'Grey's Anatomy': It's not a finale without a body count

"Grey's Anatomy" has a history of strong finales. With the exception of Cristina's wedding -- which I'll excuse because that was the year of the writers' strike -- each season-ender has been poignant enough to move me to tears. This year, I was too stunned to cry.

The finale, "Sanctuary / Death and All His Friends," turns the hospital from a sanctuary into a battle field. Mr. Clark returns, still upset by his wife's death at the hand of Webber, Lexie and McDreamy despite the board's ruling that the doctors made the right decisions.

This time, he wants revenge of the "eye for an eye" variety, and he's got the jacket full of ammunition to prove it.

It's been 11 years since the Columbine High School massacre, and only three since the Virginia Tech massacre. Despite the fact that "Grey's Anatomy" takes place in a hospital, not a school, the episode couldn't help but recall those memories. Like a school, a hospital is a safe place. It's somewhere people go to be taken care of and nurtured. To be honest, this episode was hard for me to watch.

Death is a common occurrence on "Grey's Anatomy;" someone dies in nearly every episode. However, it's never been a violent, intentional death at the hand of another human being. I don't know what the body count was from Mr. Clark's shooting spree, but I expect we'll find out next season. What I do know is that Seattle Grace will never be the same.

The good

Even in the midst of hospital chaos, the Seattle Grace doctors never lose their signature "Grey's" style of speaking. Arizona's line, "Do not alarm the makers of the tiny humans," was spot on. Later, when things got more dire, Cristina still sounded like Cristina. "I can't do this if you're in there staring at me with big, sad, don't kill McDreamy eyes." The best thing about "Grey's" is that the characters remain consistent. They may be consistently childish or consistently boring ... but they're consistent.

As always, Chandra Wilson blew this episode out of the water. The range of emotion Bailey experienced in tonight's episode was epic, for lack of a better word. The work that Wilson puts into her role really comes across on screen. You get the impression that the emotions are genuine, when in actuality, an enormous level of thought and commitment must go into each scene.

I was thrilled to see Callie and Arizona reconcile. I've made no secret of the fact that I think Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw are the strongest actresses on the show, and their interactions make for some of the most emotional scenes, and some of the most funny. My only concern is that a reconciliation in such a time of crisis can't last.

Dr. Webber really shined tonight. At the beginning of the season, I was so disappointed in him. We'd invested so much in his character just to see him let the hospital down. Tonight, he proved himself a Chief again, and I hope that while Derek is recovering, he cedes the throne to Webber. When he told the officer, "I'm the Chief -- I'm the former -- look, this is my hospital," I truly believed him.

The bad

I've been a fan of Mandy Moore's for years, but I don't think her performance added much to the episode. As this week's big name guest star, all eyes were on her. So why was her dialogue so unnatural and so exposition-heavy? Though the writers remembered to keep the regular characters witty, Moore's character fell flat. I hope she returns for an episode or two next season to redeem herself. After enduring a trauma like this, it would seem odd for her not to forge a relationship with Bailey.

I'm probably going to get reamed for saying this, but I think that the episode would have had more emotional weight if one of the regular doctors had died. Reed and Charles were the only people killed that we recognized, and not only were they the new alien Mercy Westers, but they were also our least favorite Mercy Westers. It almost feels like they were introduced just to be killed.

After Columbine, rumors spread that the shooters asked victims whether they believed in God, and shot them if they said yes. Those rumors were later disproved, but when Mr. Clark asked the hospital staff whether they were surgeons and then shot them if they said yes, it hit a little bit too close to the mark. Since when is "Grey's Anatomy" the show that's "ripped from the headlines"? There are ways to establish fictional tragedy without borrowing so heavily from real tragedy.

This season has been jam-packed with big changes. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were wondering (well, sort of) whether Izzie and George would live or die. Certainly, such a tragic and traumatic event will make even bigger waves. I have a feeling that the Seattle Grace we return to next season will be a very unfamiliar, very scary place.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Were you as shocked as we were by the death toll? Who will you miss the most? Chime in with your expectations for next season in the comments below.

--Carina MacKenzie
twitter.com/cadlymack

Photo: (top) Ellen Pompeo, left, as Meredith and Sarah Drew as April.

Credit: ABC

Photo: (bottom) Mandy Moore as Mary. 

Credit: ABC

Comments

[Susan]

I was completely glued to the tv during this episode, even as violent as it was. And yes, there were some really hokey parts, like SWAT coming in and only hitting him in the shoulder then you didnt see SWAT again. Come on, ABC, help me believe it a bit more! The commercials were TOTALLY annoying and most of the shows have gotten way too commercial anymore, which is why i live by the dvr. And i personally hate Meredith, have always hated Meredith, and would have cheered if Mr. Clark HAD shot her...

[stevieb276]

I have been a long time fan of the show, and as I can agree that some of the fine details of this finale were let slide (Mr. Clark getting shot and the SWAT team allowing him to wander off again), I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this season. Bailey and Christina and Merideth...all had me in tears multiple times. I agree 100% that the Seattle Grace we return to next year will be a very "dark and twisty" place.

[sharee]

I really liked this season. The finale was intense but a bit predictable. I wasn't expecting everything to start happening right away. I knew he would be the shooter though.
What bugged me was the SWAT guy shot him in the shoulder and then disappeared??? Why didn't he shoot him again?

[Lily Ramos]

I thought this was a great episode but I'm confused as to how the shooter made his way into the OR where Christina is operating on Derek without being seen by Meredith or April....I thought there was only one way of entry into OR's!

[Acee]

April, my favorite name-after all it's my daughters, but Grey's April character is so immature, that I find it hard to believe that this flighty, giddy, silly young woman is an intern. Dialogue way too adolescent for so much responsibility. If she has a serious, intelligent side we have yet to see it.

[Rebecca]

This was already done years ago on ER, and done much better. I am not a fan of Grays Anatomy, but was flipping thru chanels and coulden't believe how copycat this seemed to me , Its only one opinion but ER was the better show.

[Fran]

Crap TV, period. To pretend it has anything but idiot value is... crap.

[Stephanie]

OMG!!! This had to be one of the best finales EVER!! I think Grey's will be just fine without Izzy!! Cannot wait until next season!! Just so, so, so sad Meredith lost the baby!! I was litteretly biting my nails the entire 2 hours!!

[Janett]

Watched it and it angered me, what part of LOCK-DOWN did no one in that whole hospital understood, it means to Lock the Doors, close off the floors and make sure no one got into the difference departments, but not one place was locked. It hit close because yesterday at a Wal-Mart in W.Memphis there was a shoot-out that Wal-Mart I was told that there is a school nearby, I hope that school was in Lock-Down, kids in classrooms with doors locked. I was getting so mad at the story line, I hope this is use as an example of WHAT NOT TO DO in real hospitals. Sometime stories need to teach what NOT TO DO.

[Lola Grace]

I have to agree with the author. Chandra Bailey was simply amazing. When she got to the elevator and they elevators were not working... WOW--that was so real for me.

The episode was not without flaws but overall I really enjoyed it!

[Pamela]

Just the commercials prior to the finale left me with chills and I knew we were gonna be in for a serious ride. This was as intense as when George died. I started crying as soon as Reid was shot and hardly stopped until the end. Thank GOODNESS we record it the night before and watch it the next day. Don't have to ride the roller coaster through all the commercials. Zoom Zoom!

[JEZZYKA]

We all have to remember this is a show....and it would not have been the amazing season finale we all expect of Grey's if the SWAT team did more sooner. And, even though it was two hours of our time to watch, it could have all occurred within just an hour...I think the entire case was amazing. The most riveting part I thought was when Owen went in to "check on Christina" doing surgery while Meredith was inside the scrub room waiting....I actually though Owen was going to have effects of a war flashback and do something crazy because of the look he had- I never expected the shooter to be in the OR! Awesome impact! This finale showed us sides of characters we never get to see, showed us their strengths and weaknesses, and showed us what new relationships and personalities we might see next season. So much to look foward to!!!!!!

[Chiquita]

First I would like to say that every one knows that Mandy Moore isn't really a "good" actress. But I will have to disagree with you about her performance in last nights episode. She did an awesome job. Now moving on to more important things. The show itself. I thought the finale was fantastic!! Yes there was a lot of violence, but with a shooter in the hospital, what did you expect? I have been a Grey's fan since day one and have probably seen every episode 20 times or more. So I know these characters like the back of my hand. They all did an amazing job and the writers were right on track with this one.
Leave it to you to bring up school shootings and things of that sort. It is a TV show. Seriously?
This episode had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I did not move once. I could not breathe half the time. They deserve some kind of award for all that amazingness. lol Just thought I would point that out. I can't wait until next season. The best finale out of every TV show I have ever seen.

[Rachel Toll]

I think the premise the drama was built around was so poorly detached from modern day reality (a single shooter running around a hospital with almost zero police intervention) was just another testament to what K. Hiegel said when she turned down her Emmy nomination regarding how poor the writing is on Grey's now. The idea that a SWAT officer would shoot the suspect...have him on the ground with his gun out of hand and not end the siege right there made me turn it off immediately. This type of false drama build up to support a flat storyline is just so disappointing. Seeing all of the 'positive' reviews on here though...it just means the 'sheep' that watch this show regularly just want to swallow the false drama being fed to them. Come on!

[Nancy]

I had slowly started to move away from watching Greys, but this season it slowly started peeking my interest again. After this season's finale, I can't wait for next season to get started... Dr. Bailey ROCKS!!!

[Chiquita]

Oh yea, and someone asked why Bailey didn't call the police to let them know where they were. If you paid attention to the show, she did call the police right along with Slone, Callie, Christina and a number of other people.

[Aisha]

I needed the commercials to breathe again.

I could hardly contain the emotion with every scene. It was a shocker... not sure that is was predictable as some comments said... I was on the edge of my seat the entire 2 hours... even through the commercials.

I was riveted by every dynamic exchange we heard from the characters... taking us deeper into the realm of their world. I feel like I know them even more now than before. We saw sides to the them that were true revelations of the human spirit. I was absolutely pleased with the writing. I think they did an outstanding job on this episode... revealing only more to us to keep us connected to our favorite show. I, at times, thought the storyline was becoming shallow and too cookie cutter. But this past season really brought me back in.

On another note.

My favorite stand out line was when Bailey was applying gauze to Charles and it was sopping wet. She looks above her to see where the leak is coming from.
"Where is all this water coming from?" she says
"Dr. Bailey," Moore's character says, "You're crying. It's coming from you. You're crying."

HOW PROFOUND that was for her to shed tears and not realize where "the water" was coming from. Speaks to the core of her character. And I really appreciated the humor and the poignancy of that moment.

It was Grey's Anatomy brilliance.
And scene.

[Kiki]

I stopped watching this stupid show when Izzy and George had sex in the bathtub. Enough said.

[Dawn Weatherly]

Where was the swat team? Are you telling me they could only "wound" Mr. Clark? How could he so easily roam the hospital without anyone catching him. Ridiculous and too far-fetched.

[Isaac]

The season finale of "Grey's" was good, but your right...it could have been better. Like you said, it would have been more emotional for a main character to be killed (Like Alex, I've wanted him dead since the beginning).
But I was also bothered by the role of the SWAT guy who shot Mr. Clark when Mr. Clark was about to shoot Little Grey. I've watched enough cop shows (Mostly "Law & Order"--a true 'ripped from the headlines' show) & know real police officers; to know that in such a situation when the police have shot the suspect they quickly move in, secure their weapon and place him under arrest. Why the *!(% did the SWAT guy leave?!?!?!
Further, you'd never see hospital personnel not follow orders to stay put during a lock down. Hospitals have drills all the time, yes, but doctors and nurses are trained to treat each as a real threat. How stupid to have Christina and Mer just walking around like nothing...when they're suppose to be the best.
And lastly Mer to perform surgury during her miscarrage. Going "ow...scapel" just never ever ever EVER happens.
I guess since the show has straied too far away from medicine in favor of sex sex and more sex, they tried to redeem themselves in 2 hours. A good try, but not good enough.