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Losing My Religion is the twenty-seventh and final episode of the second season and the 36th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

The interns are pulled into the Chief's Office, where he demands to know who cut the LVAD as Denny recovers from a successful transplant. Unfortunately for Richard, the interns have their own pressing issues, so he punishes them by having them organize a prom for his niece. Everyone has a choice, Meredith between two men, Izzie to tell the truth, and Derek and Meredith to choose to put Doc down.

Full Summary[]

Still in the OR, Burke has calmed down. Derek asks him to touch each finger with his thumb. Burke does so. Derek and Richard are relieved, as is Cristina. She leaves the room.

In Hahn's OR, the surgeons are still waiting. Hahn urges everyone to wait for it. After a moment, the heart starts beating. Izzie, still up in the gallery, is relieved. She starts crying and smiles.

The five interns are lined up in Richard's office. Izzie says she cut the LVAD wire. All the others say the same thing, except for Alex, who says he's got nothing to do with it. The others get enraged, but Richard silences them. He says he knows who did it, so they might as well come clean. Meredith says he has his suspicions, but he can't be sure. Without proof, he can't do anything. Richard angrily says one of them stole an organ, comprised a patient's life, and jeopardized the hospital's integrity with UNOS. He wants them to spill right now. They all remain silent. He decides no more surgeries for either of them until someone comes clean. Until then, they're assigned to Camille Travis' case. They will provide whatever she desires. They leave the office.

Izzie offers to go tell Richard it was her, but Meredith tells her to keep her mouth shut. Everyone's going to keep their mouth shut. Izzie apologizes. She really appreciates what they all did for Denny. Alex says he doesn't care. He only lied so he could scrub in, but he couldn't care less for Denny. Cristina says they are all sticking together, surprising the others. George is reading Camille's file. He wonders how hard it could be to give her what she want. Bailey comes over with Camille's friends and replies it could be harder than he thinks. Claire and Natalie say that Camille's the Chief's niece. Camille wants the best prom ever.

Meredith and Cristina are watching George and Alex, who are in a conference room with Claire and Natalie. Cristina hated teenage girls when she was one herself. Meredith says she wore a lot of black and she had pink hair. She didn't go to her prom. Cristina's mother made her go. Her date barfed on her dress and then tried to feel her up.

Izzie's visiting Denny. He looks amazing. Denny says he's got warm hands for the first time. She feels his hand. Also, he's got a regular heartbeat. Izzie has to go before Bailey catches her. She tells him about the prom thing. He wonders why she's all swirly and twitchy. He recalls he asked her to marry him. She says she's giving him an out. It was an extraordinary situation, but them getting married would be insane. They should date and have lots of sex once he gets home. Denny says it's his turn now. For five years, he's had to live by his doctors' choices. Now, he has a working heart. He gets to make his own decisions now. He can do whatever he chooses. What he chooses, is Izzie. He wants to wake up to her, go to bed with her, and do everything in between with her. It's her turn again. She doesn't say anything and walks out of the room.

Richard tells Bailey her interns won't talk. Bailey says she has her suspicions, but they're the only ones who know the truth. Richard wants to meet with them individually. He will break them. Richard asks Bailey if she has a dress for the prom. If he has to go, everybody he has to go. He loudly announces this to everyone in the lobby.

Claire and Natalie are still discussing themes, much to Alex' annoyance. He calls them boring. Claire says the colors matter to them.

The interns tell Bailey that Camille's friends can't agree on the colors. They were hoping that Bailey speaks teenage girl.

Bailey is meeting with Claire and Natalie. She tells them to go for silver and white. It's mystical and magical without being over the top. No matter what color the clothes are, they pop. Bailey tells George and Alex to get silver, white, and black balloons. Cristina has to keep Camille happy. She wants Meredith to go talk to Patricia to ensure that they can use the second floor nurses station and waiting area. She notices the looks on their faces, but she says they don't get to look at her like this. After everything they did, they're gonna do this right.

Callie finds George and Izzie blowing up balloons in an on-call room. George leaves with her so they can talk. She says he didn't call her, while he had told her he would. George says a lot came up, but he can't talk about it. What happened in that room, stays n that room. Callie is very disappointed and angry. He asks if she wants to go to prom with him, but she says no and walks off. George returns and Izzie asks what that was about. George says Callie told him she loved him.

Meredith bumps into Finn, who's been calling her all night. She says it's a long story, which essentially ends with her inviting him to a prom. He loves proms, so he's in. Finn says he was crowned King. She says that's cute. He says he's here because Doc had seizures last night. The cancer has spread to his brain.

Addison meets with Derek in front of the OR board. She asks about Preston. He's doing good. She doesn't want to talk about that other thing. He forgave her for her slip with Mark and now they're trying. Addison says she was jealous when there's no need to be. Derek asks her if she wants to go to prom with him.

Burke's in his room, staring at his stretched out hand. There's a small tremor. Cristina observes him through the window. She lets it sink in as he sees her. They share a look before she walks off.

Alex is meeting with the Chief. He's talking about the sports he played in college, choosing football as the prime example. He got drafted to a team he wouldn't have chosen, and he doesn't like the players. The quarterback's a pain in the ass you don't own a damn thing to. But it's your team. You don't quit. You don't talk to the press or bitch to the coach. You just go out there and play to win. You show up, suit up, and you play. It's your team.

Richard tells Cristina he knows her type. She's a surgical junkie. It won't be easy for her to be away from the OR that long. If she wants to get back, she's gonna have to tell her what he wants to hear. Cristina says he's right. It's not easy to sit in front of him, or any authority figure for that matter, and not give him the exact answer he wants to hear. She's always been the one with the answers, but right now, she doesn't have any. She asks Richard how he keeps his edge. He's focused. He is the job. Nothing gets to him. She was like that until she got here and started doing this job. That is the point. She can't tell him what happened in that room. Before, she would have been able to because there were no loyalties. Before, she wouldn't have even been in that room, or she'd never have frozen in the OR. She has lost her edge and she needs it back. So, if Richard could just tell her how he keeps his edge, she'd appreciate it. Richard says she's excused. She says she'll tell him who cut the LVAD wire. He doesn't want the answer from her. He won't give her the answer she seeks. He won't be responsible for her becoming less human.

Izzie tells Richard she's a pretty girl, in an obvious way. She made a career from her looks. She's not a smart or interesting, she's the pretty girl. That's how men see her. She's used to that. She's used to them walking away, but then Denny went and asked her to marry him. He doesn't make her feel like a pretty girl. He makes her feel like her. He knows her. So, if she did cut the LVAD wire, she wouldn't feel guilty. She can't feel anything but happy.

Richard and George are staring at each other. George wonders if he's gonna say anything. He says he won't break, even though he's a little freaked out. He does care what Richard thinks about him, but he can't tell him what he wants to hear. That seems to be a theme in his life right now. You can be with someone without loving them. It's frustrating when what your brain tells you what you want and what you actually want don't match up. It's exhausting and complicated. But that's life, and life sucks.

Richard tells Meredith he's known her for a long time. He knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she didn't do it, but he needs to know who did. Meredith says she's been going over this in her head. It was Richard. He was the reason her parents broke up. Ellis really loved him. She left her husband for him. But he stayed with his wife, because it was the right thing to do. It was safe to stay with his wife, and there's nothing wrong with that since they're talking about forever. He's never looked back and regretted his decision. "Right?" she asks. He remains silent.

Meredith finds Derek and tells him that Finn needs them to make a decision about Doc. Derek says that's good for Finn. Meredith would like to do this one thing without arguing. Meredith thinks it's best to put the dog down, but she wonders if he might get better. Derek says there's no chance of that happening and she knows that. Meredith says that Finn thinks they should do it today then. She leaves.

Izzie walks into Denny's room as Bailey is examining him. She tells Izzie to come back during visiting hours. Izzie says this can't wait. This is her turn. Izzie tells Denny her answer is yes. Denny is over the moon. Bailey tells Izzie she'll call security. Izzie will come back during visiting hours. Before she can go, Denny tells Izzie she did good. She'll come back so he can see her dress. He then tells Bailey he got her to marry him.

Cristina steps into Burke's room and tells them that they're throwing a prom. He already heard from George. He tells Cristina he won't bear a grudge. He has to take care of himself and he can't expect her to take care of him. If she can't stay here for this, he won't bear a grudge. She asks if he's going to tell Derek about the tremor. He replies not yet.

In his office, Finn has some documents to sign. Addison takes care of those. Meredith asks how they're doing this. Finn says he'll give Doc an injection to make him sleepy, and then he'll inject phenobarbitol. That will stop his heart. Meredith asks what they do with his body. Finn says they have the means to dispose of it for them. Derek is fine with that. Meredith reminds Derek that Doc is their dog. They can't just throw him away like a piece of garbage. They agree to bury Doc at the clearing near the trailer, where you can overlook the water. Meredith and Derek hold the dog. They tell him they're sorry. Addison gets paged to the hospital and leaves. Finn gives Doc the injections. As they cuddle Doc, Meredith and Derek's fingers touch for a moment. Once Doc is gone, a crying Meredith grabs her stuff so she can go home to change. She tells Finn she'll see him later. Finn tells her he's sorry for her loss. Meredith says he was more Derek's dog. Derek says he was a good dog. She agrees and then leaves.

The prom has started. Bailey tells Cristina she's too tired for this. She also thought that the Chief would allow Cristina to skip the prom so she could spend time with Burke.

Finn finds Derek and asks him if he's seen Meredith. Derek thinks she hasn't arrived yet. They both look around and see Meredith coming down the stairs in her dress. Both of them are in awe, but only Finn walks up to her. Addison joins Derek and says this brings back bad memories for her from when she was a band geek with braces. She spent the entire prom talking about Star Wars with Skippy Gold. Derek is distracted as he's watching Finn and Meredith, but he does agree to dance with his wife.

Richard cuts in and takes Brian's place so he can dance with Camille. Brian walks off. Camille wonders why Brian's so scared of him. Camille tells Richard to be kind to Brian because he loves her. Everyone should be loved once in their life. She's been loved. She thanks her uncle for the prom. He tells her she's welcome.

George finds Callie, all dressed up, on her way to the prom. He thought she wasn't going. She only said she didn't want to go with him. She told him she loved him, which she never did before, and now he's ignoring her. He says he's not doing that. She asks if he's gonna say it back. He says no. He presses her against a wall and tells her to stop fighting him. He won't say it back now because then he'll only be saying it because she said it to him. When he says it, he wants to mean it. She has to give him some time to mean it. She hates that she's so into him. They share a kiss.

Meredith and Finn are dancing. He says she's hotter than his last prom date. She says if he keeps it up with the compliments, he might get lucky. He asks kind of lucky or seriously lucky. She says she appreciates that he's been so patient with her. Finn says he stopped making plans when his wife died. He's been fine with that, but right now, looking at her right now, he has all kinds of plans again. She's not freaked out. As she's hugging Finn, she locks eyes with Derek. She tells Finn she's gonna splash some cold water on her face because she's hot. At the same time, Derek tells Addison he's going to check on a patient. He promises he'll be right back.

Meredith's running down a hallway with Derek chasing after her. She asks him to leave her alone. She enters an exam room. He follows her and asks if she's all right. She says she's not. Derek has a wife, he called her a whore, their dog died, and now he's looking at her. She tells Derek to stop looking at her. Finn is perfect here and she's really trying to be happy. However, she can't breathe when Derek's looking at her like that, so he has to stop. Derek says he doesn't want to be looking at her. He'd rather be looking at his wife. He has responsibilities towards his wife. Addison doesn't make him sick to his stomach when he's thinking about his vet touching her. He'd give anything not to be looking at Meredith. He comes closer and kisses her.

Alex passes by Izzie, who's wearing a gorgeous dress. He compliments her. She asks if he has a date. He says no, because it's too cheesy to spend a decent chick on it. Izzie's going to see Denny first before heading in.

Derek and Meredith are passionately making out. He takes off her panties and they proceed to have sex.

Denny's reading when he suddenly experiences pain. He falls back into his pillow with his eyes open. His monitor flatlines.

Meanwhile, Izzie gets on the elevator with a smile on her face.

While they're getting dressed, Derek asks Meredith what this means. She's preoccupied with looking for her panties. Callie suddenly walks in. She notices what happened between the two as Derek turns around to zip his pants. Callie says the nurse sent her to look for Meredith because there's something with Izzie. Before Meredith leaves, Callie fixes her dress. Meredith walks off and Callie follows her after giving Derek a judgy look. Derek fixes his tie.

Bailey finds Richard in the empty gallery. Richard tells her that he did his internship and residency in this hospital. He came back the minute he'd finished his fellowship. He was standing in that OR when he heard he was going to become Chief. He spent his whole career in this hospital. Bailey sits down with him and tells him that Denny Duquette died at 7:42 this evening. "Dammit," he says.

Callie, Meredith, Alex, George, and Cristina are outside the ICU. Nurse Olivia tells them she called them since she thought they wouldn't want her to go to the Chief. George asks her where she is. Olivia responds in there, with him. They all proceed to Denny's room and find Izzie lying on the bed, holding Denny. She suspects Denny had a stroke since he was prone to blood clots. A clot could have formed on his sutures and traveled to his brain. It only takes a second. Hahn did a beautiful job, but Izzie has no idea why she didn't think of blood clots. Denny died all alone. George says there's nothing she could have done. Izzie says she changed her dress three times because she wanted to look nice. She could have been here sooner. George says they shouldn't be here. Izzie knows they have to take Denny to the morgue, but she asks them all to leave. She wants to be alone with Denny. Alex says that is not Denny. The minute his heart stopped beating, he stopped being Denny. Alex knows that Denny loved Izzie. He wouldn't want her to do this to herself. Izzie says Denny was proposing an hour ago, and now he's going to the morgue. That's ridiculous. She starts sobbing. Alex picks her up from the bed and sits down with her. The others look on as she keeps sobbing in Alex's arms.

Burke is flexing his hand. The tremor is still there. Cristina watches him from the doorway. She comes in and holds his hand. He looks at her, glad that she's chosen to stay with him.

Derek comes across Addison and Finn. Addison asks him where he's been as Bailey and Richard come over. Richard asks Derek if he's seen Bailey's interns. Derek says no, but then Izzie, George, Alex, and Meredith walk by. Izzie turns around and tells Richard that she cut the LVAD wire on her own. She thought she was a surgeon, but she's not. So she quits. Bailey stands there defeated as Alex and George follow Izzie on her way out. Addison says that puts an end to the evening. Richard agrees and the two walk off, followed by Bailey. Finn tells Meredith he'll drive her home, but she doesn't follow him. He turns around and notices she's looking at Derek. Both men call out for her. They stand there as Meredith looks at the two of them indecisively.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Special Guest Star[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Preston Burke[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wound
    • Brachial plexus injury
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

In surgery, Burke was able to touch his fingers together as directed by Derek and Derek said he was doing well post-op, though he later developed a tremor in his hand.

Denny Duquette, Jr.[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Congestive heart failure
    • Stroke
  • Treatment:
    • Heart transplant

Denny's new heart started beating and his chest was closed. Later that day, a clot dislodged from his suture line and caused a stroke, killing him.

Camille Travis[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Ovarian cancer
  • Treatment:

All the interns were assigned to Camille and told to do whatever she asked.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Under the Waves" Pete Droge
  • Derek and Addison talk about their marriage.
  • Derek asks Addison to go to the prom with him.
  • Burke's hand tremors and Cristina sees through the window. They make eye contact and Cristina walks away.
"Side 2" Dressy Bessy
  • The hospital prom is underway.
  • Bailey and Cristina talk at the prom.
  • Finn and Derek talk and then they both spot Meredith walking down the stairs.
  • Addison talks to Derek about her high school prom.
"Colors" Amos Lee
  • Camille is dancing with Brian when Richard cuts in and dances with her.
  • She thanks him for the prom.
"Destination Vertical" Masha Qrella
  • Meredith and Finn talk while they dance. He tells her about his wife.
  • Meredith makes eye contact with Derek, who is dancing with Addison.
  • Meredith and Derek both excuse themselves and Derek follows Meredith.
"Grace" Kate Havnevik
  • Derek and Meredith have sex in the exam room.
  • Izzie tells Alex she's heading to the prom after she checks on Denny.
  • Denny is reading the newspaper, and suddenly experiences pain, only to die seconds later.
  • Izzie is in the elevator to go check on him, just seconds too late.
"Chasing Cars" Snow Patrol
  • Izzie is mourning Denny's death with her fellow interns and Callie in the room.
  • Alex picks Izzie off of Denny's bed and sits down with her in his arms.
  • Burke is stretching his hand as Cristina comes in and comforts him.
  • Richard and Bailey ask Derek if they have seen Bailey's interns as they come by.
  • Izzie says she's the only one who cut the LVAD and quits the surgical program.
  • As everyone walks away, Meredith is left to choose between Derek and Finn, who are both waiting for her.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This episode's title originated from the song Losing My Religion, originally sung by R.E.M..
  • This episode scored 22.50 million viewers.[1]
  • Two of the songs played during this episode ("Grace" and "Chasing Cars") would later be sung by the cast in the musical episode. These songs also later appeared in the episode She's Leaving Home.
  • This episode dates the first episode to not have a voiceover, though this may be because it's the second part of a two-part episode.
  • The episode was ranked #63 on TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes of All Time.[source?]

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

Alex: I went to college on a wrestling scholarship. I played baseball, some basketball. But we'll go with football.
Richard: What the hell does football have to do with who cut the LVAD wires?
Alex: Let's say you were drafted to a team that wasn’t your first pick. You know, you don't like the players. You hate the way they play the game. You even think the quarterback is full of crap. The quarterback's a pain in the ass you don't owe a damned thing to. But, it's your team. You don't quit. You don't talk to the press. You don't bitch to the coach. You just, you just go out there every Sunday and you make the blocks and you take the hits and you, you play to win. You show up and you suit up and you play, because it's your freaking team.

Richard: I know your type. You're a surgical junkie.
Cristina: Yes sir?
Richard: I'm just saying, it's not going to be easy for you to be away from the OR that long.
Cristina: No sir.
Richard: And if you want to get back to the OR, you're going to tell me what I need to know, aren't you?
Cristina: You're right, it's not easy for me to be away from the OR. And it's not easy for me to sit in front of you, or any other authority figure, for that matter, and not be able to give you the exact answer that you want to hear. I'm the one with the answers. I've always been the one with the answers. But right now, sir, I don't have any.
Richard: Dr. Yang.
Cristina: How do you keep your edge sir? Because I've watched you and you've been doing this a long time, and you're clean...you're focused, you are the job, nothing gets to you. And the thing is, sir, I was like that...until I got here, until I actually started doing this job and now everything is—is fuzzy and...
Richard: That’s beside the point.
Cristina: No, see, sir, this is the point. Because I can't tell you, I can't tell you what happened in that room. And before I could have; no guilt, no loyalties, no problem. Before—before I wouldn't have even been in that room. I wouldn't have gotten involved. I would have never frozen in surgery, and I would have told him what I thought he should do. I had an edge, sir. I had an edge, and I've lost it, and I need it. I need it back. So, if you could just tell me, how you keep yours and how not to be affected, I know I could be a great surgeon. So if you could just give me the answers, I would really appreciate it.
Richard: You're excused Dr. Yang.
Cristina: But—
Richard: You're excused.
Cristina: I'll tell you, I'll tell you who cut the LVAD wires if you'll please—
Richard: No you won't, I don't want to know. Not from you. Yeah, I have the answers, but I can't tell them to you. I'm not going to be responsible for you becoming less human.

Izzie: I'm a pretty girl.
Richard: What?
Izzie: I'm not being arrogant, it’s just, it’s just kind of a fact. For a long time I made a career from my looks, so I get it, I'm a pretty girl. And not in a "from a certain angle" way, in an obvious way. It’s the blonde thing and the big boobs thing, big boobs are a key to obvious pretty if you know what I'm saying.
Richard: Dr. Stevens.
Izzie: It’s how men see me. I'm not a smart girl or an interesting girl, I'm a pretty girl. The blonde and the boobs it confuses guys into thinking that I'm someone else. And I'm used to it. And I'm used to them walking away when they realize… But then Denny goes and asks me to marry him.
Richard: Is that why you cut the wires?
Izzie: He doesn't make me feel like I'm a pretty girl. He makes me feel like… like me. I think he might know me. And so, if I did cut the LVAD wire, and I'm not saying that I did, but if I did, then no, I don't feel guilty. And I know that I should. And I would if it were anybody else. But I can't feel anything but happy.

George: Aren't you gonna say anything or... I'm not gonna break. I'm starting to get a little freaked out, but I'm not gonna break. It’s not because I don't care, because I do care what you think about me, I do. Care. I just can't tell you want you want to hear. Which seems to be a theme in my life right now. Just because you can't say something doesn't mean you don't want to, you can want to very much. You can be with a person and be happy with them and not love them. And you can love somebody and not want to be with them. You don't need to love someone to want them. Now that's frustrating, when what your brain tells you you want and what you actually want don't match up. It’s exhausting. And, well, it’s complicated. But that's life. And life... sucks.

Richard: I've known you for a long time. And I know your mother and father. And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you did not cut those LVAD wires. Meredith, I need you to tell me who did it.
Meredith: I've been going over this and over this in my mind trying to piece this together. It was you, you're the reason my parents broke up. And it wasn't just an affair, she really loved you. It wasn't just this cheap thing where she didn’t tell you she was married. It wasn't all a lie. She left her husband for you. But you stayed with your wife, because it was the right thing to do. Maybe safe, but she was the right person for you to be with. Let’s face it, my mother, nothing wrong with being safe, being with the good guy because he’s good and we are talking about forever here. You've never regretted your decision. You've never looked back... Right?

Meredith: Just leave me alone.
Derek: I just want to make sure you're all right.
Meredith: No! I'm not all right? Okay? Are you satisfied? I'm not all right. Because you have a wife, and you call me a whore, and our dog died, and now you're looking at me. Stop looking at me.
Derek: I am not looking at you. I am not looking at you.
Meredith: You are looking at me. And you watch me. And Finn has plans. And I like Finn. He's perfect for me, and I'm really trying here to be happy, and I can't breathe. I can't breathe with you looking at me like that so just stop!
Derek: Do you think I want to look at you? That I wouldn't rather be looking at my wife? I'm married. I have responsibilities. She, she doesn't drive me crazy. She doesn't make it impossible for me to feel normal. She doesn't make me sick to my stomach thinking about my veterinarian touching her with his hands. Man, I would give anything not to be looking at you.

Cristina: You know, there's only been three careers I've ever wanted. Ruler of my own planet, Wonder Woman, or a surgeon. And I don't see any invisible planes or extra planets lying around.

See Also[]

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.

The Grey Matter blog post on this episode can be found here.

Transcript


References[]

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