Meredith Meets A Woman From Her Past On 'Grey's'

For someone who has recently lost her husband and who is normally dark and twisty anyway, Meredith Grey sure has been cheerful. Of course, there's been a serious time gap since Derek Shepherd died tragically at the hands of incompetent doctors, but it's still pretty fresh — in my mind, anyway — and anyone would totally understand if Meredith didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. But nope, she's all good. So good, actually, that she decided to throw a dinner party for all of her friends... including Callie and her new girlfriend. Unfortunately, though, this involved a very unwanted blast from the past. Callie's girlfriend is Penny, one of the doctors who was there when Derek died, and Meredith unmistakably recognized her when she showed up at her door.

And even though I am simply a Grey's fan who was watching from her couch, even I felt like it was a serious punch in the gut to see Penny again, and she didn't even contribute to the death of my husband. Note to self: When Ellen Pompeo takes it upon herself to issue a warning about the last five minutes of an episode on Twitter, she really means it.

Even more heartbreaking than seeing Penny again? The flashbacks to Derek laying in a hospital bed before Meredith had to make the choice to unplug him. Like that was something anyone wanted to relive.

Things were finally going well with Meredith, too. Although she'd just managed to realize that she's actually a widow, she's a self-proclaimed happy widow. She loves her kids, she loves her friends, she loves her job — she got to enjoy the love of her life that was Derek Shepherd, and that's enough for her. But I have a feeling seeing Penny is going to throw all of that out the window.

It's like Meredith said in her speech to the interns about breaking bad news: The face that tells you that your husband is dead is a face you'll never forget for the rest of your life. Penny is that for Meredith, and the fact that she's dating Callie, someone who Meredith interacts with on a daily basis? Yeah, that's impossibly difficult.

I can't wait to see how this unfolds, but meanwhile, I want to give poor Meredith a hug. Really, Callie? You couldn't have dated anyone else?

Image: Mitchell Haaseth/ABC