Give me an "S!" Give me a "U!" Give me a "R-G-E-R-Y!"

Grey's Anatomy Season 12 Episode 13 had everybody finding their spirit – whether they needed it to deal with personal problems or professional ones. Or both.

Meredith, Maggie, and Ben were the high flyers (Note: I know nothing about cheer beyond Bring It On.) when it came to facing their problems and giving it their all. Callie and Stephanie were great on the JV team with their floor routines. Alex, as always, was there to sarcastically coach whomever needed it to victory.

Callie's surgery was, quite frankly, bad ass. And bizarre. And I'm not sure how realistic it really was. I have questions. And I'll be Googling it. But this is the kind of crazy, edge of reality surgery that makes Grey's interesting for a lot of us. With new primetime medical dramas nipping at the standard bearer's heels, the writers have got to step up their medical game.

What was really great about this surgery, and Callie's freakout and eventual breakthrough, was how it allowed Meredith to work through some of her own issues and support someone else. Ellen Pompeo has given Mer a certain tone of voice when she does her practical supportive speeches, and it feels like a while since we've heard it.

As for Mer's role in this escapade, the question is when she (and we) will see Thorpe again. How long her first post-widow relationship will last is anybody's guess. It seems like it would be hard for her to date outside of SG, logistically speaking. I doubt this will be a long-term thing, but she's got to start somewhere.

Jesse Williams deserves an honorable mention for playing up the comedy during Bailey's prayer scene. Without speaking a word, he had me cracking up as he kept sneaking glances at Callie and Bailey, and the moment he awkwardly held up his (un-scrubbed) hands like the others had me thisclose to a spit take.

Callie: Everything's going to be fine, you guys. We just have to be squirrels about this.
Jackson: Couldn't have heard you correctly there.
Callie: Oh, you know, squirrels -- they store nuts for the winter, right? But they don't do it all at once. They do it one nut at a time. Everyone has their part to play, so everyone just needs to handle their own nut. We do that, we get all the nuts.

Permalink: Oh, you know, squirrels -- they store nuts for the winter, right? But they don't do it all at...

While the team at the VA hospital might have run into their share of problems, compared to the chaos back on the home court, they had smooth sailing.

The cheer squad was tiresomely annoying, but then again they were supposed to be. I'll admit that it was actually a pretty decent depiction of a certain group of teenage girls, but it was mostly saved by Stephanie and Penny playing off of it.

I was a little surprised by the discussion between Penny and Stephanie in the observation room, though. The point was obviously to have DeLuca reassess his desire to go public, but it played a little fast and loose with the canon of the show.

Stephanie excused Penny for dating Callie before starting at SG, but apparently forgot that Ben and Bailey got together while he was an anesthesiology attending. And Jo was dating Karev while he was still a resident. And Stephanie dated Jackson for a while...the list goes on and on.

Ben: I actually loved high school.
Stephanie: I bet. Everybody loved high school in the 50s.

Permalink: I bet. Everybody loved high school in the 50s.

It was also weird that the speakers weren't on as they so often are. I mean, they had to know Ben wasn't getting away with anything. Even if maybe he should have. Sure, he should have sterilized that clipboard piece, but c'mon. There was a lot of blame to go around in that situation.

I really liked how Ben stood up to Webber in the end though. It seems to be often forgotten that Ben is older than the other residents, and not just older (like Edward Hermann's Norman), but actually experienced. The dynamic between Ben and Bailey as husband and wife vs. resident and chief of surgery was also really good, and something I'd like to see explored more.

Speaking of mixing personal relationships with professional power dynamics...poor Maggie and DeLuca. Are they ever going to be on the same page? Of course, DeLuca probably should have thought about what their relationship really was before asking to go public.

Maggie: Um, Dr. Riggs? I'm sorry. I cannot join you on that case tonight. Because I have plans...with Dr. DeLuca. A date.
Riggs: Okay.
Maggie: Whom I've been seeing. We've been seeing each other, as a couple, romantically...in romance.

Permalink: Whom I've been seeing. We've been seeing each other, as a couple, romantically...in romance.

So far, we've only really had these two going at it like rabbits. There hasn't been a whole lot evidence that they know, let alone like, each other as real people. From that perspective, I understand Maggie's concern about being the attending that slept around with the pretty boy.

But since the HR department apparently got slashed during the last round of budget cuts (I have to imagine that the free condom budget is pretty high at SG), Alex was probably right when he told her no one else cared. Honestly, wasn't there supposed to be paperwork for this kind of thing?

It's amazing there hasn't been another STD breakout in that place.

Alex: I'm going to need you to show me how you did that.
Stephanie: Just a matter of leadership.
Alex: Yeah, but, no, really.

Permalink: Yeah, but, no, really.

Grey's will be back on March 17th with "Odd Man Out." Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anybody at Sloan-Grey is going to have the luck of the Irish on their side – and neither are many of you. Jackson and April are drawing things out once again. I liked them to begin with, but even I'm starting to feel like we're under siege.

Jo still hasn't learned her lesson about trying to interfere with Alex and Meredith, or where it is appropriate to hold volatile personal conversations (you know, not at work...WITH YOUR BOSS). Arizona will get a new patient, and Richard will be there to remind us that residents are there to learn from more than attending (which should also help advance some stories).

You can watch Grey's Anatomy online to catch up if you missed anything. We can't wait to hear what you thought about "All Eyez On Me" in the comments section!

Get your first look at Grey's Anatomy Season 12 Episode 14 right now with the promo below!