This is one of those classic Grey's Anatomy episodes with a million different story-lines going on at once. I'm sort of conflicted about how to grade this one, because I really loved some plot threads, really disliked others, and then there were a few things that I liked in execution but not in principle. There's a lot to talk about, so let's jump in.
Cons:
Amelia and Owen. I thought this back-and-forth nonsense was put to a rest, but this week they've fallen back in to old habits. They sleep together, then Amelia says they can't do it again, and the cycle repeats. The resolution here is that now they're going to try and be together for real, despite how messy and complicated it's bound to be. My question is - what happened to Amelia needing to look after herself and not get involved with someone? This couple just doesn't do it for me anymore, because of how many times they've gone back on it, then reunited, then broken up again, all in the span of one season. Also, the cheesy conversation at the end about how they were both scared? Ugh. Such a cliché.
Arizona and Callie's plot thread, as I've mentioned several times, does not make logical sense. This week, both of them went around asking people to side with them and testify in court. I was so annoyed with Meredith and Owen, who both immediately said they would back Callie. I get that Meredith is closer with Callie, but it still felt like a cold thing to do. Don't they see Arizona's side in this? Conversely, I was annoyed at Alex for not taking sides, because I feel like he's the only person who rightfully should be in Arizona's corner. Whenever I watch them both getting so worked up and upset over this, I keep going back to my original point about this plot arc: it's contrived. Within the scenario, I'm fine with the way the story is progressing... but the scenario itself is stupid!
Ben and Bailey take the cake for annoying relationship drama, though. Ben is assigned to one of Miranda's surgeries as an anesthesiologist, and the two doctors proceed to use the OR as their own personal grievance-airing room, roping in the other doctors to their drama. Talk about unprofessional! Bailey's response to Ben's infraction was wildly disproportionate, but Ben is acting like a stupid baby. And this week, we got other people weighing in on their problems as well. Maggie, quite appropriately, told Ben to back off and get over himself. That was fine. What wasn't fine was Riggs telling Miranda to cut Ben some slack. I cannot conceive of a way in which this is any of Riggs' business. But then again, Ben and Bailey should not have been arguing about this while at work! Ridiculous! Shame on both of them.
Pros:
Although the Amelia and Owen relationship is giving me whiplash, I did love the humor involved. As Maggie and Meredith get ready to leave in the morning, they find a naked Owen and Amelia on the couch. Meredith spends pretty much the entire episode making dick jokes at Owen's expense, and Maggie joins in for a couple of zingers herself. In the end, Meredith lays down the law, telling Amelia she's stupid for denying this thing with Owen, and even calling out Maggie on her own hang-ups about love and relationships. Meredith has really opened up for me as a character since Derek died. It sounds mean, but I like her better now. She's freakin' hilarious, and I loved seeing her give her two sisters some tough love.
While I'm annoyed with the Arizona and Callie drama, I did love Penny's behavior. She is really the only person in this scenario I'm not pissed at. She gets assigned to Arizona's service, which is super awkward, but she maintains a professional attitude, even when Arizona screams at her in the cafeteria. At the end of the episode, Callie finds out that Penny was on Arizona's service, and asks if Arizona was terrible to her. Penny lies and says that everything went fine, which I actually really liked. I'm not generally a fan of this kind of deception, but Penny is being the bigger person. She's actually rising above the conflict as best as she can. Also, it is sweet to see that Richard has Arizona's back. As dumb as this whole custody battle is, Richard and Arizona's friendship this season really warms my heart, and I look forward to seeing Richard help Arizona through the troubles ahead.
It feels strange to me that April and Jackson's plot thread has migrated over to the "pros" section lately, but there you have it. This week, Arizona finds a potential problem with the baby, which causes April and Jackson to freak out, and Arizona to doubt her abilities as a doctor, given that she didn't catch this earlier. Luckily, in the end it turns out nothing was wrong. Arizona decides to stop being April's doctor, however, because she knows she can't be her friend and her doctor, and she'd like to be her friend. I'm so happy that the baby is healthy! It would be too much to put them through another heartbreak like they had before. Jackson and April still seem to be going strong, supporting each other in this, even with everything else that's going on. I also admired Arizona's decision to step away from the situation. She was right about the baby being healthy, but she still questioned her own judgment, which goes to show that she should probably back off. All in all, good progress on this front. I still hope Jackson and April get to tell Catherine off for her meddling ways.
Stephanie and Kyle come in to the hospital on Stephanie's day off, because Kyle's hand has been shaking again. He needs to have another surgery, but Amelia won't let Stephanie be involved, since she is now a "loved one" of the patient. The experience of sitting out in the waiting room as a loved one makes Stephanie realize that she can't keep seeing Kyle. She leaves a note before he wakes up from his surgery, and tells Jo about her decision to put herself first. At first, I was annoyed that the romance was being cut off so quickly, but I do admire Stephanie for knowing her own limitations. The scene at the end where Stephanie cried and told Jo what had happened was actually quite moving. I also liked Amelia insisting that Stephanie shouldn't be involved. It was easy for Amelia, and for the audience, to see that Stephanie's worry for Kyle went far beyond professional. As a side note, Jerrika Hinton (Stephanie) looked ridiculously gorgeous this week.
Finally, we get to the real tear-jerker of the night. Meredith is helping an old man brought into the hospital, when she discovers that this man has been having an emotional affair with his doorman for the last fifteen years. The patient has been married for over fifty years, and will never cheat on his wife. In the end, it turns out that the patient has terminal cancer. Meredith tries to encourage him to follow his heart, but the episode ends with the patient dismissing the doorman, while the oblivious wife gives him a tip and thanks him for all of his help.
Ouch. The most brutal part of this whole thing is the moment when the wife hands the doorman a tip. But it's not her fault! She has no idea! She's just warmly thanking the man who has been so supportive to her husband. She has no idea of the true circumstances. The look on his face as he walks out the door... yikes. A real punch to the gut. I also found it refreshing that the wealthy old couple were black and the doorman was white. It's a small thing, but if it had been the reverse, it would have perpetuated this sort of servant/master dynamic that I'm really glad the episode avoided.
I think that's all I've got. This episode was a mixed bag. I'm getting mighty fed up with the Arizona and Callie thing, although I do admit I'm anxiously awaiting the results of the custody battle. What's going to happen when everybody picks a side? What is Callie going to do when Richard supports Arizona? I guess we'll find out next week.
7.5/10
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