Elevator Love Letter (Grey's Anatomy)
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"Elevator Love Letter" is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of the
American television Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. ...
medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
, ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...
'' and the show's 97th episode overall. Written by Stacy McKee and directed by Edward Ornelas, the episode was originally broadcast on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC) in the United States on March 26, 2009. It was viewed by 15.81 million people and garnered a 5.5/13 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic.
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005â ...
received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nomination for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...
for her portrayal of
Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for over 16 years on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was crea ...
in this episode. In this episode,
Derek Shepherd Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, " A Hard Day ...
(
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
) proposes to the show's title character
Meredith Grey Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series pro ...
(
Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...
) while
Izzie Stevens Isobel Katherine Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda ...
(
Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...
) undergoes surgery for cancer with
Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eve ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...
) feeling guilty for her condition.
Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for over 16 years on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was crea ...
(
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005â ...
) deals with the PTSD of her boyfriend and fellow surgeon
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series' produc ...
(
Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' ...
). The episode received favorable reviews with critics calling it a payoff for Meredith and Derek fans. The storyline involving Izzie's embryos is picked up again in the season 12 episode, " I Choose You" and subsequently concludes on the season 16 episode, " Leave A Light On".


Plot

Cristina and Owen are finally spending nights with each other, relaxing by watching videos of surgeries. Cristina falls asleep, so Owen turns the TV off and shuts off the lights. He dozes off, and the peppy, happy music stops, replaced by whooshing sounds of the overhead ceiling fan turning in slow motion. The screen goes dark and the next thing we know, Owen is choking Cristina. She struggles but can't free herself. Callie walks through the door to see if everything OK, and stops him. At work, Cristina is wearing a turtleneck to cover up her neck bruises. Meredith doesn't want Cristina to cover for Owen because neither of them are okay. George is upset that Izzie didn't tell him about her illness. He doesn't want to think about it, so he asks Callie if he can be on her service that day in order to avoid thinking about her. Bailey greets the residents before they go into Izzie's room. She reminds them all that Izzie needs them to be friends and not doctors now. Izzie knits and reminds them that they have other patients and tells them to go save lives. Derek asks Alex, as Izzie's boyfriend, if he has any questions before her brain surgery today but he doesn't say much. Later, Richard awkwardly asks Alex whether he wants to produce a sperm sample because they are harvesting Izzie's eggs prior to radiation to which he immediately agrees. Mark's patient is an aging woman unlikely to make it through the day. But her nephews and niece are anxious to catch flights and can't be bothered to stick around until she dies. Owen and Derek go to the roof of the hospital to receive a head trauma patient who was helicoptered in. The sound of the helicopter makes Owen freeze up for a moment until Derek snaps him out of it. Outside the hospital, Derek reminds Owen that PTSD is a real injury that produces real physiological changes, but it can also be healed. Meredith tries to walk into an empty elevator, but Richard stands in front of the door, blocking her way, until that elevator closes and the other one opens. Derek is in the elevator! He has plastered the walls of the elevator with MRI scans of all of the successful surgeries they have had together. He points out certain surgeries, like the first one they scrubbed in on together, or the one when he first realized she would become a great surgeon, and the one he just performed on Izzie for which Meredith believed in him. He tells her that she doesn't freeze. She's seen the worst and has been through the worst, but that is how she has the strength to help everyone through their times of hardship. Her dark and twistiness is a virtue, not a flaw. He doesn't get down on one knee. He doesn't ask any questions. He simply says that he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Meredith kisses him.


Reception

The episode was originally broadcast on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC) in the United States on March 26, 2009. The initial airing in the United States was viewed by 15.326 million people and garnered a Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. '' PopSugar'' called the episode classic Grey's, ""People are better than no people" is such a classic Grey's line, and I loved the old woman who just wouldn't die." and added , "Also love Karev delivering his cup to the Chief in the middle of lunch." The site also liked Derek's proposal saying, "It's not the proposal I was expecting from Derek, but I actually like it better than a room full of roses and candles.", also praising
Chandra Wilson Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' since 2005, for which she has been nominated for the Emmy f ...
's character adding, "Bailey rocks my world, especially with her new-new hairstyle."
Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
lauded the episode saying, "Okay, the series is on a real roll right now. I can't really forgive the ghost sex or the interns starring in their own
David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...
movie, but if the rest of the season is as good as the last few episodes have been, I can at least try to forget that stuff." He also lauded
Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' ...
and
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005â ...
saying, "Seeing her flail around, or some sort of insane look on his face, would have made the scene feel over-the-top and cheesy; And after being stuck on the sideline for too much of this season, McKidd and Oh are killing right now." About the proposal he gave a positive review as well saying, "I thought Derek's proposal -- and Meredith's behavior in response to his earlier attempts -- was very grown-up and sweet, and reflected a relationship that's grown to be about more than the stupid will-they-or-won't-they drama. And the moment when Derek finally came out of his stupor and started telling off the oncologist was well-played by
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
, who's been doing some nice work."
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...
also received praise from Sepinwall, "Every time I watch Justin Chambers get a showcase episode like this, I think about how lucky he is -- and we are -- that the ''
Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' producers decided to can him after a few episodes, which allowed him to land this more demanding, high-profile gig." ''
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'' lauded the proposal scene saying, "Squeee! OMG. I usually don't gush over grand romantic gestures or anything because I have a stone-cold heart, but this is quite possibly the most perfect proposal ever." ''Cinema Blend'' also gave largely positive review, "What an incredibly emotionally heavy episode! This really could have been a season finale, it was so packed with emotion, conflict, and resolution." also liked the proposal, "After realizing that Meredith wasn't saying no because she didn't want to be with him, but rather because she wanted a proposal for the right reasons and the right way. He gives her a speech about each of them, and then ties it up by pointing out when he realized certain things, culminating in when he knew he couldn't live without her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. It was a great speech and proposal, and Meredith finally says yes." ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' added the episode in its must watch list stating, " If you did happen to endure the Meredith/McDreamy roller coaster of Season 4, this episode is your payoff. Also, former army surgeon Owen’s PTSD causes him to choke Cristina while she sleeps."


References


External links

* {{Grey's Anatomy episodes Grey's Anatomy (season 5) episodes 2009 American television episodes