When Rare Exotic Bird Meets Agent of Change

 

 

 

 

Calzona Review  Greys Anatomy 13x07  “Why Try To Change Me Now”

Agent of Change

The Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital halls are teeming with paranoia. Basically freaking out about the arrival of Eliza Minnick. Why?

Last episode marked Leah Murphy's return but this hardly made  a dent in anyone's (Arizona's) romance life. This though, opened up Catherine Avery's eyes to a fundamental flaw in the hospital's resident program.

Leah had thrived in other working environments where she had failed in GSMH. Thus signaling a need for a reassessment.

Enter Eliza Minnick, an education consultant invited to observe and assess the GSMH teaching program.

Eliza, the so-called "agent of change," is a double board-certified Sports Medicine Specialist who has published 52 papers of general surgical education. A boss nerd probably.

The attendings were worried because as mentioned by comebacking Leah Murphy,  Minnick is kind of a legend. The kind where she did another hospital's assessment, and heads rolled.

As she invited all residents to a private huddle, Eliza described her work as : "I work with attendings. I train attendings to train you....To hear from you about them." So residents could be open to her about  instructors whom they love and hate.

This is why it wasn't a surprise that this pushed the attendings out of their comfort zone.

Just as Eliza Minnick swept the Grey Sloan halls with her campaign for  innovation and change,  I am freakishly succumbing to the fact that she may also be symbolizing change in the life of Grey Sloan's rare exotic bird, Arizona Robbins.

What was expected to be a tumultuous shake up in GSMH,  now proves to be an impending reality.  So the attendings were on their toes.

Eliza Minnick snapshot

 

The stunning Eliza was honestly a breath of fresh air.  Marika Dominczyk plays her oh so naturally well, like she's been part of Greys for a long time. And may I mention that her eyes shine perfectly when wearing the surgical mask at  OR scenes.

Contrary to the usual expectation that she'd be a bitchy dictator whom everybody would be prone to hate, she was not. She was likeable.  She seemed to get things her way in a straightforward charming manner. Although in the end, her confident stance can blow you and Bailey away, as she told Bailey in a no-holds barred fashion, referring to Webber's position, "I don't share authority, I AM the authority.

Arizona on Tinder?

Arizona herself had her worries. And played unaffected,  "well, I'm safe. Cause there's only a handful number of people in this country who could do what i do. Unlike cardio surgeons.."

These doctors  knew deep inside though, that no one was safe  in the battlefield.

Did you notice too that Arizona was familiar with Tinder when she heard April's phone's prompt? Yes she has been active in the dating scene, i assume.

"April, you're on tinder? Yes you are. That's the Tinder ping. That’s the ‘i've got a match’ ping.’"

The Start of Something….Fun

At the onset, after all the hype for this episode which was to usher in a new love interest for Arizona, being a true blooded Calzona follower, I was torn about this. I surely wanted to hold on and mope but as much as it hurts, i just couldn’t resist  noticing the lovely chemistry between Eliza and Arizona in that (guess what!) Elevator scene. Yep. That same elevator where all the passion of Greys flirting and romance happens, that's where the Elizona chapter starts.

As Arizona passed by the opened elevator door, she was friendly enough to help out the confused Eliza. She clearly was not intending to flirt. I need though to mention that Arizona may or may not have felt something when she was eavesdropping on Eliza's meeting with the residents. That first  Elizona eye contact seemed to affect Arizona in some way, maybe.

So seeing Eliza on the elevator,  she was trying to be helpful plus  she was  worried about keeping her job.  (I won't need to go to great lengths debating why this should worry her when she's part owner of the hospital but i guess i  will just play along and think that maybe Catherine or the board has the power to fire anyone of them even if they are members of the  board.)

This very first innocent Elizona line feels epic. Sorry for blushing. People who are in love with the concept of being in love may just blush at this convo:

Arizona: Hey, you lost?

Eliza: Chief Bailey's office? 4th floor?

Arizona: Yeah right off the catwalk.  
 Um you made a mistake.

Eliza: I'm sorry?

Arizona: I am great. And your list or whatever that is, it should have my name on it. Cause i raise great surgeons. And i will raise more. Fetal surgery  is a very exclusive practice. And there are hardly any of us. I am like a rare exotic bird. And if you stop me from teaching, i may be the last of my kind.

Eliza: What list?

Arizona: From the room of the residents. You left it there.

Eliza: I was just trying to learn everyone's name. Writing it down, makes me remember.

Arizona: Oh great. So you don't need to remember my name.

Eliza: Arizona Robbins. That name attached to that face. No. That’s not one you forget. 'Night.


This line right here is bound to be epic too. Perfect opening line for the beginning of a new love tale. It is both no-nonsense and a little flirty. But we are left hanging, really.  Because with the closing of the elevator door, the possible follow through flirting was cut.  We don’t really know what she meant for sure, but this was a fun start.  

This astounded Arizona, as she was not expecting that,  leaving us wanting and waiting for what’s next.    

Doesn’t this elevator  scene remind us of that  Calzona scene in S5 when Arizona asked Callie  to a dinner date and  Callie played  hard-to-get for a second but set the date anyway after holding the elevator door.

Ironically, it brings back memories too of the Arizona-Lauren elevator flirt scene.

So should we agree that there is no better place to have a flirt scene than in  the Grey’s elevator?

Also, this scene finally  confirms two things:
 that Eliza is indeed the highly anticipated new love interest for Arizona, and that Eliza knows that Arizona is indeed a rare exotic bird.

 If anything, this cute scene was the start of something. And it feels fresh, fun and fab.

Notes:

Dilemma of loyalty

If you're a Calzona fan, which you most probably  are,  it's natural to have that  hesitation to allow your heart to flutter at this scene. Like you’re blushing but your heart tells you to stop entertaining the thought. Cause Arizona is only for Callie and vice versa.

But wait. Lest we forget, Callie is in New York,  happy with Penny and Sofia. She cried tears of joy when Arizona let her be happy and sacrificed herself so that Callie can take  Sofia with her despite winning that inane custody battle.

So logically, Arizona deserves to be happy too, yes?

And as a fan who has gone through years of yearning to see your favorite couple get back together, maybe it is safe to  relish this moment and have a little piece of happiness too? Maybe forget the guilt and enjoy what's here? It isn’t like Arizona is cheating on  Callie. Callie is happy and is in love with another person. So isn’t it just fine for Arizona to be happy too? Thought so.

Shippable Calzona

Needless to say, Callie and Arizona are our top ship. Nothing compares to the history, the chemistry, the family they formed together. Forgive me if I’m wrong but outside this pairing, because these two are uber gorgeous people, they are both basically shippable with others.

Based on fan reaction, Callie was shippable with Mark, with Owen,  with Penny. This explains why a sizeable number adore these pairings.

Arizona too did have some chemistry with Lauren (sorry, i kind of did see it that way) and now, i did see sparks with Eliza. 

This is because Callie and Arizona are both so beautiful inside and out and they do get along easily with people. It isn’t so hard to ship them with others, but of course they’re most shippable with each other.

We remain loyal to the original pairing but what do we do in the meantime that things are on hold and Callie is in love and having her own fun? Things are indefinite because Sara left. Can't Arizona have some fun?

Should there be guilt?

Why should there be guilt when both are happy? No one is making anyone unhappy. No one is cheating. Everyone deserves love and they do especially after all the loneliness and pain they have been through. "let's all be happy" couldn't be more true.

We can be torn. Because being happy for Arizona's new love interest may feel like a betrayal to  Calzona right? But is it, really? Callie has moved on. She is far away, out of sight and followed her bliss.

Arizona wholeheartedly aimed for Callie's happiness by doing the ultimate sacrifice --Being far away from her beloved daughter.

Now that we are in the beginning of Arizona's new love interest story, which we know is the most exciting and cutest time in any relationship, why should we hesitate to have fun with her? 

Everybody's having fun and feeling love. Callie is, for sure. Arizona has been on Tinder. She is looking for new love. She was surprised and flattered when Eliza dropped that surprising line. Arizona is open to being happy again. They're both okay with their situation. Even the actors that play them are living the time of their lives.  Why would we want to wallow  in moping mode? Not practical right?

We should be happy too.

And im actually very excited about the upcoming cuteness. 

Jessica, in a recent interview, shared hints that her character's interaction with her new love interest will be fun, sexy, will have heat. So yeah im down for the heat and all the fun.

Penelliope vis a vis Elizona

There have been many opinions thrown,  comparing Penny-Callie shipping which received much flak, vs shipping Eliza-Arizona.

People ask why the Penny and Callie pairing did not have much acceptance , as many fans have warmly received  Eliza-Arizona right now.

There IS a difference and it is necessary to point it out. 

Penny came in when we were all almost desperate for a Calzona reunion. Both were single. Arizona couldn't hide her jealousy when Callie announced she had a new girl. Arizona seemed not to be ready for it. She seemed hurt, so it hurt us.

But then Penny and Callie's relationship flourished. And then Callie was willing to move to NY with Penny because she loves her that much. 

And we know the rest. It was not the time yet for a reconciliation. And then Sara left, which leaves the Calzona story on pause. We still hope. We still dream. In our hearts, we know who are Mint to Be but not yet.

We have to wait until Callie comes back. And of course we hope that that happens soon.

Now that Arizona is about to embark on a fun love relationship, it comes at a point where Callie is happy and contented in New York enjoying her life.  There is no point in sulking for something that is not even here.   This new relationship, if ever it becomes one, won’t be hurting anyone (for now). 

Who knows, maybe Callie would even say off screen that she is happy for Arizona. So there is really no point in getting upset about it. It would be different of course if Callie were in Seattle and there was a chance for them to get back together, but that is not the case. Everything is indefinite right now so this opportunity for Arizona to have a new love is good and welcome. 

Remember the Journey

It's all part of the journey. Both need to learn how it is to be happy with other people, and maybe grow separately at this time.  If they are meant for each other, they will find their way back but each one has to follow her own path. Clearly, they have separate individual paths for now.

I'd rather let myself be thrilled and ready for what we are set to have with Elizona. Would rather  experience the fun, than stay in a state of bitterness. 

In life, after all, it's not always black or white; not always 'all or nothing.' Sometimes we need to thrive in  the grey areas.  When we find ourselves in a pickle and  need to figure out what to do, we need to decide to compromise, accept and make do of  what life throws our way. And that is exactly what Arizona is doing. Don’t forget that she did go through a process of acceptance of Penny’s presence in Callie’s life. It was not exactly easy for her. And she realized she had to move on, and allow herself to find bliss, too.

Even if it may have crossed her mind that she might be having feelings again for Callie back then, or she may have asked herself why she was having jealous feelings during that evening when Penny came to  dinner, that is all tabled for now because Callie made a decision and that is to follow her new love to New York.  Unfortunately, Arizona is not part of that right now, so there’s that.

Arizona is set to enjoy her own "in the meantime." She does not have to choose misery or numbness. Neither do we, in these uncertain times.

All of us may feel differently about this and that is okay. Everyone has the right to feel anything they feel and at this point, respect for each other's opinions is  most important.

We know who’s endgame 

So let's get ready because Eliza Minnick is staying on at GSMH,  and  in the next episodes we'll see the mighty exciting build up of this new relationship. Please, being excited about them is not bad at all.  It’s perfectly all right to   have some fun.

Temporary happiness is okay.

We are happy for Callie. We are happy for Arizona. All is well.

Just don’t cling to the new ship too much cause Arizona's one true love  is going to come back for her one day. Because remember, after all is said and done,  we still are on that journey.

Enjoy 13x08 and 13x09, which I feel will be exciting episodes for this budding love adventure. And hopefully sexy too. Oops. ;)

 As long as we know who are MFEO in the end, we're good.

#CalzonaMFEO  

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@GAFan8