Ratings: 21.0 million viewers

Tim Griffin (Ronny O'Malley) and Greg Pitts (Jerry O'Malley) previously appeared in "Thanks for the Memories".

This is the first episode not to include a voiceover at the end of the episode. Instead Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) sings "God Bless The Child" at the closing of the episode.

Izzie: Izzie thinks this whole bright and shiny thing is getting old.
Alex: Alex agrees.

Derek: We think you're depressed.
Richard: Both of you?
Derek and Addison: Yes.
Richard: Well, for the two of you to agree on something I must damn well near be suicidal.

(to everyone in the locker room)
Meredith: Today is the day, people. Today is the day when dark-and-twisty-Meredith disappears forever and bright-and-shiny-Meredith takes her place. You're probably not gonna want to be friends with me anymore because the sheer intensity of my happiness is going to make your teeth hurt. But that's okay because life is good. Life is good.

George: My dad has cancer. I can’t even look him in the face. Cristina had to tell him what was wrong. Cristina.
Izzie: Nobody gets it right with their own family.
Meredith: I certainly don’t.

Ellis: Why did you came to visit? You can't stay. I'm expecting someone.
Meredith: Actually Mom, he's not coming.
Ellis: What?
Meredith: The Chief. Richard. He's not coming tonight. Infact, it's just going to be me for a while.
Ellis: He's gone back to Adele.
Meredith: Yes.
Ellis: Of course he has.
Meredith: Mom.
Ellis: He's afraid. Afraid to be happy. And I'm all alone. Now I have to raise my daughter alone. How am I expected to do that?
Meredith: Mom, you did the best you could. You did the best you could. That's all anybody can do.

Meredith: What did I say?
Derek: Seriously?
Meredith: Seriously.
Derek: Seriously?
Meredith: Seriously. We're taking it slow.
Derek: Mmm, I can take it slow.
Meredith: We're taking slower than that. We're starting fresh.
Derek: And starting fresh means no sex because?
Meredith: Because we started with sex last time and it didn't go very well. Plus, the waiting is fun. And we need fun. And I wanna be bright and shiny.
Derek: Bright and shiny? Ha.

Meredith: (voiceover) Many people don't know that the human eye has a blind spot in it's field of vision. There's a part of the world we are literally blind to. [...] The problem is, sometimes our blind spots shield us from things that really shouldn't be ignored. Sometimes our blind spots keep our lives bright and shiny.

Episode Title: Staring at the Sun

"Staring at the Sun" is the title of a song by U2.

Callie talking cars with George's brother and her metaphor used to describe why George's father needs surgery is a reference to "Thanks for the Memories" where George and his family talk cars while hunting turkeys.