This week on Grey’s, it is all about Cristina Yang and Owen Hunt. They have been split for a while, but its pretty clear their feelings will never fully dissipate. In the last episode we saw Owen describe his perfect woman, and every detail was a match to Yang’s personality. It’s hard to keep up and near impossible to know if they will end up together or not. Will they put their differences aside to make love last? This episode (we think) will answer that.
Cristina Yang finally has a ‘come to Jesus moment’ after she has spent all day mending what would appear to be an irreparable heart, just to find out the patient’s spinal cord is crushed and he will be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. In order for her patient to stay alive he must remain on a ventilator, because he is unable to breath on his own. Christina is overcome with emotion when she has to wake him and break the news. He has to answer the most difficult question you could ever be dealt: Do you want to remain paralyzed for the rest of your life or die now? His answer cascades Cristina into two alternate realities.
Scenario 1: The patient loves his wife, but he also knows he does not want to live his life on a machine and unable to move. He chooses death, and Cristina is quite grim about it. She can’t help but wonder what life without Owen would be like. She realizes she is wasting precious time – time that could be spent in love with the man she admires. In her state of reverie, Cristina is oblivious to Jackson Avery struggling to push a cart through a doorway. Without the heads up from her, he crushes his hand leaving him crucially injured for the next few years and unable to operate. But, Cristina does get to Owen before he hops on the elevator. Thus, they are able to give it another shot, and this time it's for the long haul.
The pair adjust themselves into a brand new, spacious, home. To fill the space and begin their family, they adopt a dog, Mrs. Rodriguez. It’s all about baby steps with Cristina. Next, we are propelled forward to a pregnant Yang, where her “belly buddy” is April Kepner. What we think is going to be a magical moment of Yang giving birth and taking on motherhood, turns tragically remorseful. She looks to Mere and says “I really screwed up.” Seven years later, her child is grown up and a second is on the way. Though she has love for her son, she knows this is not the life she wanted. How did she get here? She is a zombie going through all the motions for Owen’s happiness and not her own. She is certain of her unhappiness when we flash forward even further to Christina presenting the prestigious Harper Avery Award to her mentee, Shane Ross, for a project that she initiated. Shane was given the lead to the project when Cristina became too tied down with motherhood and is now receiving recognition for its success.
Scenario 2: The patient decides to keep his life, because he knows he has to be there for his wife. Christina is so overjoyed that she runs straight to Owen, while still overlooking Avery struggling with the cart. She doesn’t stop to help, and he winds up with a broken hand that prevents him from operating for the next two years. In this instance, Christina and Owen keep it casual. Yang never has the opportunity to stop and think about death or only having a short amount of time together, so in her eyes everything is fine the way it is. Their relationship requires no growth, no children, and no commitment.
But, their non-stop “fling” of a relationship results in the recurrent argument they have had since day 1. It’s simple, Owen wants kids and Cristina does not. This ultimately causes their relationship to be on-again off-again, and it becomes tiresome for everyone involved. The two of them will never be on the same page about their future, yet they are addicted to one another and can’t let go. Christina hits a wall and asks Mere’s help to keep her away from Owen. So, she gives him up just as she has before, which is never easy. This results in Owen being emotionally damaged, and he turns to alcohol for comfort. He’s an outright mess and alcoholic, and the board has to finally succumb to his termination from the hospital. This time at the Harper Avery Award Ceremony, it is presented to Cristina. Her dream has come true, and in this reality it is her fourth consecutive honor.
So, which is it? There seems to be no good answer for this fiery couple. Scenario 1 leaves Cristina miserable and Owen overjoyed, where as scenario 2 leaves Cristina fulfilled and Owen depressed. Cristina is passionate about her career, and Owen is passionate about her. The only thing we know for sure is that neither of these scenarios actually occurred.
Instead, when her patient does in fact choose death over a comatose life, she stops to think about her next move before immediately running to Owen’s side. It is in this moment that she is able to prevent Jackson from injuring his hand, saving him from a life of misery. Luckily, after this Meredith Grey arrives out of nowhere seeking Cristina for a consult on one of her patients. Therefore, nothing even happens between Owen and Cristina at all. Maybe after this she will stay away from Owen for good. We still don’t know!
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