Below is a gallery of promotional pictures from this Thursday's coming episode of Grey's Anatomy, "Holidaze." Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's pass and several characters are confronted with people they least expect - chiefly Mark, and his possible daughter (?!).

Meanwhile, Thatcher Grey returns and with him comes the usual drama. This time, he's calling out Richard. Also, Miranda is visited by her father, who we've never before seen.

Click to enlarge some photos from "Holidaze" and tell us what you think we can expect in this holiday-themed episode. Follow the jump for lots more pics, too (there are a ton):

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The Grey's Anatomy Insider staff is pleased to announce, by popular demand, the return of one of our old, favorite features, the Round Table discussion! Below, our panelists break down some of the burning questions we're left with after last night's episode.

Be sure to check out our sister site's Private Practice Round Table from last night as well, if you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy's sister series! But now, down to business:

Topics for our "New History" Round Table include memorable moments, the Chief's problem, the arrival of Teddy, and the lingering tension between Alex and Izzie  ...

1. What was your favorite Grey's Anatomy quote from the episode?

McCritic: Cristina: "She attended state school!" Alex: "So did I!" Cristina: "She's skinny and blonde." Alex: "So is Mer." Cristina: "She's annoying." Alex: "So are you."

MerDerLove: Mer's closing narrative: "Sometimes the past is something you just can't let go of. And sometimes the past is something we'll do anything to forget."

iheartizzie: Callie's description of Richard as Bailey's "work husband." So true. LOL.

2. To you like Teddy?

iheartizzie: At first I didn't, but Kim Raver did a great job and fooled us all, appearing inept or at least somewhat flaky, but settling into her role as a teacher and cardio goddess.

McCritic: Not a huge fan. Nothing really against her personally but do we need any more docs? Intriguing back story with Owen though. What's going on there? What will go on?

MerDerLove: Hated her at the beginning when I thought she was a threat to Owenstina, warmed up to her when I thought she was just an awesome surgeon, then did a 180 when Owen balked at the end at her feelings for him. No! Don't do it, Owen!

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Last night, we saw new mom Ellen Pompeo back at Grey’s Anatomy. The show is moving Derek and Meredith back where they belong: front and center. That’s the good news.

Here comes the bad, according to EW: “They will face relationship challenges, many of them work-oriented, in the second half of the season,” reveals creator Shonda Rhimes.

Rhimes insists, though, that this latest obstacle will not result in the newly married-via-Post-It pair breaking up - a rumor that has been making the rounds on the Internet.

Derek and Meredith aren't breaking up ... but there'll be bumps along the way.

“I don’t know how many times [I] can say, ‘Derek and Meredith are together forever’ and have anybody hear it,” the  executive producer says. “I can only reassure so much."

“In order to [produce] a drama you need to have some drama,” Rhimes adds.

“Whether or not two people are meant for one another and will remain together doesn’t mean that things aren’t going to happen to challenge their relationship.”

What do you think? Are you okay with watching the MerDer relationship evolve even if it means some difficult times? And what do you think these new obstacles will be?

The head writer on "New History,"Allan Heinberg, has posted some thoughts on last night's just-aired episode of Grey's Anatomy on the show's official writers' blog.

Below are excerpts, with a link at the bottom to the full entry ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No matter how hard we try to let go of the past - to learn from it and move forward - all we’re really doing is creating new history, trying to learn from past mistakes.

The past, it would seem, is inescapable.

For Izzie Stevens, the past has never been more present. The decision she’s facing in the present is exactly the same one she faced in high school. Is she going to let a careless error – and her own hurt feelings and regrets – rob her of her future as a surgeon?

There are no easy answers for Izzie at the end of this episode, but you definitely get a sense from Katherine Heigl’s performance that Izzie’s not about to give up on her dream of becoming a surgeon. Somewhere, somehow, she’s going to be a doctor.

Alex, too, is haunted throughout the episode by his past with Izzie. He’s obviously still wounded by her having left him – but he’s determined not to allow himself to acknowledge that – to feel it – to reveal himself to Izzie in any way. It's heartbreaking.

What will this blast from Owen's past mean for his future?

Meredith longs for the moment when George was sill alive, and Izzie was okay, and everyone was happy – a moment she was barely even conscious of when it was happening. Derek seems to mourn the time when the hospital ran smoothly, and he and Richard were allies.

Sometimes the past doesn’t stay in the past. Teddy’s arrival unleashes all manner of complications for Owen, Cristina, and herself. Cristina’s immediately suspicious that Owen and Teddy were more than friends during their time together in Iraq.

Teddy confesses to Owen that she apparently misread their mutual history, and walks away from him, mortified. And Owen’s left haunted by Teddy’s confession, now forced to re-examine his own history - and his feelings for both Teddy and Cristina.

Ultimately, however, it’s the Chief’s struggle with the past – specifically with his history of alcoholism – that’s the most surprising and the most devastating. So far this season, the stressed-out Chief has behaved in extremely erratic, un-Chief-like ways.

The Chief is drinking again. And apparently he’s been drinking for a long time. Right now, only Meredith Grey knows the truth. And what she’s going to do about it will surprise you.

Follow the link for the entirety of Allan's blog ...

Welcome to the Grey's Anatomy Insider Caption Contest for the 184th consecutive week!

This week's Caption Contest winner is ... marriedmymcdreamy. Congratulations!

Thanks to all for playing this fun feature. The winning entry appears below.

Honorable mentions go out to Nina, cincinatti and Mrs. McSteamy.

Good luck again next week...

Cristina: Stop looking at me.
Mer: I'm not looking at you.
Cristina: You look at me, and you stare. And I like this salad. It is good for me. And I can't eat with you looking at me!

Last night's episode of Private Practice, while it certainly had its moments, felt a bit uneven and forced at times to us. Both plots felt a little far-fetched. Do you agree?

Even if you like Addison and Sam together, which we admit we do, it seemed like the way they got closer was both obvious and hard to believe, given what happened.

Also, what is a woman whose due date is that day doing driving in the middle of nowhere? No one has any cell service? What are the odds of them all being trapped?

Meanwhile, at the practice, the erection situation mirrored an episode of Season 2 of Grey's. Only this was much more dubious. The girl really got pregnant by someone else?

Not to mention the fact that Charlotte's admission of her past marriage, while well done, didn't really make sense to us as far as how it would convince the kid to stay.

Still, it'll be interesting to see where Sam and Addison are headed, we love Charlotte and Coop, and the subplot with Pete and Sheldon last night as a real crowd-pleaser.

Follow the link for a full recap of last night's "The Hard Part."

Next week on Grey's Anatomy, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's pass, Miranda is visited by her father, William, who disapproves of her choices in life. Meanwhile, Thatcher Grey questions the Chief's recent behavior as Meredith, of all people, comes to his defense.

Perhaps most significantly, Mark and Lexie cope with the shocking arrival of a woman from his past - a girl who looks to be about 18 and claims Mark is her ... wait for it ... dad!

Is it true? Will this set the Private Practice crossover in motion? It sure does look that way. We'll have to wait and see, but this could be a very interesting development.

Check out the promo for next week's "Holidaze" and see what you think ...

Don't judge a cardio god by its ... give someone a chance, okay? That was the lesson Cristina Yang learned thanks to Dr. Teddy Altman, Owen's "gift to her." But there's something going on with Teddy and Owen that isn't as easily summarized. Does he have feelings for her?

The Chief is falling down on the job, and Adele shows up thinking it's because he's having an affair ... with Bailey. Ha, Bailey says. This is just her "work husband." Classic stuff ... although when we learn the real toll Richard's stress is taking on him, it's a lot less funny.

Izzie's back and she brought reinforcements. Or at least her old mentor, Dr. Singer, a teacher from her high school. He's demented, but the gang eventually diagnoses and fixes him. As for Alex's relationship with her? That's far from fixed, and may be beyond repair.

For the full rundown, check out our episode recap of "New History."

Dr. Teddy Altman is a force to be reckoned with. For better or worse.

Within the episode recap page you will find links to Grey's Anatomy quotes, music, photos and videos, which we're working on now. We post these for you for all episodes!

What did you think of last night's Grey's Anatomy? How did it stack up with recent weeks? Do you like what you see this season overall? Comment away!

We met a new Seattle Grace-Mercy West surgeon tonight. Again. Meanwhile, one of our old, familiar faces returned from her self-imposed exile. Were you happy to see her?

So? What did you think of tonight's Grey's Anatomy?

Our guide to all things "New History" will be posted soon. In the meantime, tell us how you felt about this episode by commenting and voting in the survey below.

As always, the Grey's Anatomy Insider staff will post quotes, music, news, photos, spoilers and everything else Grey's Anatomy ASAP! Thanks to all for visiting!

Thursday's Grey's Anatomy, "New History," was ...

Tonight's Grey's Anatomy, "New History," features the introduction of yet another character into the Grey's Anatomy fold. Follow the link to see what Kim Raver has to say about that.

Needless to say, this is going to cause some serious tension with Cristina. Speaking of tension, Izzie returns to Seattle Grace tonight and we don't expect a joyous reunion with Alex.

For all the information on this evening's intense episode, follow these links to see previews and pictures we've posted, along with Grey's Anatomy spoilers and news we've compiled.

Then discuss with fellow Grey's Anatomy fans in our Grey's Anatomy forum!

What do you think and hope will happen tonight on Grey's Anatomy?

It's easy and fun to join our forum if you haven't already. Thanks, as always, for sharing your opinions and being part of the #1 Grey's Anatomy community. Happy viewing!