ABC
Let’s do the time-warp again! And it isn’t even Halloween! Looks like Shonda & Seattle Grace-Mercy West-Grey-Sloan-Memorial are up to their old flashbacking tricks again but it’s not at all with whom you’d expect! Despite last week’s angry cliffhanger of this potential three-way love legacy between a character we’ve never heard of, Ellis and Richard, we went delving into Alex, Jo, and Maggie’s past, in a really cute, albeit awkward, sort of way. They were micro flashbacks and they actually did a pretty good job of making little Alex, little Jo, and little Maggie look like they could passably grow up to be present day Alex, Jo, and Maggie. That was pretty cool and the stories that went with them were actually really sort of cute. Okay, Maggie’s was cute, Jo’s and Alex’s were just sad. (At least Alex’s was consistent with everything we know about his history and his past … a little more leeway with Jo & Maggie since we’ve never previously explored their pasts in that depth.)
And I LOVE how we got Mer back in the Dartmouth shirt while counseling Alex. It’s a good thing it ended well – SPOILER – Jo pops the big Q and Alex says yes! (But let’s not forget he’s been married before…then again, everyone’s first marriage is the failed one … except Meredith … because McDeath … but anyway … fingers crossed this actually works out!)
Speaking of couples doing things … looks like Amelia is enjoying the Ex-Sex. (Hi Owen for two seconds then bye.) But we’re not judging, she said don’t judge! I mean, you go back to what’s comfortable, right? Haven’t we had that over and over again with basically every character who has ever had a break-up at Grey-Sloan ever? So that’s fine. Jaggie is still wobbling about like ice in a cocktail tumbler … but we’re making progress. At least we’re no longer “are we aren’t we” so I’ll take that. It’s cute that all of these big-personalitied, high-profile females get the nerves all around their men (think about how Bailey was ultra nervous when she first started dating Ben … and my God, does anyone realize he’s been around since Season 6? He was a Mercy-Wester from the merger!) and now Maggie too. Cute, I guess. But like I said, at least there’s forward progression with that.
Meredith was hardly in it, except wrapping up that bit with Auntie Marie, and that was fine (Ellen Pompeo directed the episode which could explain her backgroundedness). We’ve had non-Mer episodes before and it shows that she can float in the background without being a feature and the show can still be good. Richard’s right. It’s not her job to unwind her mother’s legacy. Did Ellis publish an idea that wasn’t hers? Probably. Seems like an Ellis thing to do. Is Cerone handling it right? Nope. But do we really care? Meredith’s a genius. Meredith already won her Harper Avery, Meredith has everything she wants out of life – successful career, three great kids, two nutsy sisters, and peace with her dead husband – so this doesn’t seem like the biggest setback. She’ll invent something new. Maybe go back to curing Diabetes or whatever. (Or did she do that already? Can’t remember.)
The big bomb-drop this week was Kepner. It would figure, just after the announcement that Sarah Drew is going to be one half of the titular duo of this Cagney & Lacey reboot (why is that the TV go-to now? Reboot old shows … #fail) that suddenly we give her plot to care about. I mean this is no surprise, when Shonda knows they’re about to go – she suddenly twists the knife and fork in real deep and gives us plot to care about (in a desperate attempt, which usually works, to make us forget that we’ve hated them up until that point. Worked with Izzie so why not with Kepner?).
I want to be clear. I’m still not team Kepner. She’s been fired from the hospital before. Twice. Does no one remember how she got fired right after the merger and then Chief Shepherd brought her back? (To basically be the most annoying administrative assistant ever?) And then she failed her boards and quit/got fired and Chief Hunt brought her back? She’s like this bad penny that just keeps turning up.
But this week they finally gave her something useful. And somehow, miraculously redeemed Dr. Ally McBeal (still don’t care enough about him to remember his name, because he’ll always be Ally McBeal to me) but holy cow, the discussing religion deeply … THAT was impressive. Even more so when he got into it about his son. THAT was deep, harrowing, and really moving. Very Shonda (like all the times when she’s bomb-dropped deep history on us before …) Kepner’s response however … let’s just be glad she’s leaving. I’m still hoping for a blaze of explosive self-destruction; it’s been too long since we’ve had a real trauma with one of our own in the OR. (Bailey’s micro-maybe doesn’t count, she wasn’t in any real danger of being killed off.) Maybe it’ll be like George, where she’s so mangled no one recognizes her it until it’s too late. We can hope.
The one thing missing from this week’s episode? The interns! And hallelujah! Actually, Parker and Qadri are growing on me – the two that will make it (like Alex & Mer!) But nobody was missing Glasses, Kepner’s Fling, Hellmouth, or Wingus & Dingus (Sam & DeLuca.) Also – where was Arizona this week? But since she’s ready to bail out … who knows. (I vaguely recall her in the episode somewhere. I think.)
Since next week is all about Station 19 … or whatever we’re calling Ben’s new show … I suppose we won’t get much to focus on, plotwise, but hey – Richard and Mama Avery are bound to have something to say about Jaggie, right? Can’t wait for THAT.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8:00 PM on ABC.
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