Grey's Anatomy: Was Dr. Herman's Operation a Success?

So, did it work?

When we left off with Grey's Anatomy last week, Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) was about to tackle the biggest case of her life: removing a potentially fatal tumor from Dr. Hermann's (Geena Davis) brain.

"A surgeon must always be prepared to lose," we hear Amelia say in a foreboding voiceover at the start of the hour, before she brushes off a concerned Owen (Kevin McKidd) in order to give herself her own pep talks in the bathroom mirror, briefly break down, and then assume the stance of a superhero in the scrub room.

VIDEO: How well does the cast of Grey's Anatomy know medical jargon?

With a full gallery of onlookers staring at her and Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) by her side narrating, Amelia takes a deep breath, starts the clock and begins the operation. Up in the box, Maggie (Kelly McCreary), speaking for all of us viewers at home, casually wonders where the appeal is in watching what could potentially be the worst day of someone's life.

But it's also a learning process, and thanks to a cool green dye, we and the observing doctors get to see just how massive Dr. Herman's tumor is. Welcome to Grey's Anatomy: The Secret of the Ooze!!

Grey's Anatomy

Meanwhile, in another OR, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is horrified to discover that Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) will be standing in for Dr. Herman on the surgery for her pregnant patient Glenda. As they argue about whether to deliver Glenda's baby, Bailey (clearly still uncertain about Arizona's capabilities) pages Alex (Justin Chambers) to assist. Eventually, with Dr. Herman's voice in her ear, Arizona stands up to Bailey and goes with her gut on the fetal surgery.

Back in the observation deck, Webber (James Pickens Jr.) notices that Amelia is tense, and she has good reason to be - she's essentially hit a dead end with the tumor. While Amelia stalls, April (Sarah Drew) returns to the hospital for the first time since losing her baby to offer moral support for Dr. Herman, who saw her through her own tragedy. Webber enters the OR and offers to pitch in on the surgery, and Amelia eats a massive dose of humble pie and begs him to call her brother Derek, admitting with tears in her eyes: "I am in over my head. I made a horrible mistake."

But Webber won't do it. He tells Amelia to stop thinking Derek's better than her and take charge of the surgery. And Amelia takes his advice, crossing the "point of no return" eight hours into the surgery and showing no signs of slowing down.

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Grey's Anatomy: Was Dr. Herman's Operation a Success?