I don’t usually watch the guts, gurneys and goo-goo-eyes series Grey’s Anatomy. Okay, I never watch it. I couldn’t get past the first six episodes after it debuted in the spring last year. But caught in a lazy, carb-addled, tryptophan-laced Thanksgiving stupor, I succumbed and joined my teenage niece (a rabid Grey’s fan) for the Turkey Day episode.

One thing I will say: It was blessedly not a special holiday-centered hour in which everyone at Seattle Grace expresses gratitude over a big roasted bird for all the hot romance and gossipy drama that make up their lives, culminating in flirty smiles and chuckles. Instead, the show was deliciously bitter and nasty, with various relationships strained over betrayals and hurt feelings. In fact, the main storyline — concerning the ethically hinky operating-room deception that lovers Cristina (the wonderful Sandra Oh) and Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) have been using to keep anyone from noticing the latter’s injured, shaky hand — was pretty gripping moral drama. It may even have me checking in for a few more episodes. (Grrr.) And now that I think about it, maybe the episode was Thanksgiving-themed after all. What else to call Dr. Burke’s dilemma but a carving crisis? Hey, I wouldn’t have trusted him to slice up our perfectly cooked 14-pounder.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.