I like to think that this season’s Grey Sloan Memorial is just Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Each week we’re going to lose another doctor to Pac North. Karev is going to pick them off one-by-one until all our favorite people are forced to wear those horrific green scrubs.
This fictitious scenario does not include Meredith Grey. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen to the feisty doctor. Remember the article she was going to write that detailed all the ways hospitals are taking advantage of patients and doctors? The very long list of story ideas she sent to the editor resulted in one big exposé boasting the headline: “Hospital Hell at Grey Sloan Memorial.”
They used every idea Meredith gave them without context or explanation. And now her name is attached to the scathing article. Some people are angry. Some call her a hero. Bailey is oblivious until the back door of an ambulance opens and the patient discovers that he’s been taken to “that article place.”
He refuses to leave the rig, unwilling to be treated at Grey Sloan. So Owen, who was hanging out in the ER on paternity leave, hops in the ambulance with him, instructing the driver to take them to Pac North. Although Weber and Karev consider Owen an oscillating fan in hell, they can’t help but be embarrassed by their disheveled hospital.
Karev gives Owen a tour and asks him to use his imagination picturing new paint and better lights. They hear a scream and take off running down the hall. Karev and Owen stabilize a patient and over the poor man’s open guts, Karev offers Owen the entire trauma department at Pac North.
The offer is laughable. Who would choose to work at Pac North? Owen scoffs at the offer with Teddy but stops short when they run into Korasick. Refusing to obey the restraining order, Korasick gives Owen permission to stay in his glorious presence before offering Owen his job back. Grey Sloan needs good doctors.
Funny. Owen wasn’t fired. He quit. Korasick’s haughty behavior causes Owen to boldly proclaim that he will not be returning to Grey Sloan. He’s been recruited to another stellar organization. (Psst: Pac North is the opposite of stellar.)
Meanwhile, Bailey is on a warpath. She’s mad at Meredith. She’s mad at DeLuca for not warning them about the article (which he didn’t know about) and for not pledging loyalty to the hospital that raised him. Bailey becomes literally hot and bothered and it’s Jo who asks Bailey if her heart condition is acting up?
Maggie checks Bailey out, confirming that her heart is perfectly fine. But the problem might be hormonal. Cue Bailey crying in her office, stripping off her white doctor coat, and complaining to Ben that she’s going through menopause.
DeLuca texts warnings to Meredith while she’s picking up trash along the highway. Cristina (yay!) messages Meredith that she should move to Switzerland before Bailey kills her in her sleep. Meredith has no choice but to leave her community service to sneak into Grey Sloan to explain things to Bailey.
Bailey couldn’t care less. She lectures Meredith on how she betrayed her mentor, her hospital, and their friendship. She hormonally asks Meredith to leave her office just in time for Maggie to enter and confirm Bailey’s suspicions. Yes, she is pre-menopausal. She’s also pregnant.
There’s something in that Grey Sloan Memorial water, people.
Meredith runs into DeLuca as she’s leaving the hospital. She bemoans the fact that her friendship with Bailey didn’t pull any weight in this situation. And, she’s been called in to the judge again for leaving her community service. DeLuca freaks out, begging Meredith to keep her head down and get back to work. Don’t flip out and take the entire organization down with her. Self-preservation! Don’t make any more enemies!
Meredith turns cold. She reminds him that there wasn’t anything she said that wasn’t true. And if DeLuca thinks she’s is going to sit back while something is broken and hurting people, he doesn’t know her at all.
Is this the end of MerLuca? I can’t decide how I feel about this.
I do, however, know how I feel about the storyline where a stowaway on an airplane falls out of the sky and explodes like a water balloon on top of a couple of college kids. What. In. The. World. Alicia is in bad shape. Josh is walking but covered in blood. And his hoodie has a toe inside of it. Excuse me while Josh and I dry heave over here.
Unfortunately, Alicia passes away and Link has to tell Josh the sad news. Josh only dated his girlfriend for a short time, but he knew that he didn’t want to spend a moment without her. Josh and Alicia used to talk about “that book where the kids have cancer” and liken themselves to the characters. Minus the cancer. And now a body falls out of the sky and she’s gone. He slumps into a heap in Link’s arms and cries.
This emotional display gives Link the courage to tell Amelia that he is in love with her. He’s scared. He’s skeptical. But he likes the feeling. Amelia responds with a heartfelt “thank you” and Link doesn’t seem to mind. I should point out that Amelia is literally laying on top of him like a thunder blanket. This is a thing they do now. We should just accept it.
And then there’s Avery, who is remolding a three-year-old’s head. That’s right. He’s taking her current skull, removing it, and replacing it with a new one. The surgery is so significant that Korasick wants to film it for publicity. Oh, and he’s doing it pro bono. It’s called damage control and Avery needs to get on board.
Korasick makes sure the camera crew knows to get the parents while they are crying and praying and he even asks the father to reshoot his emotional interview with better lighting. Avery calls him out and Korasick is quick to remind him that he is Avery’s boss. And if he has a problem with it, Avery can call his mother to explain.
Avery takes a page out of Meredith’s book and goes rogue. He convinces the parents to do the surgery without the cameras and recruits Amelia to help him perform the surgery behind Korasick’s back.
Korasick bursts into the operating room (that seems safe) and starts popping off clauses from “the foundation.” Avery pushes back, “I am the foundation. I am your boss.” Mic drop.
For the next several minutes, we get a graphic, detailed, make-me-sick-to-my-stomach close up of Schmidt and Avery screwing the skull and sewing skin flaps back on the little girl’s head. I’m hopeful she’s going to be okay, but there’s one small detail that plagues me: Where is Schmidt’s catheter wire? The one he’s supposed to have on him at all times. So help me if it’s nestled in the cranium of a toddler. If that is the case, the guy should be fired
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Episode Recaps
Previous
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S16 E4 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Pac North recruits another Grey Sloan doctor
By Lincee Ray
S16 E3 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: A ‘Charmed’ reunion isn’t so charming
By Lincee Ray
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S16 E2 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Bailey’s boot camp is rough
By Lincee Ray
a-
S15 E25 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy season finale recap: ‘Did Meredith Grey just lose her license?’
By Lincee Ray
a
S15 E24 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: ‘What’s your emergency?’
By Lincee Ray
a-
S15 E23 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: ‘Crazy in love’
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E22 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Don’t take anything for granted
By Lincee Ray
b+
S15 E21 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Black sheep of the Shepherds
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E20 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: A whole new ballgame
By Lincee Ray
a
S15 E19 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Writers tackle a sensitive topic
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E18 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Things are not what they seem
By Lincee Ray
b
S15 E16 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: It’s all about the genes
By Lincee Ray
a-
S15 E15 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Meredith and DeLuca aren’t the only things heating up
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E14 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: The ER is riding high
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E13 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Boundaries are there to be pushed
By Lincee Ray
b+
S15 E12 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Love (and a kiss) is in the air
By Lincee Ray
b
S15 E10 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Superheroes to the rescue
By Lincee Ray
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S15 E8 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy fall finale recap: All the secrets are revealed
By Lincee Ray
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S15 E7 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: A death, a cancer diagnosis, and a breakup
By Lincee Ray
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S15 E6 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Day of the Dead brings back familiar faces
By Lincee Ray
c+
S15 E5 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Will Teddy finally tell Owen about the baby?
By Lincee Ray
b
S15 E4 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: Meredith goes on a date
By Lincee Ray
b-
S15 E3 Recap
Grey’s Anatomy recap: A drunk, a buzzsaw, and a sketchy email
By Lincee Ray
Next
Meredith. Alex. Bailey. The doctors are definitely in on Shonda Rhimes’ hospital melodrama.
