This episode was originally titled "Old Wounds".

Ratings: 22.4 million viewers

Guest stars Jeff Perry (Thatcher Grey) and James Gammon (Mr. Scofield) starred together in the NBC series Nash Bridges.

One hour later, Jeff Perry (Thatcher Grey) appeared on rival network NBC's new show Raines.

Meredith: (opening voiceover) People have scars in all sorts of unexpected places. Like secret road maps of their personal histories. Diagrams of all their old wounds. Most of our wounds heal, leaving nothing behind but a scar. But some of them don't. Some wounds we carry with us everywhere and though the cut's long gone, the pain still lingers.

Meredith: (closing voiceover) What's worse, new wounds which are so horribly painful or old wounds that should've healed years ago and never did? Maybe our old wounds teach us something. They remind us where we've been and what we've overcome. They teach us lessons about what to avoid in the future. That's what we like to think. But that's not the way it is, is it? Some things we just have to learn over and over and over again.

(while discussing Izzie's potential feelings for George)
George: She's blonde. She's stacked. She's a supermodel.
Callie: So what does that make me?

Meredith: I just agreed to have dinner at my father’s house. Tonight.
Derek: Oh.
Meredith: And, Christina slept with Colin Marlow.
Derek: Marlow? Transplant Marlow?
Meredith: They had a thing when she was a student.
Derek: He slept with Christina?
Meredith: Derek!
Derek: Oh, right, sorry. Okay, um, have dinner at your house. It’s your place, I’ll come. I’ll be your wingman. It’ll be fun. Okay, it won’t be fun. It’ll be fine. They’re your family.
Meredith: Why does everyone assume that?
Derek: Because you deserve to have a family. Even if you don’t like them.

Izzie: You need to bond with your people. People are what matters.
Meredith: I hate people.

Derek: Dr. Marlo, Derek Sheperd, neuro. I'm doing a sigal sinus bypass today if you'd like to observe.
Dr. Marlo: Really, that's quite a procedure.
Burke: It's a good trick but if you're really interested to see what this hospital can do, I'm performing a arterial switch operation for TGA this afternoon.
Dr. Marlo: If you gentleman are trying to intimidate the competition, it's working.
Derek: Good
Dr. Marlo: I'll see both of you in surgery. (Dr. Marlo leaves)
Derek: Colin Marlo.
Burke: The one and only.
Derek: He --
Burke: Yes.
Derek: With --
Burke: Yes.
Derek: Wow.
Burke: Indeed.
Derek: Yeah.

(Izzie walks out of the shower)
Izzie: Alex! God!
Alex: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've seen it all before.
Izzie: What the hell are you doing here?
Alex: Movin' in.
Izzie: What?!

Izzie: Alex is moving in?! To this house?!
Meredith: He's taking George's room.
Izzie: Why?
Derek: I was asleep just a minute ago.
Izzie: Uh! And I was naked, in the bathroom, when Alex walked in. I'm lucky I didn't come out of the shower to see him peeing all over the seat.
Derek: And we're up.
(Derek leaves)
Izzie: What's wrong with where he was living before?
Meredith: I don't know where he was living before.
Izzie: Probably a whorehouse. I can't have him living in the room right next door. It's weird.
Meredith: People are what matters. Alex is one of our people. We can't just leave him out in the cold.
Izzie: "People are what matters?" You don't like people. Is this about your mother?
Meredith: No! I had a near-death whatever and I was dead. And now I'm not. So, I'd like to use this chance I've been given to be more positive. People are what matters. Paint with all the colors of the wind.
Izzie: Oh, okay. You're crazy now.
Meredith: I'm alive.
Izzie: Yeah, okay.

George: How you doing?
Meredith: Okay, everybody? Let's just do this once: I'm fine. She's cremated. I picked out a beautiful urn and she's hanging out in the back of my closet. Any more questions about my dead mother, or can we get back to work?

Cristina: He was my professor. We were close.
Meredith: He had his hand on your ass. I sure hope you were close.

When the interns are eating lunch, the amount of sandwich that Cristina has eaten changes between shots.

Episode Title: Scars and Souvenirs

"Scars and Souvenirs" is the title of a song by Max Stalling. The working episode title, "Old Wounds" is the title of a song by Salem.

Meredith: People are what matters. Paint with all the colors of the wind.

"Paint with all the colors of the wind" is a line from "Colors of the Wind", the theme song to the animated film, Pocahantas.