1.4 No Man's Land

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"No Man's Land"


Episode Number: 4

Season: 1

Original Air Date: April 17, 2005

Writer: Jim Harriott

Director: Adam Davidson

Special Guests: Anna Maria Horsford, Valerie Cruz, F.J. Rio, Rick Humphrey
 Episode 1.4 No Man's Land

Synopsis
Hookups
Despite a grim prognosis, Cristina stubbornly insists upon giving extra-special treatment to cancer patient Liz Fallon, who happens to have been the longtime scrub nurse for Meredith's surgeon mother Ellis Grey. In other developments, a constructor worker is brought to the hospital after shooting six nails in his head, a feat that turns out to be something far more than an on-the-job accident; and George (T.R. Knight) rebels at being treated as "one of the girls" by roomies Meredith and Izzie. The episode's high point occurs when Alex comes across a sexy lingerie ad featuring Izzie, which he then pastes all over the interns' locker room--leading to an extremely revealing moment!






Recap of Events:

It dawns on George that Izzie and Meredith treat him more like a sister than, well, a man, and that's troubling for him. But even more troubling for George: that Alex has picked up on George's "sister role" and won't let George forget it. Cristina's aggressive pre-pre-rounding (arriving to the hospital at least a ½ hour before the other interns) gets her on a patient with pancreatic cancer (and its corresponding "whipple" surgery). That patient is Liz Fallon, a scrub nurse of 20 years for Dr. Ellis Grey. Despite working with Meredith's mom for that length of time, though, she's never met Meredith. George isn't the only one annoyed by Alex. Izzie feels the brunt of his machismo whenever he calls her "Dr. Model" because of how she earned her way through college and med school, a past that directly conflicts with her present when she gets assigned to a patient (with prostate cancer) who's familiar with her work (in a Bethany Whisper lingerie ad). The prostate patient doesn't want her working on him. Meanwhile, Meredith works with Derek (with a little help from Alex and George) on the case of a construction worker with 6 nails embedded in his head.

Friction forms between George and Izzie when he passive-aggressively "forgets" to buy the tampons she asked him to buy. Cristina finds herself a "cruise director" for Liz, taking her around the hospital to all the old services she used to work with, but not setting up any actual surgery. Derek asks Meredith out for a meal together - which she declines.

Meredith finally meets Liz, admitting for the first time to someone else that her mom is in a nursing home, with Alzheimer's, and that she is the only one allowed to see her or know of her condition. Meredith also visits her mother, who is unable to recall Meredith's childhood or even her own husband. But her old co-worker Liz, though, Ellis recalls with complete lucidity.

Once Alex gets wind of Izzie's lingerie ad, it's just more fuel for him. He copies and hangs up her half-naked photos all over the hospital. The subject of momentary ridicule, Izzie puts Alex and the others amused by the photos in their place by angrily stripping down to her underwear to show them - quite convincingly - that she has no problem with her body and them seeing it, while simultaneously reminding them that this body is why she completely lacks the debt that plagues them.

Meredith suspects there is more to the construction worker's ails than just nails in his head. After Derek removes the nails successfully, she believes the reason why he had the accident with the nail gun in the first place was because of an undiagnosed brain disease. And she's right. He has a tumor. This puts Derek and Meredith at odds with each other for the first time, when she disagrees over the proper course of treatment for the tumor. Derek lets the patient and his wife make the decision - to have surgery that will prolong his life, but potentially wipe out his personality and many memories. Meredith, reeling from her responsibility to take care of Ellis, oversteps her bounds as a doctor and chastises them for their decision, saying they should go for the option that will preserve his memories and personality, even if it means fewer years.

Cristina learns that there isn't going to be a whipple. There isn't going to be any surgery for Liz and there never was. Liz came to the hospital to die, and Cristina was merely giving her a chance to say good-bye to everyone, but not without imparting much wisdom to the hardened intern. When Liz finally crashes, despite Do Not Resuscitate orders, Cristina won't let her go. But to no avail, as Burke and Richard have to practically pull her off the dying Liz. Liz becomes Cristina's first time of death. This isn't easy for Cristina, and Burke is there for her in the end.

Meredith finally agrees to get some breakfast with Derek.

Best Moments
Best Quotes











Opening Statement/Quote:

Intimacy is a four syllable word for here is my heart and soul, please grind into hamburger, and enjoy. It's both desired, and feared. Difficult to live with, and impossible to live without. Intimacy also comes attached to the three R's... relatives, romance, and roommates. There are some things you can't escape. And other things you just don't want to know.

Ending Statement/Quote:

I wish there were a rulebook for intimacy. Some kind of guide to tell you when you've crossed the line. It would be nice if you could see it coming, and I don't know how you fit it on a map. You take it where you can get it, and keep it as long as you can. And as for rules, maybe there are none. Maybe the rules of intimacy are something you have to define for yourself.


Music:
Title Reference:


The episode's title refers to a song by Souls of Mischief, Billy Joel, and Sufjan Stevens. It also refers to Radiohead's "I Will. (No Man's Land.)". It is also the title of a 2001 film of the same name.


Goofs:
Aha! Moments
  • When Izzie confronts the patient who is about to have his prostate removed over her photo spread as Bethany Whisper, her hair changes from being combed to the right when she enters the room to being combed to the left when she asks him "Then what the hell's your problem?".












No Man's Land Episode Photos
Copyright ABC


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