Alex Karev turns to Isobel Stevens the morning after and says, "So are we screwing other people?"  Isobel cannot believe that he would ask such a thing, "You are such a jerk," and she storms out.

At Seattle Grace we see Dr. Owen Hunt talking with the other attendings, welcoming him to the staff.  Cristina Yang takes one look at him and says, "Run!" She and Meredith Grey safely hide around the corner as Cristina explains how she kissed him and now he's back.  Why is he back?  The two wait until he is gone before reporting to Bailey.      

Alex tries again with Izzie.  "I just need to know if I should still be screwing Rochelle," one of the nurses.  Again Izzie refuses to respond to such a blatantly rude  request.  

George O'Malley is busy trying to work things out with Lexie Grey.  He rejects her ignoring him because they're roommates.  "I reject your rejection," she tells him and she walks away.

All of the residents and intern (except Meredith) are sent to the E.R. to report to Dr. Hunt.  Cristina is horrified and tries her best to hide behind Lexie Grey.  She even manages to keep her mouth shut when he asks a question that no one could answer even though she knows the answer.  He pulls back the curtain revealing 5 pigs sedated on the tables behind them.  He assigns them each a pig then procedes to stab each with  knife in the belly. "Save their lives."  Izzie is incredibly insulted at his treatment of animals, says, "I'm out!" and walks away.  He respectfully lets her leave and the others quickly go to save their pigs.  Soon after they begin, Cristina realizes that Hunt doesn't even remember her.  He is hard on everybody and begins ripping them all apart, including "Christine" as he calls her.  Cristina quickly adds the "A!" How could he not even remember her name? 

Izzie is beside herself about the pig and turns to Derek Shepard - her new roommate and friend.  She recites the doctor's code of ethics saying, "'Do no harm' to all including animals."  Derek assures her, "No, actually its just humans."  She is not satisfied with the answer.  Soon, two patients come into the E.R - a head trauma and a burn victim.  He assigns Alex and Isobel to take care of them, leaving Cristina with all 5 pigs on her own.  When Derek Shepard and Mark Sloan come to assist with the two E.R. patients, Owen Hunt turns them away. Derek is not pleased with what he's seen so far from this new doctor.  He pages Chief Webber to come get a handle on him.  Chief cannot believed that Derek would pull him out of the important surgery he's in and tells him, "Page me when he kills someone." 

Back in the E.R. Hunt is trying to help Izzie and Alex with their respective patients.  All the while, he's siting defenses to Izzie about how animals have helped medical history.  She is equally able to site back to him the times that animals were used and the conclusions were different on humans and harmed people.  

Cristina is sick of the pigs and goes complaining to Miranda Bailey about how she's not "Dr. Doolittle."  Miranda tells her, "the zebras and elephants are thanking their lucky stars for that,"  and leaves her on her own.  When she returns to the pigs, she's found that he interns have named all of the pigs.  "No cute names, they're not pets."  She explains that she'd give them all numbers but fears that they'd confuse her orders with themselves.  After all they are numbers without names as well.  She finally tells them that if they must call them something, call them something like "sausage" or something.

As Alex Karev works on the burn victim's face, Dr. Shepard and Sloan come in to check on things.  They quickly see that the patient needs plastic surgery and are upset that he didn't come get them.  Alex tells them he was doing what Hunt had asked.  Hunt is busy however going back and forth with Izzie about animal rights.  Izzie insists that technology these days warrants that they shouldn't have to do the animal testing anymore.  

Cristina finds her pigs all crashing at the same time.  She has to do some incredibly quick thinking and some serious juggling to ensure their stability.  Several surgeries nad procedures later she finally has them all stable (with the help of her interns).

Derek and Mark have had it with Hunt.  They confront him together in front of Karev and tell him that he is not doing things the way he should be doing them.  Hunt tells them, as straight faced as anyone could be, "It's my first day.  If you think there's a better way, tell me and I'll listen."  It is clear that they two have misjudged him.  He's been working in such different conditions for so long, he's doing things the way he thinks is best, but if there's a better way, he's open to suggestions.  

Cristina Yang dutifully reports on her 5 pigs, who now have all their "pet" names back and is proud to report they are all fine and stable.  Dr. Hunt tells her she did a good job before telling her that it is now her responsibility to put them out.  Cristina cannot believe what he's said, she rolls her eyes and walks away.  How  could he ask her to do this after all her hard work?  Owen follows her and tells her how she's done more than anyone else has today.  She performed more procedures and got more practice than any of the other residents, but it would be inhumane to keep them alive to recover after all that they've been through.  Then he tells her, "I remember your name, but that was before. . ." He explains to her how he's been discharged and left behind the life he knew, "Now I'm living in the after."   He hasn't forgotten her, he's just changed.            

Cristina is left staring at the five pigs unsure if she can do what she's been asked to do.  "They'll suffer.  Don't let them suffer," Lexie pleads as she takes the time to help her.  Back at home Lexie gives George an offering of macaroni and cheese and tells him, "I named the pigs."  George, pleased that she is speaking to him says, "I'm sorry, I don't know what that means."  She explains to him that she takes things  too personally and she offers him the macaroni and cheese as an apology.

Alex somes to see Izzie in her room back home and she quickly tells him she's had a bad day and asks him to leave.  Alex says, "Tell me what I do wrong."   As if finally seeing for the first time, Izzie finally gets it.  This was Alex's way of telling her he didn't want them to sleep with other people.  In some way asking if they were screwing other people was his way to ask if they could be together exclusively.  He learned from Hunt to ask for a better way.  She gets happy and explains that all he needs to do is ask her to "go steady."  She looks him in the eyes and asks, "Alex, you wanna go steady?"  and they embrace and kiss.      

more from this episode . . .