[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

The pairing of Arizona / Bailey / Jo is interesting. I'm excited to see how that storyline plays out. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

Lots of chatter about ABC showing interest in a potential Grey's spinoff - this is a pretty common rumour, but I wouldn't be surprised. I keep seeing speculation about an Alex spinoff, though I don't think Shonda would move him away from Meredith unless the series was over. At this point I can't see many characters carrying a show - maybe April & Jackson? 

[Grey's Anatomy in the Media: Incident Reporting]

Grey's was up to a 2.1 last night, rebounding from last week's 1.9. Of note, most shows were down last week, presumably as a result of all the ongoing election coverage. 

[S13.E09: You Haven't Done Nothin']

14 minutes ago, gator12 said:

I'm not a lawyer or anything but its up to the State of Washington to drop charges against Alex, that has nothing to do with Andrew since its a criminal charges.

21 minutes ago, RogerDodger said:

I'm no lawyer (nor do I play one on TV), but I don't think DeLuca can drop the charges against Alex.  The state brings criminal charges.  Certainly, DeLuca could refuse to testify, which would weaken the state's case, but there appears to be ample physical evidence that a crime was committed.  Or, DeLuca could ask the judge to show leniency, which is the route I think they will ultimately wind up going. 

Well, there goes my theory (though knowing Grey's, real life laws don't really matter). I'm drawing a blank as to how Alex gets out of this now. I'm not worried about him going to jail (it ain't happening), so I wonder what will get him off the hook. I was thinking of them building up DeLuca to save Jo. 

[S13.E09: You Haven't Done Nothin']

3 minutes ago, readster said:

The problem was, Deluca knew why Alex beat him, not that he didn't have grounds for the lawsuit, but he was like: "I got my ass kicked because Jo couldn't tell the truth." "But screw that, I'm going to sue you Alex, you dumbass!" 

Regardless, Alex beat the shit out of him. I mean I'm Team Alex 100%, but it can't all fall on Jo or DeLuca. If Alex could convince the court that he believed DeLuca was attacking Jo, he'd maybe have grounds for what he did - but he flipped out as soon as he walked in, and he beat the guy to a bloody pulp. Regardless of why DeLuca was put in that position (Jo's lie), Alex's reaction was wrong. And criminal. 

[S13.E09: You Haven't Done Nothin']

My bet is that Deluca, not knowing that Alex would turn himself in, drops the charges so that Jo doesn't have to testify. I loved Meredith and Alex's scenes, Ellen and Justin were both fantastic tonight. Their friendship is incredible. I'm so glad that Alex has dominated the storytelling for the greater part of these first 9 episodes. Asking Bailey to arrange to make sure his mother got money monthly was heartbreaking. Alex really has grown up so much. I'm a bit shocked (but not upset) that they seemed to suddenly drop the Meredith / Riggs / Maggie thing. What was the point of all that? It's been nice to see Meredith in a storyline supporting Alex rather than the other way around. 

I was also loving an Amelia-free episode and enjoying the Riggs / Hunt dynamic. It's rare to see male doctors bonding on this show, and I used to really like Owen. I'm glad he admitted his hypocrisy (that he had cheated on his own wife, like Nathan cheated on Megan) and I hope they keep developing story for these two. Amelia leaving is childish and ridiculous and I don't care if it means a few more episodes without Amelia while Caterina enjoys time with her new baby. 

Seeing Arizona happy was nice, but I don't love Minnick (admittedly she was less awkward / wooden this week then she was back in 13x07). I'm interested to see what they're developing with these other doctors rising up against her and Bailey. I was heartbroken after the little girl died and Richard stood outside the OR - you could feel his world crashing down. I hate how Bailey handled it, but I get it too: believing that this was best for the hospital, she didn't want her personal feelings to interfere (all of these doctors could learn a thing or two). Still, it was cold and Richard didn't deserve it. I'm happy to see these two getting some decent storylines, at least.

This season so far has had some really strong patient stories. Tonight was no exception. Ben leading the young girl's mother to the landlord was an intense moment. Also, anyone who was worried about Leah taking over the storytelling a la Penny is, I'm sure, glad to be wrong. She's been given virtually nothing to do since she came back. It seems it was just a device to set up this Minnick / Richard storyline.

[S13.E09: You Haven't Done Nothin']

So 30 minutes in and damn this is a doozy. Phenomenal so far. That Alex / Jo elevator scene took the breath out of me after such a heartbreaking moment for Richard. The direction this week has been top-notch. Camilla was at her best in that scene; emotional, but not over-the-top. I loved the moment of irony in realizing that Jo lied to Alex because she was scared that if he found out the truth he'd end up in jail.

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

From Entertainment Weekly:

When a building collapses in Seattle, Grey Sloan gets flooded with patients for an emotional hour that requires all hands on deck. “It’s a pretty big one for our midseason finale,” Kevin McKidd tells EW. “It brings in a lot of trauma to the hospital, so Owen is very busy.”

But there’s one person conspicuously MIA. In the wake of Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) telling Owen that she doesn’t want to have a baby, the duo have been on the outs. “In the middle of it all, he’s dealing with this missing-in-action situation where he can’t find Amelia,” McKidd says. “It’s pretty dramatic.” Still, viewers will get a pretty definitive answer on what’s next for the couple by episode’s end.

“It’s a wonderful episode,” McKidd adds. “It’s a good, solid midseason finale. It’s one of our finer moments.”

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

3 hours ago, Deanie87 said:

I'm beginning to think that they will just skip the trial altogether and there will be a time jump, per usual and we will hear all about it when the show returns.  I haven't really seen much about the trial itself, other than Jo saying she has to testify.  There haven't been any court scenes in the promos and as far as I'm aware, no BTS court stuff.  I really wanted to see Alex's defense and his real time reaction to the verdict, as well as Jo and DeLuca's testimony, but it just doesn't seem to be happening.  It doesn't really makes sense for the show to return with the trial, that seems much more of a cliffhanger-y thing, but a lot about the show doesn't make sense to me these days so it won't surprise me.

13x09 takes place the day before the trial rather than actually during the trial, so I think we're definitely in for another time-jump. I'd be thrilled if 13x10 is the trial, so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but more than likely we'll see a number of cliffhangers in the winter finale and then pick up a month or two later when the show comes back in January. I expect them to skip over the trial, the Maggie / Meredith fallout, fallout from Jo telling Alex the truth, and potentially the first bits of dating / flirtation between Arizona and Minnick. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

I'm really excited about the winter finale, though it's quite odd that both 'major' storylines have been on hold for a few weeks now (Meredith / Riggs / Maggie + Alex / Jo / Deluca). I hope we see both long-gestating truths finally come out. Ideally, I'd love to see: 

- Alex talks to Jo before the trial, trying to apologize for everything and ask her how she's been: she counters by telling him what really happened with DeLuca and confessing that she's married. 

- Meredith finally admits that she has feelings for Riggs and then breaks the news to Maggie. 

Realistically, we'll get: 

- Maggie walking in on a Meredith / Riggs kiss 

- DeLuca professing his love for Jo

[S13.E08: The Room Where It Happens]

I thought this was a nice break from the current storylines, honestly. At first I was a bit weary of the gimmicks, and some bits were a little cheesy, but it worked nicely overall, especially the ending. Meredith talking to Zola about Derek dying was a real gut-punch, and seeing Derek at the end was a nice surprise. I didn't mind that Bailey and Zola had aged, because it seemed like Meredith was imagining them as they are now rather than as they were the day Derek passed. I also loved seeing Richard get some focus. 

I liked following one surgery a bit more closely - as someone said, it's easy to forget that these surgeons are usually standing over an open body for hours. I also liked seeing little Steph, because it helps justify to me why Steph is such a star in her resident class. I think Jerrika is a really great actress, so I wish they had done more like this for her character earlier on. I've always found it really hard to connect with her. 

Overall, I thought it was a solid. Next week should be a interesting, for sure. 

[S13.E07: Why Try to Change Me Now?]

4 hours ago, windsprints said:

Many women have a slightly puffier face during pregnancy. She hardly looks disfigured or that she's had plastic surgery to me at all.

Yea, her face and lips are a bit fuller but that's just a result of her pregnancy. 

[Grey's Anatomy in the Media: Incident Reporting]

Grey's held the 2.1 - it's now one of just 5 shows out of 75 on network TV (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW) to be averaging 2.0 or above this season. The other series are Empire (S3), Big Bang Theory (S10), Modern Family (S8), and This Is Us (S1). 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

I really want to know what Izzie is up to. I mean, we're getting an update on freakin' Leah Murphy, but Izzie is out there somewhere and we have no idea what she's achieved, who she's with, etc. I get that Shonda will never let it happen, but I wish in this case for the sake of the series they could just get over it and make it work. Burke came back! I mean, with so many dead characters that can't get updates, it feels odd that there's a pretty beloved character out there who was so integral to the first 6 years of the show, and we'll never get real closure. A reappearance from Izzie would be the single biggest shakeup the series could pull. The ratings would be huge. 

[Dr. Jo Wilson: Princess]

You bring up a really interesting point @Rose-1 which is that they seem to keep using Jo / Alex for cliffhangers and then giving no real followup. But if they're used as cliffhangers it has to be because the writers believe that fans care and that the pairing is worthy of being used to make sure fans come back after a break. So if they believe in that fan investment then why aren't they following up? It just makes no sense. I wish after Mer and Jo made good last year they started having Meredith mentor Jo - really getting to know her, too. Penny sadly took on that role instead. It would have made this all a lot more interesting with the work conflict; Alex living with Meredith, Meredith working with Jo, being torn between both sides. It would have at least put Jo more in the forefront. At this point she's lucky to be seen onscreen doing anything grander than trailing another doctor listening to Steph bitch about something. 

[Dr. Jo Wilson: Princess]

1 minute ago, Rose-1 said:

I completely understand that perspective, and I agree that the writers don't seem to care about her, but instead of making me not care about Jo, it makes my disdain for the writers grow - because it's all their fault. To me she really WAS an interesting character, despite the fact she never really got the perspective or development she Should have - I loved how camilla did her best to elevate the role but most of all I loved how she was to Alex, and how healthy and supportive their relationship was. It angers me how they're trying to diminish and retcon what they had, as a fan it's like a slap in the face. And I can't understand what they're doing..clearly the story isn't over because Alex doesn't even know the truth, so why are they acting like strangers?? It's very contrived and I really can't stand that

Yea, I get your perspective too, 100%, because I've felt the same way when characters I really like have been slighted. And honestly I do get annoyed with how they treat Jo, because as a fan of Alex I'd love nothing more than for him to have an interesting girlfriend who makes him happy but also challenges him. But if I'm judging without the writers in mind, just looking at the story as it's presented, there just isn't much for me to go on with Jo. I don't dislike her, but I'm sadly sort of indifferent. Certain moments I root particularly hard for them (all the times she stuck by him and helped him, when we used to see them actually having fun in season 9 and 10, when she finally stood up for herself with both Alex and Meredith last year) but then they go and drop a bomb that she's been lying to Alex this whole time, basically give her 0 perspective or screen time, and fail to show Alex even caring about or missing her her, it makes it hard for me. I'd be thrilled if the writers turn this around. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

Off topic, but Ausiello gave me an interesting idea (that will never happen, but now I just want to get it out there / discuss it). It would be so amazing if Shonda got Sandra Oh back for a one-off episode that was basically all Cristina, maybe with a bookend of Meredith and Alex, just totally disrupting whatever ridiculous storylines are going on at the time. Give us an intense, funny, sexy, and insane Cristina-centric episode set in Switzerland or on her way back to Seattle for a visit... anywhere, really. Doing this with any character who has left could be really interesting, especially Cristina, Callie or Izzie. 

[Grey's Anatomy in the Media: Incident Reporting]

2 minutes ago, windsprints said:

I'll add:

Secrets and Lies     0.6/2.70   million viewers
Quantico        0.6/2.43   million viewers

And Quantico gets treated like its a big hit. Its in early S2 and its numbers dreadful. 13 year old Grey's gets over 3x the demo.

Yea, Quantico is a goner this year (ditto for S&L). With those ratings I'd be surprised if they don't get pulled early. The ABC schedule is an absolute mess. At this rate, Grey's will never die. Even This Is Us, the breakout hit of the season, is only barely higher than Grey's. 

[Dr. Jo Wilson: Princess]

Next week is the 'flashback' episode where we'll see some bits of Richard, Steph, Mer and Owen's memories, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jo isn't in the episode at all. It seems like the core focus will remain on those 4 characters and in one surgery. 

@windsprints I think you're right about why this Amelia / Owen storyline has happened so quickly; I'm guessing Caterina will be written a lot lighter in the back half of the season. I think the reason they're filming out of order is to get Camila's scenes shot before she's really showing, so I think there must be some type of Jo storyline coming up, probably after the trial. I'm pretty surprised that she's been written so light in these first 7 episodes, because I thought the first 2 had some nice promise for her storyline, but then it basically just disappeared. It seems like the out-of-order filming in general is done so that, say, in episodes where Ellen Pompeo is written lightly (13x06 and 13x07) she can be filming scenes for episodes where she's more prominent (likely 13x08 and 13x09). With such a massive cast, it would work a lot easier on everyone's schedules to film that way. 

Jo remains a huge enigma to me. On one hand, I loved that she was always there for Alex and I thought her character, with some stronger development, could have become very interesting and likeable. The issue remains that the writers clearly don't care about her, which makes it extremely hard for me to care. It feels like ages since we've seen her and Alex happy together, so I find it hard to root for them to get together. If they'd just freaking sit down and talk, or if we'd have a scene of Alex telling anyone (even Amelia!) that he misses Jo, then I'd be happy... but there's just no movement. I hope that her 'secret' comes out in 13x09 so that we at least start to get some movement there. 

[Grey's Anatomy in the Media: Incident Reporting]

Grey's remains wildly steady with a 2.1 demo this week, making it top 5 on all of broadcast for scripted programs this week. The World Series and CMA Awards knocked a few shows out (no Empire or Modern Family this week), but regardless Grey's is massively impressive. The top 5 is: 

The Big Bang Theory, CBS - 3.0

This Is Us, NBC - 2.3

Grey's Anatomy, ABC - 2.1

 The Great Indoors, CBS - 1.7

Chicago Fire (NBC) / American Housewife (ABC) - 1.5 

Other ABC shows this week - The Middle (1.4), Agents of SHIELD (0.8), Once Upon a Time (0.9), How To Get Away with Murder (1.1).

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

Question: What can you tell us about Sara Ramirez returning to Grey’s Anatomy? —Gloria
Ausiello: I thought I might have an exciting update for you today, but, alas, there’s still no news on that front. My Callie scoop antennae experienced a bit of a jolt earlier this week when I heard through the grapevine that Grey’s is about to go into production on an episode set entirely onboard a commercial airliner as a crisis unfolds mid-flight. (An ABC rep declined to comment.) It’s not clear which of the docs will be on the manifest when said emergency erupts, but given Callie and Arizona’s shared, bi-coastal custody arrangement with Sofia, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring Ramirez back for a kickass standalone episode. Sadly, a source close to the actress tells me there are no current plans for her to return. Still, sounds like it’ll be a cool, emotionally fraught episode, especially considering what went down four years ago.

Question: Can you tell us if Leah is going to be Arizona’s love interest on Grey’s Anatomy? —Ashley
Ausiello: I could, but I’d be lying. This is Arizona’s new love interest.

[S13.E07: Why Try to Change Me Now?]

The actress playing Minnick was sort of awful, which really threw me off. That's pretty rare with Grey's because generally I think the main cast + most of the supporting players are great. I just found her really wooden and unconvincing, especially in her first scene with the residents and in all of the surgery scenes. I can't say I'm overjoyed about her obvious flirtation with Arizona. I don't mind the idea of them trying to reinvigorate the program, but hiring someone who comes in and within a day or two is cutting arteries and undermining and disrupting attendings during surgery seems rash (even for this hospital). I don't believe that any one teaching method will work for everyone, so her coming in with this 'do one, teach one on steroids' without getting to really know the residents or attendings is a bit ridiculous. I like that Bailey and Richard are getting some story out of it, though. Poor Richard. 

Another thing that took me out of the episode a few times was the director blatantly showing Caterina's pregnant belly. Amelia isn't supposed to be pregnant! It's even a freaking plot point, so you'd think they'd try to do a better job with this. I can let a few quick glimpses slide, but this all seemed blatant and lazy. The bickering with Owen and him saying that she hasn't slept at home for 2 weeks also seemed lazy (and strange, considering we saw Owen & Amelia coming in together at the start of the episode). Also, how utterly ridiculous that we're supposed to believe that Amelia said "I don't want a baby!" and then the conversation just ended there. He was supposed to drive her home, so what did he do - just leave her in the parking lot? These people are supposed to be adults, and newlyweds no less. This makes me think back to Amelia crying on the phone with her family unable to understand why they didn't want to come to her wedding - hmmmm, maybe because they've never heard of the guy and you clearly don't know him well enough, and maybe you're a bit insane? Now, two months later, they're a perfect example of dysfunctional; avoiding each other, ignoring important issues, and bickering whenever they're together. Fun, fun, fun.

Big 'meh' to Jackson and April. I do love that it's only episode 7 and their child is already forgotten along with Zola, Bailey, Ellis and Sophia. Bye, bye, Harriet! Have fun on your dates, April! Enjoy those nachos, Jackson! 

It was a bit funny (or sad?) that Minnick was fighting to get DeLuca, an intern, in on a surgery, while Jo was presumably eating a bag of chips next to the dumpster where Shonda threw all of her potential storylines. 

Not much Meredith this week, but I loved her 'Thank you' to Alex for taking on Amelia duty. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

42 minutes ago, CED9 said:

Hmm. Maybe that's why the weird out of order filming? Scandal has 16 episodes, so if they all end at the same time maybe GA actually got a couple more episodes rather than less and they're just using small portions of the cast in each?

Would explain why we haven't had any table read info beyond the mid season finale. They're all filming different episodes.

With 9 episodes airing before the break, GA will have 15 to air in the back-half of the season assuming they stick with the regular 24-episode order. There are 18 Thursdays between the premiere date (January 19) and the likely target for the finale (May 18). They'll likely have a few weeks with repeats / preemptions and then maybe a 2-hour episode of Scandal one week or a 2-hour premiere for The Catch. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

Not quite a spoiler, but some nice news: there will be no extended 3-month break this year! Grey's / Scandal / HTGAWM (TGIT) return from Winter hiatus on January 19th this year, rather than waiting until Feb like last season.

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

1 hour ago, windsprints said:

I'm sure that's how most fans that want Alex/Meredith feel.  If Jolex breaks up for good I still don't want her with DeLuca.  Let her take Riggs away from both Grey sisters.

Well I'm not a fan who wants Alex/Meredith so I can't speak to that. My perception of Alex/Jo as a couple has nothing to do with Meredith. I'd just rather Alex be paired with literally anyone else if the writers have no interest in writing him with Jo or developing her as a separate character with any interesting point of view. They've had two years of static, regardless of the reason, so I just don't feel like there's much for me to cling to there. I'd be happy with them as a couple if the writers suddenly started writing for Jo, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards. We have an episode coming up with flashbacks to Steph's past (in addition to Richard and probably Meredith and Owen) - why not, given the current 'arc', explore Jo's past rather than going back to the sickle cell story for Steph (Jerrika confirmed this is what the flashbacks were about)? It seems like they just don't care, and their negligence with Jo has left me really cold to her. I don't feel any real reason to root for her or care about her and Alex, especially when it seems like Alex doesn't care. On a show like Grey's couplings and stories change so often and so quickly, and yet these two have gone nowhere in 5 years. I think we should have an idea by the winter finale whether they plan to push Alex / Jo any further or finally split them up.