Grey's Anatomy: Odd Man Out (12x14)

Yeah. Solid episode. Much better than last week. There were a couple of disappointing elements, but I found the overall plots to be much stronger. Let's just get started listing some of the ups and downs.

Cons:

In this episode, Richard decides to switch up the resident/attending pairs so that the residents don't get stuck in a rut with their specialties. Jo ends up with Meredith, who blows her off and pays her no attention all day. Jo whines and complains to her friends, and eventually tells Meredith what for, saying that Meredith doesn't treat her with respect. Later, Callie and Maggie confirm to Meredith that she does sort of treat Jo unfairly, and Meredith tells Jo that she's sorry for that, but that Jo needs to learn to stand up for herself. Also, Meredith warns Jo that Alex doesn't deserve to be hurt again.

I used to really like Jo, but to be honest lately I've been getting more and more annoyed with her. She comes across really whiney, and the connection between her and Alex hasn't been emphasized in a long while. Honestly, I feel like Jo doesn't even deserve Meredith's respect, although I do agree that Meredith can be a bit unreasonable. Jo doesn't seem to be a particularly good surgeon, so it's kind of annoying that she's ranting and raving about deserving respect. Like... earn it, girl. And actually make up your mind about Alex. Honestly.

The guy Meredith met at the other hospital, Thorpe, has been calling her over and over again, but Meredith hasn't responded. Callie and Maggie both encourage her to go out with him, or at least tell him no, but Meredith can't make up her mind. In the end, Thorpe shows up at the hospital to force Meredith's hand, and asks her out. The episode ends before we see Meredith's answer.

So... I'm totally down with Meredith dating, but I'm not enthusiastic about this dude. Showing up to the hospital was a pretty creepy move, I must say. And it's obvious that we're going to get Meredith being wishy-washy, and it's even more obvious that this Thorpe dude isn't going to be her new true love... so what's the point?

Ben and Bailey had a cute subplot, but I hated the ending. Basically, Ben seems to be showing some insecurities about the difference in his and Miranda's paychecks. Now that Miranda is making twice as much as him, he feels weird about it. I guess they could do something to make this plot thread interesting, but so far they haven't. I don't want to see Ben and Miranda arguing about money. I want to see more with Ben's trans sister, or maybe deal with the ramifications of Ben's last subplot, which featured Ben getting in trouble for a risky medical stunt. Are we just never going to mention that again?

Pros:

In general, the resident switch-up was a great idea. It allowed for interesting parings, especially Penny and Amelia. And Jo and Meredith's plot thread wasn't without its merits. I loved the part where Stephanie told Jo to shut up complaining constantly about Meredith, and to confront her directly. And I also liked the fact that Meredith let her pride take a hit so she could let Jo know she was sorry.

Also, while I think Thorpe's decision to show up unannounced at the hospital was a little weird, I am excited to see Meredith dating again. The idea of her with anybody other than Derek is such a strange foreign concept, and I think the show could do great things with it.

This episode had two central medical cases, both of which I really enjoyed. First, you've got an old man with a head injury, whose bitter wife is there to see if he's dead yet. Turns out, the guy has been with another woman for the past eleven years, and the only reason the wife hasn't divorced him is because she wants his money when he dies. The man's head injury results in him suffering from amnesia, and he reverts back in to the man he once was, when he loved his wife. I really liked this plot thread, especially the old man. You really did feel sorry for both women in this situation, and it wasn't clear which one was in the right. The woman who had been with him for eleven years had no legal claim to be with him... but come on! Clearly, the situation was unique.

In the end, the man unfortunately dies, but through no fault of either Amelia or Penny, the two surgeons working on him. Obviously the Amelia and Penny pairing was destined to be dramatic. Amelia has no interest in working with Penny, who she still blames for Derek's death. However, as Penny steps up to the plate and performs a challenging procedure, giving the patient his best chance, Amelia is forced to admit that Penny is a good surgeon. Not only that, but she has the steady hands and quick reflexes of a neurosurgeon. Amelia confides in Owen that she's going to have to teach Penny now, but maybe she can learn to be okay with that. I liked the fact that Amelia, while clearly annoyed about being paired with Penny, didn't act totally unprofessional the whole time. In the end, she was forced to admit that Penny knows what she's doing. I hope we see the ramifications of this play out - will there be tension between Penny and Stephanie as they fight for Amelia's attention?

Amelia and Riggs got a couple of nice moments in this episode as well - Amelia grudgingly admits that Riggs is pretty funny, and is good at his job... but there's obviously the awkwardness of Owen's hatred. I really, really want to see Owen and Riggs patch things up - I actually like both of these guys a lot and I think a strong friendship for Owen might be a really good thing right about now. Maybe Amelia will end up being the bridge that brings them back together. Owen is turning in to such a good boyfriend for Amelia - when he sees that she's had a bad day, because of Penny and because of losing her patient, he takes her to go see the puppies in the pediatric ward. So adorable!

Alex and Arizona had the other main patient-based plot thread of the night, and I loved it a lot. Basically, an accountant is pregnant with quadruplets. When one of the children tries to come out early, Arizona wants to deliver the baby and then stop the labor of the other three to give them more time to grow into viable humans. Alex doesn't think it's possible, but Arizona pulls off a miracle - and so does Alex, saving the premature baby as Arizona keeps the newborn's three sisters inside their mother for a bit longer. Meanwhile, Miranda is going to this woman for tax advice, which precipitates Ben's insecurities at the difference in their incomes.

I just love Arizona and Alex. Their relationship is one of the most unexpected and yet wonderful things this show has to offer us. Of course what Arizona was trying to do was impossible. Of course Alex would try to talk her down... and of course in the end Alex would stand by her side and help her win. Also, I liked the guest character of the mother - I hope we'll see her in the coming weeks, as she still has three more babies to deliver. It was so funny to see her giving advice to Miranda about taxes, when by all rights she should have been a lot more worried about her babies. But what else is a poor accountant to do when stuck on bed rest?

Arizona and Alex also had another subplot to deal with - the ongoing saga of April and Jackson's baby. Arizona and Alex are the only two to know about April's pregnancy - Alex figured it out, and April told Arizona. The only trouble is... April still hasn't told Jackson, and she also refuses to run tests to see if the child has the same birth defect as her first baby. April tells Alex that the reason she hasn't told Jackson is that she doesn't want to put him through the pain of uncertainty over the child's health. April feels that she went through the proper grieving protocol for the loss of her first child, and that she still has her faith to turn to in praying for this new child's safety, while Jackson never recovered from the first loss and doesn't have the proper coping mechanisms to deal with the fear of impending danger once again. However, Alex's cajoling convinces April she must tell Jackson. As she goes to find him, she walks into a room where Arizona has just spilled the beans - Jackson knows about the baby.

Dun, dun, dun... I want to say that what Arizona did was pretty unforgivable. I mean, she should have at least given April an ultimatum: you tell Jackson or I will. From what I can gather, April really was about to tell Jackson about the pregnancy, and what Arizona did by stepping in first may have irreparably damaged April's chances to make nice with Jackson over the deception. Yikes. But at the same time, I understand that Arizona was trying to do the best thing for April, Jackson, and the baby. I like the fact that Alex doesn't want to get involved in this whole thing at first, but ultimately he's a good person, and he has to do what he can to help April. It doesn't matter that they've never really gotten along - they're still family, in a certain way. I only wish I felt as interested in Alex and Jo's relationship as I do in this plot thread... but that's a complaint for elsewhere.

In the end, what really sold this episode for me was the stuff with Alex and Arizona, as well as the stuff with Amelia and Penny. I'm even starting to get a little interested in the Jackson/April baby situation. I can't wait to see the fall-out over the revelation of April's pregnancy!

8/10