From the writers of Grey's, on last night's epsiode:
We really wanted to do an episode where our residents were forced to “grow up” in a way – to be taken from their respective comfort zones, and thrown into the fire. Shonda pitched a “Residents-take-point-day” – a day where our doctors would take charge of patient care from start to finish, without the guidance of their attendings. All the responsibility, no safety net. It’s one thing to want to be a surgeon, but another thing entirely to hold a drill in your hand, and burrow into a person’s skull.
For me, Cristina’s reaction to this “residents-take-point-day” is the most interesting and unexpected. In any other season, Cristina would have relished this kind of responsibility, but in light of her recent trauma, she spends the episode looking like a deer caught in headlights. I love the scene where the Chief hands out navy blue scrubs, telling the residents that they are attendings for the day. Sandra Oh played the scene beautifully as though the navy scrubs were a punch to the gut. With only a look, we know that she is not up for the challenge today. And though Cristina ends up with a win, we can tell that she’s still a shadow of her former self.
