This was a middling episode of Grey's Anatomy. Some of the character beats hit in this episode should have been explored with a great deal more nuance than they were given, and I'm a tad disappointed. Still, it wasn't horrible or anything...
Cons:
There's a love story between two teen boys who like to cosplay, and while there were some kind of charming moments here, ultimately it was way too overwrought. I needed a moment where they acted like normal kids in love, where they broke through the characters and became themselves. Without that, it was hard to connect to their story. I will admit, though, I'm glad the kid pulled through and I'm glad the couple was reunited by the end of the episode.
The flashbacks in this episode did not work for me. We saw several characters with their first loves - Jo, Alex, and Maggie. It was awkward and didn't quite fit the narratives of the stories the episode was trying to tell. Jo and Alex end up engaged at the end of this episode (yay!) but the flashbacks to their young loves didn't really tell us anything new about them as characters, or their relationship. So Jo had a loving boyfriend in high school before she met Paul? She chickens out. So Alex's first serious relationship went awry when his girlfriend saw Alex's mom off her meds? That's sad, I guess, but what does it have to do with either of them in the present day? And Maggie's flashback, while somewhat funny, was also pretty unconnected to her awkward blooming romance with Jackson. (I'm still not buying their connection, try as I might).
Pros:
Okay, so I learned Dr. Douchebag's name. It's Tom Koracick, and his 10-year-old kid died. Heavy stuff. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually found the stuff with April and Koracick to be a bit compelling. The fact that Tom was willing to bare his soul, and April only closed up even further, really tells us a lot about how much she's struggling. I kind of like not knowing how April's story on the show will come to an end, although of course I hope she gets a fair exit. Her crisis of faith is only a good idea if we can see her find her way back to herself by the time she departs.
Alex and Jo's proposal was ten different kinds of adorable and I am so here for it. It's become something a cliche to have both parties rush to propose to one another, but I don't care, because it's still so sweet. For so long, Alex has wanted to marry Jo, but her past was standing in the way. I loved the fact that he went looking for the ring in a panic when he saw Jo standing there, candles covering every surface of the room, but then Jo tells him she's already wearing the ring. Just... my heart. This was so pure and I'm very happy for the two of them, after everything they went through.
I found Meredith's plot thread quite compelling, but I was disappointed that there wasn't more time spent on it. She learns that Marie Cerone fell out with Ellis because Ellis took credit for a procedure that they developed together, and it broke Marie's trust and ruined her career. Marie will give Meredith the patent, if only Meredith agrees to publicize Marie's role and get the procedure renamed to acknowledge Marie. This is such an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, it should be obvious that saving lives comes above reputation. But that's not the dilemma Meredith is facing. If she gives Marie credit, she's tarnishing her mother's legacy without being able to hear Ellis' side of the story, but she will have her patent and be able to make her mini livers. If she doesn't cave to Marie's demands, Marie will run with the research instead of Meredith. Lives will still be saved, but Meredith's name won't be attached to it. In the end, Meredith is essentially choosing her mother's legacy over her own. As I said, I wish we had had more time to delve into the complexities of this dilemma, but I was still pleased that the topic was brought up.
I guess that's all I've got. This wasn't one of my favorite episodes. However, I did enjoy, as always, seeing Meredith and Alex hang out together as best friends. I'm glad that Alex got engaged, I'm glad that the cosplaying couple made it through... and I'm curious for the first time about April's moral descent. Let's see where this all takes us.
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'd really appreciate hearing what you think!