‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Love is in the air for Bailey

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In Thursday night’s new episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ titled ‘Push,’ Hunt and Webber kicked up the competition for the Harper Avery Award, battling over how to handle a patient’s seemingly inoperable tumor. Of course, after spying and subterfuge, the men realized that working together to save lives is more important than working apart to win titles. Awww.

Meredith and Derek have barely shared any screen time in weeks, and fans are beginning to make some noise about it! Show runner Shonda Rhimes took to Twitter tonight to promise fans that ‘More mer/der is coming.’

Though that particular couple may have taken a backseat lately, this episode introduced a new possible love connection: between Mark and Teddy. Mark and Teddy are being presented as the latest Seattle Grace romance, but there’s an insincerity to the story. As Callie said, Teddy is ‘age appropriate, and she probably wants kids,’ which is what Mark is apparently looking for. Unfortunately I’m not convinced that Mark and Teddy make a good match.

It seems more like the writers saw two available characters and contrived a reason to shove them together. Mark is still reeling from his breakup with Lexie and his daughter skipping out on him, and Teddy is quite clearly still hung up on Owen, though it remains to be seen whether Owen returns her feelings. Their upcoming lunch date seems more like a job interview than a romance. Plus, it’s hard to feel enthused about their relationship when it drove Lexie to curl up on the bathroom floor in tears.Mark and Teddy aren’t the only new couple on the show. I absolutely love Bailey’s new flirtation with Ben (Jason George) the anesthesiologist. Right now, he almost seems too perfect. He’s gorgeous, he cooks, he’s already proven himself an excellent communicator, and it seems that he and Bailey are really on the same page.

Plus, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ always gets a boost when some humor is injected into the love stories. Bailey’s relationship drama has always been focused on the deterioration of her relationship, so it’s nice to see her fun, flirty side. Her nervous anticipation for the date with Ben allowed us a hilarious glimpse into Bailey’s friendship with Callie, who advised Bailey on birth control protocol and the changes in female grooming trends since Bailey’s last ‘third date.’

I’m beginning to think that Callie has chemistry with everyone. Not only did she dish out the laughs with Bailey, but her scenes with Mark are always perfectly sharp. Additionally, Callie and Arizona have established themselves firmly as my favorite couple over the last year.

Of course, just as I was telling my roommate how much I love them together, the ‘Grey’s’ Powers That Be threw a wrench in the works. It turns out that while Callie has always wanted children -- and even suggested to her father that grandchildren were still in his future -- Arizona doesn’t share that plan. It seems out of character for Arizona not to want children, because she understands them so deeply, but I suppose that’s why Callie made the assumption otherwise.

What seemed really off to me was the cavalier way that Arizona dismissed the possibility of children. She was more or less crossing an item off of Callie’s list of life goals, but she acted so casual that she might as well have said, ‘No, I’m not in the mood for Italian tonight; let’s get sushi.’

Poor Callie. Now I really wish she and Mark had ended up raising Sloan’s baby, as crazy as that may have been!

What’d you think of the episode, which was directed by Chandra Wilson? Do you think Ben and Bailey are a good match? How do you think Derek is doing in his new role as chief? Let me know in the comments below, and check back with Showtracker after the new episode on March 25.

--Carina MacKenzie (follow me on Twitter @cadlymack)

Photo: Jason George as Ben and Chandra Wilson as Bailey. Credit: ABC

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