Katherine Heigl wearing our "Have a PETA Day" T-shirt

OK, if you're like me, you cancel all your plans, shut off your cell phone, lock your door, and glue yourself to your couch every Thursday at 9 p.m. for none other than the greatest hour of television all week: Grey's Anatomy.

Well, last night was probably my favorite television night of all time, because the best show ever also brought in an important message about animal rights. (TV + AR = my life, so you can see why I was thrilled.)

If you missed it, let me catch you up. Dr. Hunt, the new head of trauma surgery, wanted to train the residents and interns on how to deal with trauma patients, and he said that dealing with live tissue was the best way to learn. So he tied down six sedated pigs and stabbed them with knives, and then he asked the doctors to perform surgery to keep the pigs alive. (Though I'm quite sure that in real life the pigs were fake, as the show had several notices that no animals were harmed in filming.)

Enter Dr. Izzy Stevens, played by Katherine Heigl. Izzy refused to do the assignment and explained how completely unnecessary it is to test on live animals when we have such advanced alternatives that don't require us to do that. She said that animals are sensitive, emotional creatures that feel pain and don't deserve to be tortured. We are so right there with you, Izzy!

When Dr. Hunt continued to berate Izzy about this issue, she stood up for herself and for animals everywhere and never backed down. She even explained that testing on animals is pointless and can sometimes even work against medical progress. Even though a test might be successful when the subjects are animals, people and animals are different species and therefore will show completely different results.

Even no-nonsense, steely Dr. Yang took a liking to the pigs and called them by name. When the surgeries finished, Hunt ordered Yang to euthanize the pigs and she refused.

What an excellent episode! I was so thrilled to step away from Meredith's whiny, self-obsessed life for a while to focus on the other characters—and such a positive message for animals.

Now, if only Ross University had seen this episode ….

Posted by Christine Doré

askmen / CC

Cheer up, Grey's Anatomy fans! No, we cannot make the new season start any earlier than planned—but we do have some news to tide you over until you can get your weekly dose of medicine, drama, and sticky situations!

It seems that cast member Sandra Oh has been up to a little plot-scheming of her own in the offseason. The vegan vixen has recently divulged her not-so-super-secret plan to turn her costars vegan too!

The television doctor recently treated a group of cast and crew members to a 100 percent cruelty-free lunch at Truly Vegan in Hollywood. Has it worked? Turns out Mr. McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey, thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant's chocolate vegan cake, and Ellen Pompeo has become a frequent customer!

Maybe all those script readings and hours on the Grey's set has taught the cast and crew a thing or two about the health benefits of a plant-based diet! Oh yeah, and it probably helps that vegan food doesn't taste like grass and soggy sticks, contrary to what some meatheads and unweaned grownups believe.

One can only wait and see if Sandra's plot will play out in the new season! In the meantime, though, why not make your friends swoon with a delicious cruelty-free concoction of your own?

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky