Sometimes a Fantasy (Grey's Anatomy)

Infobox Television episode | Title = Sometimes a Fantasy
Series = Grey's Anatomy
Season = 3
Episode = 3
Guests = Chris O'Donnell (Dr. Finn Dandridge); Abigail Breslin (Megan Clover); Gabriel Casseus (Taylor Tressel); Jack Conley (Jasper Hovey); Lanei Chapman {as Lanai Chapman} (Lianne Tressel); Stephanie Erb (Mrs. Gantry); Kevin Will (Len Gantry); Linda Eve Miller (E.R. Nurse); Daniel Tatar (Hotel Clerk #1); Julie Granata (Hotel Clerk #2)
Airdate = October 5, 2006 (ABC)
Production = 303
Writer = Debora Cahn
Director = Adam Arkin
Episode list = Episode chronology


Prev = I Am a Tree
Next = What I Am

"Sometimes a Fantasy" is the third episode of the third season of the ABC series, "Grey's Anatomy". The episode was written by Debora Cahn and was directed by Adam Arkin. It originally aired on October 5, 2006.

Episode recap

Meredith "dreams" about a threesome with Finn and Derek before being awoken by George complaining that Callie's belongings are blocking the hallway. George is becoming frustrated that a week-long temporary stay by Callie has become longer, and she is using his stuff. When he complains that Callie is wearing his towel, she removes it, standing naked in the hallway and hands it to George. At the hospital, Callie requests George to perform surgery on an athlete who has had repeated orthopedic surgeries already. George convinces the patient to not have the surgery. When Callie learns what George did, she confronts him, and he admits he doesn't want to live with her anymore. She storms off and at the end of the episode is seen booking into a hotel.

First Derek and then Finn arrange dates with Meredith on the same day. The first date is lunch with Finn at the hospital, but Derek interrupts saying that he would like Meredith to help perform a corpus callosotomy. Then on the date with Derek, as they approach Meredith's door at the end, Finn appears with strawberry ice-cream. Meredith complains that neither seem to be noticing her, instead the two men are just competing with each other.

Cristina is becoming frustrated that Preston is depressed after his surgery. She is even more angry when he gets an open-ended leave of absence from the hospital without telling her first. In the end, she sees that she must help him, so she gets him chicken carcasses to practice his surgery skills on and to get back his dexterity.

Alex treats a young girl, who has a long history of injuries. She claims to be a superhero and to feel no pain, proving this by beating Alex at an ice-water pain test. When she says that she got another child to hit her in the stomach with a baseball bat, Alex is concerned, and an MRI scan confirms she has a large amount of internal bleeding. The lack of pain is diagnosed as congenital insensitivity to pain.

Addison returns to work, but then receives a phone call from Mark, whom she meets at Joe's bar. She thought he was returning to New York, but he missed his flight on purpose, and he professes his love for her. She tries to tell him that she can't have a relationship with him. He ignores what she says, and moves in to kiss her. Addison does the same, but then slaps him and leaves. Mark is seen at the end checking into the same hotel as Callie and requesting a room on the same floor as hers.

The Chief asks his wife for more time to make a decision: retire or divorce. His wife responds that all she has done their entire marriage is give him time and she's done with that. She makes his decision for him and Richard is checking into the hotel alongside Mark and Callie.

Izzie attempts to return to the hospital, but can get no further than standing outside. Several people try to convince her to come inside, but she cannot bring herself to.

Title reference

This episode's title refers to the 1980 song Sometimes a Fantasy by Billy Joel.

Music

*"Idlewild Blues" - OutKast
*"Take What You Take" - Lily Allen
*"Dirty Mind" - The Pipettes
*"Step It Up" - The Bamboos
*"Ballad of a Bitter End" - The Poems
*"Can't Get It Right Today" - Joe Purdy