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Remember when we were little and we would accidentally bite a kid on the playground. Our teachers would go, “Say you’re sorry”, and we would say it, but we wouldn’t mean it because the stupid kid we bit, totally deserved it. But as we get older, making amends isn’t so simple. After the playground days are over you can’t just say it, you have to mean it. Of course when you become a doctor, sorry is not a happy word. It either means you’re dying and I can’t help. Or it means this is really going to hurt. As doctors we can’t undo our mistakes, and we rarely forgive ourselves for them, but it’s a hazard of the trade. But as human beings we can always try to do better, to be better, to right a wrong even if it feels irreversible. Of course, “I’m sorry” doesn’t always cut it. Maybe because we use it so many different ways: as a weapon, as an excuse. But when we are really sorry. When we use it right. When we mean it. When our actions say what words never can. When we get it right, “I’m sorry” is perfect. When we get it right, “I’m sorry” is redemption.

No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance) is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season and the 99th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Thatcher comes to Seattle Grace to make amends, at the same time Izzie's mother comes to visit. Owen ignores Cristina all day, tension rises between Richard and Meredith and the hospital gets busy treating a man who was shot by his six year old daughter.

Full Summary[]

Izzie needs the other residents to tell her how the chicken tastes, so she can put it on Meredith and Derek's wedding website. She can't taste it herself, as she may have surgery today, if the mets have shrunk. Derek comes out of the bathroom wearing a morning coat. Izzie takes a picture and says that is the one. The residents leave without commenting on the chicken, so Bailey tastes it, too.

Owen bumps into Cristina. He tells her to take care now and walks off. Callie comes over and tells Cristina she can't afford rent. Cristina still can't believe Owen just told her to take care. Callie says at least he's talking to her, contrary to her family. They are all ignoring her. Cristina wonders why Callie just doesn't tell them she broke up with Arizona. Arizona leaves so Callie can ponder that.

Mark has a present for Callie, but she says she won't take his money. He says it's not money, it's better. He takes her to a trauma room and introduces her to a patient who fell out of a tree and broke all her limbs. Callie loves it.

Thatcher is in Richard's office. He's been sober for 29 days. He jokes it's one more thing he and Richard have in common. Richard asks if he's talked to his daughters, but he hasn't.

Mark tells Willow her cheekbone is broken, but he needs to wait a few weeks for the swelling to go down before he can repair that. Willow says she'll be in a tree in Utah then. The corporate bastards who bulldozed her out of Kaili want to clear-cut acres to build a ski condo complex. Mark doesn't understand. Kaili is the tree she's been living in for the past six weeks, and she's a 200 year old oak. Now, all the oaks are gone. Callie says she won't be climbing trees for a good while. Mark wonders how you can even live in a tree. Callie tells him to be sensitive to Willow's loss.

An eccentric woman approaches Alex and compliments him on his looks. She ignores that he called her ma'am. The woman is looking for Izzie Stevens, who's an old friend of her.

Alex takes the woman into Izzie's room and it turns out she's Izzie's mother. Izzie's mother doesn't want Alex to think she's old and hugs Izzie, who's surprised to see her.

Meredith and Lexie got paged to Richard's office, but they don't know why. Richard tells them their father is just out of rehab and taking his steps. The ninth step is to make amends wherever possible. He paged them to ask them to hear him out, as a favor to him. Meredith has to cover the pit, but Richard will cover that. He asks them to please listen to their father. He leaves and Thatcher comes in.

Owen joins George in the ambulance bay and greets Cristina with a "hey there now". The two ambulances bring in three patients, one of which with multiple gunshot wounds. He was shot all over his body. A woman carrying a little girl climbs out of the other ambulance and says her daughter didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. Owen wants to have the Chief paged.

George, Cristina, and Owen have taken Mike into a trauma room. He has three GSW's to the chest, and seven in the legs. They continue to find more as they put him on his side. Owen wants Shepherd to come.

Arizona is examining Maddy, but she remains silent. Kate, her mother, comes over and says Maddy's afraid they'll take her away for doing something bad. Richard says the police wants to talk to them to find out how Maddy got the gun. Arizona says social services will offer them help to get back from this, and assures Maddy they won't take her. Kate says Maddy got the cut on her face from the kickback of the gun, and explains Mike shoots targets in the backyard. He put the gun down for a minute, which was stupid. Richard says everything will be okay.

Thatcher tells his daughter he's deeply sorry for every time he hurt them, or let them down. He doesn't deserve their forgiveness, but he hopes they'll give him the opportunity to earn it. Meredith thanks him and congratulates him. She wishes him good luck and leaves.

She turns around on the catwalk, and sees Lexie hugging her father.

Robbie, Izzie's mother, talks about someone from the trailer park who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to have her breasts cut off, but they look even better now. Robbie thinks there may be an upside for Izzie, too. Izzie says she has skin cancer. Robbie can't believe she was all scared for an ugly mole. Izzie is curious who called her. She looks at Bailey and Alex.

Lexie tells Mark her father is here, and she'd like Mark to meet him. She suggests they have dinner together. Mark says dads never love him. Lexie is crazy about Mark, so he's got nothing to worry about. Mark is closer to Thatcher's age than hers, so he may not love him. Mark wants to keep their relationship for themselves. A woman comes over, looking for her sister, Karen Zelman. Mark only knows a Willow Zelman. Julie says her name is Karen, not Willow. Willow objects from her room. Julie enters her room and says she told her this would happen.

Meredith enters the ER, where Richard asks her how it went. Arizona gets paged and asks Meredith to clean up Maddy and stitch her laceration. Meredith tells Richard she's great and goes to take care of Maddy. Kate says Maddy is really sorry. Maddy asks if her father's going to die. Meredith doesn't know.

The doctors are looking at Mike's scans. He has 25 wounds; 5 bullets still stuck inside him, 2 graze wounds and 9 through and through. Derek can't believe 16 bullets are accidental.

Maddy asks how come her father didn't die, as she shot him multiple times.

Kate tells the officers Maddy wasn't trying to kill her father. She was just trying to stop him. Richard concludes the cut on her face came from Mike hitting her. Kate says daddy loves them and he's been working on his anger. Maddy was not trying to kill him. Kate asks them to understand.

Izzie gets out of the bathroom while Robbie is on the phone, thanking someone. She hangs up and tells Izzie she's going to be fine. Robbie's psychic said that skin cancer is highly curable when caught on time. Izzie figures that call cost her a lot of money, but Robbie says you don't think about money when you're kid's life is on the line. Robbie hopes Bailey caught the cancer on time. Izzie tells Robbie to ask her questions to her instead of Bailey, as Bailey is busy. Robbie says she saw this things on TV about a woman who had a mole on her private parts. She wants to know for sure Izzie doesn't have a mole there. Bailey assures her she didn't. Robbie is relieved.

Owen informs Kate they're taking Mike to the OR right now. Kate wants Maddy to have a chance to tell him she's sorry before he goes under. Meredith stops Maddy from going with her mother. Meredith tells Kate Maddy won't apologize to him. There is no room for Kate to be a victim when her six-year-old is on the line. Maddy is stronger than her, because she stood up, which is more than Kate did.

Julie has great news: the company Willow was protesting against have agreed to pay her medical bills and not sue her for trespassing if she signs a contract that says she won't sue them and won't trespass ever again. Willow is upset as she really cares for the environment. Julie asks for a moment alone. The doctors leave and the sisters start yelling. Outside the room, Mark says he's happy he doesn't have siblings. Callie says yelling means caring in some families. Callie expected her family to yell, too, instead of silence. Mark also advises her to lie and say she broke up with Arizona. There's no reason Callie has to hurt this much.

Richard tells Meredith he understands she's angry at him. Meredith tells him not to do this, as she's not his friend, nor his family. He doesn't get to page her to his office for personal business, or speak to her this way. It's an abuse of power. He has to treat her like a resident, and he can't yell about what she just did, as someone had to stand up for the girl. Richard says Kate is a victim of domestic violence, and the hospital is supposed to be a safe place for her to tell her story. As her doctor, it's Meredith's job to help her, but Meredith further battered a battered woman. Richard orders her to stay away from that family, or she'll be suspended from the hospital pending re-evaluation of her emotional and mental fitness for residency. Richard angrily walks off as Derek watches Meredith.

In surgery, Owen finds the IVC and the aorta are nicked. He asks George to get in there with clips. He asks for a clamp. George says he keeps on bleeding out. Owen tells Cristina not to move. He needs more suction.

Meredith tells Derek that Richard keeps crossing the line she's drawn for him. He doesn't respect it and he uses his relationship with Derek to get to her. She won't invite him to their wedding. She won't come if he comes. Derek says okay.

Julie wonders who's going to pay for Willow if she doesn't accept the deal. Willow says they killed defenseless creatures. Julie says Willow is not defenseless, she just made a naïve and irresponsible choice. Callie finds her brave for having done with she did. She was standing up for what she believed in. The monitor starts beeping and Callie does a quick exam, and concludes she's bleeding from her femur. They need to get her to the OR now.

Owen and George are struggling to control Mike's bleeders. Owen gets an idea and sends Cristina to go get a green bag from his truck in the parking lot. She runs out to get it.

Robbie is laying out cards for Izzie. The lovers card means the sex is really hot. Izzie thinks it's time for her scan. Alex goes to check if he can move things up. Robbie asks Izzie how long she's been with Alex. Izzie then tells her it's not just a mole. It's in her organs. Robbie doesn't understand how skin cancer can spread to organs, but asks for an explanation. Izzie uses Grammy and her thyroid tumor as an example. Robbie knows she died soon after and realizes what's happening. She breaks down and Izzie comforts her.

Cristina runs back to the OR with Owen's bag.

Izzie is about to have a scan taken. Bailey has a good feeling, and if the mets haven't shrunk, there are other therapies they can try. Izzie says her mother will never leave if it's bad news. She loves her mother, but... Bailey confesses she was the one who called her, because she would want to know if her kid were sick. She thought Izzie was too proud, but now she gets Izzie was trying to protect herself. Izzie says her mom was a good mom, but she's limited.

In the OR, Callie is hoping that Willow pulls through, as she's crapped in a bucket, so she can handle this. Arizona is surprised to hear. Callie explains how the bucket thing worked. Arizona says they teach you not to care so much in med school, but Callie cares so much. Arizona loves that, and she will continue to love that even if Callie lies to her family.

Cristina enters the OR and Owen instructs her to get a substance in a bowl. She gives it to O'Malley and Owen tells him to pour it into the body cavity. The powder is not FDA-approved, but they use it in the field to hold things. It replicates the body's clotting process. It's not a permanent solution, but it works for now. Cristina is having trouble getting a clear view while the patient stabilizes.

Bailey enters Izzie's room with great news: the cancer is basically gone. Looks like Robbie's psychic was right. Robbie hugs Bailey and thanks the Lord. Robbie then hugs her daughter and they tell each other they love each other. Robbie realizes she looks like a mess and leaves to get cleaned up and call peope. Izzie then asks for the real results. Bailey says the mets have shrunk some, but there are new ones in the small bowel. Bailey will take out all the mets she can in surgery.

Derek tells Richard he needs to give Meredith some room because of their history. Richard says he's not Meredith's father, all he did was fall in love with Ellis. It's not his fault that Ellis never got over him. That's on Ellis. If any other resident pulled the crap she did today, she'd be gone. Meredith is still here because of his history with Derek. Derek thinks it's not. Richard is the most professional guy he knows, except when it comes to Meredith. Richard sent her to the woods, paged her to try on dresses, and talk to her father. That's not running a hospital. He keeps saying he's not her father, but the way he acts is like he considers her family.

Meredith asks George how it went after he and Owen went to talk to Kate. George is amazed as the guy shouldn't be alive. Richard and Derek come over as Meredith approaches Kate and tells her she was out of line earlier, but she knows this can't be her daughter's story. She tells Kate to change it while she still can, for the both of them. Meredith then tells Richard she'll go pack her stuff.

Callie tells Julie that Willow is stable now. Julie says they weighed the cost of killing her over letting her stay up there, and then they knocked her out of the tree. Willow wakes up. Julie tells her she filed a lawsuit against the company to make them pay for this. Willow wants to use the money to plant trees. Mark joins Callie outside the room and Callie tells him she cannot lie to her family. She is who she is and they are supposed to accept and love her. Mark looks at Lexie, who's charting at a nurses station.

Richard finds Meredith in the residents lounge and tells her she has every right not to like him. He's abused his power, but he has to tell her that he saw how her mother neglected Meredith and drove her father off. He spent a lot of time beating himself up over it, but that doesn't do anything for Meredith. He didn't fight for her, ever, and he let himself off the hook, but he did know better. He should have fought for her, like Meredith fought for that girl today. Meredith's crying as Richard tells her she was a nice girl, and no one stood up for her. He's sorry for that. Meredith rests her head on his shoulder while he repeats he's sorry.

Robbie is comforting her daughter. Izzie is sure she doesn't want her to stay. Robbie says she knows where to find her. Izzie tells her she loves her, but they do better loving each other from a distance. Robbie says she was always too good for the trailer park. She may not know much, but she always knew that.

Cristina leaves the hospital. Owen tells her "nice work today" and walks off. She says he spent the entire day teaching O'Malley and ignoring her. Owen says George wants to be a trauma surgeon, she has declared cardio. Owen says he treated her like he would anyone else. Cristina says she's not like anybody else. He gives her a paper with short sentences and explains his psychiatrist gave him this, so he could use these three-word sentences instead of the three words that are killing him. He can't say them because he's no good for her. He doesn't want to torture and he knows he can't be with her, so he says things like "take care now". He's trying to let her off the hook, and make right what he did to her. Cristina gives him the list back and says "take care now".

Meredith's charting outside Mike's room, when Kate enters the room with Maddy. She tells Mike they're leaving now that he can't follow them, so they are here to say goodbye. Maddy tells him bye, and also tells Meredith bye as they leave the room.

Mark joins Lexie and Thatcher at the restaurant and apologizes for being late. Lexie introduces Thatcher to Mark and explains he's... Mark. Mark says it's nice to meet him and sits down. Mark takes Lexie's hand and she smiles.

Alex is tasting more food. He says the shrimp is sweet and spicy, like his first date with Izzie, at least before he didn't kiss her on the porch. The chicken tastes like driving to the beach with the windows down and the dog hanging out, like when you were a kid. The next thing he tastes tastes like crap. Bailey comes in and says the OR is ready. Izzie is ready, too. Alex kisses Izzie before she's taken out of the room.

Meredith's flipping through one of her mother's journal and tells Derek they need to move the wedding up for Izzie, because she's not doing well. Meredith is actually packing her mother's journals. There's nothing in there for her, but she decided to give them to the Chief. He can come to the wedding. They tape the box shut.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Izzie Stevens[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Stage IV metastatic melanoma
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Izzie was set to have surgery that day if her mets had shrunk. The scan showed that the mets had shrunk some, but there were also new mets in her bowel. Bailey still said she would operate and remove as much as she could.

Willow Zelman[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Broken legs
    • Broken arms
    • Facial laceration
    • Femoral bleed
  • Treatment:
    • Stitches
    • Surgery
    • Intramedullary rod
    • Casting

Willow fell out of a tree and broke all her limbs. She also had a cut on her forehead which Mark stitched up while Callie treated her fractures. She later coded because of bleeding in her femur, so Callie took her into surgery to insert an intramedullary rod into her femur. After surgery, she was awake and stable.

Mike Carlson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wounds
    • Major internal injuries
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery
    • Pneumonectomy
    • Nephrectomy

Mike, 35, was brought into the ER after being shot multiple times by his daughter. They evaluated his injuries and counted the gunshots, made difficult by some being through-and-through. He had two graze wounds, nine that went through, and five bullets left inside his body. In surgery, he was bleeding so extensively that Owen sent Cristina to get a powder from his truck that replicates the body's clotting process, which bought them some time to repair his injuries. They ended up removing one of his lungs and one of his kidneys, but he survived the surgery and was stable and awake afterward.

Maddy Carlson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Facial laceration
  • Treatment:
    • Stitches

Maddy, 6, had a laceration on her face which her mother claimed was from the kickback when she fired a gun at her father. However, Arizona said it didn't look like that's where it came from. She had Meredith stitch up the cut.

Kate Carlson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Arm injury
  • Doctors:
  • Treatment:
    • Sling

Kate had an injury to her arm. Her arm was put into a sling.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Brand New" Emilie Mover
  • The residents are tasting food for the wedding as Izzie can't taste herself.
"Stay Over" The Rescues
  • Meredith makes it clear to Derek she doesn't want Richard at her wedding.
  • Julie and Willow continue to fight as Callie defenses Willow's bravery.
"So Far From Me" Brett Dennen
  • Robin is happy to hear Izzie's cancer is basically gone, and leaves to make calls.
  • Bailey then tells Izzie the truth.
  • Derek makes Richard realize he acts like a father to Meredith.
  • Meredith apologizes to Kate but advises her to change the story.
"Turn and Turn Again" All Thieves
  • Richard apologizes to Meredith for not having fought for her in the past and letting himself off the hook. She forgives him.
  • Robin lies with her daughter and they talk before saying goodbye.
  • Cristina confronts Owen, who confesses he really wants to tell her he loves her, but he can't because he's no good for her.
  • Kate and Maddy say goodbye to Mike.
"Wedding Ring" The Hard Lessons
  • Kate and Maddy leave Mike's room.
  • Mark joins Lexie and Thatcher for dinner.
  • Alex is tasting more food, giving good descriptions this time. 
  • Izzie gets taken into surgery.
  • Meredith tells Derek they need to move the wedding up for Izzie, as she's not doing good.
  • Meredith packs up Ellis's journals for Richard, who can come to the wedding now.

Notes and Trivia[]

Grey's_anatomy_5x21_Promo

Grey's anatomy 5x21 Promo

  • This episode's title originated from the song No Good at Saying Sorry, originally sung by The Early November.
  • This episode scored 14.12 million viewers.[1]
  • In the scene where Thatcher apologizes to his daughters, Ellen Pompeo put her hands in her lab coat pockets to look bigger in order to distract viewers from Chyler Leigh's pregnancy.[source?]
  • Goof: George incorrectly counted the gunshots wounds: 5+2+9 is 16, not 17.
  • Goof: As Meredith walks past Derek and the Chief, we see Derek stick his hands in his pockets. In the next camera shot, Derek's hands are at his side, and neither he nor the Chief are turned as far as they were in the previous shot.

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

Owen: Nice work today.
Cristina: "Nice work today!" Seriously?
Owen: I'm sorry?
Cristina: "Run to my truck". You got O'Malley clipping bleeders, and you're telling me to run to your truck.
Owen: You know what my truck looks like. O'Malley doesn't. But, that... that run you took saved the guy's life.
Cristina: Yeah, well all day, all day you were teaching O'Malley and you ignored me.
Owen: O'Malley wants to be a trauma surgeon. You've already declared cardio. I didn't do anything wrong today. I treated you like I would anyone else.
Cristina: (pushes him) No, not like anyone else. Take care now? What is that? What are you like, you know, happy now? What... what are you? You know, just a 'choke 'em and forget 'em' kind of guy? (Owen pulls a piece of paper out of his pants pocket and hands it to Cristina. Cristina unfolds it and reads it) 'Hey there now. Take care now. Nice work, Yang.' What is this?
Owen: It's my shrink. My shrink gave me these sentences. We ah, we came up with them together. They're all 3 word sentences. So I could have something to say to you instead of the 3 words that are... that are killing me. The 3 words that you know I feel but I can't say them, because it would be cruel to say them, because I am no good for you. I don't wanna torture you. I don't wanna look at you longingly when I know I can't be with you. So, yeah, I'm smiling, and I'm saying take care now. I'm letting you off the hook. I'm trying, I'm trying so hard to let you off the hook. I'm trying to make it right. What I did to you. Can't you see that? I'm just trying to make it right.
Cristina: (teary eyed, she gives him paper back) Take care now.


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.

References[]

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