Let’s start this recap with a nice round of applause for how good this season has been. It reminds me of old-school Grey’s — all warranted drama and fun, sexy times and relationships that continually surprise. Still good after 12 years. Okay, so maybe the more accurate phrasing is “good again” because, admittedly, there were some dark years. (Let us never speak of Izzie and the deer ever again.) But if we’re talking in averages, Grey’s is quite solid for being a dozen years deep into its storytelling bench. It deserves some clapping.
“I Am Not Waiting Anymore” picks up right where we left off, with April walking in to discover that Arizona has told Jackson about the pregnancy. Jackson is understandably livid that his ex was keeping this secret from him. April’s saved by the bell — err, by the tragic medical emergency — when she’s called into the ER to respond to a mountain-climbing accident. As she walks away from the conversation, Jackson’s still angry, of course, but he’s also scared at the thought of reliving the worst moment of his life. Can we talk about how good Jesse Williams is in this role? Because he’s really good.
April’s angry, too. She’s angry that Arizona could betray her trust in such a huge way. Now, many of April’s arguments in this hour don’t completely jive for me, but sister has my full support for this fight. She promptly tells Arizona to refrain from speaking to her ever again, and then she calls upon the wrath of God to bring her misery. Or something like that. Sure, maybe in front of patients and colleagues wasn’t the most appropriate place to ream out AZ, but I get the sentiment and I am here for it. The fact that Arizona then spends the rest of the episode seeking someone, anyone, to help her justify her actions is beyond me. AZ can’t be that naïve. And girl, when you end up getting sense talked into you by Amelia Shepherd, you really know you’ve done something terrible.
And hey! Maybe Jackson and April really are well-suited for each other, because Jackson also chooses the middle of the hallway in his place of work to have a screaming match. It’s here where April finally admits that she didn’t want Jackson to stay with her just because of the baby. When April refers to the baby as hers instead of theirs, well, that’s when Jackson’s finally had enough. If she wants to be alone, she can be alone. He’s out.
But of course, he’s not out. It only takes one lovely heart-to-heart with Webber — we could all use a “is this the man you want to be?” pep talk from Richard Webber at least once in our lives — for Jackson to remember that he’s a good guy, and that he has more patience than any person ever to walk the Earth. He goes to see April and apologizes for overreacting. April tries to explain why she didn’t tell him: She wanted to protect him from the pain, the last time it tore them apart, blah blah blah. See, I’m with April up to this point. I get it. They lived through a nightmare. Also, I genuinely believe that she wanted to protect Jackson the only way she knew how. It was misguided, but understandable.
It’s where April takes it next that I cannot endorse. When Jackson accuses April of wanting to wait to tell him until it would be too late to terminate the pregnancy (if the fetus carried the same disease as Samuel), April raises holy hell for the second time. Terminating the pregnancy is not an option for her, and she doesn’t care what Jackson wants. She makes it clear that he is not her husband and therefore has no say whatsoever in how she handles this pregnancy.
I’m 100 percent for #MyBodyMyChoice, but this situation is a little more nuanced than that, and I’m sad to watch April openly admit to shutting out such an important person in her life. She’s still making decisions without considering Jackson’s feelings, and divorce or not, that’s not okay. I may be captain of the #Japril ship, but even I find it painful to watch Jackson and April basically have the same fight over and over again.
April’s pal Owen is also having a bit of a regressive slide. After he watches Riggs comfort the family of a brain-dead girl, Owen chastises the doctor for giving the family hope where there is none. Of course, when it comes to Owen and Riggs, they are never talking about the patient and always talking about Megan. Riggs accuses Owen of still feeling guilty for giving up on his sister. Riggs stayed and searched for her, but Owen decided she was dead, moved back, and tried to forget. Riggs is a constant reminder that Owen left his sister behind. (Yeah, so … when is Megan arriving at Grey Sloan?)
The accusation is enough to push Owen into a drunken-shame spiral, which ultimately ruins his birthday lobster date (it’s a thing) with Amelia. Apparently, this is the one type of shame-spiral the girl can’t stomach. She flees, leaving poor Owen sad, drunk, and the proud owner of a bagful of live lobsters.
Whew. That was some pretty heavy stuff. Can we talk about something fun for a little? Like the fact that Meredith Grey went on a date and it was so cute that I hope she immediately went inside and wrote about it in her diary? It was that cute, you guys.
After going back and forth about giving Major Handsome a shot, Meredith ends up on her first date since losing Derek. This momentous occasion is no part thanks to Maggie, who was so excited for her sister that she ended up psyching Mer out. But it is entirely thanks to Alex, who sees into Meredith’s soul. He knew that making a big deal out of the date would scare Meredith off, and she’d end up cancelling. When he finally gets Meredith alone, he tells her that he’s had a lot of “first time afters” and he understands that it feels like cheating, but it isn’t. She doesn’t have to like the guy, but if she does, that’s okay. This advice is so understated and kind, it could only come from Karev. Meredith takes his words to heart, removes Derek’s sailboat surgical cap, and goes on a low-key, post-surgery date.
Some people are up in arms that Meredith is already dating again. Get over it, people. Major Handsome doesn’t have to be Meredith’s new soulmate. But every once and a while, a girl deserves to eat french fries with a good-looking guy in a car.
Laughter Is the Best Medicine, Except for Real Medicine:
- “Is it the Thorpe Horse? That is a hot horse. That is Secretariat.”
- Webber loves a good T-bone steak. Bailey is more of a roller girl than an ice skater. The more you know.
- Can’t you just hear Mer calling a pair of shoes “too slutty for a mom of three” and handing them over to Amelia? It looks like the sisters-in-law may be slowly mending fences, and that is a very good thing.
- Bless you, DeLuca, for offering to “nut punch” Cross after his horribly offensive tirade about bedding attendings to get OR perks. Though, it makes me sad that he may be rethinking his relationship with Pierce after experiencing some consequences of going public, I appreciated DeLuca’s reaction in the moment.
- Grey’s relationships that currently bring me joy: Alex and Maggie, Meredith and Callie, Owen and April, and Webber and Jackson. More of these pairings, please.
- Big news, you guys: Last week we were assured that someone remembered Tuck exists, and this week there is mention of Sofia. Are all the Grey’s kids accounted for now?
The Sob Scale: 4/10
The whole #Japril debacle makes me very sad, but also very angry, and it’s hard to cry when I’m giving so much side-eye to my TV. That being said, who didn’t well up as Owen bear-hugged his hurting mentee? Or when Webber opened up about fatherhood to Jackson? A robot, that’s who.
