Grey's Anatomy: If You Leave (21x07)

Oh man, this is so sad...

Cons:

I feel like going into this season knowing Yasuda would be leaving at some point, it just really made the stuff with Chloe feel strange and awkwardly placed? You introduce a whole subplot with a sister who has cancer, you make that be the reason why the Yasuda/Jules romance isn't fully lifting off, you set it up as a way for Mika to maybe leave the show to take care of her sister, then you do a big scary car accident but Mika doesn't die... and then Chloe does? I understand drama for drama's sake, that's what this show is built around! But it just felt like a lot of setup for the payoff to be so tragic and then Mika's going to leave anyway? I guess we'll see how it all plays out, but I kind of wish this was setup for a character to deal with their grief, instead of setup for a character to depart.

I guess I'm glad Owen apologized to Teddy for his big overreaction but also, just, ugh - every second spent on their relationship feels like a waste of my time as a viewer. Not to be harsh or anything.

Pros:

So let's start with the Schmitt subplot! I suppose given the fact that he does feel rather separate from the rest of the main characters, it was nice that we saw him have his Helm moment last week, then a Jo moment here, and the little montage of flashback bits with him was honestly really sweet and plucked at my heartstrings! He's been around for a while, he really did leave an imprint on this show's DNA even if I feel like they often lost sight of how to develop and include his character. With all the setup of Levi leaving for Texas, I thought his romance with James would have to be cut short, that he'd choose his career over love. But instead - our boy Levi gets to have both! Yay! Honestly it makes me so happy that he gets to take his hot new relationship along with him as he pursues his career. And they've definitely made this a soft exit for Levi, one that has guest star potential written all over it. If he can be like a Jackson Avery moving forward, popping in for an episode here or there as he's in the area visiting, that would make me so happy!

I also really did love the stuff with Jo. I had straight up forgotten about their awkward sex thing, and I loved how Jo framed that as the best mistake she ever made, because of what a good friend he turned out to be. And making him the godfather of her twins! Oh my goodness, be still my beating heart. That's so sweet. Seeing him with the babies in the NICU, really taking the time to personally connect with them, also emphasizes why this is the right place for him to be in his career.

And then to the main plot - you know, I don't think I'll ever feel the emotional highs of early Grey's again, the way I felt when George died and the reactions of the rest of the core cast to that... but in terms of late-stage Grey's Anatomy, I honestly thought they did a wonderful job with this classic dramatic scenario. One of their own is on the table fighting for their life, and the rest of them are all having a breakdown about it. It's classic stuff, and I really did love it. You've got Simone, who mostly takes on a support role here for Jules as she fights not to feel useless. You've got Kwan, who honestly tugged at my heartstrings the most of anyone, sitting beside Mika in the bed and telling her what a terrible roommate she is. You've got Adams, trying to be useful by helping Chloe, and his horrendous guilt when he has to call time of death. And you've got Jules, stuck in this awful in-between of her relationship, where it seemed like they were on the verge of really solidifying something, but now who knows? I really liked seeing all of the interns scrambling on how to feel and what to do, with one of their own in such dire straights.

I also liked seeing Bailey's reaction to the situation. Her moment with Ben towards the end of the episode was really nice, and I liked getting that little check-up on the kid situation as Ben recounts what's been going on at home. And then the scene of Bailey sitting with Mika as she wakes up, and asks about Chloe... serious kudos to Midori Francis for her performance as she realizes her sister is dead and starts to break down. It was heart-wrenching, I felt so terrible for her! How is she going to recover from this, especially given that she was the one behind the wheel when the accident happened? Oof, it's going to be so brutal.

The reboot of these five interns really has worked out - I feel invested in them, I care about them, I even found Lucas mostly tolerable this week. I'm going to be so sad to lose Mika, but I'm relieved she's alive!

8/10