Alongside the pilot, Save me is the least interesting episode of Grey's Anatomy's first year, primarily because of lazy writing that panders to clichés without the gusto required to make fun of them, which was the main joy of previous shows.
As usual, the main storyline concerns the least appealing character, namely Meredith, who is unhappy about not knowing much regarding Derek, despite the fact they have sex every night. Subplots worth noticing: Cristina has to come to terms with her unwanted pregnancy, Izzie considers getting back in touch with her estranged mother, and everyone at the hospital is startled by a patient with seizures who claims to be psychic.
That last element (the "psychic" guy) is the classic "potentially inexplicable case" gimmick that could ruin a show. In this case, it actually works in the episode's favor, since the silly plot line is handled with the right kind of humor/seriousness balance that is sorely missing elsewhere. Even Sandra Oh, normally the most reliable cast member, does petty much nothing important this time around, leaving it to Patrick Dempsey to save the day (and the last few minutes of the episode) with his natural charm and endearing wit. But hey, with only one more episode until the end of the season, such a misstep isn't that smart a move.
As usual, the main storyline concerns the least appealing character, namely Meredith, who is unhappy about not knowing much regarding Derek, despite the fact they have sex every night. Subplots worth noticing: Cristina has to come to terms with her unwanted pregnancy, Izzie considers getting back in touch with her estranged mother, and everyone at the hospital is startled by a patient with seizures who claims to be psychic.
That last element (the "psychic" guy) is the classic "potentially inexplicable case" gimmick that could ruin a show. In this case, it actually works in the episode's favor, since the silly plot line is handled with the right kind of humor/seriousness balance that is sorely missing elsewhere. Even Sandra Oh, normally the most reliable cast member, does petty much nothing important this time around, leaving it to Patrick Dempsey to save the day (and the last few minutes of the episode) with his natural charm and endearing wit. But hey, with only one more episode until the end of the season, such a misstep isn't that smart a move.
