Heads or Tails

Calzona Review 10x20 “Go It Alone”

They flipped a coin for it.

They flipped a coin to decide who gets pregnant.

It may sound odd, but there’s nothing in this episode that we can’t make heads or tails of, because in the end, a decision was made.

This most awaited episode not only brought a new Grey’s dimension to coin-flipping, it also was an eyeopener of sorts to how far Calzona had developed  in their relationship, 20 episodes since this predominantly painful  season started.

The sneak peek and the screenshot photo of that sneak was enough for Calzona fans to eagerly await  this episode. And it did not disappoint.

Calzona had a combined total of less than four minutes screen time. And hear ye, has anyone noticed that this is one of the rarest episodes where ALL scenes of both Callie and Arizona had them together? No individual scenes. Oh yes, this is just the most delightful thing!

Their total minutes were less than previous episodes, but it really didn’t matter. We didn’t notice the quantity of time because they were very precious scenes, and it was a precious episode for Calzona.

The opening voice over describes the importance of individuality of each doctor, relevant to all the characters, including Callie and Arizona:

“Surgery is a solo act. We step up to that table with a scalpel in our hand and we go it alone. The isolation can start to define you. Because even though you’re surrounded by a team,  what it really comes down to is your training, your wits, your hands, your stitch. It comes down to just you.”

Date Night

It’s a date night for Callie and Arizona! And it did sound real exciting with Callie being territorial, explaining to Jolex their need for a date night, and with Arizona gorgeously standing by in that pretty black dress.

Alex: Hey Robb-

Callie: Oh back away Karev, she’s off duty

Alex:I was gonna say you look nice, but whatever

Arizona: Ahh, thank you. It’s date night

Callie: Yeah listen, we’ve been on opposite schedules for weeks so if we don’t take the time to sit down and eat a meal together and remember why we chose to get married, we’re gonna kill each other.

Alex: No sweat, I've  got everything handled, enjoy your night

Callie: Thank you (and walks off)

Arizona: Thank you so much, you’re amazing

I was wondering if this was a punchline, but it wasn’t. 

Arizona said that ever so sincerely to Alex, unknowing of how Alex was planning to go try private practice, as inspired by Dr. Butthole.

She wouldn’t be saying words like “amazing” when she learns of her protégé Alex’s plans…

In the conversation with Jolex, it was interesting how Callie posited the importance of them having a date night. Like many other Calzona elements in this episode, it pushed further the reality that they are back together and are thoughtful enough to think of  ways to nurture their relationship.  

Assumptions on Decisions

Turns out, date night had been cancelled! We see  Arizona in their bedroom holding mega adorable baby Bailey in her arms, when Callie walks in, and baby Bailey makes both of them remember how it was to care for  a young child once again.

Before I say anything further, please take special note of how cute each of our Calzona babies were, as they carry baby Bailey. It was adorableness overload to the maximum level! 

Arizona: Wow you just spit up all over my pretty dress, didn’t you, Bailey?

Callie: Ohhkay, cancelled  the reservations, Shepherd owes us  big time, he said he owes us right?

Arizona: Yes, something about taking Sofia for the weekend so we can have a getaway and I’ll hold him to it. Callie can you hold him for a minute cause it’s dribbling

Callie: Yeah, oh here. Hi! Gosh you forget what it’s like to have one this small. How’d we do it before..

Arizona: Oh well, we had Mark. God, I miss Mark.

Callie: Yeah, I miss him too. And three’s a lot. Makes me think we should stop after I have this next one

Arizona: What do you mean after you have the next one?

Callie: I meant we, I was just saying cause  you know I’m gonna…have it

Arizona: Oh! You’re gonna have the next one. I didn’t know that we decided that

Callie: I didn’t know there was anything to decide

And that scene ended with Arizona giving that questioning half nod

It was a pleasant surprise that they mentioned Mark in this adorable scene. They had rarely mentioned Mark in the recent past and it was  beautiful to hear it first from Arizona. 

Arizona missing Mark. 

It was not a mere reference, it was an outright expression of sentiment, and it was wonderful to hear it from her.

They felt the loss especially because Mark, as Sofia's dad, was there when they needed support in taking care of Sofia. It was one moment worth remembering.

Maybe She Changed her Mind

We catch Arizona in bed, on the phone with Mer, who was checking on the babes.

Arizona: Uh huh Zola’s asleep and Bailey was out like a light. No I don’t know why Derek didn’t tell you. Yeah, no not a problem. anytime. Okay. Bye.

Then Callie, who seemed to have been roused from sleep even though Arizona tried hard to speak softly   to Mer, turned on the light and talked to the almost-asleep Arizona

Callie: I never would’ve just assumed you don’t wanna carry our child.

Arizona: Mmmhmm

Callie: You said, you cant take another loss. It’s too hard, I took that as a “No”. And I was afraid that if I asked you again, it would make you too sad.

Arizona: That was a year ago and there was a lot going on and maybe I changed my mind

Callie: Have you?

Arizona: I don’t know , maybe!

Then here comes Callie’s loving line. A line that expresses thoroughly how selflessly  she loves her wife...wait for it....I'm typing it in boldface so we don't forget it

Callie: Arizona if it would make you happy, it would make me happy.

Arizona: Yeah, but do you think I should?

Hmm, do we sense some sort of fickle-mindedness in Arizona on this one? She was objecting to Callie’s assumptions, basically for the instinctive need to make it a fair mutual decision, but at this point, she seemed unsure.

And Callie, the eternally understanding awesome Callie just smiled sheepishly.

In this particular scene, it was evident that both were willing. 

Callie was being sensitive to Arizona's feelings about this, especially about the recent miscarriage. It wasn't that she overlooked  Arizona's possible  willingness, she was just being proactive, and selfless, and just assumed that she would carry, because  she didn't want to make her wife relive sad memories of the past. She didn't want to see that. 

Kudos to Callie for having this foresight. It's all a shining example of pure love. And she did explain her reasons clearly to Arizona, to avoid any misunderstanding.

I think this is the best time to admit my growing suspicion that Shonda wanted a saintly character to be on Grey's. I would think that should be Callie. 

Toward the end of this talk, there was already that hint of doubt in Arizona, but her being consultative about it was endearing to Callie and of course to me. 

It was great to see  progress in their communication.  We saw them talk about how they felt. What they thought. And it was truly a welcome sight to see them talk things over like this. 

Openness and communication is always a good thing for Calzona. They have learned from their past.

Since both of them wanted to carry, the next step was to make a decision. And as if I don't know how they would do it, I hope they think of an ingenious way to decide.

Tale of Heads and Tails

Then we come to the famous scene as shown from that sneak peek, the screenshot of which flooded our twitter timelines in the past days.

They were going to flip a coin for it. For the superior types, know- it-alls and snobs, It may have looked absurd, doing a toss coin to decide  who carries the child.

In all honesty,  in instances like this when both people in a relationship are willing to arrive at a mutually agreed upon solution,  something as simple as flipping a coin is a silly but fair way to do it. 

You ask "why?" Without batting an eyelash,  I will counter you with a crisp  “why not?”.

We find out that  it was Arizona who came up with the "silly and absurd"  idea. Mind you, nothing Arizona ever thinks about is absurd by me. Wink.

Callie: Okay so we’re not picking a movie or take out. It’s a bigger deal

 Arizona: Yeah, this feels right

Callie: Mhmm

Arizona: I mean flipping a coin, it  feels right. It feels decisive, it’s done

Callie: Fine, fine, Heads, I will get pregnant and carry our child, and tails,

Arizona: I get pregnant and carry our child. Okay?

You could sense Arizona’s overzealousness saying this. 

Callie: And, however it lands

Arizona: That’s what we do, right?
Callie: Right

Arizona: Okay

And we see Callie flip it high up

When suddenly  Arizona panics and shouts “No, you know, you do it!”

There it goes. Arizona’s  panic revealed that she was after all,  not decided to do it. She was surprised with herself too! She backed out from the coin flipping

Arizona: I'm sorry!     

She was taken aback by what she did, but she did realize what her side was on this, “I don’t want to”

And Callie, the ever gentle and understanding Callie, was lovingly  laughing at her wife’s response.

Arizona: And I know what you did last time, it was so beautiful, just that I don’t want to. I want YOU to. I want you to. Is that bad? Am I terrible?

Callie: No. You’re not terrible    

  

Callie was just so patient with Arizona, I need her with me. OOps

Arizona: Will you do it? Please? Ok wait hold on, do you want to?    

Arizona was giddy. She was half excited, half guilty. I could sense she did want to carry the baby, but just was not ready.

Callie: I would love to!

Awwww and Arizona leans in and they kiss a beautiful kiss, 

then the baby monitor interrupts their fun reverie

And attending to the kids becomes another toss coin affair

Callie: I’ll flip you for it

This light humor-infused dialogue was a nice touch.

The Visitor

In the last scene, we see somebody  knock on a generic door.

Door opens 

and we are greeted by silk-robe-clad Arizona with baby Bailey

Arizona: April?

April: Can I stay here for a little while?

And no questions asked, Arizona, together with Callie, also in a silk robe, (oh, may I just say they looked fab in silk robes, by the way), and  welcomed  April into the house. That's what BFF's are for, after all. 

Closing shot was an outdoor shot of the lovely  Calzona house. A house we would like to live in forever. A house that signifies stability, a refuge for friends who need comfort, a  potential haven to build new hopes and a symbol of  working toward new dreams. 

A few additional thoughts on this episode:

Babysitting the MerDer kids

It’s always refreshing to see these doctors help each other out babysitting their kids when their schedules become too tight.

I don’t know why I have this feeling of exhilaration whenever the MerDer couple asks  Calzona to babysit Zola, and now their two kids. Not for anything but I feel it reinforces the fact that Calzona  have gone back to being the stable couple once again.

The fact that MerDer could afford to ask Calzona to babysit the two kids, makes me feel content.

Because this wouldn’t have been possible during those days when Callie was separated from Arizona. She wouldn’t have been able to  handle three kids.

Now that she and Arizona are back together, they can ably handle the trio.

I guess I’m going through the motions of a post Calzona tragedy trauma. I guess I was too scarred by those wrongly named coffee cup days, those lemon squeezy ten plus times days, the trauma of which lasted for more than half a season long.

I am jumping for joy now that this babysitting assignment brings me back to the reality that Calzona are back together and are now  living life as a normal happy couple again.A couple helping their colleagues babysit their kids because THEY CAN. 

If this sounds too shallow, then it is.

As cliché as it may sound,  we do have to stop and smell the flowers sometimes, and I am proudly counting my Calzona blessings.  I can now say to myself that they are happy once again, and as a true shipper, I am beaming with pride and admiration with the babysitting normalcy that they demonstrated while holding Bailey in their arms. They were a together-again couple attending to  Bailey and his teether. It was  a cancelled date night, fine. But  It  was just purely heaven to see them this way.

Coin flipping bed scene

Of course there were a lot of expectations after the sneak peek because they were  on a bed, and many expectations of a bed scene,  but at this time, as Shonda said in a tweet, they are not in that place right now.

This scene was  very interesting. Actually adorable, playful, sweet,  in my opinion. It was like seeing two ordinary  people in a very familiar scenario of making a decision, but flipping a coin for it is  not going to be admitted as a usual way to decide things.

They could have talked about it in a heart-to-heart kind of way, but I guess since it was Arizona who brought the idea up, maybe it was as impulsive as it could get. 

Maybe she  wanted it to be fair. So I would rather abstain from labeling it as absurd. It isn’t. It’s just a very human way to decide things among couples, friends, etc.

Funny how Arizona was evidently nervous about the outcome of the toss coin exercise.  The coin was peacefully floating in mid-air when she funnily balked at the idea before they got a view of the result . The way she halted it and entrusted the task  to Callie just shows that Arizona was fairly undecided  (right from the time she asked Callie in previously : “Yes,  Do you think I should?” ) 

And though she wanted to, maybe it was a case of “ the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”.

Callie’s patience and kindness, I cannot deny, these traits have so far been most consistent for this beloved character on Grey’s. Her kindness and understanding for her wife is just immense.

When Arizona was busy with her cute indecisive antics, Callie  was just looking at her wife like she was the most amusing person in Washington state.

She had always been true to what she told Arizona: “Arizona, if it would make you happy, it would make me happy.”

Now, do I have to explain what kind of love constitutes that kind of statement?

I’m thinking Arizona was caught unaware by Callie when Callie blurted out that she’d  carry the baby.

Maybe that led Arizona into a reflex reaction—an impulsive objection to it, even if she had not really thought it over. Maybe she had been repeatedly been thinking about it, and convinced herself temporarily that she was ready for it.

Then up to the point in that bedroom scene, when they  flipped a coin for it, when the coin was a millisecond away from making the decision for them, that was when she realized she was not ready. And her uber loving wife willingly agreed.

I don’t think there will be anything Callie will not do for Arizona. We all know how kindhearted Callie is, but does she ever fail to amaze us in every episode? Nope. Calliope Iphigenia never fails us.

And all this being said, it actually does not even have to matter who gets pregnant.

Sure, some people want Arizona to carry so we can finally have our Baby Mc Dimples. Some may even talk about how this could be possible and have an interesting discussion on childbirth processes.

Some quarters say they want Arizona to carry because Callie carrying would just be a similar scenario as to when she carried Sofia. People do want variety, sometimes.

Some people even suggest that if ever things dont happen as planned out, they can even adopt. But adoption may have to make a legal marriage necessary, so on and so forth.

We never really know what 's next, and until the baby is delivered, anything can really happen.

I am not blind to the critics who again may have said something about how Calzona reached a decision. But honestly, maybe it is much better to  focus on the fact that they did arrive at a decision, and both mutually agree, so why should we even not feel happy about it? 

Callie is happy. Just as much as Arizona is, so there should not be a problem.

Another point to be raised is, why did Arizona have mixed reactions about having the baby? Why the indecisiveness?  This opens us up to think about her own pain and trauma after the miscarriage. Maybe she has not yet fully reconciled herself with that loss and that a psychological effect may be at work at the moment.

So until she is ready to carry, we will wait...and maybe they can proceed with their planned total of ten kids with chickens. Because Arizona likes chickens.

April's visit

We all knew the newly married April had some unfortunate issues with new hubby Jackson. And it was a pleasant sight that April knocked on Calzona’s door when crisis hit.

I know that Arizona is April’s closest friend at present, but  may I just note that this again impresses upon us that Callie and Arizona are the stable couple now, to whom friends run to in times of trouble.

 Their sprawling new house filled with warmth, is open to friends who may be in need of comfort and of a place of emotional shelter. 

Sounds and feels like they have become a second Merder couple. And their house, a second Merder house-- a place of refuge for friends in need.

And this is exactly why I want to live in the Calzona house too, and there have my  happily ever after.

Short but sweet Calzona in this episode. Well executed. Important points pushed forward.

In three sentences, we can sum it as: Callie will carry the baby. Arizona is still nervous. Calzona is the stable couple now.

The support that we saw involving Calzona and their friends are relevant to the closing quote:

            "Surgeons are trained to go it alone. To be solo artists.  To be mavericks in or out of the O.R.  But The truth is, we are never alone. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We stand side by side with the colleagues who have supported us, prepared us, for the moment that every surgeon lives for. When it all comes down to your training, your choices . your wins, your hands, your stitch , when it all comes down to you."

The promo for the next episode gave us  jitters  as we saw Arizona on a plane (again).

Also, wild talk has been going around twitter about the synopsis for 10x23, where it said Callie receives terrible news.

Just a reality check, in case anybody has forgotten. This is Shondaland. The land where no character is happy for at least four straight episodes. ( just an estimate, but is almost true.)

 So maybe it’s better to just cherish the good times while they last and just choose to remain positive. The couple had gone through a whole lot and had passed the survival test  with flying rainbow colors. There's no use for worry.

Of course Calzona will face more conflict. In what form, we do not exactly know, but that’s the Shondaland way, and let’s not forget we all live together in this  land. Where it's always a roller coaster of emotions.

We are expected to be used to it by now. 

Whether they do get to  have issues or become part of the season finale cliffhangers, or even if the baby comes next season, it does not really matter.

As long as we get our happy, healthy  baby Calzona.

Hoping for the best for Calzona. Forever and Always.


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