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I’m not entirely sure that I like these “one person” episodes. Yes, we saw Maggie, Webber, and Ben in this episode in addition to Bailey, but it was an all-Bailey episode. (With bonus flashback footage of George, Callie, and McDreamy! YAY!) And although a Bailey-centric episode beats the pants off a Kepner-centric episode … it’s still not really the way to go. That said, all of the flashbacks — laid out like “life flashing before your eyes”, all the good bits and memorable moments that any true Grey’s fan will appreciate. The ending message was powerful — a true Grey’s life lesson — and it was great to see Frankie Faison return. He’s played Bailey’s father in three episodes now! Yay!
The hot dog drop in the street was ridiculous. Knew it was coming from the minute we cut to the scene. Totally sold out to the “slow-motion moment of panic” because Ben is a fitness king at the peak of his physicality and even if he’d just ran up 60 flights of steps in his gear in 98 degree weather, he wouldn’t be stopping for two hot dogs on the street. Ugh. Moving on. The whole this-n-that back and forth with them is basically how their entire relationship has gone. So it fit well with everything that’s been pre-established leading up to where they are in this moment. It’s going to make saying goodbye to Ben on March 22 very hard. (But at least he’ll be up the street — and probably in the Thursday night lineup? — at Station 19.) [Editor’s note: Station 19 debuts March 22 with a two-hour premiere at 9:00 PM and will remain in the post-Grey’s time slot for the season, bumping Scandal to 10:00 PM for its final four episodes.]
Not that I want Bailey to have a heart attack; none of us want anything bad to happen to Bailey, she’s such a badass and a moral compass and a positive influence for women and individuals of color — and the beacon of “confess thy troubles to me especially if they be in the realm of sexuality and gender, and I’ll have comforting words of acceptance and perhaps even advice” (not only last week’s episode with the proud Transgender intern, but remember Ben’s brother in transition? And remember when Callie first realized she was bisexual — and immediately confessed to Bailey and they had the whole metaphor conversation about visiting Africa in relation to exploring lesbian sexual encounters?) But the way they were setting her up — with the psych consult, harping back to the OCD — it was going to be devastating to just watch her fall apart again if she didn’t.
Again we have the race and gender inequality factor well in play. That line where Maggie blows Maxwell out of the water — and Bailey had one too at the psych doctor — are prominent reminders of what we’re up against here and now in 2018. Loved the flashback to her childhood. Loved learning about her mother’s tragedy, and giving her that phone call with her mother at the end was great and really very touching.
Laughing my ass off at Katherine, showing up and her “Child, please, I had my driver pick this up” and the arrival of the gourmet lunch. She knows where to be and what to do when support is to be had. And the ridiculous little nonsense between Webber and Maggie at the hospital check-in desk. Sadly, or maybe fortunately, no one really checks to see if you’re actually family or not. Good for Bailey in this case, but with the flashback of her encounter with the Seattle Grace-Mercy West hospital shooter, those slack security measures (of basically checking to see if people inquiring after patients are actually relations/with good intentions there to see them) puts that slight grip of fear back in place.
All in all, despite missing most of the principal cast from Grey’s, including Meredith herself — who I feel like did not feature, but according to the credits she gets more than “in credit only” for this episode — so if she did, it was so brief and unmemorable that I’ve already stricken it from my mind, it was a strong episode. The flashbacks were some of the more powerful moments, really hooking you into the fact that she might not make it. Looks like next week we’re back to the full cast and all of the nonsense that goes with it — promising indeed!
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursday at 8:00 PM on ABC.
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