‘Grey’s Anatomy’ gets a much-needed shock to life

“Good Mourning,” the title of the first hour of the “Grey’s Anatomy” season six premiere, aptly describes the focus of the episode: Seattle Grace is in chaos after the death of a beloved friend.

The show picks up where the finale left off. Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and George (T.R. Knight) are both catapulting toward death. Viewers will be happy to know, however, that there is no gimmicky ghost subplot, a la last season. Those who have died remain dead. But the emotional fallout from the loss will take a while for both the characters and the viewers to get over.

The always-dependable Bailey (Chandra Wilson) melts down and is unable to perform her work. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh), and Alex (Justin Chambers) deal with the funeral in a manner that demonstrates classic Seattle Grace dysfunctionality. The Chief (James Pickens, Jr.) takes it hard and at the same time is facing competition for his job from an unexpected source.

And although much of the episode centers on gloomy post-mortems, there are some sparks of hope. Arizona Roberts (Jessica Capshaw) is given her own story line—maybe because she is the only one who actually focuses on her job while the rest of the hospital is grieving. Also, Cristina and Hunt’s (Kevin McKidd) relationship seems to be heading in a good direction. The two docs heat up the episode with some much needed-sexual tension. Meredith and Derek also sex up the episode with a scene that may be one of the duo’s best—partially because it’s the most skin we’ve seen from Derek in a while.

The first half of the premiere shows Seattle Grace growing as a result of the catastrophe it has suffered. As Meredith says in her never-ending wisdom, “In medical school we have 100 classes that teach us how to fight off death and not one lesson in how to go on living.” If “Grey’s” seemed like it was about to flatline, this season might shock the show back into action.

While many “Grey’s” stalwarts had their dedication tested in the past few seasons by off-screen drama and stale plot lines, “Good Mourning” convinced me to stay loyal. Things are being shaken up at the hospital, but some things are also finally falling into place, and it will be interesting to see what the final result will be.