Grey's Anatomy: Breathe (17x10)

Well, this was stressful.

Cons:

Okay, I loved seeing Lexie and Mark in theory, but I have to be brutally honest and say that this is the first time that Meredith's dreamscape beach scenes tipped over into too saccharine for me. I think it's because Lexie and Mark both seemed like guardian angels, only there for Meredith, and they didn't really make me remember the fully developed characters. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't my favorite of the cameos.

When Catherine asked Jo if she was thinking about switching specialties and Jo had this weird reaction, that felt like an awkward script moment to me. Too over the top and noticeable of a reaction to such an innocuous question.

Pros:

Hey, Owen had three separate moments in this episode that I liked. What even is this crazy upside-down world?! First, the texting with Cristina was hilarious and cute. I love the little ways they think of to bring the characters into the story even though the actors are unavailable. It made me think about Alex, though... does he know Meredith is on a vent? Does he fucking care? Ugh. Still bitter.

The second Owen moment I liked was when he told Tom that he wouldn't wish survivor's guilt on anyone. That was a nice moment between the two of them. Tom is not always the kindest but he's cruelest when he's aiming the insults at himself. I liked that Owen recognized that unhealthiness in him and decided to say something about it.

And then finally, Owen coming over to pick up Leo and Allison, and telling Zola that her mom came off the vent. That was such a lovely moment. It felt so earned, like such a big triumph, and it warmed my heart that he told Zola, instead of telling Amelia and Teddy first.

Speaking of... Meredith is off the vent! Let's have a dance party! That was super cute. I loved Richard hitting this low moment of grief and then with the innovation about sharing the vents, he skyrocketed into a place of such hope. This whole episode toed that line really well. Lots of tragedy, lots of near-deaths and catastrophic happenstances... but then a lot of hope mixed in!

Schmitt had to deal with a friend of the family coming in with bad COVID symptoms, and then the woman's daughter is also admitted, also very sick. It comes down to one vent, two patients who desperately need it. Very dramatic stakes, and my heart was breaking for the mother-daughter duo of interns who had to be there for this very fraught situation. Also, poor Schmitt, intubating the patient and then that moment of realization that there were no more ventilators available... so terrible.

But then you have Maggie, coming in with the save of the day, as she realizes they can split the airflow and use one vent for two patients! This is probably... not actually viable, or else it's something that already would have been tried in real life, right? Or maybe this is going on all over the place in hospitals and I just don't know about it. But in any case, in this fictional world, I loved this win for Maggie. It's not total victory - it's still really bad that these patience have to be ventilated. But it gives them a reprieve, exactly when it was so badly needed.

And then... Winston proposed! Maggie said yes!! I'm so happy for her. This is a relationship I really understand for her. It's what she deserves. I'm curious as to how Winston is going to fit in with the ensemble cast as a whole: will he become a series regular? I hope so, because I like Maggie and I like this loving relationship for her.

We're getting some more time with Hayes. We meet his sister-in-law, a woman with MS who doesn't much trust western medicine. Catherine performs a routine surgery on her, but there's a complication (because of course there is!). We see how badly shaken Hayes is, at the prospect of losing someone else, especially since this woman has become such an important part of his children's lives, in the wake of their mother's death. Luckily, it looks like she's going to be okay - another moment where hope wins!

I just really liked the vibe between Hayes and his sister-in-law. They had this deep familiarity and affection, even with clear differences of opinion about important things. And seeing Hayes break down a bit, and Jo be the one to bolster him, was a nice little dynamic moment between the two of them, so I liked that as well.

A couple other moments I liked: Jackson and Jo in bed, and Jo saying "your mother is scary" and Jackson saying "why would you bring up my mom when I'm lying here naked, what is wrong with you?" That was super funny.

Also, despite the cheese, I did like watching Lexie and Mark frolic in the waves, and the anecdote about Mark yelling in Callie and Arizona's ears to try and warn them about future hardship.

And finally, despite my continued antipathy about Teddy, I did like that moment where Owen gave her the credit for Meredith coming off the vent, showing that he's letting go of some of his anger. I might not ever be a fan of Owen or Teddy as characters, but I'm definitely on board with closing the chapter on their drama for a while. They're exhausting to deal with.

So that's that! As the episode ends, it looks like Meredith might be ready to wake up at long last. Is there anyone else she'll get to see on the beach before she does? One final glimpse of Derek? We'll have to wait and see!

8/10