Grey's Anatomy: Breathe Again (16x05)

This episode... hmm... it's hard to pin down exactly how I feel about it, actually.

Cons:

This episode continues the story about Jo's mental health. There was so much I adored about this, truly. But Carly, one of Jo's therapists from her time in the facility was... a lot. She was too quirky and perfect and was just too annoying for me to take seriously as a character. I really, really liked watching Jo work through her issues, and I thought the resolution, where we find out that her "Capital-T Trauma" has to do with her being abandoned as a baby, was actually very fitting. They didn't make it out like it was a magical solution to all of her problems, and it didn't feel trite. All of that should really be in the "Pros" section, I know, but what I'm getting at is that I liked the substance of Jo's story a lot. But I found the personality of the therapist herself to be grating. She was very... Grey's Anatomy-ish. And I love this show, but there's a way that the characters have of talking, a certain quirk to their dialogue, that can come across as too whimsical in some cases. That's how I felt about the character of Carly.

So we have this weird subplot where Richard's friend Gemma takes him out for breakfast and then tries to hit on him, and even kisses him, while Richard is saying no. It's... really strange. Because Gemma points out Richard's dating history. He's been a cheater in the past, and Gemma is basically playing on that to say that she's available, since he and Catherine are in a bad place. And it's just not fun to watch? Or interesting? Am I supposed to think Richard is kind of a horrible person for the way he's behaved in his past relationships? Because honestly yeah I do feel that way, especially when the show decides to remind me about it. I'm no fan of Catherine Fox, but I hope Richard doesn't cheat on her. That would be a not-fun thing to happen.

I really liked what Maggie said about surgery being her greatest love and maybe it always will be. The reason I'm putting this in the "cons" section is that knowing Grey's Anatomy, she's totally going to be dating someone again before the mid-season finale. I'm exhausted by her already. Can we get some aromantic representation up in here? Maybe Maggie really and truly does not want to be in a relationship, and that's actually a good and cool thing! Pretty please?

Pros:

As I said, I really liked watching Jo go through more of her healing process in flashback form. While Carly might have been annoying to me, the lessons she was teaching Jo were not. And in the present day, stuck in a chamber with a potentially dying Carly and a pregnant Bailey, Jo needs to employ a lot of the techniques she learned for herself, and for Bailey too. I loved this. I trust a show like Grey's Anatomy to not demonize or stigmatize people who need help with their mental health. Here we see that there are methods and tools that Jo has learned, and that she's needing to use them continuously moving forward. Her knowledge about these things is seen as a real asset, and that's wonderful.

I'm also glad that Carly's carbon monoxide poisoning wasn't a suicide attempt, but was just an accident. It allowed something a bit more peaceful and gentle as an ending to this story-line, and I think we needed that for Jo after everything she's been through. Seeing Jo and Alex throwing things back at home was also really lovely and fun, and reminded me of what a great couple they are.

Speaking of great couples, how cute was Ben's reaction when he found out Miranda was pregnant? Adorable! I'm still kind of rolling my eyes at the idea of Bailey being pregnant, but it's sweet to see her so excited about starting this unexpected adventure, and I love that Ben and Miranda are so happy together.

Zola gets sick, and needs a surgery to put in a new shunt. So Meredith of course stays at the hospital with her, and misses a court date. The whole experience puts in question her relationship with Andrew in various ways. In the end, Zola is fine, but Meredith is going to have to spend some time in jail to make up for skipping out on her community service.

I thought this plot thread was actually excellent for so many reasons. For one, Koracick is pissed off at Meredith because of the bad publicity from her article, but he is immediately reassuring when he realizes that Zola is sick, and Meredith actually hugs him in gratitude after the surgery. I like it when enemies or adversaries set aside all of their bullshit when it comes to things that really matter. Second, I think Helm's crush on Meredith is awkward and charming and lovely. I want more of that and I also want Helm to find herself a girlfriend who appreciates her!

Also, I like that the three sisters get a scene where Maggie and Amelia are both offering Meredith support during Zola's surgery. Amelia talks about how little she knows about Link, and her concerns about jumping in to such a serious relationship with him. But unlike so many times in the past with Amelia, she is pretty rational about it. She's nervous, and this feels reckless to her, but she's not running for the hills or doing anything dangerous right now. It's nice to see her in this more settled frame of mind.

And the stuff with Andrew is similarly middle-of-the-road. Meredith is concerned that they're just at different places in their lives, and that Andrew can't understand what it is to be a parent. She has a point - Andrew suggested that Meredith still go to her court date, even when Zola was in surgery. Of course she's not going to do that! But also, DeLuca is doing everything he can to comfort her, and Meredith is being a bit unreasonable in resisting his support. He really is good with the kids, even if he doesn't know the full extent of being a father. There are complicated issues from many different directions, here, and it's nice to see that we're not jumping arbitrarily to extremes for the sake of the drama, like it looked like was maybe going to happen after last week.

And now, Meredith has to spend some time in jail! Given the focus on her identity as a mother this week, something that is all too frequently underplayed, I wonder how the kids are going to take their mother's upcoming absence. This should provide some juicy drama!

That's all I've got. Another solid installment, if nothing totally groundbreaking. I'm annoyed about a few things, feeling good about others... we'll have to see where this all goes!

8/10