Season premiere of 'Grey's' delivers loads of heartbreak

10/02/08 - Dr. Derrick Shepard died! Just kidding. It was just Dr. Meredith Grey's nightmare that really had me thinking McDreamy was finished during the start of the season five premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" last Thursday.

Rather than cast off Patrick Dempsey's character, "Grey's Anatomy" premiered without any shockers- something out of the ordinary for this hospital drama.

The same questions persisted throughout the show as the characters try to solve their relationship troubles. Is love worth it? Is a hard day's work in the emergency room enough to cure a broken heart? Is there such a thing as a happy ending?

After Dr. Grey proposed to Dr. Shepard last season, she asked him to move in with her again. Yet, she found herself questioning her heart. Grey, looking like the usual deer in the headlights whenever she thought of marriage, wondered if the walk down the long aisle was worth it.

After three women almost crash into Seattle Grace Hospital in their limousine, Grey discovers that after 40 years of marriage one of the three was having an affair with one of the other's husbands. Grey wondered if after 40 years of marriage, she and Dr. Shepard would be as in love as they are.

For a hospital with the top neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon, and cardio surgeon on its pay rate, Seattle Grace found itself ranked, surprisingly, as No. 12 in the nation for trauma centers. This was unacceptable to Dr. Christina Yang whose quest for greatness would not be halted by her position at a No. 12 hospital.

As usual, while they should be saving lives, Lexie Grey and Dr. Izzie Stevens also work on their love lives. Grey spends the episode trying to work up enough courage to confess her more-than-friends feelings for George O'Malley, the infamous sweet, geeky guy who somehow gets all the girls.

O'Malley's an idiot though. The only thing that has captured his heart is studying to retake the intern exam. Dr. Stevens doesn't have much luck either.

Alex Karev has captured her optimistic heart once again. Yet, when he finds out she thinks he is a good man, all bets are off, and he lets her see him sleeping with another woman.again.

In the midst of stealing patients from Mercy West (now the No. 1 trauma unit) to prove the hospital's worth, Dr. Richard Webber says things will change at Seattle Grace. Teaching has to improve. They have to try new surgeries to save lives and they have to try harder.

Hopefully, Dr. Webber's plans work and the hospital fares better than its doctors' love lives. The only ones who seem to be having luck are Dr. Callie Torres and Dr. Erica Hahn. After avoiding each other, the two confess they are virgins to dating women and are willing to make it work.

As for the rest, I hope Stevens finds her "good man," one that is at least remotely comparable to the late Denny Duquette. I hope Dr. Hunt returns for Dr. Yang. Let's call him Dr. McHunky. It's been too long since Yang has dated after her breakup with Dr. Burke. Lastly, I hope Dr. Grey will get her fairytale - as much as she tries to fight it - and doesn't have to "Dream a Little Dream" of Sheppard.