Oh, the Guilt (Grey's Anatomy)
Encyclopedia
"Oh, the Guilt" is the fifth episode of the third season of the ABC
series, Grey's Anatomy
. The episode was written by Zoanne Clack
, Tony Phelan
, and Joan Rater
and was directed by Jeff Melman
. It originally aired on October 19, 2006, running for 42:51 min. In this episode, Chandra Wilson was nominated in the 2007 Emmy Awards in her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey. She eventually lost to her co-star Katherine Heigl.
The interns are excited to attend the Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference but their excitement evaporates quickly after finding out Denny Duquette is first on the agenda. Bailey is slammed and raked over the coals for letting her interns run unsupervised about the hospital for long durations. A Dr. Savoy, in particular, questions her authority as a surgeon, especially after her new commitments as a mother. While wandering around the hospital, Izzie stumbles into the conference and also witnesses the Bailey-bashing.
After the conference, the interns refuse to let Izzie be alone and insists she stays in the hospital. George offers to keep her company. Alex becomes very defensive and says that he was not involved in any part of the Denny debacle. Cristina and Meredith are very apologetic to Bailey, but she brushes them off as they do not get to feel better about the whole thing.
Bailey, Alex and Mark treat a young mother, Rebecca, battling stage 2B breast cancer
, who is wondering if it is even worth considering a mastectomy
when she feels as if she will die soon anyway. Feeling guilty over blaming the baby for not discovering the cancer earlier, forcing her to undergo the mastectomy, she decides against the surgery. Bailey keeps herself from becoming emotionally involved in the case, for fear of damaging her reputation any further, despite Rebecca's husband's numerous desperate pleads to Bailey to urge his wife to do the surgery. Noticing Bailey's uncharacteristic coldness, the Chief tells her that being a parent makes her a better doctor because compassion and empathy are large parts of being a doctor. Bailey decides to re-embrace her old warm self, she talks to Rebecca using her own experiences as a new mother herself. She tells her that mothers are only human and blaming the baby is a normal reaction. Rebecca is encouraged to fight the cancer so that she doesn't miss out on the joys of motherhood. Bailey is looking after the baby while the couple have some alone time, and Dr. Savoy approaches her. She rebukes him for undermining her authority and he leaves. The conversation is overheard by Alex, who tells Bailey that he didn't do anything. Misunderstanding him, she tells him that she knows he was not involved in the matter. He clarifies, telling her that he knew about Izzie's plan to cut the LVAD
wire and he didn't do anything. Therefore, he was partly to blame as well. Bailey thanks him, calling him "Alex".
Derek and Addison finalize their divorce with Derek giving up most of their property to Addison. He feels she deserves it because he had an affair while she only had a one night stand with Mark. Also, Derek happily decides that they are mature and civilised, and wants to remain friends with her. Addison tries to clarify the truth, but cannot bring herself to say it.
Meanwhile, Burke cannot bring himself to tell the Chief about his shaky hand, especially after the Chief heaps praise onto him. He decides to bury himself in paperwork and abstains from surgeries. Izzie wanders into his office and tells him that she is fine. He castigates her, saying that she is not fine, because Denny died, and neither is he, because he got shot while returning to the hospital after she told him to. Feeling extremely guilty for causing Burke harm, she leaves his office.
Meredith contemplates telling Derek about her breaking up with Finn and her fellow interns urge her to do it quickly. She meets Callie, who unexpectedly confesses that she slept with another guy and asks if she should tell George. Feeling like she should share, Meredith tells Callie that she broke up with Finn and asks if she should tell Derek. She decides not to tell Derek while Callie resolves to tell George. Over the course of the day, she bumps into Derek many times but decides against telling him about Finn.
Meredith and Addison examine a couple, Sonya and Adam, who have become stuck together in mid-coitus. Adam's piercing hooked onto Sonya's dislodged IUD and is embedded in her vaginal wall. Guilty about having sex with her ex-husband even though she has re-married, she begs Addison to separate them quickly. Addison, Meredith, Cristina and the Chief manage to separate the couple but Adam suffers a heart attack
in the process and Burke is called onto the case.
Burke and Cristina work out an arrangement for the surgery. In the midst of performing cardiac surgery, Burke's right hand begins to tremble again, so Cristina covers for him by asking to practice her running whipstitch. Burke talks her through the delicate procedure and this gets the other interns jealous. Izzie, however, is inspired watching Cristina in the operating theatre. This makes Izzie realise that despite all the things she could do now that she is rich, she still wants to be a surgeon. She speaks with the Chief and asks to return to work. The Chief tells her of his own past, when he made a mistake and lost a patient due to a collapsed lung
. He tells her that she is only human and therefore capable of making mistakes, and that the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and move on.
Sonya tells Addison that she will tell her current husband about her affair because she stopped feeling guilty after repeatedly meeting her ex-husband for sex. She feels that the truth has to come out eventually. This makes Addison confess to Derek that she had a relationship with Mark for two months after he left. She only left for Seattle after finding him in bed with someone else. Derek tells her to get out of his life. Meanwhile, Meredith walks into the elevator and meets Derek. She tells him about Finn but still reeling from Addison's confession, he mutters an unenthusiastic "okay". A confused Meredith looks on as he leaves the elevator. Mark approaches him and tells him that he felt like he should know the truth because they are friends, to which Derek coldly replies that Mark is not his friend.
George goes to see Callie in her hotel room, bringing food and entertainment. However, she is still guilty from sleeping with Mark and tells him that they have broken up. Addison and Mark sleep together again, post-coital, he tells her that she need not feel guilty anymore, prompting her to say "shut up". Back at Meredith's place, Izzie decides not to cash her multimillion dollar check until she knows what good can come of it, to George's and Meredith's disbelief. Izzie places her battered check on the refrigerator and leaves. Meredith reaches out for it, only to have George playfully slap her hand away.
.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series, Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
. The episode was written by Zoanne Clack
Zoanne Clack
Zoanne Clack , also known as Zoanne Arnette, is an American television producer, writer, story editor, actress, and medical doctor/consultant. Clack's most notable work has been on the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy, in which she has served as executive story editor for twenty-three episodes,...
, Tony Phelan
Tony Phelan
Tony Phelan is an American television screenwriter, producer and director.Phelan is best known for his work on Grey's Anatomy, for which he has been nominated for two Emmys and three WGA awards, of which he was won one, shared with the writing team members from the show...
, and Joan Rater
Joan Rater
Joan Rater is an American television producer and screenwriter. Her most notable work has been for the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, for which she has served as writer, producer and supervising producer for over fifty separate episodes....
and was directed by Jeff Melman
Jeff Melman
Jeffrey L. Melman is an American television director and producer. Melman has directed for several present-day network television series. More recently Melman has directed episodes of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives...
. It originally aired on October 19, 2006, running for 42:51 min. In this episode, Chandra Wilson was nominated in the 2007 Emmy Awards in her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey. She eventually lost to her co-star Katherine Heigl.
Starring
- Ellen PompeoEllen PompeoEllen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress, known for playing the title role of Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
as Dr. Meredith Grey. - Sandra OhSandra OhSandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
as Dr. Christina Yang - Katherine HeiglKatherine HeiglKatherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
as Dr. Izzie Stevens. - Justin ChambersJustin ChambersJustin W. Chambers is an American actor and former Calvin Klein male fashion model. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Alex Karev....
as Dr. Alex Karev. - T.R. Knight as Dr. George O´Malley.
- Chandra WilsonChandra WilsonChandra Danette Wilson is an American actress and director, best known as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama, Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
as Dr. Miranda Bailey. - James Pickens, Jr.James Pickens, Jr.James Pickens, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the ABC drama television series Grey's Anatomy, and for his supporting role as Deputy Director Alvin Kersh on later seasons of the Fox Network science fiction series The X-Files.- Early life...
as Dr. Richard Webber. - Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery.
- Sara RamirezSara RamírezSara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
as Dr. Callie Torres. - Eric DaneEric DaneEric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
as Dr. Mark Sloan. - Isaiah WashingtonIsaiah WashingtonIsaiah Washington IV is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007.-Personal life:...
as Dr. Preston Burke. - Patrick DempseyPatrick DempseyPatrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
as Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Episode Recap
Izzie makes breakfast for her housemates. Worried that she is starting her obsessive muffin baking again, they ask her if she is ok. She insists that she is fine, but is being very cavalier towards her 8.7 million dollar check from Denny, even spilling juice all over it. Unable to decide what to do with the money, she decides to go to the hospital to clear out her locker first.The interns are excited to attend the Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference but their excitement evaporates quickly after finding out Denny Duquette is first on the agenda. Bailey is slammed and raked over the coals for letting her interns run unsupervised about the hospital for long durations. A Dr. Savoy, in particular, questions her authority as a surgeon, especially after her new commitments as a mother. While wandering around the hospital, Izzie stumbles into the conference and also witnesses the Bailey-bashing.
After the conference, the interns refuse to let Izzie be alone and insists she stays in the hospital. George offers to keep her company. Alex becomes very defensive and says that he was not involved in any part of the Denny debacle. Cristina and Meredith are very apologetic to Bailey, but she brushes them off as they do not get to feel better about the whole thing.
Bailey, Alex and Mark treat a young mother, Rebecca, battling stage 2B breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, who is wondering if it is even worth considering a mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
when she feels as if she will die soon anyway. Feeling guilty over blaming the baby for not discovering the cancer earlier, forcing her to undergo the mastectomy, she decides against the surgery. Bailey keeps herself from becoming emotionally involved in the case, for fear of damaging her reputation any further, despite Rebecca's husband's numerous desperate pleads to Bailey to urge his wife to do the surgery. Noticing Bailey's uncharacteristic coldness, the Chief tells her that being a parent makes her a better doctor because compassion and empathy are large parts of being a doctor. Bailey decides to re-embrace her old warm self, she talks to Rebecca using her own experiences as a new mother herself. She tells her that mothers are only human and blaming the baby is a normal reaction. Rebecca is encouraged to fight the cancer so that she doesn't miss out on the joys of motherhood. Bailey is looking after the baby while the couple have some alone time, and Dr. Savoy approaches her. She rebukes him for undermining her authority and he leaves. The conversation is overheard by Alex, who tells Bailey that he didn't do anything. Misunderstanding him, she tells him that she knows he was not involved in the matter. He clarifies, telling her that he knew about Izzie's plan to cut the LVAD
Ventricular assist device
A Ventricular assist device, or VAD, is a mechanical circulatory device that is used to partially or completely replace the function of a failing heart...
wire and he didn't do anything. Therefore, he was partly to blame as well. Bailey thanks him, calling him "Alex".
Derek and Addison finalize their divorce with Derek giving up most of their property to Addison. He feels she deserves it because he had an affair while she only had a one night stand with Mark. Also, Derek happily decides that they are mature and civilised, and wants to remain friends with her. Addison tries to clarify the truth, but cannot bring herself to say it.
Meanwhile, Burke cannot bring himself to tell the Chief about his shaky hand, especially after the Chief heaps praise onto him. He decides to bury himself in paperwork and abstains from surgeries. Izzie wanders into his office and tells him that she is fine. He castigates her, saying that she is not fine, because Denny died, and neither is he, because he got shot while returning to the hospital after she told him to. Feeling extremely guilty for causing Burke harm, she leaves his office.
Meredith contemplates telling Derek about her breaking up with Finn and her fellow interns urge her to do it quickly. She meets Callie, who unexpectedly confesses that she slept with another guy and asks if she should tell George. Feeling like she should share, Meredith tells Callie that she broke up with Finn and asks if she should tell Derek. She decides not to tell Derek while Callie resolves to tell George. Over the course of the day, she bumps into Derek many times but decides against telling him about Finn.
Meredith and Addison examine a couple, Sonya and Adam, who have become stuck together in mid-coitus. Adam's piercing hooked onto Sonya's dislodged IUD and is embedded in her vaginal wall. Guilty about having sex with her ex-husband even though she has re-married, she begs Addison to separate them quickly. Addison, Meredith, Cristina and the Chief manage to separate the couple but Adam suffers a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in the process and Burke is called onto the case.
Burke and Cristina work out an arrangement for the surgery. In the midst of performing cardiac surgery, Burke's right hand begins to tremble again, so Cristina covers for him by asking to practice her running whipstitch. Burke talks her through the delicate procedure and this gets the other interns jealous. Izzie, however, is inspired watching Cristina in the operating theatre. This makes Izzie realise that despite all the things she could do now that she is rich, she still wants to be a surgeon. She speaks with the Chief and asks to return to work. The Chief tells her of his own past, when he made a mistake and lost a patient due to a collapsed lung
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
. He tells her that she is only human and therefore capable of making mistakes, and that the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and move on.
Sonya tells Addison that she will tell her current husband about her affair because she stopped feeling guilty after repeatedly meeting her ex-husband for sex. She feels that the truth has to come out eventually. This makes Addison confess to Derek that she had a relationship with Mark for two months after he left. She only left for Seattle after finding him in bed with someone else. Derek tells her to get out of his life. Meanwhile, Meredith walks into the elevator and meets Derek. She tells him about Finn but still reeling from Addison's confession, he mutters an unenthusiastic "okay". A confused Meredith looks on as he leaves the elevator. Mark approaches him and tells him that he felt like he should know the truth because they are friends, to which Derek coldly replies that Mark is not his friend.
George goes to see Callie in her hotel room, bringing food and entertainment. However, she is still guilty from sleeping with Mark and tells him that they have broken up. Addison and Mark sleep together again, post-coital, he tells her that she need not feel guilty anymore, prompting her to say "shut up". Back at Meredith's place, Izzie decides not to cash her multimillion dollar check until she knows what good can come of it, to George's and Meredith's disbelief. Izzie places her battered check on the refrigerator and leaves. Meredith reaches out for it, only to have George playfully slap her hand away.
Title Reference
This episode's title refers to a song by the grunge band NirvanaNirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
.
Music
- "Clonie" - Nellie McKayNellie McKayNellie McKay , is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums, and for her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera , for which she won a Theatre World Award...
- "Kaleidoscope" - Kate HavnevikKate HavnevikKate Havnevik is a singer and songwriter from Oslo, Norway. Her debut album, the critically acclaimed electronica infused Melankton, was released in March 2006 on iTunes and April 2006 in Norway only, before being licensed internationally later...
- "Wild is The Wind" - The Second BandThe Second BandThe Second Band is a Swedish pop group formed in 2002. Loosely based around songwriter Hampus Norén, the band has featured some ten members since the start...
- "Be Good Or Be Gone" - Fionn ReganFionn ReganFionn Regan is an Irish singer-songwriter and artist from Bray, County Wicklow, who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his Mercury-nominated debut album, The End of History...
- "Don't Mistake Me" - Keisha WhiteKeisha WhiteKeisha White is an English R&B singer. She has released two albums so far, Seventeen, which was released in 2005, and her latest album Out Of My Hands, which was released on 3 July 2006.-Biography:...