The Baby Name Game

Calzona Review 10x22 “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

It’s  name game time in Calzonaland!

They’re thinking of baby names! Ahhh... exhilarating  to just say that out loud.

  

Am I the only one cheering the fact that they have indeed come a long way from  “She’s the woman Arizona slept with last night.”?

Twenty-two episodes after,  they’re thinking of  uber cute names for their future bundle of joy! 

Before I go on, it would be a supreme disservice if I do not mention how I think this is one of the best if not THE best written episode of the Season. 

That I cried a river because of the Mertina and Japril moments is an understatement.

And yes,  it was  Callie and Arizona who took over the  comic relief reins for the episode-- and that is just fantabulous.

The voice over was not connected in any way to Callie and Arizona’s name game, though..

“Sometimes you just need to get out of town, get a new perspective. But you can’t always see that you need a new perspective because you need a new perspective to be able to see that. It’s complicated”

The Appeal

The hospital is in danger of losing grants. The meeting of the managing board, as called by Richard,  was about their proposal to make an appeal on the decision that  their doctors are not entitled to win  Harper Averies.  This is where  Calzona make their first appearance in this  excellent episode.

In their capacity as members of  the Board, Callie and Arizona had to take an active part in deliberations for the appeal.

Arizona: I’m sorry am I missing something? What situation?

Meredith: No one in this hospital will ever win a Harper Avery. Catherine Avery told that to Richard.

Owen: Richard thinks we should appeal.

Cristina: You mean I should appeal. I don’t want to humiliate myself further

Richard: This is not about you, Yang. This is about the hospital being able to get money, for research and attract more surgeons. We’re already losing top talent.

Derek: Russell’s a loss but he’s no Cristina Yang

Arizona: Cristina Yang can’t be Cristina Yang if we lose funding

Callie: The NIH fund winners, people with track records.

Mer: People with Harper Averies

Derek: Appealing the decision is not the worst idea in the world

 Much as I want to, the Harper Avery award issue is not to be tackled in a Calzona-dedicated blog.

The only standout observation I have on this scene is the double-dose hairporn of  our lovelies Callie and Arizona.

Each contributory sentence from them, Arizona with two short lines and Callie with one, only made me observe that they’re always seated side by side in meetings like this. Sorry but the only thing I noticed is the perfection of both. Their combined gorgeousness in this scene was too much for the screen.

Shared brain matter

In the next scene, we see a large group of doctors gathered around the Shepherd neurosiblings Derek and Amelia.

Callie is part of the large group that will perform the delicate surgery for the conjoined twins.

Derek and Amelia were showing complex brain scans of Annie and Liz Cooper,  conjoined twins who shared the same brain matter and separating them will be complicated.

They chose GSMH to do the surgery because the hospital has been getting good at it because  they’ve done so many of it. 

It was tricky because it involves the brain. Almost forty doctors were to work on them to cut into their memory centers.

The question was, which twin gets to keep that saggital sinus (that provides supply to the brain) and which twin gets the graft.

Callie easily stood out from the crowd. She looked  fresh. She was absolutely S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.

She explained her role in this surgery..

Callie :  will make a mold of the cranial bone flap so then we’ll be able to replace the missing flap of the skull

They have to turn it with the least amount of deficit

Little Tiny Humans

Arizona drops in on work-deluged Jo who, after  being assigned a task by Owen, was intercepted by Arizona,

Arizona: Oh, no you won’t.  3922 needs her jp drain removed and the delightful but demon-like girl next door also needs a new feeding tube. 

And they’re kids, little tiny humans, and we don’t make little tiny humans wait for things like feeding tubes and drain removals, do we?

Jo : No we don’t

Arizona: You’re awesome

And she flashes that  sunshiny super magic smile.

Arizona Robbins strikes again. She knows the way to leverage on the emotions of a work-deluged resident. Who wouldn’t have the heart to prioritize the little tiny humans?

I’m guessing pretty soon, what, we’ll be back to the days of  her wacky  “authority issues “ scenes?  That'll be cool.

I will forever be comparing Arizona’s present condition from when we started Season 10,  when she was all listless, guilt-ridden, broken, and erratic. 

The old Arizona is really back. Completely. Even her signature term “tiny humans” is back! 

When was the last time she even said that?  9x24?

Isn’t this what we have all been waiting for, many episodes ago?  That she get back to being the Arizona we knew?

The powers-that-be  granted  our wish and I would never  want to  take that for granted. 

What Shonda taketh away, she giveth back. Sometimeth.

Tracing it back,  it started with them wearing their necklaces again.

 Then Arizona said  Kaleidopy. I mean Calliope. 

Then the comeback of the wheelies.

Then this one -- Arizona saying “tiny humans”

Old Arizona is back, I’m going to  say this repeatedly.  And it’s always a great thing to celebrate.

Brother and Sister Shepherd

When the Shepherd neurosiblings preside over the group of doctors in preparation to perform surgery on the Cooper twins, they  were engaged in trivial sibling bickering as they discussed surgical procedure. 

This caused Callie to release that perfect raised  eyebrow look , as dissenting reaction to the Shepherd siblings.

I wish the neurosiblings did this a lot, just for the cute Callie raised eyebrow stunt. Made her even more perfect.

Child abuse

Arizona walks into April and  we bump into the famous Calzona Name Game  Challenge.

April : Hey Rainbow Williams on bed three needs an abdominal exam to rule out appendicitis.

Arizona: Oooh, Rainbow, I’m gonna add that to my list of baby names.

April: Really?

Arizona: Yup. Right after Bubba, Tulio, and Agamemnon

April: Agamemnon,  that is, that’s pretty

Arizona: No it’s not. It’s  child abuse. But Callie keeps shooting down all the cute names that I suggest. So my new strategy is to bury the cute names in a sea of terrible ones. So, Zamboni, Hashtag, Derp…

April: Oh you guys aren’t even pregnant yet and you’re so

Arizona: Crazy?

April: No,  no,

Arizona: imagine how insufferable I’ll be when there’s an actual baby to talk about

The enthusiasm for these unlikely baby  names by Arizona was hilarious really. 

She wanted to win this war. She was listing down the best baby names classified as  child 

abuse when used.  Let’s see if Callie thinks so too.

The Middleman Mechanic

The Brain Mapping Dream Team come together again. 

Derek had complimented Callie on her seamless work

Callie: It took hours of meticulous work to perfect these pieces, Derek, Amelia better not screw it up.

Derek: Why would you think that?

Callie: You treat her like she’s the village idiot.

Derek: I do not

Callie: Yes you do and I need you to tell me that she’s not

Derek: She is not…the village idiot.  Wouldn’t let her near the Coopers if she weren’t exceedingly  capable. Hey, is that the…

Callie: Ah fully functioning robotic leg? Yes it is.

Derek: Oh I thought my absence totally stalled the progress

Callie: It did. So I kinda took it in a diff direction. I redirected the peripheral nerve signals to send commands directly to the prosthetic leg, eliminating your sensors entirely. I cut out the middleman

Derek: Oh so I’m a middleman

Callie: No I still need you to connect the nerves

Derek: I’m just the mechanic

Callie: Kinda, but I would never let you near it if you weren’t exceedingly capable

Count on  Callie Torres to get away with a sarcasm-stained remark like that with Derek Shepherd. She noticed and apparently objected to Derek’s treatment of Amelia, and she called him out on it.

Hooray for Badass Callie. 

What's great was that  this conversation led to  positive results. We learned later in the episode that Derek  recommended Amelia to Callie, who needed an exceptional neurosurgeon for her project.

Toxic Jo

Jo had her  hands full, attending to multiple patients when Arizona caught up with her and admonished her about forgetting about the tiny human patient.

Arizona: Wilson, do you know you still haven’t done the drain removal on 3922? I gather you know that cause for some reason

Arizona was evidently disappointed at Jo’s neglect of duty. Rare that we see Arizona plainly pissed off. Here, Arizona's work ethic is again brought to fore.  From this I gleaned,  that for her,  the job can never be done by half measures. Arizona expects full focus.

She loved Agamemnon

Then we reach the last scene, the charming elevator scene.

See, in Calzona history,  Calzona elevator scenes were either fun or romantic. So this is classified as  one of the fun ones. 

(Uhm, excuse me but please don't even think about the Laurzona elevator scene. It is not even qualified as a Calzona scene. And it wasn't even a fun scene nor romantic one. It was the worst traumatic elevator scene ever. Oops, sorry for the memories).

Arizona had  apparently  given Callie the name choices.  Callie was amusedly giving it some thought , then suddenly blurted out,

Callie: Agamemnon,

Arizona couldn’t hide the smile on her face, 

but then changed her expression when Callie unexpectedly adds,

Callie: hmmm I kinda love it.  Then Callie smiles widely, 

while Arizona’s smile faded

Then the elevator door closes, and that signals the end of the very short but expected less than three minute combined screen time of Calzona.

The episode closes with the heart-tugging lines of this voice over.

“Open your eyes, what do you see? More possibilities. Does your new view give you more hope? That’s the goal. Although it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes a shift in perspective just makes you see what you’ve lost.”

Imminent changes will be happening soon. And as much as there are bountiful rewards toward new paths, the losses are now slowly being realized.

  

Notes:

Calzona were all-fun and fun-tastic  in this episode, which was, for the most part, drama-filled.

Callie and Arizona were the comedic part of the show.

It was utter enjoyment to watch Arizona letting April in on her ploy to outsmart Callie in winning with choosing the baby’s name via “child-abusive” name ideas.

Callie got the last laugh, though. She didn’t think Agamemnon  was considered  child abuse at all. She loved the name . After all, her own given names were culled from  Greek Mythology characters. Interestingly,  Agamemnon is the father of Iphigenia. Her middle-namesake.

Baby names will always be a good source of debate, but knowing these two, they'll agree on something soon. So it's safe to assume it's going to be a boy because they're thinking of boy's names? Okay. 

Just as April observed,  seeing Arizona’s zealous preoccupation with the baby names--listing and collecting them on her phone, it was obvious our beloved couple couldn’t contain their excitement for the baby. With Arizona even trying to outwit Callie, however the strategy works.

This second Calzona kid,  the second of ten, will be surely blessed with an excellent name. The mothers are doing  a good job at trading wits at coming up with a good name.

They can just pick one from all the choices, then use the unchosen names for the next eight kids.

Now, analyzing Arizona’s initial choices:

Rainbow

Agamemnon

Hashtag

Zamboni

Derp
Bubba
Tulio

I personally like Hashtag. Because it's what I use everyday. Just kidding. I think the best would be Rainbow, of course. Callie though,  has taken a liking to Agamemnon…so let’s await the final decision.

Funny that Arizona  completely  didn’t expect Callie would like it so I guess it’s back to square one for her . She needs a new strategy to get her way.

It's all about the baby for them. It's the  preparation stage.   

Now time to gear up for the  next episode.  The episode where Callie receives terrible turned devastating news.

After the lightness of this episode for them, roller-coaster style, we are programmed to get ready for some drama this time.  

Whatever happens, though, I just still hope that whoever gets to carry, i only hope for a happy, healthy Calzona baby. 

 We all are friendly neighborhood  Shondaland peeps. It’s always good to  cherish the fun times in this happiness bubble. As long as it lasts.

 I guess that in the next episode, the happiness bubble pops. For them and for us.  So at least we’re ready,  thanks to the synopses.

Forecasting  that the  last two episodes will be tense and intense. That’s code for:  stock up on tissues.

Whatever happens, best to just stay positive.

Time and again, no matter how difficult the hurdles they face , Callie and Arizona had always been  strong enough to overcome these together.

We know that for sure.

Uh oh, it’s Intense o’clock once more. Time to say this again:

Hashtag CalzonaStrong.

*Note: Today marks the r the Third Anniversary of airing of the momentous "White Wedding"  or the Third Wedding Anniversary of our beloved Callie and Arizona, one of the most popular and groundbreaking same-sex couples on prime time television.

Today we celebrate the third year of their wondrous union. A union bound by love. A love that has been tested yet strengthened by time.  We only wish marital bliss for them, always.

Here's to forever. 

Cheers.

Calzona Forever and Always. Calzona Always and Forever..

Twitter:

@GAFan8



P.S. Bonus feature above: Photo of Gold Plated head is The Mask of Agamemnon. For reference only.

Mentorship, Friendship and Getting Out of the V

Calzona Review 10x21 "Change of Heart"

A certified tearjerker. Made me cry buckets. That’s what this episode was. I was floored by the stunning performances by  the whole cast. Overall, it was one fine and dandy Grey's episode. Read: Draining but entertaining.  

Even as the episode was mostly centered on patients and the other characters,  (which by the way  is very welcome and which will most probably go on for the next three episodes), both Callie and Arizona  had individual concerns  to deal with.

It was interesting to see them tackle each of their issues--   Callie in her deadpan yet hilarious manner, and Arizona, being quite sentimental… a rare trait we see in her.

Calzona-wise, the episode showed us a deeper dimension to Callie and Arizona's characters
and dispositions. And it is a  respite from   troubling conflicts or even trading of  sweet emotions. It is sometimes good  to see various facets of their persona too.

Mer’s illustrative voice-over goes:

"Over the past twenty years, one of the most valuable tools a doctor has is the algorithm.  Your patient’s main complaint goes into a box. And then the formula helps you decide what to do next.  But what happens when a problem doesn’t fit into a box? Well you’re suddenly on your own unexpectedly with about a thousand paths to choose from."

Get out of my V

Calzona in the bedroom. Planning the pregnancy. Just delightful.

Callie: Okay, so we turkey base me in may,

Arizona: And the baby’s born in February?

Callie: Yup

When April obtrusively enters the room, interrupting them for ..wait for it… toothpaste.

Callie: Okay, so I take off the spring, recover and nurse and then you take off the summer

Arizona: And I put Karev in charge of Peds, I think that works!

April however, joins in on the conversation between wifeys 

April: Are you sure about that? Cause if you’re gone in the summer, you’re gone when the new interns start. Do you really want Karev in charge of all the new kids? Maybe push off the insemination for…

And here we witness the most hilarious line of the episode, courtesy of my beloved Callie:

Callie: Kepner, Kepner?  Get out of my vagina

I was very  certain that half the fandom just doubled up with laughter. And Arizona’s subtle  duck face reaction will never be forgotten.

Callie: Its really been only two nights cause it feels like ten

Hmm….Irritation from  Calliope starting to surface….

Heart patients

In the next scene, Arizona is with Shane and comebacking Dr. Russell.  Head of Cardiothoracic surgery. Leah was in the room too, but was attending to Frankie's brother Linc, another heart patient.

They, followed by Karev, were discussing with  Frankie’s parents. Frankie  was due for transplant and was still in an unsatisfactory condition despite the LVAD implantation. A heart was available but they were waiting for confirmation  from a hospital in Oakland.

Arizona explained to the doubtful parents that  since Dr. Yang was not back yet, (after the Harper Avery Awards),  Dr. Russell will be performing Frankie’s transplant that day, Karev assured the parents that he and Arizona will be in the O.R. the whole time, and that Frankie will be  in good hands.

Then the parents learned from Leah Murphy that  Linc, Frankie's brother,  was doing fine

Then Linc asks about their sister Ivy, who was still in rejection status

Linc: When can Ivy come back in here?

Arizona: Well she’s still sick. 

She still needs to stay there a little bit longer. Unfortunately Ivy’s still in rejection….we’re monitoring her very closely.

Don't we just love to see Dr. Arizona Robbins on top of everything in the peds department? Her apparent concern and dedication to her job was shining through.

As they went out of the room, Shane interrogated Arizona on Cristina’s whereabouts which led to a no-nonsense Arizona  reply,

Shane: Has anyone heard from her?

Arizona: You know just make sure Frankie’s ready and prepped.

Karev’s private practice  plans (PPP)

Arizona had noticed Karev who bore the smile of a Cheshire cat on his face, and was shadowing her

Arizona: Why are you hovering? What’s wrong with your face?

Alex: I like your hair.

Arizona: Oh what did you do

Then  Karev finally told Arizona about his plans to get into  private practice

Arizona: When did all this happen?

Alex: About a month ago. Lebackes approached me, I’ve been doing work with him on my off time. He thinks I could make a really good fit.

Arizona: So you’ve already decided? You’re leaving?

Alex: No, I don’t know. My fellowship is almost over so..

Arizona: Well, uh, when do they need to know by?

Alex: Tonight

I was waiting for Arizona to go ballistic, reminiscent of 8x23 when she lashed out at Karev who was bent on leaving and go on to Johns Hopkins after he passed his boards.

Arizona, though visibly frustrated, did not lose her temper at all. She was taking it all in. This was all news to her. She had Karev’s schedule all planned out for the coming months. And she just sighed in submission.

Alex was uneasy, actually surprised At Arizona’s quiet reaction

Alex: Aren't you gonna yell at me or something?….

They got an emergency  page so the conversation got cut

Cristina is back

Next scene was their OR scene with Dr Russell, Arizona, when Cristina suddenly arrives.

Dr Russell greeted Cristina, and consoled her on her not winning the Harper Avery the night before.

Everyone in the O.R. were staring, including Arizona,

Cristina: “It was an honor just to be nominated”

And everyone, especially Arizona, just looked silently at Cristina, and went on with the work on hand.

Cristina and Arizona share a bond. And Arizona knew better. Silence was best at this delicate time.

Team Ortho and Team Trauma in action

Then  we see Team Ortho together with Team Trauma at work in the trauma room. Attending to a hypotensive cross country athlete,  who had been walking three months, and got hit by a pick up truck.

He said he was not walking for charity, and was in it for the sake of committing to something.

The man’s thighs were swollen, so Callie suspected  the femur fracture must have affected  the femoral artery, thereby causing his being hypotensive, losing all blood volume into his thigh, so they had to rush him to the O.R.

Note: Aside from the beautiful Callie picture four lines above this, it was wonderful to see multiple characters in one scene. 

This episode, just like the last one, had plentiful scenes of that kind. It displayed a fascinating  dynamic among the characters. It was praiseworthy.

Heart to heart

Now  we go back to Arizona’s O.R. scene  with Cristina. Arizona was gushing at Cristina’s skill at the ongoing surgery procedure.

Arizona: I see one tear, one leak, you did it Perfectly. I  mean Ive never seen such an efficient  anastomosis. Look, Karev.

Alex: Awesome job, Yang

The enthusiasm of Karev was apparent.  At first ,  I wasn’t even sure if he was trying to be overzealous for Yang, resorting to flattery because of Yang’s recent defeat,  I was thinking too that  he might be trying hard to please Arizona too, to let him off the hook easily for his private practice plans.

Then when Arizona stared sharply at Shane and Leah, as if prodding them to say something positive about Cristina’s skill, that was when I realized Arizona was getting the whole surgical team to be a source of comfort and praise for her colleague and friend Cristina Yang

Leah: Inspiring,

Shane: flawless

Arizona was being protective of her friend Cristina. She was trying to cheer her up. As consolation, as cheer. They wanted to show her they support her at this time of defeat.

But there was something wrong. The patient’s heart was not pumping. Even as  they started cardiac massage. It usually had to start pumping after restoring blood flow. Frankie’s  new heart just wouldn’t beat

Cristina: What’ UNOS saying?

Nurse: We’re waiting on a call back

Leah: I don’t understand, how does it happen?

Arizona:  They must have injured it when they were moving it from the donor.

And suddenly, out of extreme anger and frustration, Cristina throws her surgical instrument across the room. Arizona swiftly got out of harm’s way. She was surprised  but chose to remain tight lipped.

They located another heart match  in Portland, so Arizona, was decisive that to avoid another screw up, she and Karev were to fly to Portland to secure the heart.

Arizona: Karev and I will go get it. We cant risk another screw up
Alex: Both of us don't need to...

Arizona: Now! Cristina are you okay?
Cristina: Yeah

Her friend was okay so she and Karev set off to prepare to go to Portland to get the heart for Frankie.

Whoa to April's woes

I could not get over this  hilarious scene in the O.R  where the surgery for the cross-country athlete was ongoing, where  April, while treating the patient with Owen,  was being woeful. 

She was airing her grievances to what appeared to be everyone in that O.R., but she was actually talking to Callie,  who,  together with  Ortho teammate Jo, was across the room preparing the x-fix for the patient.

April: This is important this is not something that can be just glossed over or ignored or fixed. I cant pretend like nothing’s wrong

Callie: Yeah, I know, I know, you said all that last night, then again this morning, over breakfast, haha and now,  you're saying it all again now. Wow,  look at that,

 his x-fix looks all ready to go! Sadly, I think our work is done here.

Despite panicked protestations from Owen (who seemed like  he was trying to get Callie to stay to avoid being the sole confidante of April,) and Jo,

Jo: Don’t we need to renew the measurements with the imaging?

Callie: Oh we do, we do, its just that we should stay out of Kepner and Hunt’s way so we're gonna do it in radiology where there are bigger screens and better lighting! Its all good

We’re almost done here so… Take your time! let's go, Wilson!

Poor April,  but I couldn’t help but laugh at Callie’s funny dodging of April’s woeful ways.

Team Peds soars to greater heights

It's a plane. And it's Arizona. On a plane. With Alex. 

Alex was  suspicious why Arizona had to bring him along. 

Arizona: The last time that we were`on a plane

Alex: We are not talking about the last time you were on a plane

Arizona: No Alex, the last time that we were`on a plane together, the first time we met

Alex: I know you brought me on this plane to talk me out of taking this job. We’ll be in Portland soon. Just get it over with and say what youre gonna say it' s not like I can go anywhere

Arizona: We were on our way to pick up a liver and a small bowel for a ten year old...

Then we hear Alex's moving monologue

Alex: Do you really think I'm selling out , that I'm choosing money over substance and that it’s a waste of my talent or whatever? That there's more to life than nice schedules and a big fat paycheck. Well I thought about it hard. You’ve been awesome but I've already stayed here once for you. I have to start thinking about myself about what I want. I worked hard, I deserve this. I deserve to think about myself for once. Okay?

Arizona gets sentimental

Then we see Arizona and Alex having successfully  harvested the heart for Frankie

Arizona: The heart is out, we’re on the move.

Tell the pilot, let him know we’re on our way

Alex: So this is how it’s gonna be now….silence at the end of my fellowship that’s how youre gonna leave things?

Arizona: Alex? I brought you here today cause I trusted your skills to properly prepare this heart and then we got on that plane and we started feeling sad because you're leaving soon and I will miss you. I didn’t bring you here to scold you. I’m proud of you and I am happy for you and all I wanted was to share a freakin' memory. I was being sentimental!

May I interrupt myself. It just dawned on me how talented these actors are especially when they have to express emotion when they have their surgical masks on. I'm sure they take extra effort to convey feelings because we can only see their eyes and body movements.  What Jessica did here was absolutely fine acting. I could feel the raw emotion in her portrayal of the frustrated Arizona, trying to explain to Karev that she was just getting soft and sentimental.

Alex: Oh. You know if I take the job I’m still gonna have the hospital …you’ll see me around

Arizona: Shut up Karev….

Alex: Why don’t u try to talk me into staying?

Alex Karev was feeling wary about Arizona who was not really making any effort to prevent him from leaving.

Arizona: Oh God are we still on this? Can’t we just focus o the transplant and the heart we just retrieved?

Alex: Yeah, never mind, I’ll shut up.

Arizona: Of course I want you to stay. But this sounds like an incredible job opportunity and you’re right. You did stay here for me once and I don’t wanna stand in your way again so if you wanna leave, you should leave, but not because of something that I do or don’t say  you should leave because this is the best thing for you and because you’re excited about this job ad you’re ready  to do  great things.  And collect a big fat paycheck

The wisdom from Arizona’s mini speech  was appalling.

Alex: Really big

Arizona: Then I guess you have a  decision to make. Don’t screw this one up.

Arizona was sentimental and supportive toward Alex, her prized student.  That was all. There was no resentment. It was a selfless desire for Alex to be successful in the path he had chosen to take. 

When Karev said goodbye

Then we see the board tackle the issue of Cristina getting the needed number of votes, but did not win. all because of window dressing by the hospital. They nominated Cristina when she did not even have a chance to win.

Arizona: They wanna be the center of innovation but they don’t wanna pay for it.

Callie: No wonder they want to innovate, they nominated Yang for an award

Meredith : She was robbed, they’re boneheads

Derek: Oh you can’t give with one hand and take with the other. We have to stop this

Jackson: There’s no stopping this. Guys, they own the place. We are just their managing board. This conversation is our relationship now. Best we can do is try to guide them to make the right decision. That’s by making our own decision as tough as that might be. This is my report, alright? All the projects are here operating budgets vs. progress to date. Best to worst. Take a look but the decision is pretty clear to me.

Then Karev knocks and opens the door

Alex: You have a second? Never mind, I’ll come back.

Arizona: No Alex, come in

Alex: I just wanted to let you know that my fellowship is almot done and well I got an offer from Lebackes Pediatric surgery clinic , Oliver Lebackes’ practice and I gave it some serious consideration and I’ve decided to take it. (We see Arizona taking a deep breath. A sigh, with eyes closed.)

 Alex: So I guess this is my notice.

And everyone was stunned, including Callie. But I was most stunned because of this superCalliefragelistic stunning shot of Callie. Pure awesome beauty in all aspects.  

Callie, who  concernedly looked to her wife as if to check if Arizona knew about this, and if she was okay with Alex’s announcement. It was clearly pure concern for her wife. And that’s what I call true love.  

Even if Arizona knew about this information beforehand, it apparently still affected her, upon hearing Alex inform the board. Alex was a gem of a surgeon, and it truly was to be a loss for the hospital. Arizona's expression said it all.

Additional  points 

Callie and April

The Callie and April scenes were just too funny. They provided much of the episode’s comic relief, even though April had tearful moments because of her marital problems.

April’s  brooding frame of mind, caused by her spat with Jackson, which was also funny  and perfectly executed  by Sarah Drew, was the perfect ploy for Callie to inject her brand of irresistible humor, using her irritation  as vehicle to react to April’s mopey attitude throughout the episode.

It was pleasurable to see Callie manage to frankly counter what April says, and she does it with charming humor without hurting April’s feelings.

Callie had enough problems of her own, planning the pregnancy, busy with her work and her research,  and we saw her intolerance for the often tiresome whining caused by April’s problems. 

However, I would not say Callie is  impatient. I would not put it  that way.

We all know her as badass. But when it comes to friends, no doubt she is a dependable one. 

Callie has a good heart, a big heart,  but I gather she also is blunt and has no qualms about telling it like it is to people who can get a tad annoying. What's great  is that  she does it in her own charming manner. She winningly gets away with it, and  even endears us more to her character.

True enough,  April did not take offense at all.

We know that Callie is a genuine person. Doing all this is just Callie being true to herself. Consistent, if you ask me.

Let it be clear that this  is a Calzona-biased review. Callie and Arizona will never be wrong in any part of this piece. Not in any single sentence nor punctuation mark.

I'm kidding.

Arizona and Cristina

It is  a good thing that there have been bits of the Cristina  and Arizona friendship in this episode. As colleagues, Arizona  was silently there for Cristina, kowing that her friend was going through a difficult time. 

In the way she let Cristina be: when Cristina suddenly took over Dr. Russell; when Cristina, knowing everyone was waiting for a statement from her because she had been gone for a while, and  announced that it was an honor to be nominated; when Cristina threw an instrument in frustration; in the way she signaled  Shane and Leah to say anything to praise Cristina. It was subtle but clear: Arizona had Cristina's back all that time in the O.R. 

I am happy that in these last few episodes of Cristina, we were able to witness how the plane crash forged a bond between them, that only they can truly understand. 

Arizona on a plane

When I saw the sneak peek of Arizona on a plane, I cannot deny I was worried. I’m sure many other Arizona fans were, too. Who wouldn’t be?  

This episode though, was amazing because seeing Arizona decide to get on a plane and fly to Portland,   and take note that she decided this  in the O.R, in a most decisive manner, and it surely was a  big step.

Firstly, it shows Arizona's noble dedication to her patients and  her profession. It was her first thought when they learned that there was a problem with the first heart, and there was no hint of hesitation in her decision.

Secondly, it shows that she had gotten over her fear of airplanes. The fear  would have surely been  understandable before,  due to the trauma caused by the crash. 

I would think it was her passion for her job and  her concern for her patient that caused her to overlook her own possible fear of flying, and it was beneficial in all aspects. Not only for the patient  but for herself as well.

There was an overall sense of comfort seeing her on a plane. Like it was  a step forward. Another obstacle which she has overcome. Joy, joy.

Most importantly, in this episode was manifested the development of Arizona's mentorship toward her prized ward Alex Karev. Quick flashback to how she reacted to Karev's plans last 8x23, she was inconsolable. 

She was irrational then. Because of her own personal crisis involving her ill-fated best friend. So she rode the plane to Boise, in Karev's place, and we all know what happened.

Alex readily supported her when she lost her leg. He scrapped his plans to leave the hospital. And now that he felt it was time to think about himself and his future, he was surprised at the completely unexpected calm reaction from his mentor.

Arizona was understanding and reflective. Her response was a far cry from her outburst two seasons ago. It showed a lot more maturity. Maybe it cannot be fairly compared because she was emotionally spent in 8x23. Still, her reaction was commendable. 

Alex was ready for Arizona's temper to flare up, but that didn't happen. Then he misinterpreted Arizona's silence as quiet objection. It was only when Arizona explained that she  got sentimental, and that she will miss him, that Alex understood.. 

Being on that plane actually reminded her of the very first time they met and talked to each other. Nostalgic. And now, her student has grown and has found the need to spread his wings. Search for greener golden pastures.

It was admirable to see Arizona as a supportive teacher to a student . She explained it to him gently. And it was a reasonable mini speech. Her advice to do it not because of what anyone says or thinks, but because of his own personal objectives,  was golden.

It was amusing to see Alex not wanting to see Arizona feel sad about him leaving. Their bond has become deep. 

If I were to make a prediction, I'd say Alex will go on private practice for a while, then come back eventually to the hospital. That's a wild guess. What's important is the wonderful way this mentor-student relationship has bloomed right before our eyes, and has progressed to become a mutually respectful relationship. Time has allowed them to be both mature and more giving to each other. It is simply  an enviable not just  mentor-student relationship, but a friendship too. 

Callie and Arizona baby plans and the visitor

It was priceless to see  Callie and Arizona  planning for the baby. They were to do a turkey base. And they were already set with how they will help each other out as soon as the baby arrives.

It may seem surreal but yes, I pinched myself and it is real. Calzona is having a baby!

 It’s not important who delivers, or if they adopt, pending future developments on this pregnancy but I just still cannot get over the reality that they are having a BABY.  What an eternally  happy thought.

The closing voice over goes..

“So what do you do? How do you decide when you’re left in the dark? How are you sure that you’re not making the same mistake in someone’s life. You close your eyes. You block out everyone and everything around you. You pray that  the voice inside you is right.  Because once you’ve decided, you can’t ever go back.”

Making decisions when we are facing a blank wall is a tricky thing. When it all comes down to it, in the face of uncertainty, we will always be left to make the decision ourselves.  We will be led to listen to that inner voice, in the deepest recesses of our soul, and act accordingly. And we hope that what we hear within us, is the right decision.  

Our beloved couple, and the friends they have dealt with in this episode,  had been and will be faced with sometimes life-changing decision-making situations. May they keep that inner strength and direction to make sound choices along the way.

Many intriguing elements await us in the next episodes. I'm ever so curious about the 'terrible' turned 'devastating' turned 'bad' news that Callie will receive. (I have only lifted these terms from the press releases I've read for episode 10x23)

If it will involve the pregnancy, I hope they will both be strong enough to get through it.

Three more episodes to go.

Still can't ward off thoughts if Calzona  will be part of the  cliffhangers in the finale. 

My personal wish is  that they let Calzona be and just bring them conflicts to deal with next season. Reason? Because they have had enough challenges since 9x23.

When it comes to Calzona, the  baby is all we can think about right now, and the best thing to hope for is that they do have a happy healthy baby when the time comes. 

We are not the powers-that-be, so all we can do is hope.

Three more episodes. Let's brace ourselves for the end of this landmark 10th season. Knowing Shonda, these episodes  will surely be heartbreaking, heart stopping, heartwarming, and the best part--heart-larious.

So for now, no "goodbyes," .....only "see you later!"

Calzona Forever.


Twitter:

@GAFan8