Deanie87

I think that this is right, but I'm not sure then how they end up going forward. I guess Riggs isn't into Maggie, so is he just going to badger Meredith episode after episode? And Maggie will keep badgering him? Maybe Riggs and Meredith will just have a flirty friendship until she decides she's ready? I don't know it just doesn't seem all that well planned out. Unfortunately, it seems like when the writers aren't pulling things out of their ass at the last minute, they are drawing it out to the point that no one cares anymore. Also, for the love of god, can we please keep Alex out of it? He has enough on his plate without getting involved in the high school drama. I have just started really enjoying the Mer/Alex friendship again and I don't want to see it devolve into him just listening to the sisters' love life woes. Seriously.

I thought that the scenes with Bailey and Alex this season so far have been great, and she seems much more like the Meredith of the earlier seasons. Maybe its just that she has a comfort level with them since she has been working with them for so long.

Well, the real and obvious answer is because the writers thought up the the secret husband 5 minutes ago. Therefore, Jo didn't tell Alex she was married because she had no idea that she was. However, we are to assume that she didn't tell Alex because she was afraid to tell anyone because she didn't want him to find her and because she was afraid of what Alex would do (which seeing what he did to DeLuca, maybe she was right about that.) We are only 2 episodes into this storyline yet, so we don't know the full story, other than yes, at some point she changed her name and has been in hiding. Maybe she was advised never to tell anyone or maybe she is just so terrified that she thought it was what she had to do to survive. I understand that Jo is nothing but a bitch who lies, lies, lies and that she is to blame for everything, including forcing Alex to beat DeLuca to a pulp, BUT the storyline has not played out yet, so I'm trying to reserve complete judgement until it does. It reminds me of Izzie's line to Alex, "I don't want you, but I don't want you to want anyone else either." I really don't think that's what they are going for, but its not a great look. And I agree that if Meredith/Pompeo seemed a little bit more into Riggs then Meredith's dilemma between trying to save Maggie's feelings, but still being drawn to Riggs would work better. Its weird, sometimes I think that Meredith and Riggs have good chemistry (like on the elevator last year and when they were flirting about the car sex), but other times there's just nothing. I don't think that Pompeo is a bad actress at all, but some of her choices over the last few seasons confuse me. I don't know if its her or the direction that's she's getting but Meredith just seems oddly flat or downright cold at times.

Hopefully it will just be something that will give CS time off for maternity leave.

Me too. I honestly think that the Grey's writers woke up from some kind of post-Sandra Oh coma sometime in the middle of season 12 and realized that the only storylines that they were putting actual thought and effort into were those that involved Meredith, Maggie and maybe Amelia. They finally figured out what to do with everyone else and started fresh this season, hence the reason that so many storylines seemed pulled out of thin air. I think that the actual DeLuca part of this storyline will be over by the mid-season finale considering that he was back to work per usual in the second episode, despite the dire warnings that his career was over. It looks like Alex is still in the clinic as of episode 6, so most likely the trial will happen near the finale and Alex and then the story will concentrate on Alex's redemption and possible the secret husband. That's my guess anyway.

I agree, I personally think that they are two different situations for the reasons you said, and I don't think that Jo is a hypocrite for not immediately rushing to Alex's side to defend him. I think their last scene in the premiere clearly showed that Jo is devastated that Alex may go to prison and that she does feel responsible for it, but she also wants the kind of justice for DeLuca that she never got herself. Having said that, Jo also knows that Alex would never, ever lay a hand on her. So far I have only seen her be pissed off at Alex's behavior, not scared. (And if they play it that way, then there is no coming back from it.) Also, this is the worst of Alex's outbursts, but it isn't the first and Jo hasn't batted an eye at the others. Jo got pissed at Alex's behavior, just like Alex got pissed at her for her behavior with Peckwell. Beyond that, I don't compare them. In the end, I think that this is going to be one of those storylines that needs to be seen in full in order to judge it. We are only two episodes in and Jo has really only gotten to give her side to Alex one time. I think that her past is going to come in to it more, but I just don't see any kind of comparison to her husband at this point. I just don't. I have read where people think, oh well Jo would be triggered by this or by that, but she hasn't been, and that is what I'm going by. I can't enjoy this relationship and then retroactively view it through the eyes of Jo cowering in fear because Alex is violent or thinking "she must be having a flashback to her husband" because that just isn't what happened onscreen and until or unless it does, they are still just a very complicated, dysfunctional couple who understand one another due to their experiences. I think that Peckwell may come up again, but it will be viewed through the lens of "I swore to myself that if anyone ever grabbed me like that again..." rather than, "well Jo is a violent psycho, why can't she support Alex who is also a violent psycho" or "poor Jo, everything Alex does just triggers her." I think that once the secret about the husband comes out, things will start to move forward for Alex and Jo but until then, its just going to be about Alex trying to piece his life back together and Jo (hopefully!) will concentrate on her career.

I would heart this 100 times if I could! I don't see what benefit adding a sexual component to this relationship could possibly bring that isn't already there. They are a family, its been said over and over. In fact, because this is Grey's Anatomy, adding that component would likely doom them, not only as a couple but as friends. The Greyscape is littered with decimated romantic partners, even those who weren't friends first. George and Izzie's friendship never recovered from their "romance" and I don't see anything different for Mer and Alex. Right now they communicate and are completely honest with one another with no filter and they have each other's backs in a uncomplicated way. That would completely go out the window the second they got romantic. "But..." the fans say, "it doesn't have to be that way!!!" Show me one romantic relationship on this show, past or present, that isn't filled with miscommunication, secrets and/or general dysfunction. And that's not even taking into consideration cheating or triangles. Grey's either can't or won't write couples as healthy, and when they try to they are usually boring as hell. So, for me, there are 50 different reasons why I don't want these two together, but this is a big one. "Oh, it'll be different this time because its Mer and Alex, blah, blah." That is the definition of insanity. IMO, Meredith and Alex have such a great dynamic simply BECAUSE they have never gone there with them and I don't want to risk that for some fan-fiction-y dream of them being the perfect couple (now that, you know, Derek and Cristina are gone and Meredith doesn't really have anyone else that she is that close with.)

I really just can't see this. Maggie has been shown time after time to be sheltered, immature and downright dorky in her personal life and I just cannot imagine her with gruff, rough around the edges and don't forget violent, Alex. It will just never, ever work. As for Meredith, eh, maybe if the show goes on for 5 more seasons and Camilla leaves, but I just don't see that happening anytime soon either. I still believe that Shonda is going to make things work out for Alex and Jo. In this episode alone, her told her that he wanted to be with her, they both used the word trash to describe themselves and she finally, finally stood up to him. And we know that parallels that have been building have yet to happen. Jo has a violent past, Alex just got violent, he still has the secret to find out and if the husband shows up, I can't imagine him not caring. They may have a really rough road ahead and they may hook up with other people (maybe even DeLuca, just not seeing Mer or Maggie though), but I think that they are still meant to be together, at least for now.

I'm glad that she was there for him, too, but (and I can't believe I am going to say this), but I'm ready for her to back off a bit. I have really wanted their friendship to be more equal, but I'm not sure how much Mer is helping his cause. When she is there to offer encouragement its fine, but her moral relativity is a little too close to Alex's moral relativity and so her scenes with DeLuca, Jo and Bailey just seemed a little extreme to me if that makes sense. I don't think that she was threatening DeLuca necessarily, but his beating situation was in no way similar to hers. Likewise, she doesn't need to lecture Jo on how to feel about Alex or the whole situation, so I'm glad that Jo shut that down. I didn't mind Jo and Amelia either, but I really don't want Stephanie and Jo competing for the same mentor. Like at all. Now that Callie is gone, I don't really know where I want to see Jo go. All of the other specialties already have mentor/mentee relationships, except I guess cardio, but that doesn't interest me much either. I thought that Ortho was such a good fit for Jo that anything else will just seem like plugging a hole.

I thought last week's episode was a lot more focused, and since it was mainly only focused on the people that I like, I enjoyed it more. But this was still pretty entertaining, Alex's hard luck shame spiral not withstanding. I loved all of the Bailey/Alex scenes and working at Denny's clinic is such fitting punishment for him. Although I really want to see some kind of therapy or anger management, but I am losing hope that this will happen. As I suspected, the "MY GOD, MAN, DELUCA"S EYEBALL IS HANGING OUT OF ITS SOCKET, HIS SURGICAL CAREER IS OVER1!!111" cut to "DeLuca hand me the scalpel" pretty quickly. I did like how DeLuca stared down Meredith and Alex both in the court room and at work. Good for you, Cyclops! Other than him and Jo, everyone seems to be pretty ok with Alex, if not with what he did. The pre-episode PR made it sound like the hospital would be torn asunder in some kind of Karev Civil War. I thought for sure that Maggie, at the very least, would balk at having him stay at the house. Her constant chattering about her sex dreams may just bring out that black-out rage again. I did feel really bad for her when Riggs turned her down though. Speaking of Jo, thank god she finally got a word in and told Alex what's what. He deserved every bit of that smackdown and his defensiveness ("What do you want me to say??") just irritated me further. I hope that this is finally, the long-awaited turning point for her and she distances herself from Alex and his drama as much as she can and just gets on with her life and career. I do want them to get back together eventually, but they both need to get their shit together, and when the time comes, I want complete honesty on her part about everything. Needless to say, I don't see them back together anytime soon. The triangle is ridiculous and I really can't believe that Meredith and Riggs are making it so much worse. I go back and forth on Riggs. Sometimes I find him charming and funny, and other times kind of bland and creepy. Last night it was the latter, he seems like he is a personal space violator. Jackson and April's baby was cute, but they seem like they are in a completely different show. As for Amelia and Owen...I really like their house.

I can only speak for myself and I haven't even watched all of it, but I would hate it if she ran to Alex's side. I'm glad she stuck up for herself and I think the character would be better served if she did it more often.

I thought that this episode was pretty well done overall. I guess I just prefer the episodes that have the whole ensemble together, with the clear leads being Jimmy and Gretchen. It doesn't feel like Jimmy has had much to do at all lately, minus last season's finale and that kind of bugs me. I'm not sure what to think about the truck driver's speech. On the one hand, what he was saying was helping Edgar and was interesting information. But it didn't feel natural to me at all. It felt more like he was reading from a pamphlet and just didn't work for me.

I know and it kind of backfired for me a little bit. I was really scared that they were going to go there, and then I kind of shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Well, I didn't really want to see a pregnancy/baby storyline on the show anyway." I know that's terrible and I DID feel relief for the family, but I hate that they did it in the first place because that is exactly where my mind went. Thanks, show.

And what I liked about this is that it the commentary is mult-layered because Alfred DID actually shoot somebody and does deal drugs, so he himself plays into the stereotype as well. I liked this episode more than last week's. The "Justin Bieber" stuff was hilarious and I liked that I didn't really know if it was supposed to really be Justin Bieber or somebody calling themselves "Justin Bieber." And I"m not gonna lie, I was singing that song all the next day, "Girl, if I do something, forget about it..."

Oh my god, I am SO ready for Jo to wipe her tears and get pissed. I know that isn't fair of me because of all times for her to feel sad, confused, lonely, etc., its now, but good god I feel like this is ALL that she has done for the last two seasons. I'm tired of it and I want to see her tell Alex off, tell Meredith off again if necessary, tell those gossiping about her to mind their fucking business and do something with her career. I really do have sympathy for Jo and what she is going through now, but the writers have screwed her character up so, so much in the last two seasons that honestly, I don't have nearly the amount of sympathy for her as I used to. And that sucks, because I do really like her character. I hope that Camilla is just being very vague in that interview so as to not give stuff away, because the next few episodes don't sound all that compelling for Jo.

Oh I love backstage gossip, love.it! But with this, either she isn't and then it's just people commenting on her weight, and if she is then either it will become obvious even if she doesn't announce it or it doesn't become obvious, and then that might mean sad news.

I've hadn't heard anything like that, but that kind of speculation is kind of icky. I don't really think she looks pregnant in any of the recent photos I've seen, people are just being presumptuous. (Not you, just the people spreading that kind of thing.)

I agree that the fact that she is already married is completely out of nowhere, but I do think that the signs of her being a victim of abuse have been there all along. Everything with Peckwell, the way that she barely flinches when Alex yells or throws something and a couple of statement along the way ("I swore that I would never let anyone put a hand on me like that again," etc.) Of course, there are also examples that would contradict this as well, but as far as she and Alex are concerned, the fact that they were friends for at least a year in show time, and the fact that he pursued him and not vice-versa, make it easier for me to swallow the fact that maybe she didn't expect to get into this kind of relationship or fall in love with someone else and then she did. She kept her secret, said she didn't want to get married and then the more that time passed the worst it got. Its also the fact that I have waited YEARS now for them to explore her backstory and for both she and Alex to get any kind of material and any kind of screentime. So I'm just going to go with it and hope for the best. If I can deal with Dead Denny, Meredith dying and going to Hospital Purgatory, Intern Fight Club and Cristina getting pregnant time after time, then I can deal with this.

I realize that this isn't the case for everyone, but the reason why she lied makes a difference to me. She isn't doing it to be malicious and she isn't doing it just to lead him on. She feels like its what she needs to do to survive. Thankfully, I have no first hand experience with domestic violence so I don't know if it can be similar to Witness Protection or something along those lines. Maybe she got help from some kind of agency and was told to never, ever reveal her secret, or maybe she is just understandably paranoid and is willing to lie because of it, even if it means losing Alex. Maybe she feels like knowing Alex the way that she does that telling him would only put both of them in danger, and his reaction to DeLuca supports that, IMO. Whether all of this is actually true or just her being paranoid doesn't really matter me as much as the fact that SHE honestly believes that this is her only option. The challenge the writers have now is to tell this story from the point of view of an abuse survivor and make it clear that she was doing what she felt she had to do. It will be especially tough because they allowed Jo and Alex to completely stagnate for two years and umpteen marriage discussions, however many timejumps, and also because its blatantly obvious that the secret husband was something that Shonda just pulled out of her ass in the last few months and very little thought was given to how all of this was going to work. I can only hope that they have given it some thought now. This storyline is just starting and my hope is that Jo's perspective will be given and maybe make the lie more palatable for some and make her story more than just that she is lying bitch who did Alex wrong for nothing more than selfish reasons and kicks. Obviously it won't work for some people and she will remain nothing more than a lying bitch in their eyes, but I guess we'll see. Also, Alex doesn't know about the husband yet, so the only reason that he went beserk is because he is a violent guy with anger issues. It is his fault and his fault alone, and its actually getting kind of tiresome to see how many people blame Jo for Alex's crime.

I think that the challenge now is for the writers to really make it crystal clear about why Jo is terrified of this man and why she felt that she needed to keep her secret, and really how it informs every aspect of her life. I'm really happy that it seems that she has some people in her corner, and I was pretty happy with the premiere and it does seem to be character driven so far, if soapy, at least the little bit that we have seen. I hope that they keep the storyline organic and semi-realistic rather than trying to "redeem" Alex or Jo or make up for lost screentime/storyline where it doesn't fit. I have no problem with the way that Jo acted in this episode and while I was horrified by what Alex did and I want him to be punished, I still think that it was in character for him. I liked what Meredith said about there being two people living inside of Alex and I think that the same could be said for Jo. I don't think that Grey's does "normal" couples very well, which is why I don't really care for most of them. But I just so enjoy the way that Alex and Jo seem to take one step forward and two steps back, and the darker and twistier it gets, the better as far as I'm concerned. Alex, as written, could be a complete bad boy cliche, but I think that Justin Chambers has done an incredible job of going beyond the tropes to show that Alex's actions come from a place of anger and hurt and its realistic to me that he reverts back every once in awhile. I am not sure that Camilla has always had a handle on Jo, which I blame the writers for, but she was great last night and I expect her to do wonderfully in this storyline. She and Justin really shine in the quieter scenes between them and that speech that Alex gave was just so cold and brutal and Jo's response was heartbreaking, but also I loved it. Alex really knows what will hurt the most and uses it. Although, I also think that it is him reflecting all of his doubts and self-loathing about himself right on to her. His first response (maybe) was that Jo was getting hurt and his second response is that she is cheating, and that really says a lot about him and how he thinks. He needs to tell her how unworthy she is because really that's the way he feels and so its easier for him to reject her than to continue to be (in his eyes) rejected by her. I am a complete sucker for all of it!! I am ready for her to really get pissed at Alex now, though, and get back to being the tough and funny survivor that was introduced back in season 9. I"m quoting this from the episode thread and I know that the poster meant all of it as a complete negative, but it is exactly why I love Jo and Alex LOL! In realy life, people like Jo and Alex should probably avoid one another like the plague, but it just works for me on Grey's. They are both SO damaged and so defensive and angry, but they are also both survivors and I just love that they recognize the pain and the damage in each other. I am really excited to see them work through this and I would LOVE it if there was some therapy along the way, and definitely some anger management for Alex. I want them both to grow up a little, but I hope that they always keep their edge because, honestly, when its not there (Iike in seasons 11-12), they are nearly as boring as every other "normal" couple on Greys.

No worries! And to be fair, the non-stop personal chatter is also why I had a low tolerance for Lexie and Callie. Every character has their annoyances and to each his own, but this is one that grates on me. You know me, I much prefer those with rage issues who beat people to a pulp with little to no provocation lol!

So I wonder if Alex is going to actually spend some time in jail? As much as I get tired of the double standard when it comes to Alex, all of the other criminal/ethical violations got covered up by the hospital. I don't remember any other time where the police were involved, so this case is a little different. Whether the writers use this logic or not remains to be seen, but it won't surprise me if he does some jail time and we get a time jump. But if that happens would he be able to keep his medical license?

I don't think this is true at all. Her love for him isn't a lie and the person that she is right NOW is the person that Alex fell in love with and vice-versa. You are right that she lied about having a husband and I"m not defending that, but her reasons for this have not been explored at all yet. Maybe it will turn out that she was right to keep her secret and maybe it won't, but to say that she is completely lying to Alex about her feelings for him and that it is all fake is just not true to what we have seen. By that logic, Derek lied to Meredith as well (and would have for who knows how long had Addison not shown up), so is their entire relationship built on a lie? I don't think that Derek's reasoning was nearly as understandable as Jo's may turn out to be. My problem with Maggie is that when she wasn't constantly badgering Meredith about DeLuca, then she was doing what she always does which is going on and on and on about her personal life in the operating room, and once again making everything about how it affects her. I understand that she was worried about DeLuca, but that lasted for one second until really what she was worried about was the fact that Riggs might think that *gasp* she liked DeLuca, like you know high school like-like. Then she gives Meredith grief about sisterhood, etc., never once gleaning that maybe Meredith was going through something that really had nothing to do with Maggie. Did she really want Meredith to pull her aside and say, "hey Maggie, my best friend, who I have known for nearly a decade, has put himself in a stupid and unforgivable situation. He will likely go to jail and never practice medicine again, and DeLuca may not either. I'm trying to get him to turn himself into the cops, or else I have to do it, and right now we are in a panic and are trying to figure stuff out. I haven't told Bailey yet, and no one really knows, but because you have been my sister for 18 months, you absolutely DESERVE to know the truth before anyone else so, yeah, it was Alex, keep it to yourself." If this was a one time quirk due to stress, then okay. But she does this constantly and I just find her completely immature and unappealing.

Alex is my favorite and I agree that what he did shouldn't get swept under the rug, it was horrific and even worse, he did it to a colleague and there was no call for it. But, at the same time, I also don't want the writers to decide that after 12 years of nearly every single character doing career-ending things, that NOW they are going to draw a line and become realistic about consequences. I also don't have any interest in seeing all of these ethically challenged doctors climbing up on their self-righteous high horses to look down at Alex. Yes, it was extremely violent and it was against one of their own, but there aren't too many people in that hospital who have the complete moral high ground about anything. It would be just love Alex getting suspended for having a relationship with a co-worker, when every other single person on the show did the exact same thing, with multiple partners all the time, with absolutely no repercussions. I kind of want DeLuca to go ahead with pressing charges, so I don't want Alex to get lenience because of him. But I'm not sure how else it will happen, unless Alex can convince the judge that he thought he was defending Jo. But even then, it was overkill.

He asked her if DeLuca hurt her, she looked surprised at the question and then vehemently told him no and that it wasn't DeLuca's fault. At that point, I don't know that Jo actually understood why Alex barged in and starting assaulting DeLuca, so it makes sense to me that she didn't start setting him straight because he was being a psycho and there was no setting him straight. She could have thought it was straight up jealousy, not to mention she was still very drunk. I am glad that Alex is in jail, I"m glad that he will face some consequences, but lets be honest about what show we're watching. DeLuca is back at the hospital in the very next episode in scrubs. His medical career didn't get ruined, and he, like Meredith, Burke, Callie, Sofia, all the shooting victims, and Arizona's leg, will be just fine. In the meantime, he has every right to press charges and I hope he does. But considering Alex is one of the only reasons I watch this dumb show, I am ok with the fact that he isn't going lose his medical license and rot in prison for the rest of the show's run. He has always had this in him, he admitted that he would have probably killed Jason if he had gotten to him first and burst through the door last season to announce that he was going to kill Thorpe because he thought he hurt Meredith (of course, I remember lots of people just loving that.) So he will get anger management or counseling or something and hopefully a lot of screentime to go along with it. Personally, I would rather watch this drama unfold than to watch him ferry the gals around in the car and listen to them talking about Lady Business. This show doesn't seem to do Happy Mediums, so I am here for all of it.