Kristen, on your first CSI point: Jorja Fox and George Eads both went on strike between seasons 4 and 5, but were brought to their senses pretty quickly when it became obvious that the producers had no problems with replacing them. They were written out of the first few eps of the season since they weren't around.

ER really seems to like smushing and amputation for characters.

er: So, the cliffhanger is - is Neela dead?

GA: Okay, somehow I didn't interpret this correctly: Mere broke up with Derek when she walked away from the altar to go help Cristina after Burke left?

That was my impression, sumi. Which, I don't get, maybe.

I mean, I think I get it but, but maybe I missed something.

I thought he had broken up with her a couple of weeks ago with the whole, "You didn't swim" thing. And, IMHO, he's being an asshole. Yeah, she's Meh and she's generally a selfish drama queen, but dude. Her mother just died. Granted, Ellis was overbearing and horrid to Mere, but still. Death of a parent horrifically bad. Mere (feels like she) killed her stepmother - a mother-figure that accepted Mere for Mere. And Mere's father has banished her from his life AGAIN for circumstances that were NOT Meredith's doing. Yeah, she's selfish and a giant drama queen, but fuck dude. Give her a break. His whole, "You're the love of my life, I won't send you away, blah blah blah." was so ill-timed, I don't know what.

And I'm fucking pissed at Burke, but am still unsure of what Cristina meant when she said, "I'm free." and then broke down crying. Free of the accoutrements that she didn't want any part of in the first place or relief at being free of Burke??

I read it as Christina being free of all the things that came with loving Burke that she was ambivalent about - the relationship, the family, the settled life, the neat apartment, the wedding. All the conventional things women are supposed to want, or provide, that were never a part of her.

I can see that.

And Mer ... I think when Derek talked to her and told her she was the love of his life and asked for a commitment, she put him off, delaying losing him, but when she was at the altar and told people "It's off. It's all off," that was a final acknowlegement that that she wasn't going to - or couldn't - make a commitment.

I read it as Christina being free of all the things that came with loving Burke that she was ambivalent about - the relationship, the family, the settled life, the neat apartment, the wedding. All the conventional things women are supposed to want, or provide, that were never a part of her.

I read it this way too, but also that she's not as sure as she would like to be that she wants to be free of all of those things.

At one time, I considered writing a mistaken identity fic with the two Eric Foremans. Or possibly an Angel Martin(Rockford Files) Vamp Angel one.(Bonus cause they both live, so to speak, in L.A.)

I kind of liked the ambiguity of Christina's breakdown, maybe she wasn't sure what she meant either.