Grey's Anatomy S9Ep1: Going Going Gone Recap

'Grey's Anatomy' is back in an episode that's as good as it is confusing.

As a quick reminder, last season ended with a bang. Literally. A plane carrying a team of doctors that included Meredith, Cristina, Derek, Mark, Lexie, and Arizona crashed. In the sob filled finale, Lexie died while pinned under the plane. Cristina injured her arm, Arizona was bleeding badly from her leg, Derek had a damaged hand, and Mark had some serious internal injuries.

You'd expect the premiere episode to pick up right after the crash, but instead the episode leapt several months ahead.


This leap was clearly done to increase the suspense throughout the episode: the viewer didn't know who had lived/who had died, and how each person was impacted. Unfortunately, it also made the episode slightly confusing. There's a thin line between being intrigued and being irritated. Luckily, this episode verged on the intriguing side.

The episode was intercut with numerous home video style flashbacks. The first one was filming Derek and Mark getting ready for Derek's first wedding. As with the rest of the videos, it featured Sloane prominently. This foreshadowed things to come.

We see a timid intern trying to avoid her mean resident nicknamed "Medusa". As the intern slowly approaches Meredith and Bailey, it is clear that Meredith is the resident in the question.

Meredith as a mean resident? It actually makes a lot of sense. Regardless of how the plane crash impacted her, Meredith was trained by Bailey...and they called her 'The Nazi' in the first two season's of the show.

Derek is back in the hospital dressed in scrubs. This alleviates our concern that he'd never be able to perform surgery again. Except it turns out that although he has been cleared for surgery he has yet to perform a single operation. He's nervous about his hand clenching at a crucial moment. Having hand seizures while said hand is inside someone's brain probably isn't the safest.

But today he wants to perform his first surgery. Callie asks him if he's sure he want to do it today of all days, but he insists that he needs it. What is so big about today?

When he walks into the surgery Callie is standing there along with the other surgical staff and they give him a standing ovation. Despite the fact that he says that "it's a wonderful day to save lives" Derek finds himself unable to complete the surgery. His hand shakes--whether it's mental or physical remains to be seen.

Alex is back to his Season One ways; he's making out with random interns in the supply closets. It seems he has delayed going to Hopkins because he has been covering Peds. Arizona is apparently gone. We don't know what's going on: Is she dead? Has she had a nervous breakdown?

Bailey's boyfriend has left to attend his out of state medical program but he is visiting her a lot. And they're having sex. A lot. She seems really happy. So happy in fact, that Webber admits to her that she is no longer called 'The Nazi'. She has a new--less scary--nickname. She begs him to tell her what it is, but he awkwardly refuses. Seems like the ex-Chief is still afraid of the wrath of Bailey.

Everyone at the hospital keeps on mentioning 5 o'clock as though something major is happening at that time. As soon as the camera pans to Mark Sloane lying on a hospital bed, attached to numerous wires and monitors, it's clear that the 5 o'clock deadline has to do with him. Sloane is in a coma and based on his wishes he doesn't want to be kept on life support for more than 30 days. The 30 days are up at 5 o'clock and the doctors realize the severity of that situation: at 5 o'clock Mark Sloane will die.

Cristina is now at her new job in Minnesota and it's clear she's not happy. Despite her displeasure with her supervisors and the climate, even Cristina is aware that 5 o'clock is approaching. Despite the fact that she and Meredith talk often via video conference it's soon clear that they have yet to visit each other. Presumably because they've both terrified of flying after the plane crash.

Although Callie wasn't in the plane crash it is clear she has been emotionally impacted as well. She is trying to hold it together--even going so far as sitting at Sloane's bedside and joking that she's taking her top off (in hopes of snapping him out of the coma). However, she breaks a couple of times during the episode. Her tension is evident when Owen introduces her to the new Peds surgery resident (Dr. Barnett) who is "replacing" Arizona. Does that mean she actually died in the crash?

It's especially heartbreaking when minutes later we see Callie crouched in a supply closet sobbing. Is she crying because Arizona is dead? In the middle of her emotional breakdown the supply closet door swings open and Alex pushes an intern inside. They begin making out but stop abruptly when they catch sight of Callie. She screams at them to "get out!". The intern promptly leaves, but Alex hovers in the doorway. Callie continues to order him "out" but instead he closes the door and leans against it. Alex may have reverted to some of his old ways, but he isn't the jerk he once was. He still cares about his friends.

Dr. Webber prepares to turn off Sloane's life support while Callie and Derek watch. Although it makes one wonder if Sloane has no other family, it is certainly true that Callie and Derek are the closest things to family he has at the hospital. Except for Lexie that is.

In an incredibly sad flashback, we see a home movie shot at Callie and Arizona's wedding. The videographer asks Sloane who he thinks he'll be with when he's old and grey. He admits he doesn't think he'll be with anyone, but if there is one person he's with it would be Lexie Grey. Since Lexie died in the plane crash and Sloane is about to die this statement is all the more powerful.

As Mark is dying his friends and colleagues gather close. While Callie and Derek are the only ones in the actual room, Bailey and her boyfriend, Webber, Alex and Meredith all gather close. The horribly depressing scene is briefly interrupted by a slightly comedic moment. Bailey, who has been trying to find out her new nickname for most of the episode, is abruptly told by Alex that her new nickname is BCB, or Booty Call Bailey due to the excitement (and copious amounts of sex) she experiences when her boyfriend visits.

Meredith can't deal with the stress of waiting for Mark's death. She announces that she's going to see Cristina and rushes out of the hospital.

At the airport Meredith catches a glimpse of Alex and gets his attention. She's mad at him because he's leaving without saying good bye to her. He yells that he can't stick around just because everyone else is leaving and she doesn't want to be alone. As Alex heads to his plane he catches sight of Owen.

Meredith gets on the plane, but freaks out just as it is getting ready to takeoff. It is clear that she is having flashbacks to the crash.

Back in Joe's bar Meredith calls Cristina over her iPad. They both takes shots together, states apart but facing each other as always. Meredith is shocked when Alex sits down next to her. He admits that he couldn't get on his plane and that he's not leaving. He asks Cristina to tell Owen that he wants his job back. He tells her that he saw Owen at the airport and assumes that Owen's coming to visit her--

But he isn't. We see April working at her family's pig farm. Owen approaches and tells her that she has her job back. He said he's made too many bad decisions and lost too many people. He wants her back at the hospital.

Callie walks into her apartment, devastated after Mark's death. She opens the door to a bedroom and we see Arizona, lying in bed, her back facing the door. Callie tells Arizona that she needs to "snap out of it" and reminds her that their daughter just lost a father, and Callie just lost her best friend. Arizona turns around and yells at Callie that she can't forgive her because she cut off her leg. She yanks back the blanket and we see that one of Arizona's legs has been amputated.

And the episode ends.

The entire episode is relatively sob inducing. Sloane's death and the devastation of his friends is heartbreaking to watch. Discovering Arizona's amputation at the very end of the episode makes the whole thing even more anxiety provoking.

Side notes: We're introduced to some new members of the cast. It seems clear that two interns, Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Heather (Tina Majorino) will become central this season. The first appendectomy, designed to be failed by a weak intern (remember George's experience in Season One of 'Grey's'?), was performed by Dr. Wilson. This made her the most central new cast member of this episode.

Say Goodbye to Mark Sloane & Lexie Grey