Grey's Anatomy: Feel It Still (22x16)

I didn't realize going in that we'd have a couple weeks off from this show before just a two-part finale and then we're done with season 22! Wild, time flies.

Cons:

I won't bore you by repeating myself, but Jules and Winston is a big yuck from me. I think we're supposed to think it's so sweet, the contrast between them wanting to make out in the elevator at the start of the episode, to just Winston pulling her in for a hug at the end, just wanting to be a comforting presence... man, I wish I didn't hate the two of them together so I could hypothetically enjoy this.

It's so weird, because historically I've always noted that Grey's is bad about portraying parenthood; so many characters over the years have had kids they seem to never interact with, because all of the important story stuff is happening in the hospital. Sure, there might be some degree of drama around the having of children, but once that kid exists they become a footnote. But with Jo... man, it seems like they can't think of anything to do with her character anymore that's not about motherhood. And I think that's because they've written her into a corner where she's supposed to be all happily ever after with Link. I don't know, man, I'm just bummed out by not enjoying Jo Wilson as a character anymore, it sucks.

Pros:

So, my cat died a couple weeks ago and as a consequence of this I have been bursting into tears at basically anything. I mention this because, despite what I just said about Jo, I did actually kiiiind of like that scene at the end, in isolation, when, after saving her patient's life, she confesses to Link in a round-about way that she's still really struggling with her own difficult birth and near death experience. The way Link look at her, devastated and compassionate, and the way Jo rushed to reassure him, "I love our babies" and Link immediately said "I know" and pulled her into a hug... if I ignore the fact that I don't find their relationship interesting or well-written, this scene in isolation was really nice. I was so happy Jo got a win at work, too, and that the mother and baby were both okay.

I continue to HATE the Lucas and Dani thing, but the reason it gets to go in the "pros" section is that I think I'm supposed to think it sucks and isn't right. Unlike with Jules and Winston, which I'm supposed to be onboard for. I loved the moment at the end when Wes just says to Dani, "he's using you." Like, yeah, I think it's pretty clear that Lucas is in a spiral and he's being cruel to a lot of people on the way down. As insufferable as I find this character, at least I'm sort of meant to think he's the villain in this situation. I was honestly moved by the pessimistic patient with a heart transplant and her unexpected death. Lucas was trying to have a sunnier outlook on life and push away his despair and then... nope.

Wes spends the episode being weird and taciturn with Simone, which she gets enough of from Lucas's surly ass. His brother is in a coma and he doesn't want to talk about it. I like what Simone said at the end, that just because what they're doing is casual doesn't mean she doesn't care. Wes says he's not ready to talk about it with anybody, but he'll tell her when he is ready. I hope that's sincere and that this guy doesn't end up being an asshole to Simone too. I certainly like him better for her than Lucas Adams. 

Owen also gets to hang out in the "pros" section, good for him. I'm being nice because he's leaving the show at the end of the season so I can afford to cut him some slack. I really liked this plot thread about his mom coming into the hospital and Amelia needing to do surgery on her. We so rarely do any acknowledgment about Owen and Amelia's past relationship (which was a clusterfuck, don't get me wrong) that it was nice to see that connection there! Teddy and Amelia, two of Owen's three ex-wives, were united in caring for their former mother-in-law and in wanting to do the right thing by Owen too. I loved the way Owen pushed Amelia to take a risk and then it paid off, and Owen was then able to apologize for the push. Amelia thinks Owen was right to push, but of course she only feels that way because it worked: imagine if Owen's mom hadn't made it through. Yikes. I liked Amelia and Owen's hug, I liked Teddy sitting with Owen and his mom at the end... I liked the shot of Richard and Bailey silently supporting Owen while he waited during the surgery. Just felt very nice to have the long history of these characters come to bear, as everyone showed up for Owen as best they could.

It is bonkers bananas that Bailey was trying to cover for Kwan over the experimental drug situation, like, in "the real world" both she and Kwan would be soooooo fired for this. I'm very curious what the outcome is actually going to be. Ben finds out and is mad at Miranda for hiding it from him, but tries to back her play. But Dani goes to Richard and tells him what happened, and Richard is going to report it. As he should! And as Dani should! Sorry but I support snitching in this situation. I get that it's evil and bad that the FDA denies access and pulls funding etc. etc. and the system is broken and all that. I like it when doctors advocate hard for their patients and even when TV doctors go rogue to save the day, but this is WILD. I kind of love how crazy it is and I'm glad that Richard wasn't pulled into the lying and instead is sounding the alarm. For now, it looks like Kwan and Bailey's patient is alive but still has clotting issues and isn't out of the woods... I wonder what will happen if he dies, and the super illegal thing Blue did was for naught...

So that's it! We won't be back til the end of the month with our next episode, which seems to feature potential near death experiences for multiple characters, including Owen and Nick, two of my most be-loathed characters on Grey's. That said, I hope they let Owen and Teddy just move away somewhere instead of killing him. And as much as Nick bores me... come on. Meredith doesn't need another man to die on her, that's just too cartoonishly depressing. So, reluctantly, I'm rooting for Nick's survival too. We'll see!

7.5/10