adrienne barbeau

Grey's Anatomy" was a frenetic jumble of anxiety, paranoia, and panic -- and a couple of moments of redemption. It was an obvious metaphor for the economy and our general anxiety, but it felt more real than hackneyed.The Chief has spent the three days since announcing the merger holed up in his office, trying to figure out who was staying and who was going -- and, like the gold-star manager he is, has let his staff twist in the wind.

It's awful to have to make choices about firing people, but there are ways of making this worse, and this is one. Seriously, Chief -- step up or step off, because you've been behaving like a bonehead for way too long. And, thankfully, Derek tells him as muchSo everyone's staying at the hospital for days on end, terrified to go home, terrified to sleep, terrified to make a mistake, and speaking way too quickly for me to properly transcribe any quotes. Izzie dons a long, auburn wig that actually doesn't look half bad (her mom sent it to her) and hauls herself injob to come to. Alex is trying to make sure she doesn't overdo it. Derek's barely containing his fury at the Chief

Mark is incredibly sanguine -- or cocky; I can't decide which -- about things working out well. Owen the trauma surgeon is trying not to think too far ahead. Meredith, whose freaky childhood has made her calm in the foxhole, is optimistic. Lexie and the rest of her resident class are freaking out with a capital F. And Cristina is sucking up to Arizona, convinced that peds is the safe specialty that'll make it through any cuts.A woman (Adrienne Barbeau, looking really good) and her schizophrenic adult son (James Frain) are brought in, injured in a car accident. His wrist is mildly hurt, but he's convinced that aliens have impregnated his mother -- and judging from the pulsating mass in her abdomen