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Episode 9.10 to 9.16 Review: “This is Why We Fight” for Cristina and Owen
By shli1117 | March 3, 2013
I’m really sorry I’ve been missing in action for the past month or so. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably realized that I’ve gotten a new gig as a freelance writer/film intern. And unfortunately, keeping up with those deadlines has forced me to put my Cristina and Owen reviews on the backburner while I appeased my editors. But things have calmed down for the moment, and I’m going to lump a whopping seven episodes into one review. Hopefully, the wait has been worth the while. (Also, I should mention that you can thank the wonderful Grey’s Gabble owners for gently reminding me that I was way past due for a review. These lovely ladies have been incredibly supportive and understanding as my schedule blew up. So, huge shout out to Lisa and Liv!)
First things first, Cristina and Owen got divorced. Yeah, that was a tough pill to swallow since I’m a traditional girl, and I loved the fact that they had a real wedding and a legal marriage. But, as Shonda will have us believe, the divorce was the best thing for them. And despite how much it broke my heart to see them sign the divorce papers, all my fears about this relationship being over immediately disappeared when they tearfully grabbed for each other. (What an insanely powerful scene. I’m not going to lie. I may have sniffed back a few tears.)
I guess one could argue that they partly got divorced to make sure the plane crash victims would win their lawsuit and that it shows Owen trying to do the honorable thing; but it doesn’t take a genius to see the commentary on marriage that Shonda is trying to get across. We get it. Being in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone doesn’t mean that you have to get married in order to show commitment. But dammit, I liked hearing them refer to each other has “husband” and “wife.” Well, in my mind, they’re still married. Take that, Shonda.
In a way, they are still very much acting like a married couple – or, more specifically, newlyweds. The dirty text messages and the sex (lots of sex): it all works for me. (Haha, I also laughed out loud when Owen accidentally grabbed Jo from behind, mistaking her for Cristina. Oopsies.) However, the part that really makes me happy is that they’re talking and being extremely supportive with each other. Especially Cristina.
Every time that Cristina defends Owen, I want to stand up and cheer. This has been missing for quite some time in their relationship: her being Owen’s person. Like when Cristina takes on Derek in the ping-pong match and tells Derek to stop blaming Owen for his misery. Huge step forward in the Cristina and Owen relationship.
Since the winter hiatus, these episodes have shown the two of them really addressing the issues that had originally come up during their therapy sessions together. While they hadn’t been ready to patch things up at the time, the repercussions of the plane crash and Cristina’s stint at Mayo changed them both. And now, thankfully, they are able to get back on track. However, the looming questions of where this is all going and the topic of children have still yet to be answered. Ideally, they will be soon.
Until then, our beloved couple are rebuilding the relationship and coming out of it all the more united and also significantly stronger. It is my sincerest hope that there will be no more major breakup. Let’s leave the on-again-off-again to the newer couples. Cristina and Owen have earned the right to be stable. (Honestly, I think they earned that right a long time ago, but this is Grey’s and these two do angst too damn well. It’s such a double-edged sword that Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd are as amazing of actors as they are.)
Another great demonstration of their strength is how they’ve handled the sale of the hospital. Cristina’s immense discomfort over having to lie to Owen is abundantly clear. And she consistently remained in Owen’s corner in the face of the other plane crash victims during their decision-making process, telling them to trust Owen. Because she wholeheartedly does. And that hasn’t been the case for a while.
I’m really glad that Cristina finally came clean about their plan to buy the hospital. She didn’t need to. Richard really did represent far more many years in management and administrative experience. But the idea of letting Owen think that she betrayed him any longer was too unbearable for her to keep her mouth shut. And the only reason she did in the first place was to protect him. I feel as though this level of untainted, mutual caring hasn’t been seen since season five. Maybe I have selective memory, but I feel like something has nearly always tainted Cristina and Owen’s happier moments. This is one of the rare moments where they’re just happy to have each other – and it’s as simple as that.
“We’re safe.” This is the season nine equivalent of the relationship-defining moments of “see me” or “single malt scotch” from season five. Instead of marking the birth of their relationship, we have the reassurance of commitment, which is what you want in a long-term relationship. The passion is still there (uh, they’ve probably had more sex scenes in the past seven episodes than all the previous seasons combined – or at least it feels that way), but it’s different. Instead of the excitement of discovering new things about the other person, it’s the celebration of sharing that intimacy with someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. The relationship is growing up. Hallelujah.
I don’t know what is in store for them, but I can only see it continuing in the positive direction. Anything else would be illogical. (Once again, wouldn’t put it past Shonda to do that.) But it’s been nice to be reminded of why we are rooting for this relationship and seeing their potential as a cohesive pair realized.
Okay, you know the drill. Here come the questions.
1. How did you feel about Owen and Cristina getting divorced? And was it necessary?
2. Is this season holding up to being the season of romance?
3. Do you think Cristina and Owen still act like a married couple?
4. Are you enjoying the lighter moments? Or are you waiting for the other foot to drop?
5. Will Cristina and Owen be able to stay together for good this time?
6. When do you think the conversation about children will come up? And how do you think they’ll handle it this time around?
7. Have you missed me? (I’ve missed you all!)
Topics: Blogger: shli1117, Cristina Yang, Kevin McKidd, Owen Hunt, Reviews / Podcasts / Blogs, Sandra Oh, Season 9 | 11 Comments » |
March 3rd, 2013 at 11:46 pm
You have made a beautiful necklace of words from the pearls of your thought.I agree with every thing you said!
@Transperaidenti, you have such a beautiful way with words! Thank you so much for the compliment.
March 4th, 2013 at 1:41 am
da divorce paper signing scene just broke my heart.i wud like to mention dat kevin stole da thunder in that scenes.its avery difficult situation for me coz not only i love deir lovey dovey n hot scenes but also i love deir intense fyts n conversation.dese 2 r incredible actors.dey make u indulge in deir scenes.im so in love wid dem
dere is a reason dat u n me feel lyk dey r still married.its coz owen nd cristina r still married in deir minds.dey r deeply committed .ve u ever felt dat dey dnt wanna b wid each oder inspite of owens 1nyt stand n cristinas sex frend in mayo??? not at all 2 me..
da way cristina has emerged i feel shes ready 2 b a mother by her choice for owen. she shud b a mother not bcoz shes changed or sacrificing her career BUT bcoz she wants her love 2 b happy n b wid him forever.i can totally c her chnging her mind bout babies as wat i ve seen her in season 9.dats my understanding of her character.not to mention every1 kinda kno owen wud ne day live wid cristina without kids even if hes hurt.but unfortunately da writer is adament in her characterisation of cristina regarding motherhood.i dnt get it at all. 1 of another thing dat i dnt get is merediths view on owen.
as much as i like da lighter scene,cristina running after owen (almost
) i do miss da passion betw crowen nd oder couples.so its not xactly season of love till now now.its all been bout lawsuit n hospitals misery.
at dis point im missing greys more dan ever bcoz owen is suddenly unsure of his position. finally jackson can torture him for being his crush’s husband..lol
@nazia, lol, I almost forgot that Jackson had a crush on Cristina. That was a very weird phase of the show. Glad that blew over super fast.
I think you’re right that they’re still married in their minds. They have been acting very committed towards each other.
Don’t know if Cristina will change her mind about children because this is Shonda’s circus, and she does like pushing her agenda. But we’ll see…
Thanks for reading and commenting!
March 4th, 2013 at 7:31 am
Dear Shli
I really miss you !! Glad you’re back
1. OC divorced made me sad and angry! Shonda’s out of mind
2. Shonda said S9 fill with romance on 2012/9?? I hope so! maybe it’s coming soon!
3. I think Cristina and Owen act like a Madly-In-Love Couple
4. of course I’m enjoying the lighter moments and OC sex scene
5. I think Shonda should know it’s time to have CO stay together in the same house
6. everyone said Owen will adopt a boy in epi 19, I hope it’s truth
@ochforever, thank you!
1. That’s old news. Lol. We always knew Shonda doesn’t always make the most logical choices.
2. Me too.
3. Haha. Nice.
4. I’m not surprised.
5. One can only hope.
6. Interesting. Hadn’t heard that speculation. Thanks for the heads up!
March 4th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
Woo!!! Been looking out for your reviews, have missed them! Congrats on the freelance job, too – that’s awesome, and thanks for taking the time out to write these for us! What’s your twitter name? I shall have to give you a follow
1. How did you feel about Owen and Cristina getting divorced? And was it necessary?
I’m sad they got divorced. I agree with everything you said on this topic – in my head they will always be married – til death do them part.
2. Is this season holding up to being the season of romance?
Yes! Finally! It took some time, but it’s finally starting to look up!
3. Do you think Cristina and Owen still act like a married couple?
I hope so! I know the firehouse is gone
but I really hope they take some steps together towards their future as we move towards the end of the season, maybe move in together, or at least have a serious talk about their future.
4. Are you enjoying the lighter moments? Or are you waiting for the other foot to drop?
Loving the lighter moments – 9×11 is possibly one of my favourite CO episodes ever – they’re so playful! I am waiting for the baby issue to rear it’s head again, though, I sense it;s only a matter of time!
5. Will Cristina and Owen be able to stay together for good this time?
God, I hope so!!!!
6. When do you think the conversation about children will come up? And how do you think they’ll handle it this time around?
I hope this time will be different – they’ve both shown how much they’ve changed, so hopefully it will be handled better this time.
7. Have you missed me? (I’ve missed you all!)
Yes! So glad you’re back!!
@CrowenSlexieFan, thank you! And my Twitter handle is the same as my username on here: shli1117.
1. Yes. Forever and ever.
2. Romance…and wumpity wump time.
3. I really liked their firehouse. And I’m sad no one ever slid down the pole. :\
4. Yeah, that storm is coming. Let’s hope we’re all ready for it.
5. Me too.
6. I really hope so.
7. Aw. I’m glad.
@shli1117,
ok, awesome
I love following new COCOnuts on twitter 
I’m also very disappointed that no one ever slid down the pole
March 7th, 2013 at 10:04 am
1. How did you feel about Owen and Cristina getting divorced? And was it necessary?
I was so sad. It made me cry аnd I cried for the duration of a couple of hours. That’s saying a lot, because very little things can make me cry and watching a TV series or a movie isn’t one of them.
2. Is this season holding up to being the season of romance?
Yes, definitely!
3. Do you think Cristina and Owen still act like a married couple?
Yes! Since we won’t see the firehouse ever again (that also made me very sad), I hope that they will buy a new house and move in together.
4. Are you enjoying the lighter moments? Or are you waiting for the other foot to drop?
Both.
5. Will Cristina and Owen be able to stay together for good this time?
Hope so. But Shonda is saving the happy ending of Meredith and Derek. By the way Meredith’s attitude towards Owen really bugs me.
6. When do you think the conversation about children will come up? And how do you think they’ll handle it this time around?
I read a lot of commentaries. Many people have noticed that Cristina is eating a lot in the last couple of episodes. They think she’s pregnant again. I don’t want to see season 8 all over again. Anything will be better.
7. Have you missed me? (I’ve missed you all!)
Yes! I am so happy you’re back. I really thought you stopped watching after Cristina and Owen got divorced.
@poppy, hello! Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.
1. Aw, it really was sad. I don’t blame you. I teared up, too.
2. I think so, too!
3. I really wish they didn’t let go of the firehouse. But I wouldn’t mind them finding a new house that is hopefully just as cool.
4. Yeah, same here.
5. Haha, I feel like Meredith isn’t always the hugest fan of Owen — when it’s convenient. I don’t know. They both vie for Cristina’s attention, but Cristina is totally Team Owen these days. Which is awesome.
6. Interesting. I hadn’t noticed that. Guess we will see!
7. Aw. Of course I wouldn’t stop watching. I’m going down with this ship till its very end.