The new season continues to be a hit.
So far, based on Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 2, there’s no sign of the new season slowing down, with interesting cases, the interns shining in their element, and strong person arcs for Mer.
Join Meaghan Frey, Joshua Johnson, and Jasmine Blu to discuss the hour.
Meredith and Nick finally made up. React!
Meaghan: I wish Nick had made Meredith sweat it out a little longer, but I am glad they could work things out.
It was very refreshing to see Mer so self-aware and have her recognize what caused her to allow Nick to walk away in the first place. She has been through so much in her life; it’s only natural to try to protect her heart as much as possible now. I can’t lie; I swooned a little bit when she told him she could feel again when she saw him in the hallway.
As much as Mer can piss me off at times, I am rooting for her to get a happy ending, and Nick is part of that. I’m sure this isn’t the last disagreement they will have now that Mer is Nick’s boss, but as long as they don’t become Teddy and Owen, they should be fine.
Joshua: Initially, I agreed with Meaghan that I wish Nick had let Meredith sweat it out a bit longer, but the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated that it played out like this.
Meredith is the queen of pushing people away when she feels like she’s on the defensive, but Meredith is not the queen of apologizing for and explaining her feelings later.
I feel like Nick making up with Meredith as soon as she apologized not only showed the type of person that Nick is (the type of person who seems to let go of grudges after an honest apology) but that he knows Meredith perhaps better than she realizes.
If he’d let her sweat it out after she opened up to him the way she did–in a way that it took her years to explain to Derek, if ever–then subconsciously, she might not have been able to trust him again.
Jasmine: Good point, Joshua! Initially, I wanted her to sweat a bit more, but you’re right about the damage that could have happened if she bared her soul and he didn’t acknowledge the vulnerability coming from her.
What did you make of those final moments with Zola’s panic attack about Mer and Maggie during her presentation? Are you looking forward to a storyline with Zola?
Meaghan: Zola has become such an impressive character over the years and has unfortunately been underutilized until now. I can’t really say I blame the writers when there has been such a bloated cast, but I’m more than ready for the writers to let her have her moment in the sun.
Zola’s panic attack feels natural for her character, given whose daughter she is. I’m sure she has heard the stories of all the crazy things that have happened to Mer over the years.
You couple that with Mer’s battle with Covid and Zola getting older and beginning to understand more about life and death, and it’s perfectly normal for her to have anxiety surrounding Mer’s, and others around her, mortality.
I know that the writers said that Mer’s smaller role this season would center around something going on with the kids, so I think this will be what leads to Mer stepping back at the hospital.
I know Bailey said that she still isn’t ready to come back, but I think she will be able to relate to Zola given her own personal history of anxiety, and that will be what makes her return to the role of Chief so Zola can get the TLC that she needs from Mer right now.
My only hope is to see the storyline explored more in-depth before Mer steps back.
Joshua: Not just the crazy things that have happened to Meredith over the years; Zola has also experienced her aunt Lexie dying, her father dying, being relocated for the nine months Meredith was pregnant, her mother coming and going while working on the Parkinson’s project for Hamilton, etc., etc., etc.
I’ll never understand how Zola isn’t already in hours of therapy a week. I agree with Meaghan that I hope the storyline advances more before Ellen/Meredith take their leave.
Jasmine: I’m excited about this. Zola is such a great character and is criminally underutilized. She’s at a great age to carry an interesting storyline, and we should see more of Mer’s personal life with her kids.
I believe this is the reason Mer will step back, and I welcome it. It really is a wonder that the girl is still functioning well with everything she’s experienced in her life. I can’t wait to see that explored. It feels like a natural storyline for Zola, too.
Which was your favorite medical case from the hour?
Meaghan: The menengitis case. I was instantly reminded of Katie’s case from Grey’s Anatomy Season 1 Episode 1, which brought on the nostalgia. I’m always a fan of a good medical mystery on shows like Grey’s Anatomy. They’re intriguing for the audience and allow a good chunk of the cast to come together to work toward a common goal.
I did see this as a commentary on the anti-vax movement as well, but I think it was done in a subtle way that you don’t always see hot-button issues handled these days.
Instead of lecturing the audience about why the writers feel it is wrong, it educated the viewers on the potential consequences.
Joshua: I also loved the meningitis case and the callback to the original five interns solving the mystery of Katie Brice.
What I appreciated about its resolution is that while Meredith and Cristina had a “guess” of an idea, Simone got the answer by taking as detailed a patient history as possible and picking out the important information from the roommate’s worried speech. A different way of being a good doctor.
Jasmine: I also loved the meningitis case. It had a throwback vibe. I loved all the new interns trying to figure it out together. It has showcased just how naturally gifted Simone is because listening is fundamental, and it’s something she comes to naturally.
Was Maggie out of line with her treatment of Winston? Do you think this was just a minor issue, or will it blossom into something major down the road?
Meaghan: Maggie’s type A quirks were coming out to the play this episode, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for Winston. Maggie may strive for perfection, but as a teacher, perfection can’t come to the detriment of her students and fellow surgeons.
It is hard not to wonder if some of Winston’s frustration towards her is leftover frustration from when they were dealing with Winston’s brother last season. Throughout that, Maggie often acted like she knew better than Winston and had to take control of the situation.
Even though what happened during this episode was a completely different situation, it stemmed from the same issues. That would be the only reason I could see this becoming a bigger issue down the road, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will be smooth sailing for them.
Joshua: I had to wonder how Winston would have reacted if his attending weren’t his wife. Because they are married, it’s a whole different kind of dynamic. Winston has the freedom to talk about how he’s feeling with Maggie; if another attending did what Maggie did, would he speak to them about it, or would he just gripe and do it?
That being said, what I appreciate about this relationship is how willing they are to talk and try to resolve the issue; the fact that their resolution scene was juxtaposed with the chaos of Teddy and Owen’s relationship highlighted their maturity.
Jasmine: I think in the climate they’re in with the staffing shortages and so forth, Winston would’ve taken umbrage with any other attending and still said something about it. Interestingly, the underlings have more leeway and a stronger voice than they would’ve in the past, and I appreciate the power shift getting acknowledged.
I also feel that some of Winston’s issues with Maggie were residual from the Wendall situation. I still don’t know if I trust that Maggie and Winston will be okay without a problem.
What are your thoughts on the state of Teddy and Owen’s marriage and the effects of his actions on their personal and professional life?
Meaghan: Those two are absolutely insufferable, and I’m entirely over their storyline already. They brought down the entire episode.
I mentioned in the last roundtable that I thought seeing Owen in these types of situations — where he has to be a subordinate to those who were his peers just six months ago — could be amusing, but Teddy sucked all the fun out of it.
I can see where both of them are coming from, but Teddy needs to learn to leave that at home and not make it everyone else’s problem.
Owen hopping into the residency program is the perfect fix to the situation. We saw with April that his teaching style could bring out the best in people, and I’d love to see him mold one of the new interns into a kick-ass trauma surgeon.
Hopefully, the space at work will at least allow things to cool down between Owen and Teddy, but really, the two of them need couples counseling STAT. Either that or they need to throw in the towel because it has been nothing but never-ending drama since these two decided to be together, and I, for one, am over it.
Joshua: My thoughts are, I hate everything about this plot and this story and these characters and their lives. Sorry, I know that seems like a lot, but all Owen and Teddy do is bicker and fight with each other.
Both of them made good points about the situation, but both of them need to accept that they’re in the situation they’re in. Owen chose to break the law, Teddy decided to stick by him and run, and now they have to deal with the consequences.
That said, if I had to choose a side, I’d select Teddy’s (which just took about ten years off my life). Regardless of who decides to run and whether or not they run, they are in this situation because of Owen’s actions.
I get that he’s frustrated with how Teddy talks to him, but he has yet to own the actions that put them in this situation. My biggest problem with Owen is that he has a set of morals for everyone else while following his own set of morals. What’s right to Owen is right; everyone else be damned.
Jasmine: I agree about their arc serving as the weakest aspect of the season so far. It’s hard because Kim Raver’s comedic timing is immaculate, so as annoying as this storyline is, I still find myself snorting at her angry, bitter wine mom shtick she’s doing. And Kevin McKidd looks like he’s having so much fun.
But, yeah. They’re a hot mess. We can fast forward to Owen being a great mentor and forget everything else.
Should Lucas come clean about his connection to Amelia or keep his head down and not correct Blue?
Meaghan: Look, I get it. Lucas isn’t telling them for the same reason Mer didn’t go around bragging about being Ellis Grey’s daughter when she started as an intern. No one wants people to think they are a nepotism baby.
However, this isn’t Game of Thrones. Lucas should nip the talk of him sleeping with his aunt in the bud. Also, it’s not like them thinking he is sleeping with her is much better than them knowing he is related to her.
Either way, they will probably assume he is getting preferential treatment. At least if they find out he has Shephard blood in him, they might respect him a bit more.
Joshua: Honestly, I’m looking forward to the reveal that Amelia and Lucas are related, specifically for this reason. It seems like it’ll be that classic Grey’s Anatomy wackiness when it all comes out.
Jasmine: I had the same thought, Meaghan. Lucas is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. The conclusion will be the same regardless that he gets special treatment. He may as well rip the band-aid off.
I bet it comes out when Addison shows up.
What was your favorite moment from the hour? Is there anything else you’d love to address that is not covered in the questions?
Meaghan: Meredith encouraging Griffith to comfort Jules and reminding her that they will have to lean on each other to get through the program, and everything that came after, was fantastic.
I loved their trip to the gift shop together. I’m riding the nostalgia wave, so I loved how it called back to the OG interns going to see the babies for stress relief or hanging out on the dermatology floor.
The stuffed animals were such a sweet gesture from Jules, even if the other interns might’ve thought it was silly. There is nothing wrong with a good stuffed animal to help you get through a bad situation. The real kicker was Jules telling everyone they owed her money for it. I was cracking up.
It is so clear, based on this episode and the last, that the strength of this season will be the interns.
Anytime they cut away from them during this episode, I was disappointed and couldn’t wait to go back. I’m hoping that since Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 1 was so intern-heavy, they felt like they needed to focus on the other cast to catch up with them, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that next week we go back to the focus primarily being them.
Joshua: Everything Meaghan said. Seeing Meredith teach Jules and Simone how to intubate, encouraging Griffin to be there for Jules, all of that.
I also enjoyed the end of Jo and Bailey’s last scene, when Bailey said she wasn’t ready to come back, and with no judgment, Jo echoed, “Not ready” in a way that seemed like it was no big deal. It showed Jo’s understanding of mental health after everything she’s gone through.
I also just enjoy the dynamic between Bailey and Jo in general. I truly enjoyed seeing Schmidt hold his own as a chief resident.
I thought everyone’s acting was really on in this episode. There were brilliantly delivered one-liners from everyone; my favorite was Owen saying he couldn’t work for Teddy and Meredith incredulously commenting, “It’s been one day!”
My only “critique” of the hour is that we never got to see what made Butt Phone Man code, considering the issue was in his butt, and there didn’t seem to be a reason based on the extraction. Even then, I got emotional seeing Yasuda nailing her first intubation. Overall, it was just a truly enjoyable episode.
Jasmine: Yeah, so far, things are at their best when they focus on the interns. I love all of their moments together, and any time we spend with them. The casual nature of them chilling in the library while Simone and Jules troubleshot amused me.
Levi has been on fire this season, with some of the best lines guaranteed to make me chuckle. Blissed out Helm working at Joe’s amused me.
Over to you, Grey’s Fanatics. Do you agree with our round table? Do you disagree? Sound off below.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.