Shonda Rhimes confirms T.R. Knight's exit from 'Grey's Anatomy'*

Earlier this week, Entertainment Weekly reported that the rumors were true: T.R. Knight would be leaving "Grey's Anatomy." But ABC and representatives of the actor would not confirm that Knight was in fact leaving.

This morning, however, ABC e-mailed a statement from the show's creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, that says yes, Knight is no longer with the show, which will enter its sixth season this fall:

“I think I speak for the entire Grey’s Anatomy family when I say we wish T.R. Knight the best in his future endeavors. He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us."

Knight and the rest of the "Grey's" cast became breakout stars -- if not overnight ones -- when the show became a smash success after its debut in the spring of 2005. He played George O'Malley, a sensitive doctor from a working-class background.

But it has been a rocky road for Knight at "Grey's." In October 2006, his fellow cast mates Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington had an on-set fight during which Washington reportedly referred to Knight as "a faggot." At the time, Knight had not yet come out publicly as gay, but he did so shortly after that widely publicized incident. 

Knight and Katherine Heigl, his close friend who plays Izzie Stevens, were unhappy that Washington was allowed to remain on "Grey's" for the rest of the season, particularly after the actor repeated the slur in front of press backstage after the show won a Golden Globe for best drama. (In June 2007, Washington was let go.)

Will Izzie and George live or die?

We’ve got roughly four months to ponder that question. For now, it’s just a relief we still care.

To call “Grey’s” fifth season rough would be an understatement. Dead Denny sex, too many half-baked guest star arcs, the unceremonious firing of Brooke Smith, a flurry of headlines surrounding unhappy cast members — this year had it all. It also had a rather frustrating finale in some ways, which I’ll get to in a moment. But thankfully there was enough emotional heft packed into last night’s two hours to justify tuning in again in Season 6.

We knew Izzie’s battle with cancer would dominate the episode. The newlywed debated whether to undergo another brain surgery, ultimately did, and then struggled, heartbreakingly, with short-term memory loss. Just when it seemed she was out of the woods, Iz went limp in Alex’s arms. Naturally, Alex freaked, said to hell with the DNR she had signed and tried desperately to resuscitate her. Meanwhile, Izzie appeared onscreen in her pink Season 2 ball gown and boarded what appeared to be an elevator to the afterlife.

More rewarding was who awaited her when the elevator doors opened: Best buddy George. There had been rumors that the doc — who joined the Army to be a trauma surgeon last night — might find himself in a life-threatening situation. But the way he wound up there was, at least for me, a stunner. In the final hour, Seattle Grace’s finest had been trying to save a John Doe who’d heroically pushed a woman out of the path of a speeding bus only to get mangled in her place. George had been MIA for a while, but, then again, he was MIA for most of the season, so that didn’t seem particularly odd. So when, minutes before the episode ended, the Chief revealed that he’d given George the day off to go hang with his mom before departing for Iraq, and the realization of who John Doe really was began to dawn, my heart leapt out of my chest.

That juicy twist warranted cliffhanger status, whereas I wish Izzie’s fate had been determined, one way or the other, by the final cut to black. After following the Izzie cancer story for much of the season — and especially after enduring all those maddening Denny hallucinations — I can’t help but feel we deserved that much.

The Meredith-Derek ‘wedding’ also felt like a cop-out. In a tender scene early on, the couple decided to finally get hitched in a low-key ceremony at City Hall. Rocked by Izzie’s battle, a reminder that life is all too short, Mer told Der, “I don’t wanna spend another day not being married to you.” And yet, she will. Because, in the end, there was no trip to City Hall, or even a trip to the hospital chapel. Rather, the two decided to write some vows on a Post-it, sign it and consider themselves wed. As Meredith herself used to so often say: Seriously?!

But back to the stuff that did work. Like a pre-injury George helping a pre-surgery Izzie find the strength to continue fighting her disease by reminding her she’s a “doer.” A frustrated and frightened Alex telling Izzie he married her because they both figured she’d be dead in a week. Meredith, at last healed and whole, telling Christina she loves her and wrapping her up in a warm hug. Christina struggling to tell Owen she loves him and planting a big ol’ wet kiss on him, smack in the middle of the hospital. Mark realizing, after Lexie turned down his offer to move in together, that the age difference between them may be too big an obstacle to overcome and deciding to move on (and move in to a new house) alone. And Bailey — oh, Bailey. She opted to leave both her troubled marriage and the peds fellowship program, and then broke down sobbing in front of the Chief. “Grey’s” may have its ups and downs, but Chandra Wilson is consistently remarkable. Seattle Grace is lucky to have her, and so are we. 

Your turn. What did you make of the finale?

–Shawna Malcom

'The Chief,' as is character is known, avoids the show's many off-camera soap operas.

Whether on screen or off camera, it's always seemed stormy at ABC's "Grey’s Anatomy." But amid the many swirling tempests around one of prime-time's most popular soap operas, James Pickens Jr., the deep-voiced actor who plays the authoritative Dr. Richard Webber, has consistently been a center of calm.

But earlier this year the 54-year-old Cleveland-born actor suddenly found himself a lightning rod for the show, which airs its season finale tonight. During a red carpet interview, he sparked a round of shock, denials and corrections when he said that cast members T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl would be leaving the show by season's end.

"I didn't think anyone ever listened to me," Pickens said, laughing inside his North Hollywood loft. "All these people were coming up to me, saying 'You're the talk of the town.' I just couldn't believe that this became such a big deal."

Read more: James Pickens Jr. is a steady hand for 'Grey's Anatomy'

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: James Pickens Jr.. Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t exactly a shock that Meredith and Derek didn’t get hitched in the 100th episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” -- or even that Izzie and Alex did. That’s OK. Better, actually. The lushly romantic churchy-church wedding Izzie had so lovingly planned wasn’t really Mer-Der’s style anyway; it was hers, and who can begrudge the poor cancer-stricken girl a little "til death do us part" before she likely departs?

To be sure, the event was an only-on-TV fantasy. Izzie’s glorious blonde hair may have been falling out in clumps but, somehow, it was strong enough to withstand both a curling iron and a spray of flowers. And, in a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque twist, Meredith’s dress fit her taller, bustier friend absolutely perfectly. The groom even lifted his “today’s the day my life begins” vows from a patient, a valedictorian who was en route to her college graduation when a semi slammed into the SUV she was riding in and ultimately killed seven of her friends. Still, it was next to impossible not to get swept up in the moment, what with Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers getting all teary and acting the hell out of the thing.

Unfortunately, the big day was marred by the reappearance of Denny, but at least this time, the Seattle Gracers were equally dismayed by his presence. Hallucination Denny -- all shadowy and black-shirted -- meant Izzie had yet another tumor, which prompted Bailey to instruct Iz, “Tell Denny Duquette I say go home.” Brilliant. And oh-so-necessary.

Even though Mer-Der didn’t get to tie the knot, the would-be groom did get his fiancé a perfect wedding gift: An inflamed colon. Meredith aced her first solo surgery, as her man surely knew she would. Are those two meant for each other or what?

In other couples news, Cristina and Owen inched towards reconciliation. (She wouldn’t be taking down that PTSD-triggering ceiling fan in her bedroom unless she planned on inviting him back there again at some point.) And Callie nearly threw away her relationship with Arizona over a pricey romantic dinner she said she couldn’t afford. Question about that: I get that Callie’s dad disowned her and cut her off from the trust fund and all that, but doctors make good money, no? Surely, a surgeon’s salary would cover rent, groceries and a nice date with the girlfriend every now and again.

What did you think of Izzie and Alex’s wedding? Should Mer-Der get theirs in the finale? What else do you hope to see in the final episode of the season?

– Shawna Malcom

The patients included an environmentalist who broke all her limbs when she was bulldozed out of a tree and a little girl who riddled her dad with 17 bullets to keep him from using her as a punching bag. But the deepest wounds on Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” were emotional, rather than physical, and healing those would require good old-fashioned apologies (a.k.a. things that are even trickier to pull off than intricate surgery).

Tensions between Meredith and the Chief -- over his affair with her mom, which led to Mer’s neglect and the departure of her father -- finally came to a head in the episode. Mer let the gun-toting girl’s mom have it for failing to protect her daughter, prompting the Chief to let Mer have it for snapping at an abused woman. Go near the family again, he threatened, and the only wedding gift he’d be giving was a big fat suspension. It didn’t take Amy Madigan’s shrink to see that Mer identified with the kid and felt a burning need to stand up for her because she wished someone had done the same during her own tumultuous childhood. It did, however, take the Chief awhile to accept his role in the whole mess. Ultimately, his apology to Meredith was honest, heartfelt and worthy of every one of Mer’s tears. The question now is how Mama Grey’s journals, the ones Meredith packed up to give to the Chief, will affect this new detente. With the season finale a mere two weeks away, it seems likely that things are about to get more complicated.

Especially now that Meredith’s father is back in the picture. A rehabbed Thatcher Grey arrived at Seattle Grace full of apologies but while Meredith thanked him and wished him well, Lexie took things a step further and let Dad right back into her life, even introducing him to boyfriend Sloan over dinner. The Grey gals weren’t the only ones to receive a surprise visit from a ‘rent: Izzie’s free spirit/drama queen of a mom (Sharon Lawrence) also popped in to hit on her daughter’s boyfriend, consult her psychic and, oh yes, see how her kid was doing. Was it any wonder Izzie hadn’t called Mom herself (and was sorry that Bailey had)? The woman’s heart might be in the right place, but poor Izzie’s got enough to deal with without Hurricane Robbie. I was exhausted just watching, and I wasn’t even in the path of destruction. Thank goodness Bailey lied, saying that Izzie’s latest scans showed the cancer was virtually gone. Maybe now Mer-Der’s wedding planner can undergo her latest surgery in peace.

Lying was also an option for Callie, who was still reeling from her dad’s visit last week. (With parents like these, no wonder the "Grey’s" crew is so issue-riddled.) In the interest of getting her relatives to speak to her again -- and regaining access to her trust fund -- Callie considered Cristina and Sloan’s advice to tell them she’d ended things with Arizona. Her girlfriend even said she’d accept the ruse. In the end, though, Callie, done lying to herself, decided she wasn’t about to start deceiving anybody else. Maybe this Arizona-Torres pairing really has a shot at going the distance.

I’m still rooting for the Owen-Cristina coupling as well, even though the guy all but ignored his ex for most of the episode. The way she finally called him on it was typical zingy Yang: “What are you? A choke ‘em and forget ‘em kind of guy?” More like a maybe-he’s-really-starting-to-take-this-therapy-thing-seriously kind of guy. He may be saying “take care now,” but he made it perfectly clear to Cristina those aren’t the three little words he means. To which I say: I.love.it.

What about you -- are you Cristina-Hunt fans? What were your favorite parts of the episode? And what secrets do you think are lurking in Mama Grey’s journals?

-- Shawna Malcom

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey's Anatomy': Who's checking out?

Will Izzie and George live or die?

We’ve got roughly four months to ponder that question. For now, it’s just a relief we still care.

To call “Grey’s” fifth season rough would be an understatement. Dead Denny sex, too many half-baked guest star arcs, the unceremonious firing of Brooke Smith, a flurry of headlines surrounding unhappy cast members — this year had it all. It also had a rather frustrating finale in some ways, which I’ll get to in a moment. But thankfully there was enough emotional heft packed into last night’s two hours to justify tuning in again in Season 6.

We knew Izzie’s battle with cancer would dominate the episode. The newlywed debated whether to undergo another brain surgery, ultimately did, and then struggled, heartbreakingly, with short-term memory loss. Just when it seemed she was out of the woods, Iz went limp in Alex’s arms. Naturally, Alex freaked, said to hell with the DNR she had signed and tried desperately to resuscitate her. Meanwhile, Izzie appeared onscreen in her pink Season 2 ball gown and boarded what appeared to be an elevator to the afterlife.

More rewarding was who awaited her when the elevator doors opened: Best buddy George. There had been rumors that the doc — who joined the Army to be a trauma surgeon last night — might find himself in a life-threatening situation. But the way he wound up there was, at least for me, a stunner. In the final hour, Seattle Grace’s finest had been trying to save a John Doe who’d heroically pushed a woman out of the path of a speeding bus only to get mangled in her place. George had been MIA for a while, but, then again, he was MIA for most of the season, so that didn’t seem particularly odd. So when, minutes before the episode ended, the Chief revealed that he’d given George the day off to go hang with his mom before departing for Iraq, and the realization of who John Doe really was began to dawn, my heart leapt out of my chest.

That juicy twist warranted cliffhanger status, whereas I wish Izzie’s fate had been determined, one way or the other, by the final cut to black. After following the Izzie cancer story for much of the season — and especially after enduring all those maddening Denny hallucinations — I can’t help but feel we deserved that much.

The Meredith-Derek ‘wedding’ also felt like a cop-out. In a tender scene early on, the couple decided to finally get hitched in a low-key ceremony at City Hall. Rocked by Izzie’s battle, a reminder that life is all too short, Mer told Der, “I don’t wanna spend another day not being married to you.” And yet, she will. Because, in the end, there was no trip to City Hall, or even a trip to the hospital chapel. Rather, the two decided to write some vows on a Post-it, sign it and consider themselves wed. As Meredith herself used to so often say: Seriously?!

But back to the stuff that did work. Like a pre-injury George helping a pre-surgery Izzie find the strength to continue fighting her disease by reminding her she’s a “doer.” A frustrated and frightened Alex telling Izzie he married her because they both figured she’d be dead in a week. Meredith, at last healed and whole, telling Christina she loves her and wrapping her up in a warm hug. Christina struggling to tell Owen she loves him and planting a big ol’ wet kiss on him, smack in the middle of the hospital. Mark realizing, after Lexie turned down his offer to move in together, that the age difference between them may be too big an obstacle to overcome and deciding to move on (and move in to a new house) alone. And Bailey — oh, Bailey. She opted to leave both her troubled marriage and the peds fellowship program, and then broke down sobbing in front of the Chief. “Grey’s” may have its ups and downs, but Chandra Wilson is consistently remarkable. Seattle Grace is lucky to have her, and so are we. 

Your turn. What did you make of the finale?

–Shawna Malcom

'The Chief,' as is character is known, avoids the show's many off-camera soap operas.

Whether on screen or off camera, it's always seemed stormy at ABC's "Grey’s Anatomy." But amid the many swirling tempests around one of prime-time's most popular soap operas, James Pickens Jr., the deep-voiced actor who plays the authoritative Dr. Richard Webber, has consistently been a center of calm.

But earlier this year the 54-year-old Cleveland-born actor suddenly found himself a lightning rod for the show, which airs its season finale tonight. During a red carpet interview, he sparked a round of shock, denials and corrections when he said that cast members T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl would be leaving the show by season's end.

"I didn't think anyone ever listened to me," Pickens said, laughing inside his North Hollywood loft. "All these people were coming up to me, saying 'You're the talk of the town.' I just couldn't believe that this became such a big deal."

Read more: James Pickens Jr. is a steady hand for 'Grey's Anatomy'

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: James Pickens Jr.. Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t exactly a shock that Meredith and Derek didn’t get hitched in the 100th episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” -- or even that Izzie and Alex did. That’s OK. Better, actually. The lushly romantic churchy-church wedding Izzie had so lovingly planned wasn’t really Mer-Der’s style anyway; it was hers, and who can begrudge the poor cancer-stricken girl a little "til death do us part" before she likely departs?

To be sure, the event was an only-on-TV fantasy. Izzie’s glorious blonde hair may have been falling out in clumps but, somehow, it was strong enough to withstand both a curling iron and a spray of flowers. And, in a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque twist, Meredith’s dress fit her taller, bustier friend absolutely perfectly. The groom even lifted his “today’s the day my life begins” vows from a patient, a valedictorian who was en route to her college graduation when a semi slammed into the SUV she was riding in and ultimately killed seven of her friends. Still, it was next to impossible not to get swept up in the moment, what with Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers getting all teary and acting the hell out of the thing.

Unfortunately, the big day was marred by the reappearance of Denny, but at least this time, the Seattle Gracers were equally dismayed by his presence. Hallucination Denny -- all shadowy and black-shirted -- meant Izzie had yet another tumor, which prompted Bailey to instruct Iz, “Tell Denny Duquette I say go home.” Brilliant. And oh-so-necessary.

Even though Mer-Der didn’t get to tie the knot, the would-be groom did get his fiancé a perfect wedding gift: An inflamed colon. Meredith aced her first solo surgery, as her man surely knew she would. Are those two meant for each other or what?

In other couples news, Cristina and Owen inched towards reconciliation. (She wouldn’t be taking down that PTSD-triggering ceiling fan in her bedroom unless she planned on inviting him back there again at some point.) And Callie nearly threw away her relationship with Arizona over a pricey romantic dinner she said she couldn’t afford. Question about that: I get that Callie’s dad disowned her and cut her off from the trust fund and all that, but doctors make good money, no? Surely, a surgeon’s salary would cover rent, groceries and a nice date with the girlfriend every now and again.

What did you think of Izzie and Alex’s wedding? Should Mer-Der get theirs in the finale? What else do you hope to see in the final episode of the season?

– Shawna Malcom

The patients included an environmentalist who broke all her limbs when she was bulldozed out of a tree and a little girl who riddled her dad with 17 bullets to keep him from using her as a punching bag. But the deepest wounds on Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” were emotional, rather than physical, and healing those would require good old-fashioned apologies (a.k.a. things that are even trickier to pull off than intricate surgery).

Tensions between Meredith and the Chief -- over his affair with her mom, which led to Mer’s neglect and the departure of her father -- finally came to a head in the episode. Mer let the gun-toting girl’s mom have it for failing to protect her daughter, prompting the Chief to let Mer have it for snapping at an abused woman. Go near the family again, he threatened, and the only wedding gift he’d be giving was a big fat suspension. It didn’t take Amy Madigan’s shrink to see that Mer identified with the kid and felt a burning need to stand up for her because she wished someone had done the same during her own tumultuous childhood. It did, however, take the Chief awhile to accept his role in the whole mess. Ultimately, his apology to Meredith was honest, heartfelt and worthy of every one of Mer’s tears. The question now is how Mama Grey’s journals, the ones Meredith packed up to give to the Chief, will affect this new detente. With the season finale a mere two weeks away, it seems likely that things are about to get more complicated.

Especially now that Meredith’s father is back in the picture. A rehabbed Thatcher Grey arrived at Seattle Grace full of apologies but while Meredith thanked him and wished him well, Lexie took things a step further and let Dad right back into her life, even introducing him to boyfriend Sloan over dinner. The Grey gals weren’t the only ones to receive a surprise visit from a ‘rent: Izzie’s free spirit/drama queen of a mom (Sharon Lawrence) also popped in to hit on her daughter’s boyfriend, consult her psychic and, oh yes, see how her kid was doing. Was it any wonder Izzie hadn’t called Mom herself (and was sorry that Bailey had)? The woman’s heart might be in the right place, but poor Izzie’s got enough to deal with without Hurricane Robbie. I was exhausted just watching, and I wasn’t even in the path of destruction. Thank goodness Bailey lied, saying that Izzie’s latest scans showed the cancer was virtually gone. Maybe now Mer-Der’s wedding planner can undergo her latest surgery in peace.

Lying was also an option for Callie, who was still reeling from her dad’s visit last week. (With parents like these, no wonder the "Grey’s" crew is so issue-riddled.) In the interest of getting her relatives to speak to her again -- and regaining access to her trust fund -- Callie considered Cristina and Sloan’s advice to tell them she’d ended things with Arizona. Her girlfriend even said she’d accept the ruse. In the end, though, Callie, done lying to herself, decided she wasn’t about to start deceiving anybody else. Maybe this Arizona-Torres pairing really has a shot at going the distance.

I’m still rooting for the Owen-Cristina coupling as well, even though the guy all but ignored his ex for most of the episode. The way she finally called him on it was typical zingy Yang: “What are you? A choke ‘em and forget ‘em kind of guy?” More like a maybe-he’s-really-starting-to-take-this-therapy-thing-seriously kind of guy. He may be saying “take care now,” but he made it perfectly clear to Cristina those aren’t the three little words he means. To which I say: I.love.it.

What about you -- are you Cristina-Hunt fans? What were your favorite parts of the episode? And what secrets do you think are lurking in Mama Grey’s journals?

-- Shawna Malcom

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

James Pickens Jr. is a steady hand for 'Grey's Anatomy'

'The Chief,' as is character is known, avoids the show's many off-camera soap operas.

Whether on screen or off camera, it's always seemed stormy at ABC's "Grey’s Anatomy." But amid the many swirling tempests around one of prime-time's most popular soap operas, James Pickens Jr., the deep-voiced actor who plays the authoritative Dr. Richard Webber, has consistently been a center of calm.

But earlier this year the 54-year-old Cleveland-born actor suddenly found himself a lightning rod for the show, which airs its season finale tonight. During a red carpet interview, he sparked a round of shock, denials and corrections when he said that cast members T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl would be leaving the show by season's end.

"I didn't think anyone ever listened to me," Pickens said, laughing inside his North Hollywood loft. "All these people were coming up to me, saying 'You're the talk of the town.' I just couldn't believe that this became such a big deal."

Read more: James Pickens Jr. is a steady hand for 'Grey's Anatomy'

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: James Pickens Jr.. Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t exactly a shock that Meredith and Derek didn’t get hitched in the 100th episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” -- or even that Izzie and Alex did. That’s OK. Better, actually. The lushly romantic churchy-church wedding Izzie had so lovingly planned wasn’t really Mer-Der’s style anyway; it was hers, and who can begrudge the poor cancer-stricken girl a little "til death do us part" before she likely departs?

To be sure, the event was an only-on-TV fantasy. Izzie’s glorious blonde hair may have been falling out in clumps but, somehow, it was strong enough to withstand both a curling iron and a spray of flowers. And, in a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque twist, Meredith’s dress fit her taller, bustier friend absolutely perfectly. The groom even lifted his “today’s the day my life begins” vows from a patient, a valedictorian who was en route to her college graduation when a semi slammed into the SUV she was riding in and ultimately killed seven of her friends. Still, it was next to impossible not to get swept up in the moment, what with Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers getting all teary and acting the hell out of the thing.

Unfortunately, the big day was marred by the reappearance of Denny, but at least this time, the Seattle Gracers were equally dismayed by his presence. Hallucination Denny -- all shadowy and black-shirted -- meant Izzie had yet another tumor, which prompted Bailey to instruct Iz, “Tell Denny Duquette I say go home.” Brilliant. And oh-so-necessary.

Even though Mer-Der didn’t get to tie the knot, the would-be groom did get his fiancé a perfect wedding gift: An inflamed colon. Meredith aced her first solo surgery, as her man surely knew she would. Are those two meant for each other or what?

In other couples news, Cristina and Owen inched towards reconciliation. (She wouldn’t be taking down that PTSD-triggering ceiling fan in her bedroom unless she planned on inviting him back there again at some point.) And Callie nearly threw away her relationship with Arizona over a pricey romantic dinner she said she couldn’t afford. Question about that: I get that Callie’s dad disowned her and cut her off from the trust fund and all that, but doctors make good money, no? Surely, a surgeon’s salary would cover rent, groceries and a nice date with the girlfriend every now and again.

What did you think of Izzie and Alex’s wedding? Should Mer-Der get theirs in the finale? What else do you hope to see in the final episode of the season?

– Shawna Malcom

The patients included an environmentalist who broke all her limbs when she was bulldozed out of a tree and a little girl who riddled her dad with 17 bullets to keep him from using her as a punching bag. But the deepest wounds on Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” were emotional, rather than physical, and healing those would require good old-fashioned apologies (a.k.a. things that are even trickier to pull off than intricate surgery).

Tensions between Meredith and the Chief -- over his affair with her mom, which led to Mer’s neglect and the departure of her father -- finally came to a head in the episode. Mer let the gun-toting girl’s mom have it for failing to protect her daughter, prompting the Chief to let Mer have it for snapping at an abused woman. Go near the family again, he threatened, and the only wedding gift he’d be giving was a big fat suspension. It didn’t take Amy Madigan’s shrink to see that Mer identified with the kid and felt a burning need to stand up for her because she wished someone had done the same during her own tumultuous childhood. It did, however, take the Chief awhile to accept his role in the whole mess. Ultimately, his apology to Meredith was honest, heartfelt and worthy of every one of Mer’s tears. The question now is how Mama Grey’s journals, the ones Meredith packed up to give to the Chief, will affect this new detente. With the season finale a mere two weeks away, it seems likely that things are about to get more complicated.

Especially now that Meredith’s father is back in the picture. A rehabbed Thatcher Grey arrived at Seattle Grace full of apologies but while Meredith thanked him and wished him well, Lexie took things a step further and let Dad right back into her life, even introducing him to boyfriend Sloan over dinner. The Grey gals weren’t the only ones to receive a surprise visit from a ‘rent: Izzie’s free spirit/drama queen of a mom (Sharon Lawrence) also popped in to hit on her daughter’s boyfriend, consult her psychic and, oh yes, see how her kid was doing. Was it any wonder Izzie hadn’t called Mom herself (and was sorry that Bailey had)? The woman’s heart might be in the right place, but poor Izzie’s got enough to deal with without Hurricane Robbie. I was exhausted just watching, and I wasn’t even in the path of destruction. Thank goodness Bailey lied, saying that Izzie’s latest scans showed the cancer was virtually gone. Maybe now Mer-Der’s wedding planner can undergo her latest surgery in peace.

Lying was also an option for Callie, who was still reeling from her dad’s visit last week. (With parents like these, no wonder the "Grey’s" crew is so issue-riddled.) In the interest of getting her relatives to speak to her again -- and regaining access to her trust fund -- Callie considered Cristina and Sloan’s advice to tell them she’d ended things with Arizona. Her girlfriend even said she’d accept the ruse. In the end, though, Callie, done lying to herself, decided she wasn’t about to start deceiving anybody else. Maybe this Arizona-Torres pairing really has a shot at going the distance.

I’m still rooting for the Owen-Cristina coupling as well, even though the guy all but ignored his ex for most of the episode. The way she finally called him on it was typical zingy Yang: “What are you? A choke ‘em and forget ‘em kind of guy?” More like a maybe-he’s-really-starting-to-take-this-therapy-thing-seriously kind of guy. He may be saying “take care now,” but he made it perfectly clear to Cristina those aren’t the three little words he means. To which I say: I.love.it.

What about you -- are you Cristina-Hunt fans? What were your favorite parts of the episode? And what secrets do you think are lurking in Mama Grey’s journals?

-- Shawna Malcom

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey’s Anatomy': Goin' to the chapel

It wasn’t exactly a shock that Meredith and Derek didn’t get hitched in the 100th episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” -- or even that Izzie and Alex did. That’s OK. Better, actually. The lushly romantic churchy-church wedding Izzie had so lovingly planned wasn’t really Mer-Der’s style anyway; it was hers, and who can begrudge the poor cancer-stricken girl a little "til death do us part" before she likely departs?

To be sure, the event was an only-on-TV fantasy. Izzie’s glorious blonde hair may have been falling out in clumps but, somehow, it was strong enough to withstand both a curling iron and a spray of flowers. And, in a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque twist, Meredith’s dress fit her taller, bustier friend absolutely perfectly. The groom even lifted his “today’s the day my life begins” vows from a patient, a valedictorian who was en route to her college graduation when a semi slammed into the SUV she was riding in and ultimately killed seven of her friends. Still, it was next to impossible not to get swept up in the moment, what with Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers getting all teary and acting the hell out of the thing.

Unfortunately, the big day was marred by the reappearance of Denny, but at least this time, the Seattle Gracers were equally dismayed by his presence. Hallucination Denny -- all shadowy and black-shirted -- meant Izzie had yet another tumor, which prompted Bailey to instruct Iz, “Tell Denny Duquette I say go home.” Brilliant. And oh-so-necessary.

Even though Mer-Der didn’t get to tie the knot, the would-be groom did get his fiancé a perfect wedding gift: An inflamed colon. Meredith aced her first solo surgery, as her man surely knew she would. Are those two meant for each other or what?

In other couples news, Cristina and Owen inched towards reconciliation. (She wouldn’t be taking down that PTSD-triggering ceiling fan in her bedroom unless she planned on inviting him back there again at some point.) And Callie nearly threw away her relationship with Arizona over a pricey romantic dinner she said she couldn’t afford. Question about that: I get that Callie’s dad disowned her and cut her off from the trust fund and all that, but doctors make good money, no? Surely, a surgeon’s salary would cover rent, groceries and a nice date with the girlfriend every now and again.

What did you think of Izzie and Alex’s wedding? Should Mer-Der get theirs in the finale? What else do you hope to see in the final episode of the season?

– Shawna Malcom

The patients included an environmentalist who broke all her limbs when she was bulldozed out of a tree and a little girl who riddled her dad with 17 bullets to keep him from using her as a punching bag. But the deepest wounds on Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” were emotional, rather than physical, and healing those would require good old-fashioned apologies (a.k.a. things that are even trickier to pull off than intricate surgery).

Tensions between Meredith and the Chief -- over his affair with her mom, which led to Mer’s neglect and the departure of her father -- finally came to a head in the episode. Mer let the gun-toting girl’s mom have it for failing to protect her daughter, prompting the Chief to let Mer have it for snapping at an abused woman. Go near the family again, he threatened, and the only wedding gift he’d be giving was a big fat suspension. It didn’t take Amy Madigan’s shrink to see that Mer identified with the kid and felt a burning need to stand up for her because she wished someone had done the same during her own tumultuous childhood. It did, however, take the Chief awhile to accept his role in the whole mess. Ultimately, his apology to Meredith was honest, heartfelt and worthy of every one of Mer’s tears. The question now is how Mama Grey’s journals, the ones Meredith packed up to give to the Chief, will affect this new detente. With the season finale a mere two weeks away, it seems likely that things are about to get more complicated.

Especially now that Meredith’s father is back in the picture. A rehabbed Thatcher Grey arrived at Seattle Grace full of apologies but while Meredith thanked him and wished him well, Lexie took things a step further and let Dad right back into her life, even introducing him to boyfriend Sloan over dinner. The Grey gals weren’t the only ones to receive a surprise visit from a ‘rent: Izzie’s free spirit/drama queen of a mom (Sharon Lawrence) also popped in to hit on her daughter’s boyfriend, consult her psychic and, oh yes, see how her kid was doing. Was it any wonder Izzie hadn’t called Mom herself (and was sorry that Bailey had)? The woman’s heart might be in the right place, but poor Izzie’s got enough to deal with without Hurricane Robbie. I was exhausted just watching, and I wasn’t even in the path of destruction. Thank goodness Bailey lied, saying that Izzie’s latest scans showed the cancer was virtually gone. Maybe now Mer-Der’s wedding planner can undergo her latest surgery in peace.

Lying was also an option for Callie, who was still reeling from her dad’s visit last week. (With parents like these, no wonder the "Grey’s" crew is so issue-riddled.) In the interest of getting her relatives to speak to her again -- and regaining access to her trust fund -- Callie considered Cristina and Sloan’s advice to tell them she’d ended things with Arizona. Her girlfriend even said she’d accept the ruse. In the end, though, Callie, done lying to herself, decided she wasn’t about to start deceiving anybody else. Maybe this Arizona-Torres pairing really has a shot at going the distance.

I’m still rooting for the Owen-Cristina coupling as well, even though the guy all but ignored his ex for most of the episode. The way she finally called him on it was typical zingy Yang: “What are you? A choke ‘em and forget ‘em kind of guy?” More like a maybe-he’s-really-starting-to-take-this-therapy-thing-seriously kind of guy. He may be saying “take care now,” but he made it perfectly clear to Cristina those aren’t the three little words he means. To which I say: I.love.it.

What about you -- are you Cristina-Hunt fans? What were your favorite parts of the episode? And what secrets do you think are lurking in Mama Grey’s journals?

-- Shawna Malcom

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey’s Anatomy': Making amends

The patients included an environmentalist who broke all her limbs when she was bulldozed out of a tree and a little girl who riddled her dad with 17 bullets to keep him from using her as a punching bag. But the deepest wounds on Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” were emotional, rather than physical, and healing those would require good old-fashioned apologies (a.k.a. things that are even trickier to pull off than intricate surgery).

Tensions between Meredith and the Chief -- over his affair with her mom, which led to Mer’s neglect and the departure of her father -- finally came to a head in the episode. Mer let the gun-toting girl’s mom have it for failing to protect her daughter, prompting the Chief to let Mer have it for snapping at an abused woman. Go near the family again, he threatened, and the only wedding gift he’d be giving was a big fat suspension. It didn’t take Amy Madigan’s shrink to see that Mer identified with the kid and felt a burning need to stand up for her because she wished someone had done the same during her own tumultuous childhood. It did, however, take the Chief awhile to accept his role in the whole mess. Ultimately, his apology to Meredith was honest, heartfelt and worthy of every one of Mer’s tears. The question now is how Mama Grey’s journals, the ones Meredith packed up to give to the Chief, will affect this new detente. With the season finale a mere two weeks away, it seems likely that things are about to get more complicated.

Especially now that Meredith’s father is back in the picture. A rehabbed Thatcher Grey arrived at Seattle Grace full of apologies but while Meredith thanked him and wished him well, Lexie took things a step further and let Dad right back into her life, even introducing him to boyfriend Sloan over dinner. The Grey gals weren’t the only ones to receive a surprise visit from a ‘rent: Izzie’s free spirit/drama queen of a mom (Sharon Lawrence) also popped in to hit on her daughter’s boyfriend, consult her psychic and, oh yes, see how her kid was doing. Was it any wonder Izzie hadn’t called Mom herself (and was sorry that Bailey had)? The woman’s heart might be in the right place, but poor Izzie’s got enough to deal with without Hurricane Robbie. I was exhausted just watching, and I wasn’t even in the path of destruction. Thank goodness Bailey lied, saying that Izzie’s latest scans showed the cancer was virtually gone. Maybe now Mer-Der’s wedding planner can undergo her latest surgery in peace.

Lying was also an option for Callie, who was still reeling from her dad’s visit last week. (With parents like these, no wonder the "Grey’s" crew is so issue-riddled.) In the interest of getting her relatives to speak to her again -- and regaining access to her trust fund -- Callie considered Cristina and Sloan’s advice to tell them she’d ended things with Arizona. Her girlfriend even said she’d accept the ruse. In the end, though, Callie, done lying to herself, decided she wasn’t about to start deceiving anybody else. Maybe this Arizona-Torres pairing really has a shot at going the distance.

I’m still rooting for the Owen-Cristina coupling as well, even though the guy all but ignored his ex for most of the episode. The way she finally called him on it was typical zingy Yang: “What are you? A choke ‘em and forget ‘em kind of guy?” More like a maybe-he’s-really-starting-to-take-this-therapy-thing-seriously kind of guy. He may be saying “take care now,” but he made it perfectly clear to Cristina those aren’t the three little words he means. To which I say: I.love.it.

What about you -- are you Cristina-Hunt fans? What were your favorite parts of the episode? And what secrets do you think are lurking in Mama Grey’s journals?

-- Shawna Malcom

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey's Anatomy': The best-laid plans

Well, “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps, if we didn’t already know that the end of the season was near, last night’s episode should’ve clued us in. Meredith and Derek are gearing up for marriage and "cancery" Izzie is getting sicker, which would seem to check two stunts --  a wedding and a death --  off the May sweeps list. That just leaves a baby. Thank goodness Ellen Pompeo announced her pregnancy this week.

In any case, “Grey’s” is heading into the final stretch of Year 5 on more solid ground than perhaps any of us would’ve expected midway through the season. I’m cautiously optimistic for this final handful of episodes, even as rumors swirl of Denny’s reappearance in the upcoming 100th. Maybe he’ll just pop in to give Izzie his blessing to marry Alex? Mer-Der nuptials seem too obvious, at least at this point. Wouldn’t it be just like “Grey’s” chief Shonda Rhimes to instead give Izzie, who’s dreamed of a wedding her whole life, that very thing before she dies? At the same time, it would also provide Alex --  who pointed out to George last night that he caves under pressure -- the perfect opportunity to prove he’s capable of coming through in a crisis after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before anyone gets hitched, preparations must be made, and last night Izzie was working it like an IV'd Martha Stewart. The doc-turned-patient made Meredith -- the girl who leaves her diamond ring on the nightstand table when she goes to work, the same girl who wants a simple ceremony far, far away from a church -- try on a parade of poofy white dresses. Dresses that Izzie, hilariously, was not above playing the cancer card to have delivered to her hospital room. She pored through bridal magazines and let loose tears to successfully guilt Derek into ballroom lessons. She even whipped up an entire wedding site for the happy couple. Guess that’s one way to try and forget the body-wrecking chemo.

Not that Izzie was alone in her denial. In fact, “denial” seemed to be the operative word at Seattle Grace last night. Owen met with Mer’s ex-shrink (the always-welcome Amy Madigan) but refused to face the extent of his PTSD. Callie found the courage to introduce new girlfriend Arizona to her dad, who was in town for a visit, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl is now into girls. Enough so that he tried to pay off the Chief(!) and yank Callie back to Miami like she was an errant 15-year-old high schooler who'd gotten trashed at the Spring Formal. In a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish, he gave his daughter an ultimatum: Leave the city of Seattle -- and the state of Dr. Arizona -- or lose the cushy trust fund set up in her name. Guess which option she chose?

The bigger surprise was how well Bailey handled losing her latest pint-sized patient. She took it better than those at my place did. Yeah, we were warned in advance that 6-year-old Jessica -- she of the big eyes and little knit cap -- was terminal, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the doc rock the poor kid to sleep in her father’s absence. Clearly, Bailey’s tough enough to stick it out in pediatrics; I just don’t know if I’m tough enough to watch.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Who do you think will wind up tying the knot this season?

– Shawna Malcom

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

Big Bust: Kaley Cuoco not appearing on 'Grey's Anatomy'

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" will no longer guest-star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

Cuoco had announced her cameo April 16 at PaleyFest, in anticipation of starting work on "Grey's" this week.

However, a publicist for the series sent out a statement  saying she would not be able to commit "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of 'The Big Bang Theory.' "

Cuoco's rep clarified to EW's Michael Ausiello the conflict was publicity related because production has already wrapped for this season of "Big Bang."

-- Kate Stanhope

Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Big Bang' Kaley Cuoco tapped for 'Grey's Anatomy' finale

Kaley Cuoco of the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" will guest star on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy," according to EW.

The actress, a self-proclaimed fan of the show, announced the casting  Thursday night at PaleyFest. Cuoco said she is set to film her part next week, although what exactly that part entails is still unclear.

"It's a big ol' secret. I have no clue what I'm doing," she told the magazine. "My guess is that I will be a patient of some kind. I'm practicing my scared, sad 'I'm dying' face."

This year's season finale for the ABC drama should prove to one to watch. Other guest stars  include "Gilmore Girls''" Liza Weil and "Everwood's" Debra Mooney.

The episode is slated to air Thursday, May 14.

--Kate Stanhope

Photo credit: CBS

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey's Anatomy': A night to remember

Thursday night was not the night to miss “Grey’s Anatomy.” Derek returned to work at Seattle Grace. Izzie underwent — and survived — brain surgery. Owen nearly strangled the life out of Cristina. And Mer-Der finally got engaged. It was an episode in which much went down but nothing felt rushed, a genuinely moving installment that provoked laughter and tears. It was the kind of episode that made you nearly forgive, if not entirely forget, all the craziness that threatened to permanently derail the beloved drama earlier this season.

Tensions were running high as Derek prepared to operate on the tumor in Izzie’s brain (the first in a long line of surgeries and hellish treatments awaiting her, it seems). His confidence was thoroughly shaken, and it certainly didn’t help to have Izzie’s hard-nosed oncologist (Kimberly Elise) questioning his every move. For her part, Izzie tried to put on a brave front, knitting a bright green scarf and encouraging her friends to go about their usual rounds. None of her fellow Seattle Gracers, outside of Bailey, seemed to know how to deal with the enormity of what was going on so they kept their distance. Alex, taking over voice-over duties from Meredith this week, battled guilt over not questioning Izzie’s hallucinations of Denny, as he struggled to make a “deposit” that might still allow Izzie to have kids one day. Callie felt guilty too for often wishing Izzie dead after she had an affair with George. And George was so hurt by the fact that Izzie hadn’t shared her medical crisis with him — but had shared it with Cristina — that he was willing to work with his ex-wife for the day.

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Grey's Anatomy': That's what friends are for

Awww. What would those “Grey’s Anatomy” peeps do without their BFFs?

After 100 phone calls didn’t do the trick, Bailey bullied Callie, and then Hunt, into trekking out to Derek’s trailer to try to convince him to get back to work at the hospital. But they just wound up commiserating and drinking his beer, which meant it was up to the Chief to get the job done. The Chief wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much venom Derek spewed his way over blabbing about the ring to Meredith and destroying his life. Because true friends stick until their drunk, broken, melodramatic star surgeons decide to man up.

Which, as it turned out, happened in mere minutes. After all, Izzie’s got cancer in her brain — and seemingly everywhere else — and, as Meredith put it during their tentative reunion, Derek’s one of only 20 neurosurgeons in the world who can actually save her. Silly Mer. We all know Izzie doesn’t want saving; she wants a full-time film career.

But until that blessed (May?) day arrives, the ailing doc is gonna need to lean mightily on her friends. After sharing her diagnosis with Cristina last week, Izzie wanted her help about as much as Derek wanted the Chief’s — on the surface, not so much, but underneath it all, desperately. By the end of the episode, Cristina had broken through, and Izzie the doctor had become Izzie the patient, her white coat replaced by a blue hospital gown, as she climbed tentatively into a bed at Seattle Grace surrounded by her fellow residents. Anybody else get a smidge teary?

What did you think of how Cristina, about to perform her first solo surgery, delivered the Izzie news to Bailey and Alex? How funny was it to see Meredith go all Bailey on the interns over their personal drama? Were you happy to finally see more of George? And just how many hours do you think Blow-hole, the facial transplant patient, had to spend in the makeup chair each day?

-- Shawna Malcom

(Photo courtesy ABC)