Grey's Anatomy relied on one of its fall back plots this week on the episode entitled 'Slow Night, So Long." Here's a little recap.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
Oh Grey’s Anatomy… It took only 1.5 episodes after Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) callously dumped Callie (Sara Ramirez), for Callie to hop back into bed with her old standby Mark (Eric Dane). ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. Really Shonda Rhimes? Wake me up when it’s over.
I mean, forget that it’s just reinforcing the old stereotype that a woman can get over anything with the right penis around. I realize Callie is bi but could she please start making other choices between her relationships with women? For instance, not engaging Mark to lick her wounds and perhaps taking up Pilates or cooking lessons instead to get her through the rough patches?
If a viewer can predict, from the comfort of her fleece blanket on the Ikea couch, that Callie will jump back on the Mark bandwagon, even for a single episode, then maybe it’s time to change it up. Or maybe I’m just a bitter and naïve lez hoping for Hollywood to offer up a refreshing narrative when it comes to lesbian relationships – and break-ups.
No matter… Here’s what went down with Callie’s story on Grey’s –more or less.
Sporting an adorable haircut inspired by the need to take drastic measures post Arizona dumping her at the airport en route to Africa, Callie, along with Bailey (Chandra Wilson), Hunt (Kevin McKidd), Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Mark Sloan turn up for drinks at Joe’s where Yang (Sandra Oh) just happens to be trying her surgical hand at something that takes considerably less precision – bartending.
After a while, with much of the conversation revolving around Yang’s bar tending prowess and heavy hand, Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) shows up at Joes following a bomb of a date with a guy she met on the internet, and she has a few words for Callie about Arizona.
“Go to Africa. Arizona’s an idiot. She’s a fool and you need to go there and tell her that I told you to say that dating is evil, and what the two of you have is rare. And that she’s an idiot. Get on an airplane and go to Africa and thank God that you never have to go on a first date again.”
Teddy will later say that Callie and Arizona is her ‘aspirational’ couple but first Callie replies, “Yeah, I’m not going to Africa.”
“Well, your as big an idiot as she is,” Teddy counters.
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A few minutes later, Callie, beginning to slur a tad under Christina’s heavy pours, asks Teddy, “Does she mention me? I know she writes to you, so I’m asking you if she’s mentioned me.”
It appears as though Teddy is going to tell Callie that Arizona has missed her? Talks about her? Made a mistake? Cries herself to sleep every night over the thought of Callie? Who really knows because Bailey gives Teddy a look and a ‘don’t do it’ kind of shake of the head that changes Teddy’s story. Rather, Teddy tells Callie that Arizona is only all about the medicine.
With his seemingly infinite wisdom on all things carnal, Mark suggests Callie needs a ‘sexual palate cleanser,’ at which Bailey laughs and says, “sorbet.” And voila, Greys’ coins its next annoyingly, earnestly trendy entrée into the American lexicon with sorbet as a new term for rebound sex. Think Grey's earlier terms that made it into everyday speak like McDreamy and McSteamy…
Ultimately, from knowing about Callie’s prior dalliances with Mark, we know where this whole 'sorbet' thing is going, but not without a minor if not dead-end detour.
Apparently there’s a cute ginge who’s been staring at Callie all night. Fortified with booze and Mark’s encouragement, Callie strikes up a conversation with said ginge, only to discover the girl was into Callie’s new coiffure and not looking for a date.
Fast forward to a few hours later – Callie’s hammered, heartbroken and lonely and is spending the night on Mark’s couch. Considering their past it’s with some degree of restraint that they wait until Mark needs a midnight snack or water or something, that Callie tells a gratuitously shirtless Mark that she wants sorbet. It takes him a moment to realize that she’s not referring to her sweet tooth. His initial naiveté is supposed to be charming I think, but it ultimately can’t mask the fact that, at the end of the day, Mark will sleep with his best friend whom he should be helping by saying ‘no,' and not 'cleansing her palate.'
Following their rush to sex, there’s one more post-coital shot of a rueful Callie pondering having gone there again with Mark. We can surmise from the look on her face and Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) voice over commenting on how things look different in the light of day that Callie regrets it this time.
Since Jessica Capshaw’s pregnancy leave is the tail that wagged this dog of a hackneyed storyline, here’s hoping she has a lovely leave with her new wee one and returns to Grey’s ASAP to return Callie to her senses.
Here's the whole sordid episode on Hulu.
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