ABC
Seriously — we know every week can’t be cliff-hangers and crazy shenanigans, but this week’s episode — just felt sort of milquetoast in comparison to all the high-octane crazy we’ve been living with since just before the pandemic. And while we’re having throwbacks all across the board — it just isn’t quite the same.
Part of what made Grey’s the show it is today is the tension and the strong, stubborn opinions that forged the personalities of the doctors that we love. And you get none of that as everyone spends the episode tiptoeing around ‘feelings’ and ‘apologizing’ all over the place because of the catastrophic disaster that went down with Schmidt’s patient (who died) at the winter finale.
Schmidt has flamed out. Much like Derek after he lost one too many, he’s retreated to — well not the woods, because Schmidt would never retreat to the woods — but his mom’s basement. And he’s started wearing his glasses again — retreating back into the dorky little intern that he was when he started on the show. Meredith called it last week — ‘he flame out.’ Nico even tries to go rescue him at the end — and although Schmidt didn’t bat the engagement ring into the woods in a drunken rage, he did tell Nico to ‘get out’ and that ‘they were over.’ And Nico, much like Meredith, just left.
The M&M (have we seen an M&M since Denny Duquette?) was a huge disaster as well. One minute Bailey’s screaming questions are mandatory then she’s telling Helm to shut up. And the only thing it did was let Maggie bully Richard. (Maggie has become the new April in the absence of April … and although the three-sister’s thing was cute — now it’s just annoying — she’s off living ‘we-never-fight-we-always-see-eye-to-eye-even-when-we-don’t’ married life and she no longer serves a function to this show … she could have stayed in Boston and Winston could be her replacement.)
There were some truly charming moments — although everyone was having their feelings all out loud and a hot mess (that whole peaceful apology scene between Richard and Bailey at the end was such BULL-STUFF! They haven’t fought it out, had a chance to realize they each made mistakes, and it wasn’t earned! SOMEBODY in the writers’ room is placating the overly-sensitive. It felt forced and cheap. Please don’t do that again.) There WAS a moment in the stairwell — we know moments only happen in elevators, stairwells, and supply closets …
ABC
But the Bailey-Helm moment in the stairwell was really touching. THAT is the appropriate place for all the feelings. In the stairwell. Bailey saying that she was so caught up on Schmidt, she forgot Helm was in that surgery too. And Helm giving us that bit about not wanting to be bullied as the nerd and teacher’s pet in school so she never raised her hand because she knew all the answers. THAT was a beautiful moment.
We also had the sister-meet with Dr. Nick Marsh. THAT felt like good old-fashioned old-school Grey’s. And not a little unlike when Cali turned and muttered to her dad, ‘Please be okay with this — hi, this is Arizona Robbins, my girlfriend.’ Except Meredith didn’t introduce Nick as anything other than Dr. Nick Marsh. But they know. Will he come to Seattle? He’s going to have to if he’s intending to be a continuing regular on the show (and now that Richard Flood’s Hayes has departed, maybe there will be budget for it) as Meredith says she feels as if she’s lost touch on Grey-Sloan and her kids are in Seattle, so she has to stay in Seattle for a while.
Jo tells Link they can’t sleep together (without explaining why) because Carina tells Jo (without knowing who) that if they’re friends, who have the benefits but she loves the friend? The only way the friendship will stay friendship (with or without the benefits) is if Jo tells him she loves him. So she chickens out on that front and ends the sex. Not before Amelia calls her out on weird behavior though. Of course, Amelia just assumes its Link talking to Jo, not Link sleeping with Jo. But since Amelia has moved on, it shouldn’t matter.
Link also manages to have the patient-focused issue of the episode. He misdiagnoses an obese character based on her weight and patient history. And Perez, the show’s resident sass-pot who shares similar physical sizing with the patient, not only calls him out on it but catches the correct diagnosis. When Link tries to defend himself — in surgery — talking about how he used the patient’s weight, history, and BMI to make his initial diagnosis, Bailey appears (from nowhere as you do when you’re the chief) to tell him that BMI is basically BS — that it’s a number that doesn’t account for a whole host of things that is still on the charts so insurance companies can ‘rob us blind.’ Premiums for obese people are higher. (Cold, hard truth about America’s crappy healthcare system once again at the forefront of Grey’s.)
No one could tell you this was Hayes’ goodbye episode because it was poorly executed. And he disappeared off into the parking lot of no return. Teddy, who is still not coping with whatever it is Owen isn’t telling her (that he’s illegally physician-assisting suicide) and Megan points out that he’s Owen. A thing we all seem to forget. Wasn’t it not that long ago — or maybe it was since it was when Teddy was on the first go-round — so somewhere between Seasons 5-8 — that he was vehemently AGAINST physician assisted suicide? So whatever he’s doing (which we know and Teddy doesn’t) he believes is the only way to do it. And I get why he’s protecting Teddy — but seriously? I’m pretty sure she’d be on board — SINCE SHE WAS THE ONE WHO HAD THE PATIENT ALL THOSE SEASONS AGO!!!
Next week should be ground-breaking or earth-quaking. With the Hamilton surgery going forward, Koracick returning to help, and Owen suddenly collapsing into peril.
What did you think of this episode? Start a conversation in the comments section below.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9:00 PM on ABC.
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