Everybody Continues To Love Sandra Oh

Here is what some of the reviewers had to say about Sandra's performance after Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy:

• Sandra Oh shone tonight. Of all the episodes this season, the producers should use this episode for Emmy consideration for Sandra Oh. While I was afraid that the interaction between Cristina and the nine-year-old would become sappy, it was handled correctly and was touching. She made the right decisions and connected with the girl on her level. It was touching seeing how she would give up a cardio surgery because she connected with the girl. How she handled the news after Jackson gave the nod was perfect. On the relationship front, Christina should consider Jackson, he's equally witty, has a strong rapport with Meredith (her best friend), and is interested in cardio surgeries as well. - TV Squad

• Even though Bobby was a dynamic and interesting case, the best story line in this episode came after Cristina was kicked off Bobby's case for sensitivity training. In a completely uncharacteristic move, Christina gave up heart surgery with Teddy in order to sit with the patient's very young daughter and comfort her through her worry.
  
  Though Cristina insists she's only "kicking patient sensitivity ---," Sandra Oh's performance is heartbreaking as she breaks down and admits that she misses her father. "Grey's Anatomy" used to be jam-packed with powerful emotional moments like this one. I miss those days, but now that the big tear-jerker scenes come few and far between, they're almost more emotionally satisfying. - LA Times

• 4. Everyone's capable of patient sensitivity. Even Cristina.
  Having been dismissed from the obese-guy case, Cristina and Jackson helped Teddy on a consult for a woman complaining of nausea and dizziness. It turned out she was having a heart attack. When Teddy asked Cristina to look after the lady's daughter while she went into surgery, Cristina balked. ''It's patient sensitivity day,'' Teddy reminded her. ''It's not a day,'' Cristina snarked. She reluctantly took the girl before muttering, ''Where's Callie? She's been whining for a kid.''
  
  Cristina insisted to Jackson that it was simply ''me kicking patient sensitivity ass,'' but we could tell it was more than that. Once she was in the comfort of Hunt's arms, sobbing, she said it: ''I miss my dad.'' Oh, Sandra Oh, you never fail to make me cry. - Jennifer Armstrong, EW

• Elsewhere in the hospital, a young girl brought her mom in with vague symptoms that turned out to be a heart attack. Cristina became the child's companion, even to the point of making the very un-Cristina-like move of missing the mother's surgery to stay with her. When the mom died, Cristina coached the girl through the agonizing ins and outs of surviving the loss of a parent.
  
  Avery, who saw the whole thing, offered to talk to Cristina about whatever loss of her own had fairly obviously given her all that insight. Cristina blew him off, insisting she was just using sensitivity training to her advantage. But she then went to Owen and collapsed in his arms, sobbing, "I miss my dad." Sandra Oh is reliably fabulous, but she showed remarkable range in this episode, from brittle nastiness to confident reassurance and then bruised fragility. - MSNBC

• Christina's heart patient: [...]While Avery and Teddy take care of the mother, Cristina gets a chance to put her sensitivity training to use (it takes her a while, but she comes around) by watching Kelly.
  
  Things get scary when the mother needs emergency surgery, and Kelly and Cristina discuss what's happening over a game of cards. Kelly's scared about her mom dying, and Cristina explains that if in fact that happens, she'll feel like it's her fault. But it's not, and she did everything she could. Cristina explains to Kelly that she's speaking from experience, from when her dad got sick when she was a kid. She does an amazing job, both during the conversation and afterwards, after the patient has died and she needs to go and compose herself. It's wonderful watching Sandra Oh get a chance to do something more interesting, because she doesn't get that chance often enough. This case and spending time with Kelly has brought Cristina's father's death back to the surface for her, and she finally breaks down crying on Owen's shoulder. - Zap2it