Like surgeons, television viewers see death on a regular basis.
Television has had a fairly high mortality rate.
So when you see a show trapped in a potentially fatal spiral emerge from its coma, blink a few times, then rise from the bed like a wounded action hero, it is worth taking a few moments to rejoice.
Grey's Anatomy is totally and seriously back.
The lead item for the season finale would seem to be the much-heralded reunion of Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey).
But, frankly, so many wonderful things occurred that the Big Kiss, high on a hillside surrounded by luminaries outlining the house Meredith finally has the courage to envision for them both, was anti-climactic - in the best way possible.
How could it not be? It was preceded by some of the greatest moments on television this season.
Callie (Sara Ramirez) finally kissed Dr Hahn (Brooke Smith) in the hottest, loveliest lip-lock between two women ever on scripted network television, unbroken by the typical horrified/frightened pull-back.
Alex (Justin Chambers) broke down in Izzie's (Katherine Heigl) arms after finally admitting that his Ava/Rebecca (Elizabeth Reaser) is mentally ill, just like his mother.
Bailey (Chandra Wilson) turned over the keys to her beloved clinic, acknowledging that even she cannot do it all.
George (T. R. Knight) grew a spine, took a stand and got the chance to retake his residency test.
Cristina (Sandra Oh) got her groove back, performed a tricky surgery and told Dr Hahn to back off.
Meredith thrashed the Chief (James Pickens jun) for abandoning her mother and driving her to a suicide attempt, and the Chief told his wife he loved her and he was coming home.
In between there was much commotion over a young man encased in cement, and two young lovers, who were also patients in Meredith and Derek's clinical trials for a new treatment for brain tumours.
Grey's captured hearts and eyeballs with its comely cast, snappy dialogue and unapologetic search for wisdom, not to mention true love.
Then, in the third season, something went tragically awry.
What was effervescent fell flat, what was illuminating became preachy, what was quirky turned weird and possibly mentally unbalanced.
Meredith's faux suicide, George and Callie, George and Izzie, Derek and Meredith over and over again.
Season four debuted with some promise but the writers' strike hit too early in the season to really call it.
But while other shows sputtered and stalled in post-strike episodes, Grey's kept its shoulders squared and its chin up.
The dark days of season three? It is as if they never happened.
The final moments of the season finale were intentionally the opposite of a cliffhanger.
What Grey's viewers needed was a renewal of vows.
And they got them.
- Mary McNamara
