It was a dark and stormy night at Seattle Grace and the ER was slammed with mass casualties from a hotel fire. After a patient with minimal injuries died, the Chief gathered the doctors, heard their sides of the story and fired the person responsible for the fatal error. The multiple-perspective whodunit tale probably gave the continuity person an ulcer, but the storytelling style was a fresh device for the hospital drama, a treat for fans and good material to court an Emmy next fall. If you were watching closely, you probably caught the clue in the beginning. However it didn't take an astute viewing to enjoy this week's OMG moments. --Carrie Bell
New Kids on the Block: A few cracks began to show in the armor of the confident Mercy West residents. Reed and April were worried their side wasn't getting good cases and Reed was convinced they were hated by Yang and company. Jackson and Charles exchanged getting-lost-at-work stories and complained that the Gracers weren't helpful. Jackson cracked to Yang: "How long do I have to work here until they insert a bug up my ass? You guys are all cranky."
Getting the Ax: One patient had taken an ax to the chest in a simultaneously gross and comical scene. While holding the ax in place so Bailey could examine the guy, Charlie passed out and bonked himself with the tool. Blood spurted and Bailey was livid. "He better have a brain tumor because that's unacceptable," she said. In fact, he'd given blood earlier. "In retrospect, I should have had a cookie," he quipped. Alex nicknamed him Nosedive, which already started to catch on.
Runaway Bride: Alex was distracted throughout the night with his marital problems. He was constantly on the phone leaving Izzie ultimatums. She eventually called back, but didn't agree to come home and didn't give him a number to reach her. He panicked: "What does that mean? You're not coming back yet or you're not coming back?"
Put In Her Place: Lexie broke down at the sight of a severely burnt student and Arizona asked her to leave until she pulled it together. When she failed to return, Arizona ripped her a new one: "If you're having feelings, you need to shut them down and talk to him about his future and remind him he has one. If you can't do your job, find someone who can and send them to me." Eventually Little Grey shook off the sobs and goofily chatted with the patient as usual.
Another One Bites the Dust: Reed had an epiphany during her interview and ratted out April for forgetting to check the woman's airway. After admitting it, April was fired in a flood of tears. The two teams came together to mock her "stupid med school 101" mistake and Yang reminded them that it could have happened to any of them. "Who didn't make any mistakes today?" she said. "Our patients didn't die and that's why we didn't get caught."
Chaos Theory: The Chief told Derek he'd held the inquisition because he needed to know who was responsible. Derek, growing ever bolder in his opposition to his boss and the merger, retorted, "Maybe it's not one doctor. It's too many that don't know or trust each other. Chaos is the system, your system, now and it has been in place since the merger. You should look again at who is responsible."
Tell us: With George dead, Izzie MIA and Meredith's screen time minimal, does it seem like there's too little screen time for remaining docs like Derek? Which Mercy West docs do you hope stick around for good?Karen Neal/ABC; Ron Tom/ABC
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