Grey's Anatomy: The Whole Package (15x20)

Oh man... Jo. This is upsetting.

Cons:

I love the idea of Link and Jo being close friends, but it bothers me that the show set up that dynamic between them and then doesn't show it for long stretches of time. If they're supposed to be each other's "person" like Meredith and Alex, we need more evidence of that.

I really love Megan, and I was so thrilled to see her at first, but then I realized she was team Teddy/Owen and I just can't get on board with that. There was one really awesome element of what Megan said to Owen, and I'll talk about that in a second, but for the majority of the episode, I was getting so frustrated at Megan for not understanding the bigger picture here. I feel like the narrative of the show wants me to root for Owen and Teddy at this point, and I just... I can't. I'll root for Owen and happiness. I'll root for Teddy and happiness. And I'm just not convinced they can find that with each other. The show has demonstrated nothing but angst and pain between the two of them. I really like Teddy and Tom. I'm firmly in the camp of wanting them to work it out. If I'm not supposed to feel that way as a viewer, then... well, they screwed up making Koracick too likable and interesting.

Pros:

I will say this about Megan, though. That moment when she told Owen that he needed to get help was really powerful. We tend to view the actions of these characters through a soap opera lens, and Owen's selfish and indecisive behavior over the years has certainly made me frustrated with him. Now, Megan has introduced this idea that he needs help from a professional. That his messy personal life is a product of his PTSD. I don't think this idea erases how awful Owen has been to the women in his life, but it does certainly add a shade of nuance I wasn't expecting.

Jo is breaking my heart. Despite my complaint above, one of my favorite moments in this whole episode is when Alex goes to Link and asks him to help Jo. There's something so refreshing about a show where there are relationships between people of different genders, but there's no jealousy angle at all. Alex is cool with Link and Jo's friendship. Even more than that, he is willing to admit that Link might have a way to help her that he himself doesn't. Alex ends the episode at first believing that maybe Jo is better, because she's sitting up and laughing at a cartoon. But Link, who has been sitting with her all day, knows that she's in an extremely dark place. It makes sense that Alex would be in denial about Jo just a little bit, even though he's clearly worried about her. Alex has had a rough past when it comes to the women he's fallen in love with. I knew that something would burst the happy newlywed bubble that these two have had going on all season, but I wasn't expecting it to be this brutal.

While I've never been the biggest fan of Catherine Avery, I loved this story between Jackson and Catherine. It's sweet to see how much Jackson loves and needs his mother, and worries about her. They're colleagues as well as family, and this story-line involving a penis transplant really brought that into focus. Owen had an important part here to play as well, as he understands the trauma that this patient is going through. I felt more connected to Owen than I have in a long time when he was explaining things to Catherine. He really is an empathetic man who's been through a lot of pain, and I wish we could see more of that.

Luckily, there were a couple of plot threads that afforded this episode a bit of levity. Meredith, while working on the transplant case with Jackson, is worried about Andrew. Why? Well, he's doing a surgery with Richard, and both Meredith and Andrew worry that this is an opportunity for Richard to make sure DeLuca has good intentions. Turns out, Webber is checking Andrew out to see if he'd be suitable, but he's not doing the whole "dad talk" thing. I loved seeing DeLuca in his element, doing a kick-ass surgery. I know I keep saying it, but he's really come into his own as a character.

More than that, though, this plot thread allowed for us to reflect on Richard's role as Meredith's father-figure. Even Jackson admits that he thinks of Richard that way. Jackson and Meredith's relationship isn't one that gets a ton of screen-time, but their shared love for Richard, and for Maggie, is an interesting way to tie them together. They both had/have fathers, but Richard filled that role in their lives, at least as young adults.

Another comedic subplot was Bailey returning as chief. She has a three students following her around the hospital, but as she gets roped in to various catastrophes, she doesn't have time to give them the proper run-down of the place. However, they're delighted, especially by all the women in positions of authority. We also learn that Alex has done a really good job with the administrative aspects of his job as chief, and Bailey is alarmed to discover that Alex did the job better than her, in some respects. She and Richard agree to never tell him. That was so funny, and so validating. Alex is a good man, and a hard worker. I'm glad he succeeded at this aspect of his career, given the hardships going on with Jo right now.

Jeez, these reviews always run so long. This was a good episode. It was obviously not a set-piece episode like last week's, and instead took the time to move some pieces around the chessboard for further development to come. I'm still team Teddy/Tom though... I'll just cross my fingers that the writers have a change of heart about this whole Owen thing.

8/10