ABC
So it’s obvious that Jesse Williams and Greg Germann went and made ‘get-outta-dodge’ plans back while ABC was waffling about whether or not to renew Grey’s for its 1800th season. (Just the 18th. For now.) In one of the more milquetoast send-offs, the cast (and viewers alike) said goodbye to Jackson Avery in a mediocre sort of way that was neither dissatisfying nor emotionally charged. It could have been worse. But at least he wasn’t banished to the parking lot of no return.
The brief flashes of Jackson’s existence at Seattle Grace-Mercy West/Grey-Sloan were montage-y and rapidly paced, so that wasn’t bad. At least it wasn’t an entire episode built around flashbacks. But is it wrong that the overall feeling of Jackson’s departure is sort of ‘meh. okay’? Like I feel worse that Koracick is going with him. And Koracick has only been with us for what – two maybe two and a half seasons? (I guess with the Teddy-Owen thing being on its umpteenth road to recovery, he no longer has a purpose…) [Editor’s Note: Koracick has been on the show for four seasons, two as a regular.]
Koracick has become such a whole character, and truly healed in a way that Owen never will be, so it’s really sad to see him go. Even more sad that his departure feels more weighted than Jackson’s. Though it’s rumored that Greg Germann can/will be expected to be making guest-cameos in future. (But probably not Jesse Williams. He’ll be too busy on Broadway.)
The Native American patient storyline tie-in was really lovely, again hitting home with how non-white people are disproportionately impacted during this pandemic. And the fact that Jo got to deliver her first baby as an OB resident with Carina (for those of you that refuse/don’t/didn’t watch Station 19, she’s not going back to Italy – well she is – for a month – but she’s getting engaged to 19’s Captain to stay in the country. And also Ben had testicular cancer surgery and Bailey couldn’t be there with him because she was in surgery – but not once all episode was Bailey in surgery nor was it ever even mentioned that Ben just underwent major surgery.)
Jo (as indicated in next week’s preview) is almost certainly going to adopt that orphan baby Luna. I feel like that’s been in the underworkings for ages now. She’s got major abandonment issues, most recently fulfilled by the show’s lousy send-off of Alex Karev, and now by the show’s slightly-less-lousy send-off of her friends-with-benefits-buddy Jackson. And she almost stole that fire station baby that one time. So she’s going to adopt Luna. It just took a really long time for them to get around to it.
Owen (and now Winston, who’s trying a little too hard to fit into the chemistry of Grey-Sloan like he’s been there all along) are convinced that Link is never getting out of the Grey House. And they’re probably right. Everyone lives there. Everyone lived there. Except Cristina. Who basically should have lived there but never actually did. (Is there anyone who didn’t live there at some point? Other than Cristina and sort of Owen – though I feel like he spent enough time there too…)
Helm is showing the burnout that gets so easily overlooked. Nice that Schmidt offered to move her into the teeny tiny place he shares with Jo. It’s exactly like it was at Mer’s – taking in all the strays all the time. Except this generation is waaaay more overt about it. And does it in a waaaay tinier house/studio apartment. Maybe the old firehouse is still available. Or Callie & Mark’s place? Something’s gotta give. That studio is not set up to contain two interns (are they interns anymore? residents? I can’t keep track … the timelines don’t make sense – and that was BEFORE the pandemic!) but that studio was not designed for three doctors and a baby. PS – guess we resolved that ‘my boyfriend said I love you, move in with me, but I ran away’ repeater trope by just writing Niko out? He was nowhere to be seen/heard this week.
Meredith DOES finally go home. And it was eyeroll-worthy watching everyone fret over telling her about DeLuca. Does nobody remember that (A) Her COVID Beach Dreams were LUCID and (B) when she dream-dies, she knows things? Remember when her mother died and when she woke up, Derek had to tell her but she already knew? Ah, therein lies the rub. Derek knew that about her. But since Derek was on COVID Beach and not there with Bailey and Webber … so of course, when they finally did break down and tell her, she did the creepy-all-knowing thing of telling them she already knew.
But props to Meredith for sneaking out of her ‘clap-out’ (I’m totally with her on that. She got lucky and was privileged enough to have great health care, a clap-out felt wrong!) So it was hilarious watching them all clap to the empty wheelchair while Jackson wheeled her out to a never-before-seen portion of the parking garage at Grey-Sloan. I feel like if Cristina was still a part of the show – THAT would have been something she would have done. HATED, however, how it took Jackson’s leaving for Meredith to deliver the ‘last one standing’ because it was the speech given during the intern mixer, not the ‘residency-whatever’ of ‘only two of you will make it.’ And that already happened. It was her and Karev. And then he too poofed. POORLY. But she is right. George, Lexi, Reed, and Charles are all dead. Alex is in Pensyltuckey with dingbat, Cristina ran away with one of her intern-residents to Sweden, or Switzerland? April went to – well, now its Boston – and that covered everyone that wasn’t already a resident/attending when she came along.
Maggie and Winston are getting married. Richard’s going to officiate. Yay. Teddy and Owen are shacking up again. (And maybe she’s pregnant again? All that weird food-craving nonsense just screams pregnancy alarm bells.) And apparently next week, Link is talking about more babies … after fussing all this week about wanting OUT of Meredith’s house. The show is now officially about happy homemaking. Everyone should get married and have babies. But we’ve got a whole 18th season (and at least two more episodes of this season) to destroy our happy homemaker tendencies. There’s still time for Addison, Callie, Arizona, and of course the ever-elusive Cristina to return. (Did I miss anyone? Nope? Good.) And maybe – just maybe – now that Meredith can be on her own two feet again, we’ll see if we can’t get something going between her and Hayes? Hmm? Third times a charm? Derek died. DeLuca died. Cormac Hayes must be the ticket.
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