Ep 20. Sweet Surrender

With a title like "Sweet Surrender," one might expect a romantic or dramatic twist in Grey's Anatomy season 5 episode 20, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong. But this episode is also about personal growth and the value of facing tough truths.

As the episode opens, Chief Webber (James Pickens Jr.) is fretting about the hospital's finances, which are not good. The board is considering cutting back staff and services, which would be a blow to everyone on staff. Meanwhile, Cristina (Sandra Oh) is obsessing over her upcoming wedding, to the point where she's neglecting her surgical duties. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is still struggling with mommy issues, which come to the forefront when she gets an unexpected call from her estranged half-sister, Lexie (Chyler Leigh).

Against this background, the patients of Seattle Grace are presenting some tough cases. One patient, a woman about to get married, has an extremely rare condition that makes her heart stop whenever she has an orgasm. Her fiancé is understandably upset about the situation, to the point where he's contemplating calling off the wedding. Another patient, a pregnant woman who's trying to reconcile with her ex-husband, has a massive tumor on her heart that's causing her to go into heart failure. And a third patient, a monk, has a mysterious illness that's causing him to hallucinate.

As always, the doctors of Seattle Grace rise to the occasion, but not without some personal costs. Cristina and Owen (Kevin McKidd) continue to grapple with their complicated relationship, which takes a turn for the worse when Owen gives Cristina some harsh truths about herself. Meredith, meanwhile, has to face the reality that her mother, who's in a nursing home with Alzheimer's, may never remember her. And Lexie's sudden appearance stirs up emotions for both Meredith and Derek (Patrick Dempsey), who's still reeling from his near-death experience in a car accident.

Despite all this, there are some sweet moments in "Sweet Surrender." Callie (Sara Ramirez) offers some sound advice to Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) about her commitment issues, and the two share a brief but tender moment. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) has some hilarious scenes with her patient, the orgasmic bride-to-be, reminding us why she's one of the show's most beloved characters. And Alex (Justin Chambers) continues to surprise us with his growth and maturity, particularly in his scenes with the monk patient.

Overall, "Sweet Surrender" is an episode that reminds us why Grey's Anatomy has remained popular for so many years. It combines medical drama, humor, and heartstring-tugging moments in a way that few other shows can match. And beneath it all, it's a show about people, flawed and messy as they may be, always striving to be their best selves in a world that often seems determined to knock them down.