The TV Zone

After having, oh, 11 or so hours to sleep and think on it, I suppose I should be offering you some deep well-rubbed thoughts about the return of "Grey's Anatomy" - at least thoughts that should be at least as deep and well-rubbed as yours.

But the basic problem, I found, is that absence did not make the heart grow fonder. I think I hoped it would - that there would be some new-found poignancy in the sisterly ties of Meredith and Lexie, or that Derek and Rose would offer a new and intriguing wrinkle, or the bad taste of that misbegotten match of Izzie and George would be long gone, or that Cristina's profoundly comical neediness would be even more profoundly comical.

But no, absence did not make the heart grow fonder. Last night arrived with a tremendous load of backstory, though none of it particularly meaningful. We are all now required to care anew - and I don't know about you, but caring anew is gonna be hard work.

Again, after 11 (now nearly 12) hours, I think I've come to this conclusion: The magic's gone. It was a perfectly OK episode, but perfectly OK is hardly good enough - two months' absence should have offered something much much better. But the "Grey's" formula remains ironclad - that Meredith's inability to stitch her need for love with her need for career holds up a mirror to us (or at least 20 million female viewers), and the on-again/off-again with McDreamy is its reigning - and wrenching - metaphor.

But we know they're destined for each other's arms again, just as we know they're destined to separate again, or until he's off the show entirely for the big screen career. (Depends, I suppose, on how "Made of Honor" does.) It's an old story now. Terribly old. And I just...don't...care.

Yeah, sure, some funny "Housian" moments - when Mere throws up her arms like she's just scored one after diagnosing the guy's tumor. But of course, ultimately NOT funny. Even the humor of "the contest" seemed listless.

Something was missing before. Something still is. For want of a better word, let's just call it "heart."