Gladrags

I'm sure I said this earlier in the conversation, but ... Damn! Mary is such a raging bitch! And I was glad to hear Edith finally tell her so in no uncertain terms. You gotta wonder if Mary would have been so horrid if Bertie hadn't inherited such a grand title. And it struck me again how the news of Thomas' suicide attempt halted the dressing down Mary was getting from her family. She's ever the Teflon lady. Another scene I enjoyed was Isobel and the future Mrs. Larry Grey -- such a civilized scene, with tea in the garden, when the conversation was nothing of the sort.

I haven't seen enough of Callie and Penny together to decide if they have chemistry or not. Underdogs intrigue me, so I'm OK with Penny being onscreen more often, and doing more than blending into the background or being emotionally pummeled by Meredith and her gang of knee-jerk yes-men.

Ugh, Meredith was even more insufferable than she was last week. How generous of her to teach Penny after Penny killed Mer's husband. *insert eyeroll here* The most interesting scene was with Jo, Stephanie, Penny and Ben. I could have sat in on that little party a bit longer. I'm liking Maggie and DeLuca more and more. Not sure if it's because every other character is on my last nerve or not. Loved Richard's face when he realized that it was Maggie that DeLuca has been seeing.

Sounds like it's time for a big tragedy to trim the cast! Not ...

Maybe she's as bored with Meredith's never-ending series of crises as I am.

This annoyed me as well. All that time setting up those cliffhangers - as bland as they were - and then, nothing. Just so we could see Angry Mer have yet another crisis. Ugh. I still find it hilarious that anyone - let alone an experienced physician like Meredith, who, by the way, has made her share of medical mistakes - would think that Penny needed to redeem herself for anything. Double ugh.

My unpopular opinion is about 30 years old: I loved Cliff and Angie as a couple. The show didn't force the pairing; it grew naturally and gradually through their children's friendship. I liked Nina and Matt as well, and was disappointed when the show reunited Nina and Cliff -- again and again and again. I despised Brooke. She was a self-righteous, obnoxious know-it-all. I hated Zach with the fire of all those white-hot suns. It wasn't long after his introduction that the whole show was about him. And why did he always look like he'd just rolled out of bed?

I liked the episode; we got most of the payoffs that soap opera fans always want but never get. It was good to see Edith and Bertie reconciling -- although like others have said, it would have been nice to drag that out a little bit -- then Edith winning over his mother, and then the wedding. Her dress was absolutely gorgeous. Rose and Atticus were a breath of fresh air! Rose is such a perfect 20th century young matron, and her presence perks everyone up. When she was first introduced, I was dubious of her Cousin Oliver role in the show, but Lily James and the character grew on me. I was glad to see Tom finally find an occupation away from his in-laws, Cora as the community leader and diplomat, Spratt get the better of Denker, and Violet charge to Dickie's rescue when Isobel got nowhere. I loved Violet's support and friendship for Isobel. And of course it was the perfect payoff for Violet to have the last word. Agreed, those points both were ignored/glossed over. So Thomas was homesick for the house that he wanted to escape and the people he for the most part despised. The grass is greener and all that, so OK. But I expected more dialogue and conflict dealing with the changes in society and in the economic system of large estates, less reliance on servants, etc. And what happened to the property that the Carsons were going to buy? And Mrs. Patmore's B&B? The Drewes had four kids in the cottage; four adults probably will make the place seem spacious in comparison.

Meredith was happy enough to have Amelia as her sister after she returned from her year as a hermit. And not only do I wish Owen would shut it about Cristina, I wish everyone would. The bitch is not back, so let's just not talk about her anymore.

I'm no fan of Hope or Bo, but that was a nice episode chronicling their history. And it's always fun to see Hope's big 80s hair. LOL Genie Francis was pretty much abused by General Hospital and ABC. The producers and that idiot Brian Frons belittled and insulted her. and then assassinated her character. Yet Geary was permitted to be a total ass and take massive hiatuses from the show without repercussion.

We're gonna need a bigger boat ... er ... table.

That makes me wonder if Riggs didn't somehow operate on Owen's sister in an emergency and she died during or after surgery? Or, maybe Owen is just a nut case after all. His mother seems to have moved on from whatever horrific indiscretion Riggs is guilty of.

LMAO! Tea ... out my nose ... True, and Meredith wouldn't have used the past tense. But transgender was certainly my first thought, probably because I was expecting a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, and Owen having a sister and Riggs being his bro-in-law isn't up to that mark, I thought she looked familiar! She does pop up now and then in small parts. it would have been so fitting, given the maturity (NOT) of Meredith's and Amelia's conversation - or should I say shouting match - if Amelia had countered with: "I know you are, but what am I?" Heh.

Ooh, and revenge sex since Owen has been such a jerk toward her. Go, Amelia, go.

The whole episode was ridiculous. Grey-Sloan is being run by adolescents. The only bright spot was Jo and Stephanie acting like adults and apologizing to each other. Well, at least we know why Meredith was such a bitch to Jo - in this episode, at least. That doesn't explain Meredith's past bitichiness, though. So we have three months to stew on the transgender vs. brother-in-law cliffhanger. Thanks, ABC ... not.

So here's my takeaway: Everyone is required to hate the new doc because Owen does. Everyone is required to hate Penny because Meredith does. But wait ... Stephanie doesn't hate Penny, because Jo hates Penny and Stephanie is anti-Jo. These people are well-educated professionals. Right. Days is often way over the top, but it's been awhile since I've seen that kind of childish lack of logic on the show. I care so little about Owen and his rage that I won't mind if it never comes up again. Ew! LOL And we've seen every one of them face it. Yet no one hates them for it, except for maybe a few patients' family members. She had plenty of time to give the Cliff Notes version -- "The hospital was named after my dead sister" -- but she was too busy hating him because Owen told her to? Ugh.

Poor Edith - the classic middle sister. Mary was lucky Edith didn't murder her right there in the dining room. The timing of Thomas' suicide attempt was fortuitous for Mary; it deflected attention from what she did to Bertie and Edith just in the nick of time.

Of course! He and Jackson and April will make such a happy family, and give Meredith's and Callie's kids more playmates. Yay. Seemed to me like Richard leaving her pretty much alienated Ellis to all men, and work became her spouse at the expense of her daughter. I can ... self-righteous Owen has issues with everyone. It's gotten kind of annoying. Oh, thank you! I thought I was the only one that didn't care for the music on this show. It's too loud, too precious ... and at least half of it is downright awful. And don't get me started on those abysmal 80s covers from a couple of years ago!

Whoever gave Meredith her teaching certificate needs to rescind it. What a shrew! I see the theme here was forgiveness and moving forward, but the only thing Penny did wrong was to be on duty the night of Derek's accident. What is there to forgive her for?

I laughed when Violet exposed Amelia's reasons for befriending Isobel. Is it any wonder that Larry Grey found a woman as loathsome as he is? Thomas is always such a conundrum. He wants to be close with people, yet he pushes them away with both hands. I get that he's conflicted about who he is and nervous about being himself in a society that condemns homosexuality, but he's also smart enough to know that if you treat people like dirt, they will do the same to you. Edith should have just flat out told Bertie about Marigold. It seems they've reached that point in their relationship. I felt bad for Henry when Mary dumped him over the phone. He looked awful damn sexy, too ... in the dark, with his drink. Molesley has finally found his calling! Perhaps that will boost his confidence enough to woo Miss Baxter a little more seriously. Just what she needs to take her mind off the lowlife criminal that she's so freaked out about. Tom and Mary? No. I like their sibling relationship and mutual respect, but I cannot see them together romantically. That was my first thought, too. Her decision was too sudden, and Miss Denker was too giddy about going. Classic soap opera MO. And while it would be a logical way to wrap up the show, it also would be incredibly sad, no matter how "chin up" those who loved her would be about the future. I'm curious to know what's in the letter Granny left for Tom -- moreso than I am about what is sparking Edith and Mary's latest bitchfest.

So many people needed a whack with Mr. Carson's walking stick in this episode: Daisy, Mr. Carson, Mary, Violet ... And what's the motivation behind Larry's fiancee's overtures toward Isobel? That was just weird.

I haven't either; I've seen Stephanie undermine the other residents so that she gets noticed, she gets the challenging tasks, etc. But I know that Stephanie is better than the other residents because she always tells us so.

Cornelius Smith -- the adult Frankie Hubbard -- has been on Scandal.

The entire episode set my teeth on edge. Except for April taking charge in the kitchen, and drunk Arizona, every single character was annoying. The unlikelihood of any of that dinner party ever unfolding in real life the way it did is about .01 percent. Professional people are extremely incestuous in their own little groups. Dr. Penny, a resident at a suburban hospital, would have known even if Callie didn't tell her that Callie was on the board of a large urban teaching hospital. She would have known who Derek was and where he worked, and that Meredith and Derek also were on the board of the hospital. Penny would have investigated thoroughly any hospital she'd applied to for residency. Callie would have known where Penny worked, even if Penny didn't tell her, and that Derek died there. Everyone at the table turning on Penny also was ridiculous, considering every single one of them has been in her shoes, and considering that Meredith knew the series of events that led to Derek's death. Penny wasn't the bad guy; she was just an easy target. And then there's Penny cowering under glares, stares, and gasps - guess she's being set up to be the next resident Eeyore. But isn't that Jo's role? Oh, and Stephanie and Jo - just fire them, too, already! Both are annoying to the nth degree. That house really got a makeover, didn't it? The entire first floor was enlarged somehow - wider hallway, bigger rooms, new front door. Ah, the magic of TV! Wish I could do that with my house. But the house probably needed some help after Bachelor Alex lived there for so long. I thought maybe she'd gone into the bathroom to throw up after so much stress, but nobody gave her a chance to eat her dinner.

My big takeaway with this week's episode was: Go, Edith, go! She deserves to have a life of her own, and heaven knows she deserves some happiness. I've often thought that Granny Violet's death would occur near the end of the show's run to illustrate the passing of the Abbey to her grandchildren's generation. Coupled with Robert's likely pending retirement, and a preview or two for upcoming shows, now it makes even more sense. Agreed; Tom and Mary are not balanced, as Tom says. You might think they would be, based on the mutual respect and friendship that we've seen them build, but Queen Mary eventually would run him over flat if it would suit her. She would remind him that it's her estate, her house, her pigs, etc. Tom doesn't seem like he wants to be a permanent part of the Abbey, either.