Grey's Anatomy: Put the Squeeze on Me (18x13)

Okay, I'm going to try and rapid-fire this one. Famous last words.

Cons:

Teddy and Owen. Do I really need to say more? I guess I'm... glad... that they've talked through their issues so hopefully we can put this behind us? But I don't know, it just feels like a waste of time whenever I have to watch their drama play out on screen. I'm also sad that Megan and Farouk seem to be gone, I was hoping they'd stick around and have more to do.

I really love Bailey and Ben's relationship, so I get a little resentful when I see them referencing and continuing on from plot beats that are happening on Station 19. I wish we had more of that play out during the show I'm watching, and not the show I refuse to start.

Meredith is now considering moving for this new job opportunity, and Nick is... there, and ostensibly going to be a factor in that decision, but I'm just borrrrredd by him and nothing that happens can change that! Sorry!

Pros:

Shockingly, I found myself really endeared to Link in this episode. He's been resentful and rude to Amelia, and he still is, giving her a bit of a cold shoulder when she tries to talk to him about preschool options for Scout. But then he has a line where he tells her that he has to hate her, at least for a little while: if he doesn't hate her, he'll love her, and they can't have that. Couple that with the fact that Jo pushed him away, albeit for good reason, and poor Atticus Lincoln is a little adrift at the moment. I like that he's allowed to be a little surly without being a total dickhead. In earlier moments of the season, I felt like we were tipping too much into dickhead behavior, which I wasn't crazy about.

Catherine is in this episode, and she didn't piss me off! I like that Richard is trying to get Levi to come back, but so far hasn't had any luck: Richard is having real doubts about his judgment, given how poorly things went with the Webber Method, and wants to be looked into to make sure his mind is still sound. I felt a lot of sympathy and connection to Richard as he confesses this to his wife!

The whole snake plot was equal parts amusing and intense. We end the episode not knowing the fate of the man who has been constricted by his pet snake. His boyfriend is extremely worried for him but also angry that he allowed such a dangerous pet to hurt him in such a way. I love the tension there: when someone you care about is hurt, you're scared for them. But if they're the reason they're hurt, you're also pissed off, and that makes sense! We also got lots of funny snake stuff with various characters being terrified of the big ol' beastie, while others (namely, Winston), were kind of delighted by it. I loved Maggie's incredulous "who are you?" as her husband reacted with enthusiasm to this tricky snake extraction business.

Meanwhile, Hamilton offers Meredith a permanent position in Minnesota, but he does it in public, springing the offer on her in a way that makes it awkward for her to refuse. Kai later talks to her about it, saying they understand that his way of asking wasn't cool, but they hope Meredith still considers it. They have a good talk, where Kai explains how Hamilton was always there for them, and knew them before they changed their name and pronouns, and made the adjustment immediately and without fuss. That's so important, and I hope some people watching will get a glimpse of how absolutely essential that kind of support may be to anyone going through a transition. I like that Kai is forming some bonds outside of just Amelia, making them feel like a more integrated part of the story. I'm all about it!

Jo starts up a flirtation with the brother of one of her patients, played by soft boy dreamboat Skyler Astin of all people. It was delightful to see him turn up here, and the energy between him and Jo is really charming! Still early days, but I do want Jo to find happiness and (sorry Link), I don't want it to be with her best friend Link. We'll have to see where this goes.

I'm sure I'm missing details, but I'll end things there. All in all, felt like mostly a pretty standard episode. I enjoy a lot of the story threads happening here, and the ones I don't like were mercifully not dwelt on too much in this particular installment.

8/10