“Grey’s Anatomy�: Mother knows best

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How many sorts of awesome is Tyne Daly?

Last night, the six-time Emmy winner guest-starred as Derek’s grounded, former-Navy-nurse mama, a woman with a knack for getting the truth out of -- and knocking a little sense into -- nearly everyone she encountered at Seattle Grace. After learning about Mark and Lexie, and determining that Little Grey was a mostly law-abiding gal with an acceptable number of past sexual partners, she encouraged Mark to believe he deserved the relationship while delivering one of the smartest lines of the night. (“You have the emotional maturity of a horny 15-year-old. You need young.�) And after Meredith dropped the perky ponytail and came clean about her dark and cloudy ways, Mama Shepard gave Derek her blessing -- and an engagement ring for his girl. “You see things in black and white,� she told him. “Meredith doesn’t. You need a spoonful of that. You need her.�

Amen! As I noted last week, “Grey’s� hasn’t done itself any favors this season by relegating Derek and Meredith to the back burner. Fans waited eons for the notoriously on-and-off couple to finally get it together and, once they did, they all but disappeared to make room for a seemingly endless series of new recurring characters we can’t possibly care as much about. (Especially when they turn out to be duds like pouty-lipped intern Sadie, who sliced herself open for an appendectomy a few weeks ago and now wonders why she’s in pieces. Or something like that. Thankfully, she’s on her way out soon.) The renewed focus on Mer-Der, as well as other beloved characters such as Cristina -- who’s also in the thick of the death-row inmate storyline -- has resulted in two consecutive weeks of improved episodes.

If only that blasted Denny would go away. As Meredith met her future mother-in-law and Cristina prepared for her first date with the haunted Iraq doc, Owen, Izzie realized that she too wanted an alive-and-kicking boyfriend. So she broke up with her dead one. He cried. I felt a flicker of hope. For a moment, it seemed we were free. Free! Surely, if Izzie had come to her senses, that meant Denny was heading back to his sports-lovin’ buddies in the sky. Unfortunately, the dude has turned into a can’t-take-no-for-an-answer stalker in the afterlife. One who’s now started talking to Alex. When will it stop??

What was your take on Thursday’s episode? Do you agree with Mama Shepard that Mark and Lexie should make a go of it? Should Cristina give Owen another shot after he showed up late and drunk and proceeded to take a fully-clothed shower in her new place? How creepy-brilliant is Eric Stoltz as the serial killer? And would Meredith and Cristina have given Izzie’s advice the same weight if they’d known she now sees dead people? Weigh in below.

-- Shawna Malcom