me below!

I’m going to do this blog a little differently because there is so much we can discuss about what happened for Cristina and Owen in this episode that to go through every scene they were in with each person chronologically would be extraneous.  Plus, I’m getting down to the wire with the season eight premiere date creeping up, and I want time to see what everyone thinks.

Cristina is pregnant.  I remember the first time I saw that in the promo.  I shrieked.  Many of us have been awaiting those words to come out of Cristina’s mouth since the end of season five, when Kevin McKidd teased about there being a “curveball” for Cristina and Owen.  Little did we know, Shonda would soon after pull the plug on the originally-planned story arc of season six with Cristina and Owen raising a child together.  Instead, we got one of the most divisive seasons for the Cristina and Owen fans that had many let-downs and more frustrations.

But season seven, for me, remedied a lot of the mistakes I felt had been made regarding Cristina and Owen’s relationship.  Right off the bat, they got married, and from then on, Owen proved to be one of the most supportive husbands.  And the whole “love” triangle was nothing but a faint memory.  Hallelujah.  But we knew that the fact that these two got married so quickly would eventually come back to bite us in the butt.  Kevin McKidd himself cautioned it from the very beginning about how rushing into it without having certain discussions people have before getting married could come back to haunt them.  And it did: Cristina and Owen’s very different opinions on whether or not to have children.

Yep, knocked up again.

The “baby” arc unfolded primarily in three parts: the reveal, the brief discussion of possibilities and plans, and the fall-out.  So, that’s what I’ll focus on, in addition to the scripted Teddy and Cristina scene that could prove to have insight into where Cristina’s head was at before she made the appointment for the abortion.

When Owen first enters the privacy of the exam room with Cristina, he has no idea what is in store.  He starts off by talking about ordering pizza, and for some reason, I found that endearing.  For him, it begins as a regular conversation we could imagine him and Cristina having under less intense times.  But then Cristina turns around and tells him, “I’m pregnant.”

What I love most about Owen’s reaction is that he’s instantly happy, but he doesn’t overwhelm Cristina with how excited he is because he knows her.  He knows that this isn’t exactly happy news for her, and he doesn’t want to force his feelings onto her.  The look on her face is nowhere near happy.  She’s in shock.  And who wouldn’t be?  There were some scripted lines that were removed in the aired version that alluded to how she seems to defy the odds on birth control and only having one fallopian tube (which I think may have been taken out since that would imply that Owen knows about her previous miscarriage).  But it’s true.  Cristina’s womb is the opposite of Meredith’s – it’s outrageously hospitable.

And speaking of her womb, Owen clearly did not marry Cristina because of the incubating potential of her womb.  He married her because he loved her and couldn’t imagine a life without her in it.  He spent much of season five trying to resist her and season six reaffirming that Cristina is the woman he loves.  Then he showed in season seven that he would love Cristina if she were a plumber or a bartender or even a drunken lap dancer.

Cristina's less than thrilled.

Owen doesn’t want Cristina miserable.  He loves her.  He’s said it time and again; he’s shown it time and again.  If you disagree with that then this is not the blog for you.  All he wants is for Cristina to think about it.  It reminds me of “Now or Never” on the catwalk when Owen was telling Cristina how he slept, how he wanted to be a better man for her – with her.  He said to her, “Just think about it.  Okay?”  He’s asking her to think about it again.  Except this time, it’s whether she can imagine the future that he has envisioned.  “I imagine such a huge life for us.”  And we want to see that “huge life” happen.

For Owen, the ideal future would include kids.  Unfortunately for him, he fell in love with a woman who never had the goal of being a mother, which brings us to the second scene.  Cristina clarifies that her reasons for not wanting children has nothing to do with her not liking children – she respects them.  I believe it.  She is not the cuddliest of people, but what I appreciate is that she doesn’t treat children like they are worth less than adults.

The line I took away from that scene is the one where Cristina says that if she were to have the baby, she’d love it.  She’s not heartless.  That statement, for me, left the door open.  I am not someone who is adamant against having children, so I am just going on a limb here.  But I feel like if you really didn’t want children, there are options (other than abortion) that do not involve keeping the baby, such as giving the baby up to adoption.  But Cristina’s statement seems to suggest that if she were to go through with this pregnancy, she would keep the baby.

Cristina looks less than ecstatic while Owen is excited as it seems that the “huge life” he’s imagined is starting to come true.  He’s more than willing to take paternity leave, and this is where this couple differs.  For Owen, his career is important, but it is clearly not his priority.  There was a deleted scene in season six where Cristina asked Owen if he would pick her or surgery.  He picked her.  We could perhaps attribute this to him being further along in his career than her, but in reality, he has always been more personal-oriented than professional.  He isn’t the type to compete for awards.  He wants to save lives and make sure that patients are treated with respect.

"Cristina, do you love me?"

Now, I’m not denying that Owen wants this baby.  How could I?  He outright admits it.  But the point that these scenes are trying to portray – and this comes from the writers as well, according to the writers’ blog – is Owen’s most basic desire at the moment is for Cristina to just take his opinions into consideration.  And for a moment, we think she really is.

Here is where I insert the tidbit about the scripted Teddy and Cristina scene that never occurred on air and possibly was not filmed.  I can understand why it was taken out, but I would have preferred it kept in because we see Cristina subtly discuss her thoughts on her dilemma.  Also, it would have made the Teddy and Cristina conflict have more of a purpose – one that still eludes us now.

A quick recap of the scene for those who don’t know.  Cristina runs into Teddy after she’s decided to go to Germany with Perkins but before she’s changed her mind.  Cristina is shocked at the news of Teddy leaving and asks if it is a move to further her career.  Teddy denies this, saying that it’s just the opposite.  This move will hurt her career, but she’s at the point in her life where she is willing to put her personal life ahead of her career.  Cristina is trying to get Teddy to admit that one can have both love and their career because she thinks that’s what Teddy has accomplished.  Teddy essentially says that you can’t, and for Cristina, anything that distracts her from surgery will hurt her career.  Teddy tells her that Cristina can’t afford to hurt her career right now.

It seems that Cristina is actually considering that she can do this, that she can have her career and have this baby.  But her conversation with Teddy, which occurs between the second and third scene, appears to have sent Cristina into a bit of a panic.  Because the next time we see her, she’s coming home to tell Owen that she has already scheduled an abortion appointment.

"Tell me how much you love me."

“Tell me how much you love me.”  The look on her face told us it was not good new – that this was not going to be easy.  I have one small bone to pick, and you are free to disagree with me, but I feel that we are surer about Owen’s love for Cristina than Cristina for Owen.  Now, this may be because Cristina is more reticent about her feelings, but so many viewers demand Owen to prove his love.  Why do we not hold Cristina to the same standard?  Yes, Owen made mistakes.  But so has Cristina.  Not only that, but there have been many times when Cristina has taken Owen for granted.  With Owen, I get the sense that he’s just so grateful that she loves him back.  But it’s beyond gratitude, which was confirmed in “Holidaze” – his life is fuller with her in it.  Can we say that she feels the same?  It’s not as obvious, but I think it is.  She just doesn’t seem to be as self-aware of it.

We all know that Cristina is not the best at interpersonal relationships.  She herself admits it.  This explains why she is so shocked at Owen’s anger and disappointment.  It’s telling just how unprepared she is at the strength of his reaction.  How could she not realize that in his mind, she is taking away his dream?  Since the moment he’s heard the news, he has begun to dream of the “huge life” he’s imagined for so long.  He can’t help it, he’s human and there’s a chance his dream can come true.

Owen's devastated as his dreams start to slip away.

I don’t think either of them was in the right in this argument.  Cristina scheduled the appointment without Owen, and Owen shouldn’t have kicked Cristina out of the house.  I am not going to get into the “pro-life” versus “pro-choice” debate.  It’s controversial and very beyond the scope of this blog.  But the point is that this dilemma is not one of “pro-life” versus “pro-choice.”  It’s about a marriage that is not balanced.  Cristina makes snap decisions on her own without considering the implications it has on her husband.  Maybe the writers were trying to parallel this to her rogue cutting in the recent episodes, but it was not done very well, in my opinion.

I get it.  A woman’s body is her own.  But this situation is not that simple.  It’s not just Cristina who will be affected by this decision.  As Owen says, he’s tied his life to hers, and he’d hoped that she’d done the same.  But Cristina still sometimes operates solo, which is like a slap in the face to Owen.  They had that fight before that caused Owen to hit golf balls off the roof with the other men.  This isn’t some conflict that sprung out of nowhere.  His feelings of not being heard have been brewing under the surface for some while, and the gravity of this situation amped it up.

The words that Owen chooses focus primarily on the fact that Cristina didn’t take the time to think about things from his perspective.  This is not some simple decision that can be made within a few hours, that is, you’d expect serious contemplation.  There are ramifications to consider, feelings to be catalogued.  But Cristina is reacting rather than reflecting.  Yes, I know, she’s said that she doesn’t want a baby, but she didn’t want a baby before and when the reality of what had happened hit her after her miscarriage, there had to have been some part of her that mourned.  Those tears and sobs do not lie.

I saw Owen kicking Cristina out of the house as a ploy to get Cristina to Meredith’s house so that we could get this image of the twisted sisters being on their own again.  I thought it was so telling that Cristina couldn’t bring herself to help with the baby or even hold her on top of the headache she started complaining about since she’d made the appointment off-screen.  Sometimes, when we are under such heavy psychological stress, it manifests itself as physical ailments.  She feels ill, literally, and I think that is a sign of her discomfort with the decision she’d made.  It proved that she hadn’t made peace with her decision as much as she thought she’d had.

"You had a busy day."

In my mind, Cristina’s resistance to having children has a lot to do with personal baggage that she’s carrying.  She lost her father at a young age, her mother is not really affectionate, and we can assume she had a less-than-perfect childhood.  That is the reason supplied for both Meredith and Cristina turning out to be so dark and twisty.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not me pushing pro-life on anyone.  (I’m actually pro-choice.)  This is me saying that I think Cristina could be running scared from wanting this baby.  She’s possibly at high risk for another ectopic pregnancy, she doesn’t feel well-equipped for motherhood, and her career is still in its blooming stages.  It’s not the ideal time, and she’s not had the best example of a mother.  I think that Cristina can choose to have a baby in a manner that isn’t out of character.  She’s not the type of person who would ever try to have children, as Meredith evolved into.  But she could be the type to follow through with a pregnancy.  At least, that is my hope.  And we’ll find out in less than two weeks.

Home alone.

Now that I’ve presented my argument for there being a chance of Cristina keeping the baby, it’s your turn.  Do you think Cristina will keep the baby?  Could Cristina and Owen’s marriage survive if Cristina went through with the abortion?  Does Cristina simply not want children (which is completely valid) or do you think there is something deeper?  How do you think Meredith’s desire for children affect Cristina’s?  If she did decide to keep the baby, would Owen’s promotion to Chief affect his claim that he’d take six months off?  What kind of pregnancy do you think Cristina would have, if she were to follow through with this pregnancy?  Basically, what do you think will happen?  I want to know!

“I…don’t understand.”  “It’s two words. No sex.”  The first scene in, and you already knew that this was going to be a great episode for our couple.  We start off with a little bit of humor, we forge through a fiery argument, and then we end with a happy surprise.  And then we realized that things were too good to last because there was no way Shonda could leave our couple in this stable, happy place in the finale.  But we’ll come to that in the next blog post.

This episode contained many moments that really reminded us of the reasons why we are Cristina and Owen fans – even after all this time (and the bumps along the way).  And it is one of the episodes that I think of that really showcases the growth in Cristina and Owen’s relationship – as well as their personal growth – from that first fateful night they’d met.

Now, I don’t know how Cristina had the willpower to say no to Owen, but I guess it is only fair that Owen be sexually frustrated after the season six premiere when Owen resisted Cristina – and she pulled out the big guns, i.e., the black lingerie.  Of course, one could argue that Owen’s reasons were more pure as he was only following his psychiatrist’s orders.  But I guess Cristina is right in that it wouldn’t be fair to the other chief resident candidates if she used sex to her advantage.

"No sex." Two words we'd never say to Owen, personally.

I remember that this scene was released as a sneak peek and how some people felt that Cristina was being manipulative.  Well, yes she is, but isn’t that one of the reasons why we like her?  Her competitive nature, which may get her in trouble sometimes, also makes for great humor.  And the look of disappointment and surrender on Owen’s face as he plops back into bed – and not following his hot wife into the shower as he wants to – is priceless.  We also know that Owen is disciplined enough not to choose his wife simply because he really wants to get in her pants again.  Even Cristina knows that, which is why she signs herself up to be on his service (which reminds of me that last scene in “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” when Cristina pushed Owen aside to add herself onto his service) so that she can show him how awesome she is.

"I'll come with you."

For me, this scene was such a gift.  Understandably, as a drama, this show inherently only has a relatively small amount of room for comedy.  But as these two tend to be the go-to couple for angst, it’s even rarer that we see them having any funny scenes together.  So, even though it meant Owen getting the case of the blue balls, I very much enjoyed this first scene of them together.

We see April’s checklist in action next, which makes sense as this is where she met her downfall last time.  Owen seems to be going along, as he is an advocate of cutting down on human error.  However, if we recall, he is not always one to follow protocol to the letter.  Standard protocol does not usually call for a pen to be used when performing a tracheotomy, after all.  However, I assume that now that he has a fully stocked hospital instead of the bare minimum he had in the desert, he will be following the rules more.  With the occasional protocol deviation, as with the “magic powder” that he used to help stop the bleeding in “No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)” – or more commonly known as the “take care now” episode.

The "C" in Cristina does not stand for "checklist."

Cristina pops out of nowhere to rattle off a series of things she’s completed to prove how organized she is, which Owen comments on almost uncomfortably.  Cristina adds that she is almost demonstrating focus and efficiency, which makes Owen squirm a little bit.  He isn’t used to his wife brown-nosing with him, nor is it the way Cristina wants his wife to act around him.  (And we find out later that she’s not even in the running, which could also explain his discomfort.)  Thankfully, April offers him an escape route, which he takes with a quick backward glance at his wife, who he knows is not a fan of April’s checklist.  To prove that further, Cristina checks off the boxes that were supposed to await Teddy’s signature.  But as Teddy is jogging with her “husband,” that could take a while.

Meanwhile, Callie is at work, and she needs to break some bones because she misses her baby and needs a reminder as to why she loves her job.  Although, this is made more difficult when baby Sofia shows up in the hospital with Mark.  (Who wanted to see Owen holding baby Sofia for a little bit?  I think a baby would look good on him.)  And being the good guy that Owen is, he helps Callie find some bones to set.

I like these two as friends.

Cristina finds a tree in a man’s lung.  Yep, that Grey’s for you.  They find trees in lungs.  (Or people who are turning into trees.)  Now, it doesn’t escape me that Cristina is again going rogue with a thoracotomy – or as Cristina calls it, a glorified lung biopsy.  I am not saying that she’s not doing something wrong by breaching protocol, but I will argue that it’s not entirely her fault that she has to resort to these shady ways in order to get her hands on cardiothoracic surgery.  Understandably, I don’t shy away from blaming Teddy in these latter episodes because of that mysterious lesson she wants Cristina to learn and the subsequent cold shoulder treatment she has been giving Cristina.

The next scene with Cristina is probably one of the funniest scenes ever where Cristina is suddenly just full of advice – and pretty good advice.  Slutty backpacking trip around Europe?  Absorbing cultures.  Genetically predisposed to early onset Alzheimer’s?  More appreciative to the gift of life.  Putting a hand on a bomb in a guy’s chest?  Brave.  Telling a gunman to shoot you?  Change the topic.  She then makes things clearer for Alex regarding the opportunity in Africa and things with Lucy, points out to Lexie that only she is looking at Mark when everyone else is looking at the baby, and then treats backstabbing April like a friend before she realizes that April tattled on her.  But didn’t we expect that?  Isn’t that her MO?  And boy does Teddy look pissed.

Mommy prep. Anvil?

It also doesn’t help matters that the patient wants to stick with Cristina doing the surgery.  Isn’t that just rendering Teddy more obsolete?  It definitely is like salt on the wound, given how Teddy was already feeling threatened professionally by Cristina.  But as this is Shondaland, we realize that you can’t have career and love, and in this episode, Cristina had love.

No love from Teddy, who wants the Chief to suspend her for insubordination.  But the Chief sides with Cristina – for now – and lets her perform the surgery with April with Teddy observing.  I thought it was ridiculous when the Chief said that he’d inform Owen about what Cristina did.  This is why it’s silly that the Chief gave Owen the job of picking the chief resident.  He’s married to one of the candidates.  But once again, logic and propriety doesn’t seem to always occur in this show, and that’s because there has to be drama.

Christmas comes early.

The moment Cristina tells April that she isn’t going to be the chief resident, I think we all knew that she would be.  And later, in the bar, April makes it abundantly clear why she is now so “fussy” about following the rules: she killed a woman by missing a step.  And she never wants that to happen again.

The argument between Cristina and Owen was pretty spot on.  Cristina would be terrible for the chief resident job.  She is not one to try to “work within the system” or push papers or manage schedules.  She’s a surgeon.  And she should strive to be excellent at what she is.  Now, Owen talks about how anything that distracts her from being a surgeon would kill her, and knowing what we know about the season finale, one could argue that this means that being a mother would distract her from surgery.  And realistically, it would.  The question is: is Cristina destined to be a surgeon, a mother, or both?  Who we are can change and evolve as life throws us curveballs and if we care enough to change and evolve.  So, what we will find out in the next season is whether or not Cristina will modify her stance against being a mother.

Alex and Cristina need more scenes together.

“Some people just don’t fit the bill.  They’re better at other things.”  This is what Cristina tells Alex as he drinks away his sorrow because Lucy stole the Africa job from under him just when he opened himself up and told her he’d stay for her.  (I think things could’ve been different if the actress wasn’t going to be on the new Charlie’s Angels.  But I guess we will never know.)  And though she is telling Alex, she realizes that it’s true for her as well.  She wanted the chief residency because it would look good on her resume, not because she wanted to necessarily be the chief resident.

Then Owen shows up at the bar to pick up his wife (at least she wasn’t giving some guy a lap dance this time), expecting her to be mad.  But she isn’t.  She’s realized that Owen was right.  She wasn’t meant to be the chief resident.  And she essentially thanks him for being honest, then promises to be excellent – in surgery and in bed.  See?  I think that’s a concession that she can be excellent in more than one area.  (Yes, I am probably grasping at straws.)

"Oh, shut up and kiss me."

I certainly wasn’t expecting Cristina to kiss Owen either – that is, until I saw the promotional photos for the episode.  But this shows that she’s grown.  And that this relationship is much more mature than some of the other relationships on this show – past and present.  She isn’t holding a grudge because he said something that she didn’t want to hear.  She actually takes what he said into consideration and thinks it through.  (Too bad this practice didn’t carry into the next episode when it really counted.)  It is also because of this scene that I was also so surprised to her decision in the season finale – not that she’d schedule the abortion, but that she’d do it so soon and without including him on the decision-making.  Very briefly, it looked to me that they were still in the middle of talking about it, and then she cut that discussion short when she scheduled the appointment.  But we can talk more about that next time.

While Owen chuckles to himself and celebrates the end of the Cristina-imposed celibacy, Alex blabs about Meredith’s deception.  Now, personally, I think Alex did the right thing.  Preferably, he shouldn’t have done it while drunk, but he did the right thing.  And it annoys me to no end that the show is crucifying Alex for doing the right thing.  This is another case of something being done for the sake of drama but doesn’t really make sense.  First of all, Meredith never should have been able to tamper with the trial because no one in the hospital should ever know which syringes was placebo or the active drug.  That’s why these things are double-blind.  And second, I would think that Alex would be lauded for uncovering this tampering instead of being punished.  Sure, Meredith could be angry at him because they’re friends and he could’ve warned her.  But the intensity of the anger toward Alex from all parties would out of proportion.

Anyway, now to the discussion questions du jour.  Can Cristina be excellent in surgery and in her personal life?  Do you wish you could’ve seen Owen holding baby Sofia?  Is there such thing as “virgin” superpower?  In your imagination, where did Cristina and Owen take that picture that is sitting on their nightstand?  Do you think Alex did the right thing?  What is the point of Teddy and Cristina being at odds professionally?  Who would’ve been the most unbiased choice in picking the chief resident and why?  Would Cristina really fail at being chief resident?  Answer one, answer all, or answer none below!

Yes, I know.  It’s been ages.  But I intend to finish the last three episodes before the September 22^nd two-hour premiere.  And here is me lowering the count to two.  Here we go!

Now, I haven’t watched this season again since it ended in May, but I must tell you that it is quite refreshing to have an episode where Cristina and Owen’s relationship isn’t in crisis.  (Of course, this grace period won’t last long, as we all know.)  Cristina is still at odds with Teddy, but it’s thankfully not involving a love triangle.  Instead, the issue, although indirectly involving Owen, is mostly about some lesson Teddy wants Cristina to learn – a lesson, I must point out, which I am not all clear about.

Cristina is not doing so well in the race for the position of chief resident.  Teddy has benched her most valuable player because of her actions during the musical episode.  While Alex gives his presentation on his new project involving African children coming over for medical procedures, Cristina laments to her colleagues about how they are only contenders because she’s bowed out – and not by choice.  Meredith has her Alzheimer’s trial (that she’s tampered with).  Jackson has the diabetes clinical trial with the Chief.  Alex is saving children’s lives.  And April learns Swahili, makes maize porridge, and gets a stellar recommendation from Stark.  Not only does Cristina not have any special project, her mentor is giving her the shaft.  All is not well on the Cristina front.

"Will I have to sleep on the couch if I clap? But if I don't, I'll get flack for not applauding the 'tiny humans.' Oh, the dilemma."

Case in point, Cristina is on a rather intriguing cardio case, but she knows that all she will end up doing is suctioning for Lexie.  To try and remedy this, she seeks the guidance of her husband, who is in the middle of trying to treat a resistant patient and who is once again in the middle of Cristina and Teddy – but at least this time, it’s not in a manner that frustrates me endlessly.  Cristina demonstrates some badass injecting, eliciting a response from Owen that reminds me of that time when Cristina opted to pound Roy’s chest before Reed could shock him.  I don’t know why, but knowing that they’re married and watching them work together as a team gives me such a thrill.  Yes, I’m a fangirl.  Also, how funny is it that they’re totally having this conversation in front of the patient?

Drs. McBadass at work.

Owen tells Cristina to apologize to Teddy, which Cristina scoffs at.  “Apologize for what?”  Note how Owen doesn’t offer any answers before Cristina’s wit comes in the form of mouthy retorts.  But you know, she’s right.  There wouldn’t be a wedding if it weren’t for her, so she really doesn’t understand why she needs to apologize.  Did Cristina do something wrong?  Yes.  She went over Teddy’s head – for reasons that had good intentions.  Personally, I don’t think Cristina was being vindictive in the OR when she suggested her procedure, but it must not be the best feeling for Teddy to have the student surpass the teacher.

I know that some people viewed Owen’s advice for Cristina to apologize as some sort of concession that he was on Teddy’s side, but I disagree.  I interpreted it more as Owen telling Cristina to apologize because Teddy feels that Cristina wronged her, and an apology could go a long way in making Teddy no longer be upset with her.  It’s a somewhat political move, meaning that it’s a gesture of ego-stroking.  And Cristina is not the most nuanced in this arena (which also makes her not ideal for administrative positions – like chief resident).  [Spoiler alert!]  This makes me wonder how she would fare after Owen’s promotion to being Chief.  Meredith wasn’t the most thrilled about it, and Cristina may be less so.  [End of spoiler.]

"Ugh. I'm off to suction. And no, that's not an invitation for a quickie in the on-call room."

After Cristina makes a sound of disgust and walks off, we have the most disjointed segue into Owen and his assigned African child case.  I won’t spend too much on time on this storyline because it was more about April and Stark – and setting up for April ultimately becoming the new chief resident.  But a figurative cheer for Owen having a relatively decent amount of screentime.

Cristina “apologizes” to Teddy, but Teddy calls her on her insincerity.  In Cristina’s defense, she’s saying the right thing.  But her delivery was less than perfect, and anyone could see right through it.  Like I said, Cristina isn’t good at playing these kinds of political games.  Meanwhile, I have no idea what Teddy is doing with this “lesson” of hers.  I understand that she wants Cristina to realize that she cannot be reckless, but after three months of this cold shoulder tactic clearly not working, one would think that another strategy should be employed.  Me?  I vote actually communicating.  I don’t understand why it is so difficult for these characters on the show to do that.  I feel like it would solve eighty percent of the drama on this show.

"Why am I always caught between you and Cristina?"

Teddy is playing the “bad guy” for all its worth but for no real reasons.  Why else does she later turn to Owen to give her twenty good reasons why she shouldn’t let Cristina on her service, especially when she clearly wants Cristina on her service?  I don’t get it, even after all this time.  I like how Owen tells Teddy, “I don’t have one reason.  I think you should put her back on your service.”  See?  Team Cristina all the way.  Good husband.  Also, the remark about Owen enabling Cristina isn’t exactly accurate since he deferred to Teddy when Cristina first proposed the procedure.

Owen basically represents our viewpoint in this scene.  None of us can really come up with a reason why Teddy should continue to ban Cristina from her service, especially after all this time.  And I think all of us want Teddy to just tell Cristina her reasons for shutting her out.

“Cristina is dangerous right now.  She got lucky.  Callie survived that procedure, but it just as easily could’ve been disastrous.  Cristina got lucky.  She doesn’t see it that way.  She thinks she’s right.  She always thinks she’s right.  And that is not being a good doctor.  That is dangerous.”

I agree that a surgeon who is reckless and arrogant is a dangerous one, but based on my limited medical knowledge, I don’t think Cristina exhibited that with Callie’s case.  (On this, the writers’ blog and I disagree.  Or I am not seeing what the writers were trying to portray in the musical episode.)  She kept her mouth shut about her procedure until they were in the OR and it seemed that Teddy’s plan wasn’t working.  Yes, Cristina almost always thinks she’s in the right and doesn’t need to apologize for anything, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t recognize the need to learn at times.  “You don’t tell Cristina Yang anything.  She has to learn it.”  That is a rather accurate depiction of Cristina, particularly in regards to her personal life.  However, in this past season, since marrying Owen, I think we’ve seen her break out of this mold.  She bought the firehouse because she saw that Owen loved it and knew that it was important to him.  And in the episode after this one, Owen tells her that she would not make a good chief resident and she realizes that he is right without feeling the need to prove him wrong, which is quite a show of growth).  (Her easy – well, “easy” for her – acceptance of Owen’s assessment was not just a surprise to Owen but also to me.  I did not expect her to take it so well, but I was definitely glad for it.)

So, yes, maybe Cristina usually does need to learn things firsthand but that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t also try to teach her directly first.  She isn’t a mind reader.  (Though, I guess that scene with Teddy and Cristina in the OR was supposed to demonstrate that?  I couldn’t be sure because I don’t exactly know what was going on.)

“Do you really think she could handle something like killing Callie Torres?”  This line from Teddy really piqued my interest.  It is such a bold statement that makes you think that it’s an anvil for something that comes later.  Maybe I’m too dense, but I don’t think any of the events in the last two episodes played off on the underlying theme here, the theme being how reckless behaviors can have hugely negative consequences.  (Although, that is a pretty obvious message since “reckless” is defined by having no regard for the consequences.)  I guess, in a way, we can consider Cristina’s season finale decision to schedule an appointment for the abortion to be “reckless” because she didn’t take into full consideration the consequences of that decision.  This is why she is surprised at the intensity of Owen’s response because she didn’t realize how strongly he would feel after Cristina disregarded his request for her to take time and think about it.  (I’m sorry.  I don’t think a few hours – at the most – to be a good demonstration to one’s partner that you are actually considering their views in a sincere way.)  But I’ll get more into that in a later blog post.

We must believe that a love like this can survive anything.

For now, let’s concentrate on how amazing Cristina and Owen looked out of their scrubs and in wedding guest attire.  And more importantly, let’s bask in the affectionate looks and gestures that pass between them on Callie and Arizona’s white wedding day.  The icing on the cake?  Cristina is totally wearing her wedding band and engagement ring – a very interesting choice by the costume department (or whoever decided for Cristina to wear her rings).  That costume choice made me think that Cristina is not as against marital conventions as Meredith is, who never even put on her ring – not even when she was getting married legally.  Perhaps Cristina is not as untraditional or unconventional as she is sometimes painted out to be.

Cristina and Owen being absolutely adorable.

I love how Owen rubs her arm as they watch the newly married couple have their first dance.  (Too bad we didn’t get to see Owen and Cristina have their first dance as a married couple.  But I guess we will just hijack Callie and Arizona’s wedding reception instead.)  I can’t help it.  I just love seeing them act like the married couple they are.

Step away from the bar, Chief.

While Cristina goes to the bar to get another drink (and Owen gets his taken away by Alex), the Chief stops by with some discouraging words about how he thought Cristina would be the frontrunner of the chief resident race but isn’t.  This then prompts Cristina to snap out some sincerity to Teddy and calling her out on perhaps the real reason why Teddy is opting to freeze Cristina out.  I honestly do not understand why Teddy continues to not talk to Cristina.  Instead, all she says is, “And yet, you still don’t get it.”  What is that?  For goodness sakes, she’s dating a psychologist.  Take some pointers from Perkins and talk about what is wrong.  I don’t know.  It all seems rather unclear to me, this Teddy and Cristina situation.

Let's play "Where's Owen and Cristina?".

Thankfully, this run-in with Teddy doesn’t put Cristina in too much of a bad mood because you can see Owen pulling her onto the dance floor after the father-daughter dances.  And if you look closely, you can actually see them dancing in the background.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we finally get to see these two dance together.  Check one more thing off my Cristina and Owen wish list!

Okay, my loyal readers (for you must be loyal if you are still reading this).  Do you understand the lesson Teddy is trying to teach?  What did you think of Owen’s advice to apologize to Teddy?  Did you notice Owen glancing back at Cristina when the Chief was talking to her at the bar?  Will we ever see Cristina wear her rings again?  What was the point of Cristina’s remark about Teddy going in blind during the OR scene?  And [spoiler alert!] do you think Cristina would make a good Chief’s wife?

Only one Cristina and Owen scene again, but they had some pretty interesting moments separately. Cristina proved that she’s learned a lot about bedside manner and isn’t all that bad of a godmother. Owen had to deal with a crotchety patient and a sycophantic Alex who nearly dug himself in a very deep hole of a mess. And those of you who are spoiler junkies like me may have caught onto some anvils that may turn up in the season finale.

I may have selective memory here, but I think Cristina has frequently been the primary caregiver on the cases where the patient is a fellow doctor. The most recent one, before Callie, was Izzie. She was the first person Izzie told about her cancer. And now, Cristina is the one in charge of Callie. Ironic, considering Cristina has the reputation for having the worst bedside manners. But as we’ve seen, this is entirely untrue.

Cristina, Arizona, Bailey, and later Mark, become Team Callie, cheering her on for straightening her fingers. She’s got a long road ahead of her in terms of healing. But this is Seattle Grace. Her hair will magically grow back, her scars will disappear, and she’ll look better than ever. Cue the funny facial expression on Cristina’s face as she urges Callie on.

May the force be with you!

Did anyone else have a flashback to season five when Mark gave Cristina a light punch to the arm in celebration over Callie’s accomplishment in the first scene? I don’t know, it made me laugh because it made me think of the time in “Rise Up” when Derek dared Mark to hit on Cristina. Man, was that hilarious. Sorry, Mark, you are no longer McYummy to her. She’s Mrs. McBadass now.

Poor Callie. She’s suffered major trauma, and not only is she not healing fast enough for her liking, she hasn’t seen her baby yet. I can’t even imagine what that’d be like. And in her own way, Cristina is attempting to be comforting by – in her witty, sarcastic manner – telling Callie how Sofia looks like a featherless and beakless chicken. But first, Callie metaphorically gives Cristina the finger. And instead of taking offense, she applauds Callie for the gesture. I seriously can’t get enough of this friendship. It also reminds us of why Callie picked Cristina to be her baby’s godmother. Because sometimes we forget, amidst the emphasis on Cristina and Meredith’s friendship, that Cristina and Callie shared a close bond as well from being roommates. (And let’s also not forget that Callie subtly encouraged Owen to pursue Cristina back in season five, though some of those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.)

Give me the bird. I dare you.

Meanwhile, Owen has his own difficult patient. Although the elderly lady, whose name I believe is Gladys, didn’t give Owen and Alex the finger, she wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine either. She’s your typical no-nonsense, crotchety old woman who’s earned the right to be that way. And Owen takes it all in the stride, even finding it somewhat amusing, as Gladys tries to negotiate her vitals.

Alex prays for patience. Owen sticks with professionalism.

“You’re the worst godmother ever.” “You picked me.” See? These two need more scenes together. This scene was both hilarious and heartbreakingly sweet as Cristina soothes Callie, even calling her “honey.” (At least we know it’s in her repertoire now.) And in comes April with her big mouth and inability to recognize when to stop talking. It reminds me of when April came out from the Chief’s office during the season six finale, reversing the calming effect of Derek’s words, ultimately causing Gary Clark to shoot Derek. Guess she hasn’t learned her lesson yet. Though this time, instead of getting someone shot, she’s reversing the calming effect that Cristina’s words of comfort had given Callie by talking about the “featherless and beakless chicken” and cooing about how adorable she is. Could she not see Callie starting to get upset? Nope. Not until it’s too late. I’m not going to fault April for it too much because I think she has good intentions, trying to give Callie an update on Sofia. However, it’s only making Callie miss her more.

Cristina cuts in and shoos April away, ordering her to go get the pictures of Sofia. (How funny is it that both Cristina and Owen boss April around? It’s like Cristina and Owen’s individual friendships with Callie. I love the symmetry of it all.) I just loved this scene. You can really see the reason why Callie would bestow the honor of being a godmother on Cristina, a woman who has continually made her stance on babies quite clear. She is not the biggest fan of tiny little humans (yet she does seem to bond well with a few of them). And yet, Callie trusts her to raise her child should something happen to her, Arizona, and Mark.

"You're a terrible godmother." "You picked me."

And Cristina proves that she cares not only about how Callie is doing physically but mentally as well. So, she approaches Stark and asks him to make an exception for Callie so that she can see her baby. To no one’s surprise, he says no. And he’s probably right in not allowing for it from a medical standpoint. Plus, this also gives Cristina the chance to show off her scheming ways. First recruit? Jackson.

As some of you have pointed out in the comments section in previous posts, Jackson and Cristina have an interesting relationship. They’ve been great allies in the OR, and she’s come to rely on him on different occasions. Now that the whole Jackson puppy love is over, I’m totally on board of these two having a relationship – one that is strictly platonic. They riff off of each other well. Or rather, Jackson provides Cristina with a lot of material to poke fun at. He’s an easy target. He has not been gifted with the slightly non-politically correct wit that Cristina Yang is known for.

Back to Owen and Alex with Gladys, whose vitals have gone down and she’s not taking it well. Alex calls her a bitch to Owen’s face, which probably isn’t the best idea when Owen is the one picking the next Chief Resident. And everyone knows that Owen is a stickler for having respect for one’s patients. Does Alex not remember how angry Owen when he caught Alex and Cristina fighting over a surgery? Yeah, not the best way to win Owen over. And the realization dawns on Alex when Owen, who points out how lonely Gladys is with no visitors despite the fact she’s dying, turns and asks Alex what his plans for the Chief Resident position is. I love how Owen calls Alex on his bullshit. “It also sounds like you just pulled that out of your butt.” Actually, if he pulled it out of anyone’s butt, it would be Arizona’s. We heard of this proposal earlier in the episode when Arizona was looking at scans.

Guess Alex's not Owen's top choice.

Owen walks off, offering to help out. And why wouldn’t he? Owen loves kids. (As we see later, he’s a huge fan of Sofia.) And two seconds later, Owen’s wife comes through, leading the way as Alex and Lexie obediently follow. Love that. “Let’s do this.” And they follow, like lemmings. Yep, our Cristina is one take-charge chick. Or, if you’re a Tumblr fan, a HBIC (aka “head bitch in charge”).

At this point, we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but once you see Cristina’s head pop into the screen, waking Callie up, we know it’s going to be something good. What I love most about this scene is that they’re all there. Like I’ve said many times before, I absolutely adore it when we get the chance to see these residents banding together in support of a fellow surgeon. Hell, I just like it when they’re together in general. It makes for a fun scene. It’s like when Izzie lay on the bathroom floor, and the interns each took a turn lying beside her to talk to her. Or when they all claimed that they’d cut the LVAD wire. Maybe not the smartest of moves, but it was born out of love and camaraderie.

This was all Cristina’s doing, which is why it annoys the bejeezus out of me when I hear people bringing up her old label of being a “robot.” She clearly isn’t. And if someone still believes that Cristina Yang is unfeeling, cold, and insensitive, then they are not watching the same show I am. Her interactions with Callie defy all those adjectives.

HBICs coming through. Move aside.

Next time we see Cristina is on a gurney. No, she’s not injured. She’s being Callie’s new “physical therapist.” Or, more accurately, she’s being a resisting weight for Callie to push against to strengthen her muscles. Picking up Meredith on the way, Cristina laments over her lack of cardio surgeries. “How do I even have a shot at Chief Resident if I can’t do what I’m good at?” Well, I can think of other things she’s good at that could sway Owen’s favor in her direction. Wink wink.

Quick scene of Cristina doing what she does best in the OR when Callie’s incision starts bleeding. (Was that yellow stuff pus? Eww!) It’s not cardio, but at least she gets to hold a scalpel. And tada! Callie’s all fixed. Not only that, but Sofia pulls through as well.

The African kids are coming! And Alex is hounding the other doctors to play a role. Each doctor gets a kid, but Alex has doubts about Cristina. “Wait, you can’t have her. You’d be awful to her… Hang on. No. Yes.” See? Another moment where the take-home message is: Cristina is bad with children! And it isn’t the last.

Men are from Mars, and women are from Venus.

No, the last implication appears in the last scene, with half of the cast in pink scrubs. And may I just say that Owen wears pink well. Not even kidding. For a moment, when we only see five of the seven doctors, I thought I was imagining things because I could’ve sworn I heard Owen’s voice. My fears that I was being psychotic was assuaged when the camera panned away to reveal Owen and Cristina off to one side. Interesting blocking there, director. Very interesting. And the reason for it is so that these two lovebirds can share a private conversation of Owen being completely enamored with the cute baby (who, I swear, at some points looks Asian) while Cristina complains that Callie is her last cardio patient.

I find it funny how Owen is not-so-subtly trying to get Cristina to look at the tiny infant and get caught up in the cuteness. Sorry, Owen, she’s too busy freaking out over the fact that she hasn’t been on Teddy’s service for over a month now.

“It’s a cute baby, right?” Owen asks, trying to redirect Cristina’s attention to something that is not related to her career. To which, Cristina replies in her classic way, “Its small features and oversized eyes trigger a hormonal response in humans. It’s autonomic. It’s what keeps us from eating them.” Well, Cristina’s human. Guess she’s keeping her autonomic response more on the down low than the others. And it’s good to know that this is what keeps us from cannibalism. (What happens when they don’t have oversized eyes and small features?)

Oversized eyes? Check. Small features? Check. Not eating.

Now, it’s your turn. What did you think of the anvils that permeated this episode in regards to Cristina and children? Will Cristina be a good godmother? Did you also find that Gladys and Alex were two peas in a pod? How do you think Cristina will do with the kid that Alex assigned to her? Will Mr. Bear make another appearance? How badly did you want to see Owen holding a kid after seeing Alex carry that precious little bundle of joy off the medical transport? In other news, what did you think of Meredith’s choice to switch the folder contents? Did Callie break your heart this episode? Tell me all about it below!