Today on Grey's Anatomy, it is all about addictions. Addictions are bad, mmmkay?

After their break-up sex in the call room in last week's episodes, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) went back to Meredith's place to continue the break-up sex. They are all smiles, and decide that instead of being a relationship, they should henceforth, only engage in S&M: sex and mockery.

Downstairs, George (T.R. Knight) is flushed and excited after confessing to Izzie (Katherine Heigl) that he loves her too. He feels exhilarated to have finally figured out that he shouldn't have gotten married. He resolves to march back home and tell Callie (Sara Ramirez) that their marriage is over. Izzie, because she is a terrible human being and a worse friend, doesn't try to talk him out of it and merely sits there, ecstatic and giddy.

Across town, Cristina sits in her apartment contemplating the mountain of wedding presents in front of her. She opens them all up with a fit of emotion, but we see a little later on that she brings them all to the hospital. Since Burkezilla was the one who registered for all the gifts, she feels no remorse in using them as trading cards to get some good surgeries. Izzie wants the mixmaster and McSteamy wants the espresso machine, but they are going to have to get in line after me. Lucky for Cristina, there is carnage in the pit to improve the day, and dopey interns to yell at. Both considerably lighten her mood.

Five patients are brought into the pit who were injured when a gas main blew in an apartment building. There is Molly, whose abdomen was blown up, her husband Dave and their baby boy, both of whom sustained only minor injuries. Then, there is their friend and neighbor Archie with burns on his chest, and Clark who may have serious internal injuries.

Alex examines the baby, and after sniffing the baby's head, orders a tox screen for him. When the nurse comes back with the results, we find out that the baby is strung out on meth. Seems like this week's theme is also about literal addiction. Archie is shocked and saddened to learn that his friends, who are really more like his family, are drug dealers and criminals.

But back in metaphorical addiction land, Chief Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), who is addicted to work, is making a concerted effort to delegate so that he will have enough to time win back his wife, Adele.

In the middle of all this addiction and carnage, Mama Burke waltzes in. In response, Cristina hides from her and sends Meredith to get rid of her. Meredith is predictably ineffectual at standing up to Mama, and instead gets a dressing down for her “It's over, it's over, it is so over” maid of honor speech. She calls Meredith out for using that moment to passive-aggressively break up with Derek.

George, despite his resolve to tell Callie, hasn't actually done anything of the sort. He tells her that he'd like to talk to her alone tonight. But Izzie has a change of heart and doesn't want George to end his marriage. Not because of any hope for her friend to have a happy life, mind you. She doesn't want him to tell Callie because it would affect Izzie's work environment, since Callie is her boss. Let me say that again. Izzie doesn't care about her supposed BFF or his wife; she doesn't want George to tell because of how it will affect Izzie. Izzie is the only one who Izzie cares about. The upshot of this is that he and Izzie can't do any more hanky-panky because that would be cheating. Please, they pick now to have some morals?

George has time to think about these new developments in his life when he brings Clark to get a CT scan. Clark wonders how it could have happened that he's in a CT machine now, when just this morning, he was on his way to work. Because all the doctors on Grey's Anatomy are the most self-absorbed people in the world, George thinks that this is all about him. Predictably, while he is stammering away about himself, the patient crashes. George calls a code blue and uses the shocky things to revive him. But Clark is not being altogether honest with George because he was really at Molly and Dave's apartment to get more meth.

Bailey needs a resident to oversee the clinic, but Callie doesn't allow it. Bailey resigns herself to sending Lexie (Chyler Leigh) and George 2.0 to the clinic. But after seeing how incompetent they are, Bailey strong arms Meredith to go babysit them, going behind Callie's back. Lexie is excited to see Meredith arrive, but naturally Meredith is not. At all.

Alex is treating the baby when Dave frantically yells at it to stop crying. Alex's rage against his own deadbeat father manifests itself, as expected, and he tells Dave that he's a terrible father for raising his son in a meth lab. The dad punches him, knocking him unconscious, grabs the baby and leaves.

This is not good news for Callie who, as chief resident, is responsible for Alex's behavior. She frantically searches the hospital for the missing child, while confiding in McSteamy that she thinks George is cheating on her. Sloan is like the only voice of reason in this episode. He tells her to talk to her husband instead of just letting him destroy her career.

Speaking of her husband, George talks to Mama Burke. He asks her how he's doing, and Mama says that Preston is a gentleman, so he doesn't like to talk about it. George does that thing again where he's talking about one thing, but he's really talking about himself, saying that maybe Burke dodged a bullet because marriage pretty much blows. Mama understands that George is staying in a marriage out of obligation, but that is no way to live and no way to love. Nobody on this show values marriage.

After George, it is Derek's turn to talk to Mama. He has just had his invitation to lunch rejected by Meredith (because she only agreed to S&M, not S&M&lunch). Derek tells Mama that Cristina loved Burke as best as she knew how. Mama says that he and Burke are both honorable men because they know when to walk away and not to take any less than they deserve. Normally, I think Mama rocks, but this is just too much. Too much! Honorable men? I really don't see how either of them is honorable at all. It was Burke who couldn't accept Cristina for who she was. And Derek needs to stop feeling sorry for himself about how Meredith is incapable of loving him like he loves her.

In the clinic, Lexie tries to make conversation with Meredith, but is bitched out instead. I like Meredith a whole lot more when she is bitchy like this. It so beats the stammering, stuttering Meredith. Lexie tries to tell her half-sister that she is a nice girl and they should get to know each other because they had the same dad. But Meredith says that they did not share the same dad because Thatcher left her when she was five. Now she is completely messed up and dark and twisty, and she would rather not get to know the person her dad chose over her, thank you very much. I really sympathize with both sides here. It must be hard for both of them.

Cristina finally mans up and approaches Mama. Mama just came to get some of Burke's belongings from his apartment and to get the necklace she loaned to Cristina for the wedding. Mama says that she's sorry that Cristina lost Burke as a mentor. She commends her for being a strong woman and says that if she were born in a different time, she may have been more like Cristina too. Then Cristina asks if Mama can take the wedding presents off her hands. Mama is very civil and says yes.
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George's patient dies, but he makes that about himself too. He tells Izzie that he doesn't want to be like this guy whose heart was so damaged that he couldn't live any longer, so he has to tell Callie the truth and end their marriage. But when George, approaches Callie, she senses what he might be about to say and begs him not to say anything, not that night. She just had a terrible day and got chewed out by the Chief for allowing Alex's mistake, and she just can't take anymore bad news that night. George agrees.

Derek tells McSteamy that he has a problem, he's addicted to Meredith. He has McSteamy tell Meredith that Derek can't meet her that night, but at the last minute, Derek changes his mind and runs after her. Sometimes letting go hurts too much, as Meredith's voiceover helpfully informs us.

Archie tells Izzie that he can't believe that the people he thought he knew turned out to be drug dealers. Izzie, talking about herself as per usual, says that just because people do horrible things, it doesn't mean they are horrible people. Well, actually, it does, Iz.

Lexie cries alone in the clinic, and Cristina goes home to a sad, empty apartment.

It wouldn't be Grey's Anatomy without a depressing ending, would it?


-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)