Calzona Review 12 x 01 “Sledgehammer”
Did you cry and chuckle and cheer in the season
12 premiere of Grey's Anatomy? Well i did. Very much so.
Stacy McKee did not fail me.
Her lines moved me...shook...me, brought me
home...relieved me and best of all, made me laugh out loud.
Whatever antidote she used to bring out all the
important emotions from our hearts in a single hour, well it was most
effective. And that my dear, is what you call: genius.
Very smooth execution of story flow and seamless
direction by Mr McKidd deserves a looped round of applause.
As a Calzona loyalist, i must admit that Shonda
did not disappoint in giving my babies ample screen time in this episode.
Of course i know that with an ensemble cast,
they all get their turn in the spotlight, but surely it is a good sign to see
Calliope and Arizona in almost 75% of the scenes. My Calzona soul is well
pleased.
Why? Because it is the first episode of the
season.
So what? Because it just means that the Calzona
characters are respected enough to be a huge part of the premiere. Probably an
implication of the producer's and network's respect for their drawing power and
formidable fanbase? Maybe.
Yes, ABC, you're on the right track. Start the
season with more Callie and Arizona and you can never go wrong. Pardon the
bias. It's normal.
The tone of Meredith’s voice-over signified
change. In everyone’s lives, including Calzona’s...
"So you might be thinking, Ive been here
before. This is familiar. This is old hat . Maybe youre wondering, 'why are we
here?' But i promise, you’re about to find out that everything has
changed."
State of
Calzona in 12x01
Callie and Arizona at the
season premiere, are leading lives separately and as friends.
In case you did not
notice, (which i highly doubt), Callie and Arizona got ample amount of focus on
this episode. They both amazed and enthralled us individually. Each had their
own touching (Callie's) and amusing (Arizona's) stories.
This time, in their
individual situations, i chose just to look at their personalities at face
value. Nothing yet of how this all will lead them back to each other.
Nope.
None of that yet.
I would rather enjoy them
become their real selves. Now as ex-wives, they are going through life
normally. They are good to each other and are facing what life deals them, on
their own. And they are fine.
Tackling the topic of bullying by reason of
homophobia is very very close to home for this blog. And it is commendable that
Shonda chooses to tackle bullying this season because it is a reality that
needs concerned attention.
Moreso, it is related to the Calzona story.
I could not get my
goosebumps to stand down when Callie, in all her sensitivity and curiousness
about the injuries sustained by two teens Jessica and Aliyah, and their
matching tattoos to boot, sought to get to the bottom of the story.
And surprise, it was an issue so close to home
that it unleashed the venom of the Callie Torres Badassness.
Callie’s Cause
This episode gave us snippets of the Callie
Torres character in full bloom. She is a friend (to Owen). She is badass. She
is principled. And she will defend you.
Callie was badass since the beginning of the ep,
after Avery seemed to avoid conversation with them about April: “Should we clear Trauma one to remove the
giant bug from Avery's ass?”
She was a dependable friend as she gave advice
to Owen who was like a high school lad nervous about asking Amelia out.
She gave wise words to Owen who seemed to be
just “overthinking”.
Callie’s patients were two pedestrians hit by a
train on their way to school.
From the time Ben informed
them of this, Callie was affected. Mainly because the victims were just kids,
and injuries included a broken pelvis, and insides split apart.
Callie had said
they had to treat her internal injuries first before she could stabilize
the pelvis and extremities
The patients made Callie curious . She knew there was something
amiss. And both patients were concerned with each other. And both had hearts
drawn on their arms. These conversations between Callie and Jess were so moving
that they split the insides of my heart:
Callie:Honey,
tell me what happened out there
Jess: We just wanted to be together , dead or
alive
Callie:Youre only 15. You want to die?
Jess: It's more complicated than that. We weren’t
suicidal
Callie: Jess, Im gonna tell you something
personal about myself okay?
I like men...romantically sometimes. And i like
women too. Its a big big part of my life. Can I ask you something personal
about yourself?
Do you like ...girls? Do you like Aliyah?
Jess: I love her
Callie:What were u two doing out there ?
Jess: It's not that we wanted to die. This was
just the only way we could stay together forever.
Callie:
No. No Jess there are so many other ways. Killing yourself solves nothing
Jess: My parents, they’re sending me away…. They
take you in the middle of the night and they change you.
They’re gonna make me change my mind about
Aliyah.
Maggie:
Your parents are doing this?
Sincere
understanding was etched in Callie's face. She willingly opened up about
herself because she knew well enough that this young girl needed that sense of
belonging. Jess needed to feel that somebody understood and accepted her and
that she is okay as she is. She was feeling all this. It was familiar.
She had informally taken it upon herself to be counsel
for this girl. She was her defender and was full of compassion for Jess who was
undergoing such turmoil for a reason that was familiar for her.
When Jess’ parents came,
Callie was protective, asking that the parents be advised that they can see
Aliyah after surgery.
Overheard from
the parents of both teens was a
demeaning little sentence: “They think
they are in love with each other. They wanna grow up and get married”
As Callie and company left after
informing Jess’ parents of their daughter’s multiple fractures, and
Callie overheard Jess’ mom blaming her husband for giving Jess a heads up
about what I assume to be a conversion camp for gay teens, it was all Callie
needed to hear.
Callie: I’m sorry but I’m not sure you
understand what those places are like. I know you’re trying to help your
daughter but that kind of camp is horrible. It will not give her the kind of
support that she needs and I realize that you care about Jess but..
Mom: Care about her? We love her. She's our
child. Our child. Please this doesn’t concern you
Callie: Jess' fear of that place is why she
stepped in front of a train to begin with. She doesn't feel safe
Mom: We are not doing this now.. ..You have no right to talk to me other than about my
child's medical care
Callie:
She’s right to feel afraid. Those places are harmful. They will damage her
mentally, emotionally. They are tantamount to child abuse.
Mom: You are here for one thing. One thing only
and that is to attend to my child's injuries , to help my daughter.
That’s it.
So you can either shut up and do the job that
you are here to do or I will get rid of you. Where do you think you’re going?
Callie: Like you said. To help your daughter.
Uh oh, Callie’s maad.
As they were in the OR, Callie spat out her
thoughts to her colleagues:
Callie : That woman was bullying her own child.
And you know, don’t even get me started on her husband, he is useless.
Useless.
Karev: Poor kids got no one in her corner
Maggie: What would make someone do that? Why
would people act like that?
Callie: Karev?
Karev: Why you asking me?
Callie: Cause you’re a bully.
Just when we were about to
fall into an emotional stupor, count on Callie Torres to add a touch of humor. But here comes important information about
Callie’s history, (the girl who sat in back of the class and ate her hair), that is revealed in these lines:
Alex: Don’t go projecting all your stuff on me
just cause you got picked on as a kid.
Callie: Oh
no, nobody picked on Callie Torres
Maggie: Really?
Callie: Yeah, I was an easy target. I didn’t
look like other girls. I didn’t act like them. I had to learn how to stand up
to people like Karev.
So, I learned to fight. Tell you something
though, once you start to punch your first bully, the rest start to fall in
line pretty quickly
That’s tough Callie for ya.
Callie was human enough to
react and fight for the kid who did not have a voice. And in effect, she
represented the silent sector who could not love as they want, because they are
discriminated against, by the very people whom they thought would support
them-- basically FAMILY.
Being different from the norm is difficult
enough as it is, and having to deal with it by yourself is a challenge in
itself. But the very people you expect to be your primary support system, may
not always support nor understand
Callie getting to the root cause of the
injuries, defending Jess and fighting for her, was just admirable. And though
we do know how active Sara the actor is in her advocacies, it is wonderful to
see her character Callie Torres taking action on the small screen, to defend
this kid from her mom who, in the guise of thinking of the child's best interests, is
actually already bordering on bullying, because of not respecting their child’s
wishes and feelings.
Callie called Child Protective Services against
the parents who were to bring Jess to that
camp designed to "transform" her from her current orientation,
despite her dissent. How Callie stood up to the Jess' mom was pure badass
Torres in action.
Not that we condone disrespect to parents of
patients. This was a different case because Callie stood up to Jess’ parents mainly
because 1) the child opened up to her, which Jess could not do to her close-minded parents 2) Callie
understood how Jess was feeling because liking girls was right up her alley.
Callie understood her and felt for her. And she
could see the glaring injustice dealt upon the helpless child by the very
parents who were supposed to understand and support the child.
She wasn't the type to overstep the
doctor-patient relationship but this case called for special attention and
action. And badass as she is, she had taken on this case seemingly as a
personal mission, beyond being Jessica's doctor.
Again, this added another
dimension to Callie Torres that is well worth our admiration. She keeps
impressing us, I could not help but cheer her on. Cute though that Maggie,
after the mom thought it was her that told on them spewed these biting words, “Stop filling her head with your faithless
inappropriate nonsense. You repulse me. You’re disgusting.
As fate
would have it, Maggie accidentally finished off the issue in true Maggot Pierth
fashion.
Mer was trying to knock
some sense into them. That there was a proper way to conduct themselves
and not this way.
Callie,
though, was determined about her stand.
For her , that woman deserved it. For her , it was personal
“You know what? Grey has a point. Next time leave
the thumb away from the fist when you clench. That way you avoid bone damage.
See?”
Is that badass or is that
badass? ‘Nuff said.
Arizona the Legend
Arizona's roommate-search situation provided the
comic relief in the episode and yes, it was hilarious.
Funny due to multiple reasons but much as we
learned more about Callie, we also
learned new things about Arizona:
1) that even if she was an accomplished surgeon
with two specialties, her patients had not paid her much. Maybe she had taken
in a lot of pro bono cases because tiny humans aren’t the kind of patients a
peds surgeon with Arizona’s heart can refuse. Tthus, she needs to share rent.
2) The Calzona house of my
dreams had already been sold. So
Arizona, right after housemate Alex
decided to move to a new home with Jo, had to look for a place to live.
3) that nobody wanted to
live with her, not even her bff April (a new surprise fact from Stacy)
4) that she is concerned
about her best friend April that even Jackson found it somehow intruding
5) that people didn’t
believe that she is an honest to goodness amputee.
6) Best of all, that she is a legend and might be immortal.
On Arizona’s Renting Capability
I wish not to overthink about Arizona’s income
capability and her net worth. I would just go with the flow that she does need
to share rent with someone. Neither do I
want to think this is more about not wanting to be alone.
I will submit to the script that Arizona is an established esteemed surgeon who is part
owner of a hospital, who could not afford rent. I’m fine with that. Maybe it
is a story writing license in keeping with the Grey’s tradition to have the
doctors as roomies. It gives them a more down to earth image, and makes them
more relateable to people. That even high net worth single doctors need roomies. They share apartments too.
Her dialogue with
Stephanie was comedy all the way when she was puzzled at the lack of interest
of hospital people to be her roommate:
Arizona: My flier's perfectly placed.
It's clear. Aesthetically pleasing.
Stephanie: Why do you need a roommate? You have
a house.
Arizona: Had a house. Callie and I sold it. Now
it turns out i need a little help in the rent department. You'd be surprised how many patients can’t
afford my fees. I mean what am i gonna do? Gonna look the parents in the eye
and tell them i can’t treat their teeny tiny little sickly babies?
Hey! Do u need a place to live?
Stephanie: I already have a place
Arizona is a Legend and Maybe Immortal
We were surprised with the new revelation that
Arizona was not a very likeable roomie.
And that she is in fact, a legend. This has got
to be the most hilarious thing ever. I think this will be one of the funniest
if not the funniest scene in S12.
In Stephanie's words:
Is it because i have a kid? Or is it because im
a boss like people dont want to live with their boss?
Stephanie: Did you hear DR Torres stabbed a
white supremacist in the face?
Arizona: What aren’t u telling me
Have you ever been assigned back to back NICU
shifts Edwards? And I'm not talking for like a weekend. Im talking for months
of long terrible quiet nights all alone in the NICU watching over 27 incubators
full of fragile dying little lies. You know how hard that is. Do you have any
idea?
Stephanie:
You are kind of a legend with the interns and residents.
Arizona was flattered
maybe? But scoffing.
Arizona: Go
on
Stephanie: You’re one of the Seattle Grace five
Arizona: I survived a plane crash uh big deal
and a car crash and a shooting
Stephanie: You
might be immortal.
You've mastered one of the most exclusive
specialties basically overnight and then you took Herman's job and her eyesight
.
Arizona: Okay that’s just…
Stephanie: You have screwed dozens of interns
and you got them all fired. You speak really fast. Like superhuman fast.
You have a weird name
Arizona: It's not true. I only slept with one
intern and i have an awesome name
What? What else?
Do people have a problem that i only have one
leg? I mean do people actually go there and talk crap about a one-legged
person. Because that’s just discrimination against amputees.
Stephanie: They say you have two legs and you
are only pretending that one is amputated. For the parking space.
We were one with the baffled Arizona.
But we were certainly
floored by the hilarity of Steph's words.
Later on though, someone
did take a tab from Arizona's flier and I couldn’t be happier.
So Arizona, has gotten a roommate in hot new intern Andrew De Luca. She was skeptical at
first on what DeLuca’s intentions were, but we discovered he wasn’t exactly
popular with his fellow interns, so that makes a cool roommate pairing-- A Legend and an Outcast.
Perfect.
In the Grey’s universe,
being roomies is where the significant friendships are molded. Not to mention
the countless funny roomie moments that are sure to happen.
So I’m expecting a lot and really excited
to see the roomie adventures of A and A.
Truth be told though, Arizona is truly a legend.
Amputee or not. Affairs or not. She is the good man in the storm. And yes, she
is A LEGEND.
I don’t need to make a
list to substantiate this. You should know why.
And in the best three seconds of the ep, the
good man in a storm high fives with her badass “friend” Callie Torres. A true
legend and a hero, herself.
Arizona: Is it true? Callie punched a.
Homophobe?
Pierce punched a
homophobe.
Arizona: Ooh unexpected! Yes!
Team Badass scored. And it was high fives all around. And that Calzona High Five was the scene that made me happiest inthe season premiere.
One line that stood out in this ep came
from the dad who turned on his wife, for his troubled child’s sake. Thank
goodness he saw the light,
“I don’t care if she's gay. I
care if she's loved. I care if she's happy. And that is what u should care
about. What is wrong with you, that you dont!”
And that sums up what Callie
Torres has sought to achieve. And all is well.
So let’s not care if they’re
separated. Let’s care I they’re loved and if they’re happy.
Things look good for the season.
Let’s see where this roomie story goes.
Let’s see where the dating
story goes.
Let’s see where this story
of “friendship” takes us. *Wink*.
I am Mer when she says in
the closing VO:
“My
answer is you. The thing that has
changed is you.”
So many changes. ‘Tis the time for new beginnings.
Let’s go with them and dive in… see where the waves take
us.
High five.
#Calzona5ever.
Twitter:
@GAFan8
