Grey's Anatomy: Bad Reputation (14x21)

I enjoyed this episode. In fact, for all that I don't usually like Catherine, I actually really like how this whole Harper Avery business is being handled.

Cons:

It was fun to see a character from the way back past of the show reappear. But Olivia is... well, she's really mean. She harps on and on about Alex giving her an STI and it's a little bit much, if I'm being honest. A more subtle reintroduction might have been nice.

I also don't know how I feel about Arizona and Carina's little plot thread. Carina acts weird about Sofia, and when Arizona calls her on it, Carina says she thinks that Arizona is coddling her daughter too much. She then goes on to imply that the only reason Andrew is still so devastated about Sam's departure is that he was coddled as a child as well, and it made him weak. I don't really like this idea, and it sucks that in the end, Arizona basically agrees with Carina. It sounds like Sofia is really growing through something tough, and Carina completely dismisses that.

Amelia is going to move in with Owen, and take in baby Leo's mother, who is a homeless drug addict. I just... no. I think what they're going for is this idea that Owen and Amelia will take care of these two children, essentially, and they will become a dysfunctional family. Eventually Owen and Amelia will end up together as a couple once again. I just can't root for that. I'm not on board at all! They're so annoying! I'm happy that Owen has a kid to take care of, and I think he'll be a good father or whatever... but Amelia and Owen are not a good situation.

Pros:

One thing that was nice about the Olivia plot thread was how much Jo didn't let it phase her. Alex started acting weird before Olivia showed up, and Jo spends the episode trying to get Alex to open up and be honest with her. She doesn't do the cliche thing where she believes what Olivia says about Alex and starts having doubts. Instead, she is very mature and she demands answers. Turns out, Alex's mother hasn't been cashing the checks he sends her. He's distraught that he's just been throwing money at a problem without really giving it his attention. I really like Jo and Alex. There were stretches of time where that wasn't the case, but lately I really like them, and their open communication. And I can't wait to see what's going to happen as we get towards the finale.

The bulk of this episode is taken up with the fallout from the revelation about Harper Avery's sexual assault, as dozens of women come forward against him. I love that there's no real thought of trying to discredit these women and smooth things over. There's a PR woman who tries to suggest doing just that, but both Catherine and Jackson shoot that idea down immediately. Jackson is worried about public image. He doesn't forgive what his grandfather has done, but he's thinking about the 70+ hospitals that are a part of the Harper Avery foundation, and what happens if that foundation goes under. It's interesting to look at it from different angles, but the episode always brings it back to the central point: these women were abused and silenced, and it's wrong. Jackson and Meredith come up with an idea: dissolve the Harper Avery foundation, and set up a new one - the Catherine Fox Foundation. Catherine will take back her maiden name and reap the rewards of the legacy she once helped to uphold.

Lots of great material with Jackson and Meredith. They aren't a pairing we see a ton on this show, but they've known each other for a long time and they've been through a lot. They have some great conversations about legacy. I really liked what Meredith said about how these women not only lost their careers, in many cases, but they also have to see the name of their abuser plastered across the country on so many top hospitals. Harper Avery's name is celebrated, while his victims are silenced. Catherine attempts to take the fall for all of this, so the foundation's name can be salvaged, but Jackson says he doesn't want his mother to be silenced by his grandfather just like he silenced all of those other women. He specifically says he won't let a strong black woman get taken down because of the actions of an old white man. Hell yeah, Jackson.

We'll have to see how this whole "Catherine Fox Foundation" thing plays out. While the PR rep was obviously the villain of the day, I will admit she might have a good point... I know that their hearts are in the right place, but Catherine helped to silence these women back when it was all happening. Are they going to be able to forgive her for that?

I'm absolutely sure there's stuff I'm missing - we've got Maggie learning to trust Jackson, everybody finding out that he funded the contest, April deciding to plan Jo and Alex's wedding, a kid with a huge tumor on his face that Jackson and Meredith remove... this show always has a ton of stuff going on at once. But usually it's in a good way - I like that the world feels lived in, that the characters all have inner lives. Even when we only get a few minutes with someone, like April, we're still able to check in with how she's doing. I'm going to be sad when the season ends and we have to say goodbye to some of our longest running characters!

9/10