Grey's Anatomy: Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (21x16)

Oh my god, that nine-year-old girl... this was a sad one.

Cons:

Once again I must complain about literally all the romances in the show. At least Teddy and Owen weren't around this week. I'll be fast, because I don't actually like spending this much time complaining!

Jo and Link - I'm just bored of them and I don't really believe in them as friends or as a couple. The bit where Jo said she thought the NICU couple were like them, I was just like... I mean, I guess you guys have known each other for a long time, but that's about the only similarity? I'm just not picking up what they're putting down. And now I have to go to their wedding next week. Ugh.

Simone and Adams - they had a conversation at the end where she explained why she was feeling a little cautious and Lucas affirmed his love for her, and at first I enjoyed it and thought it was a good example of them talking through a little communication hiccup, but then Lucas got all broody and mad and walked away and I instantly wanted him to get hit by a bus. Soooo annoying and whiny!

Winston and Jules - NOT here for whatever this nonsense is. I think this plot line is going to be Winston feeling conflicted about developing feelings for Jules and treating her like shit because of it? I don't know, man, I don't like the idea of this pairing and I certainly don't like Winston being a dickhead to Jules.

Pros:

The one potential glimmer of a romantic story I could be into here was that we finally got some more Amelia and Monica scenes! Monica thinks Amelia can do no wrong, and Amelia is at first really resistant to being praised but then later explains to Monica that she has baggage because of Derek. Monica says a really sweet thing about how she's only comparing Amelia to Amelia, and she thinks she's excellent! I want more vibes with these two, please. Let's go.

Blue continues to be intern MVP, he has pulled ahead as undisputed fave of the new crop of mains, for sure. He can be kind of inconsiderate and isn't always the most polite, but in this episode he was absolutely right! I loved that the potential new intern was perfect on paper and came highly recommended, but was actually too confident and nearly did something seriously wrong. The minute she came into the room when a code was happening I thought - oh no. She's going to be involved in a medical procedure, something bad is going to happen, Blue's going to get into big trouble for allowing someone who isn't employed by the hospital to be involved... but then no. Blue actually caught her before she could commit medical malpractice, and yelled at her for her behavior. I love that Bailey backs down when she realizes that Blue had good reason to be reprimanding her.

Blue and Simone have the best relationship of the new cast too, I totally root for romance vibes there but I also just like them as roommates, they're giving Meredith and Karev, a little bit. I love them hanging out at the bar, Simone talking him down from buying a drink for potential intern lady, and the two of them discussing roommates together. More of this, please!

My god, the patient story-lines this week were bleak. As annoyed as I was by the Jules/Winston situation, I did enjoy the two of them grappling with difficult home lives as they watched their patient deal with a father who would steal from his kid to buy himself booze. Jules can't shut up about it all episode, but in the end it's Winston who snaps at the guy for being a bad father.

The NICU patient story-line I thought was really well done. Imagine the pressure from the universe, this cosmic love story that destines you to be together since your premature births. It felt very realistic to me that one of them would get cold feet. It's a cliche to have a wedding called off so close to the date, but at the same time, imagine how difficult it would be to turn away from what everyone in the world is saying would make such a good story...

And then that poor little girl and her devastated parents! That moment in the hallway where the dad is like "five to ten years isn't a long life, but it is a life..." Ultimately the parents decide to do this super risky surgery to give their daughter a chance to live a long life, and at first it seems Amelia has done it! But then episode ends with her being non-responsive and coding, her parents weeping over her... oof. It's been a while since I've felt as emotionally rocked by a patient story-line on Grey's. She's just a little kid who loves camping and adventures! Her fate is left uncertain as the episode ends, technically, but it's not looking good. How is this going to impact Amelia, who performed the surgery and was so terrified of this exact outcome?

I'll stop there. Still frustrated by all the love stories, still mostly interested in everything else!

7.5/10