Cons:
Okay, let's start there: I feel like one of the things that bothers me about this character is that at every turn, the writing is making the least interesting possible choices about him. It would have been better and more nuanced if perhaps he hadn't been a dick to the intern dude, had actually behaved really well, and maybe then it's a thing where Simone assumes he's going to be a big baby about it but actually sees him being the bigger man. But no, he's a total whiny bitch about it, the poor intern dude (who also seems really annoying not gonna lie) has no recourse, this is his career, he's trying to learn how to save lives here, and Lucas is just so shitty about it. Bailey has to put him in his place, and it's like... are we in kindergarten, dude? What gives? Grow the hell up. The problem of course is broader than just the incidences of this episode, because ultimately I don't believe in the relationship between Lucas and Simone to begin with. I don't want more drama, I don't want there to be back and forth. I want them to leave each other alone, please.
Hey, speaking of polyamory... Teddy and Cass are back on? There were things I liked about Jo and Teddy's story-line this week, actually, but I do have to make a couple of complaints because apparently that's what this show has reduced me to at this point. I feel like the writers have to work so hard and be so emphatic to convince me that Jo is living the life she wants to be living, all going back to the way Alex left. We didn't get to see Jo really process that loss and go through that process of divorce with the on-screen dissolution of that relationship, so ever since then it's felt to me like Jo's character has been stuck in this weird limbo. In this episode we hear her say that she has never been happier than she is now. But like... she and Alex were happy. They were happy! They had a good, solid, amazing relationship. And then an actor's career move meant that Jo could no longer be in that happy relationship, and now it's impossible not to feel like she's settling for second best.
The way I said hallelujah to the screen when Teddy said she and Owen are getting divorced... yes please. But even seeing her and Cass making out at the end of the episode didn't appease my fears that the Owen and Teddy roller coaster isn't really over. I mean, come on. This is Grey's. You can tell the writers are really fond of the "we've been best friends for so long, we're destined for each other" trope because they pulled a half-assed version of it with Jo and Link, and Owen and Teddy were, once upon a time, a good version of that setup. I remember when I was excited about the thought of them acting on their long-ignored feelings. But now I'm so tired, and every story-line that focuses on their relationship woes just exhausts me and makes me yearn to go back in time and let Owen die in that explosion instead of Monica. Free me. Free him. Free us all.
Pros:
A bit hypocritically, since I'm also always telling this show to free Richard Webber from his permanent employment situation, I did kind of like the stuff with Richard and Ben. It was fun to see them bonding and joking around and then having to pay for it by the end with the mountain of paperwork. I liked Bailey watching these two men, her husband and her mentor-figure, have to go through the same shit she's been through many times, and laugh at their expense just a little. It was a charming, light subplot which the episode badly needed.
I'm really curious about the lung transplant story and if we're going to get some interesting fall-out from it in the coming weeks. It seemed like the two dads of the little boy were really dedicated to having the risky surgery, but now that only one of them ended up having to endanger their lives, will there be tension in that relationship? What if there are complications for either father or son? I like when this show sticks with patients for a bit and lets us explore the aftermath of the big medical triumphs, so we'll see where they take this next.
As I said, I did kind of like Teddy and Jo hanging out at the car dealership, despite how much I'm not on board with either of their romance arcs. Jo being kind of a pushover and Teddy having a breakdown in the middle of negotiations but still being able to get a good deal was pretty funny. And, because of my hatred for Owen, I am kind of laughing at Teddy buying a new ride and making out with hot sexy Cass in it, when she and Owen are still in the process of starting this divorce thing. Eat your heart out, Owen Hunt.
You'll notice my HEROIC restraint in not putting Nick in the "Cons" section this week. He's still boring, he still sucks, I still didn't really care for seeing him, but the story of the family and the lung transplant was interesting. And for Meredith's sake, because I love her and I want what's best for her, I guess I'm happy she's happy. I'm curious what secret young Bailey is keeping from his mother that he shared with Nick, it's fun to have little subplots connected with Meredith even though she's not in as many episodes per season as formerly.
Kwan once again gets to go in the "pros" section, he can do no wrong in my eyes. Or, rather, he does a lot of wrong, but in a way I can't help but find endearing and enjoyable to watch. In this episode he sticks his foot in his mouth by assuming the new plastics attending is an intern, and then works with her for the rest of the episode, trying to make amends for this screw-up. He ultimately lays it all out: they got off on the wrong foot, but he's a good resident and he's interested in plastics and he'll do whatever it takes to impress her. Dr. Mohanty's response? "Stop talking." This could be fun.
As always with Grey's, a mixed bag of annoying stuff and stuff I enjoyed... I'm curious where a couple of these dangling threads are taking us.
7.5/10
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