Five weeks in, and the interns at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital are still grounded from the OR. But there’s plenty of action to be taken, especially when a group of injured, traumatized medical students come in after an accident at a white coat party. In the latest episode, we get missed periods, shared connections, and a few reminders of what really matters in life. Let’s join hands as we recap what happened this week on Grey’s Anatomy.
Someone is late …
Or rather, something is late, and that something is Jo’s period. After Link lists all the movies they’ve watched for their cute couple movie nights, Jo realizes it’s been a while since her last period. There’s no time for them to panic, though, since they both get called to the ER. Later, while digging through the supply closet for a pregnancy test, Jo professes that this is the “worst possible time to consider having a baby.” She’s busy with work, she has exams coming up, and Luna is starting preschool. Also, diapers. So many diapers. But Link is much calmer, reminding her that they are in it together no matter what.
Once Jo finally manages to take the pregnancy test, it’s negative — much to Link’s relief. Except … surprise! It’s actually not negative or positive. The test was a dud, but when Jo takes another, it’s officially negative. She’s less relieved and slightly confused. She thinks she does want another kid, maybe once Luna is older. And while Link is onboard, he needs to take a beat to process the idea.
Working together
Meredith and Amelia are hard at work in Seattle on their Alzheimer’s research, which involves the gut microbiome, while Meredith’s kids are back in Boston with Nick. Nick appears to be a good babysitter (perhaps a future stepfather?), but he gets himself into hot water when Zola texts Meredith that he took Bailey to the hospital without telling her. Not cool, Nick. Meredith is definitely not thrilled and calls Nick, demanding to know where Bailey is. Nick says not to worry, it’s just early appendicitis, but Meredith is desperate for control.
Meredith, slightly panicking, can’t get a flight out to Boston. Richard suggests calling Catherine for help. Lo and behold, Catherine’s private plane comes to the rescue. Meredith is still annoyed at Nick, even after she’s en route. “I am a doctor,” she reminds him, saying he should have called her, she’s Bailey’s mother, but her tragic history with sick and injured loved ones is rearing its ugly head. “I know it’s not Derek,” she tells Richard, but it’s clear that Meredith is still traumatized by his death all these years later (so are we, Meredith; so are we).
In Boston, Meredith throws Nick out of Bailey’s hospital room and thanks Richard. It’s always wonderful to see Richard and Meredith connecting, and Richard reminds her she might want to thank Nick too. Instead, Meredith tearfully apologizes to Nick, and all is well again. Please, writers, let us keep this couple.
Something to live for
There’s a big trauma in the ER involving a group of medical students who were injured when a second-floor deck collapsed during a white coat party. It’s all hands on deck for the interns, who finally have something to do besides study for their upcoming exams. The drunken med students, many of whom are wearing bloody doctor’s coats, make for terrible patients, calling out nonsense orders to the residents and falling all over the place. Mika is being her usual efficient self — she even brags to Levi about how fast she was at rounds in med school — but this group is rowdy and obnoxious, and one of them pukes on her. Mika speaks for us all when she simply replies, “No.”
Another of the medical students, Sophia, has a far graver injury: A wooden railing has impaled her, and she’s lost feeling in her right leg. Plus, her beloved new white coat is missing. Owen and Amelia are on the case, and Lucas finds her torn coat, but Sophia can’t wiggle her toes, and it’s starting to seem dire. In the CT scanner, she tells Lucas how badly she wants to be a doctor, and it’s heartening when he stands up for her to Amelia, who says they can do surgery and just hope for the best. “Hope?” he says. “You just hope that she’s going to be able to walk or stand?” It’s not good enough, but Owen says it’s her best chance. When the surgery goes surprisingly well, Owen convinces Amelia to save Sophia’s spine, ensuring that she’s going to become the doctor she’s always dreamed of being.
Eddie, one of the med students, seems calmer than the rest, despite a dislocated shoulder. Perhaps too calm. Miranda tells Simone to go home and pass the case off to Blue, but Eddie’s bed is empty when she tries to leave. Blue and Simone track him down on the roof, where Eddie, holding his white coat, is standing on the ledge. It’s an intense situation for the residents, who quickly realize it’s up to them to talk him down. Miranda and Ben show up to help, but it’s Simone’s and Blue’s compassion that really saves Eddie. He admits that he’s going through the motions and doesn’t know how to live with “all the pressure and all the pain,” but that’s true for everyone, Blue affirms, adding, “You’re not alone.” There’s a deep sigh of relief from Miranda (which is shared by all of us) when Eddie safely steps off the ledge. Each week, Blue seems to become more and more human, something even Simone notices.
Gimme a hug
Poor Winston. Earlier this season, Maggie blew him off, and now she’s served him with divorce papers right in the middle of his shift. He and Jules have an extremely anxious patient, Gilbert, who has come in for a cardiac ablation. He’s so anxious, he has Angela, a professional cuddler, hold him. This slightly terrifies the doctors. “You charge people to hug them?” Winston asks incredulously.
Unfortunately, Gilbert can’t get his heart rate to calm down enough for surgery, so Jules is forced to pause her prep. Winston, perpetually in a bad mood this season, isn’t having it. He’s not going to shift around his busy schedule because his patient needs “a human weighted blanket.” Just get it done, he tells Jules, but she decides to stand up for herself and her patient. She tells Winston he used to be the coolest attending, but lately he’s been a jerk. And he’s being one now, snapping at Jules to get Gilbert prepped immediately.
On the way to surgery, Gilbert panics. Winston, the incredible guy we all know him to be, climbs onto the gurney and holds the patient, calming him down. It’s a sweet, touching moment that seems to help Winston as much as it helps Gilbert. After surgery, he admits to Jules that he hasn’t been himself lately. In the end, we see a glimmer of the old Winston as he confirms that he’s put Teddy back on the schedule. “You’re cleared,” he says, smiling. “And I need some time off.” Here’s hoping things turn around for Winston as the rest of the season unfolds.
Winston’s not the only doctor feeling the positive effects of physical contact. Lucas finds Simone in the on-call room, and she invites him into the bed with her. It’s seemingly just to cuddle — for now — but something definitely shifts between the two interns as they gaze longingly into each other’s eyes.
