BaseOps

Yea, I don't really see how Bailey / the hospital acted like nothing happened. Alex lost his ability to do surgery, he's working in the clinic. Pending his trial, Bailey has basically just tried to keep the drama from interfering with work in the hospital. I mean, everyone in this hospital has done ridiculous things that should get them fired; Bailey giving that child a drug against the parents wishes, Meredith tampering with a clinical trial... Maggie punched a freakin patient's family member last year! I think Alex's punishment is suitable for now.

Grey's held steady from last week with another 2.1 in the demo. It continues to lead the night, though next week Big Bang Theory is back so it may take a hit; it will definitely no longer be the top-rated Thursday night show. With no Modern Family on this week, Grey's is ABCs top-rated series.

I haven't seen any evidence at all this season of a Meredith / Alex romance. I think it's pretty clear that the writers are pushing her and Riggs together; it's basically dominating the story-telling. Ellen Pompeo said herself last year that she didn't think they'd ever go there.

Here's the full 13x07 press release: “Why Try to Change Me Now” – The arrival of a new consultant puts all of the doctors on edge, especially once she starts stepping on toes in the OR. Amelia and Owen bring their personal problems into the hospital, while April explores some uncharted territory. Guest starring is Debbie Allen as Catherine Avery and Tessa Ferrer as Leah Murphy.

They hit their series-low demo rating during season 11, when an episode hit a 1.9. That's the only time they've gone below a 2.0.

In show time, the end of S10 was years ago. So Leah could have easily continued on her education elsewhere. I'm sure they'll catch us up on where she's been. I wonder if Shonda is going to try to make her a regular again or if this is just a small arc? I'm actually intrigued to see how it will pan out. As for Owen and Amelia, I'm hoping that Shonda is getting all this angst out now so that Amelia can be written lighter later in the season to accommodate Caterina as her pregnancy progresses. I'm so not interested in another full season of back and forth between these two.

Episode 13.07 - Why Try to Change Me Now The arrival of a new consultant puts the doctors on edge; Amelia and Owen bring their personal problems into the hospital; April explores some unfamiliar territory.

I think Maggie has been one of the most misused characters in the shows history. First, they avoided the only interesting aspect of her character for me when she was introduced - her connection to Richard. They totally neglected to develop it, which would have not only been great for Richard, but also a much more interesting way to explore Maggie's character. Then they spent the entire first half of S12 pushing her and DeLuca before abruptly breaking them up - only to have her randomly develop feelings for Riggs to shove her into this 'triangle'. On top of that, they went waaaaay too hard with the 'sisters' angle between Maggie, Amelia, and Meredith. I think the actress is fine, and Maggie could have worked - but they've really made her hard for me to root for her.

Another solid episode for me. I like that they're focusing on smaller storylines and sort of giving a little bit to everybody. I agree 100% that the 'triangle' is dragging (it feels like it's been a lot more than 4 episodes) but I didn't mind the Meredith and Riggs scenes. I still think they have really great chemistry, so I wish we'd get past this and actually explore it. The longer they drag it out, the more hurt Maggie is going to be in the end. It's especially annoying because I think in a lot of ways Meredith and Riggs could help endear Meredith to some people, but instead she's coming off as a bit of a jerk for leaving Maggie in the dark. I feel bad that she genuinely seems to like Riggs but she keeps pushing him away because of Maggie's immature crush. This needs to be wrapped up ASAP. I love all the Meredith / Alex stuff, and I'm so happy that they're really continuing to give spotlight to Alex. He is easily the MVP of S13 so far, and I couldn't be happier as a longtime fan. I didn't take him being upset about working in the clinic as having anything against clinic work, per say, but as other people pointed out his training goes far beyond the work he's doing, so it's understandably frustrating. I like that the clinic opens up more story possibilities, though, and I loved that Alex called on Richard to help with the girl who they thought was an alcoholic. Some of the stuff was a little over-the-top, but it was enjoyable. Does Alex not drive, though? Why the hell was he getting on a bus? According to a very quick Google search, paediatric surgeons have an average income of $470,000 a year - the dude can afford a car. Owen and Amelia continue to get on my nerves, though their last scene was sort of nice. I can't get the idea of out of my head that they should have wrapped their storyline up at the end of last season, though. It just feels like they're finished and everything this year has sort of been tacked-on; it feels like their grasping at straws trying to give them conflict and storylines. The first scene was really random, like we jumped in halfway through a conversation that we should have been given more background on or seen develop more organically. I liked Owen and Meredith's elevator scene, though. It's nice to see those two interact. I mentioned last week that I liked the April / Alex scenes, because it's always nice when they switch up who is interacting with who. It was good this week to see April / Stef, and I didn't even remember until after the scene was over what has gone down with them in the past. Stef really is the least integrated member of the cast; it feels like there's a big disconnect between her and virtually everyone else. I wish she had been written off at the end of last season, because despite enjoying the actress, I just don't think she adds anything to the show and it seems clear that they have no idea what to do with her. I did like that they still touch on the Jackson / Ben friendship, as well. Nice callback to when Jackson lived with Ben and Bailey (which I also forgot about). I'm guessing the Japril reunion isn't too far off. Overall I think they're keeping a good pace this season. The cast is still too bloated for my liking so some characters are just being thrown into other stories or given random scenes here and there, but overall I'm enjoying it a lot. I'm a bit surprised that Jo hasn't been given more focus, but to be honest I've never been a huge fan, and as long as Alex is getting storylines I don't mind much. Are we ever going to really see them interact again, though? I'm eager to see her reveal the truth about her past to him - but it looks like she may end up with DeLuca before then? I see some people upset about Bailey telling DeLuca not to discuss the case at work, which I don't really see as being that odd. I also think it makes sense that he feels isolated - it's not right, but it makes sense. I don't think it's so much that anyone dislikes him, but that they're all much closer to Alex and so this has made the situation awkward. They could have driven the point home better by having him on an actual case rather than just having a few run-ins with other doctors, but perhaps we'll get there. His last scene with Jo was definitely hinting at something more. I wonder if the writers will go there. It's interesting that Alex lost his temper in front of Jo, I think that's exactly the issue she has with him so that probably only pushed her further away. At this point, I'm not overly interested in a reunion between them but I'd at least like some closure and to see them discuss things beyond just the scene that they shared in episode 2.

Pending adjustments, Grey's did a 2.1 in the demo meaning it once again leads the night and remains ABC's second-highest rated program after only Modern Family (which did a 2.4 this week). Overall it's the 3rd highest rated drama on broadcast this week behind only Empire and This Is Us. Overall this week, it's top 5 for scripted programs on broadcast: 1) Empire 2) Big Big Theory 3) This Is Us 4) Modern Family 5) Grey's Anatomy / Kevin Can Wait

The Twitter reaction to Jo / DeLuca was... not pretty last night.

I didn't love Leah for her whole run, but I wouldn't say she's bland - she was quite the opposite, which is why I think she rubbed people the wrong way. Her affair with Arizona was major (and didn't she file a sexual harassment claim or something?), so I can see her return shaking things up for Arizona in particular. She also slept with Alex and was friends with Jo and Steph, so while she's certainly no Izzie or Callie, she does have a lot of hospital connections that could be interesting to play.

We can't really call it filler until we know what it is, though, can we? I mean it could literally be anything. If it's a story with Arizina it could actually be quite interesting. I've certainly been veeeery vocal about feeling like the cast is bloated and that I have no interest in quite a few characters (Amelia and Owen among them). Still, they've done a good job so far this year of giving a lot of focus to some characters who have been under-served (Alex). I don't think Leah showing up will take at all away from Meredith / Nathan or Alex working in the clinic. At least, for now, I'm open to see why they'd bring her back. I quite like that the universe is open for old characters to come in and out.

Damn, I had a good guess! She could come in as a patient? I wonder if she really will get back with Arizona, or maybe they'll just have a quick hook-up. I wasn't a huge fan of hers at first, but the actress is good and I can see some interesting conflict coming from this. I wonder how she'll react to everything that has gone on with Jo and Steph since she left.

It could be someone like Leah Murphy. She could be an interesting character to throw back in for a small arc - didn't she sleep with both Alex and Arizona? Plus she had friendships with Jo and Steph. Or maybe Lucy, the blonde that dated Alex and then took the position working with kids in Africa. It could be Lauren, the doctor that Arizona slept with at the end of season 9. It would be pretty wild if she ended up being Arizona's love interest. They could also reintroduce Meredith's other sister, Molly. Bringing back an old minor character as a patient and killing them off after a few episodes could be a good story. Preferably not someone too linked to Meredith; I think Leah could be a good candidate.

I think if it was anyone big (Izzie, Cristina, Addison) we'd probably know by now or it would mention them outright in the synopsis (though maybe it will follow with the full official press release this week). Addison is certainly more likely than Izzie or Cristina. It could be anyone as minor as Joe the bartender (what ever happened to him?) or an old patient, like when they brought back Katie Bryce. Maybe Jeffrey Dean Morgan had a break from The Walking Dead and Dead Denny will be haunting the halls for a Halloween episode.

13x06 - Roar - Grey Sloan sees the return of a familiar face; Catherine puts on the pressure, forcing Bailey to make a decision about Alex; Amelia faces a tough case at the ER. So... who's the familiar face?

Grey's ended up adjusting down to a 2.2, leaving it tied with its demo from last year and tied for ABCs top show this week. Still wildly impressive.

I thought Alex and Maggie was going to happen at the end of S11, so I wouldn't be totally surprised. But I have a feeling we'll be seeing a Jo and Alex reunion this season.

From EW: Will Alex go back to being a surgeon again on Grey’s Anatomy? — Camilla L News That’s TBD. In the meantime, “There might be a little bit of a friendship between Riggs and possibly Alex Karev, which further complicates the Maggie thing,” Martin Henderson tells me. “I did hear a hint that maybe a bit of a bromance starts, a mutual respect, and they don’t hold anything against one another, and so I think that may be in the cards too.”

Grey's did a 2.3 in the demo last night with 8.31M viewers. It's up year-to-year in the demo again this week (versus a 2.2 for episode 3 last year). Comparatively, a few other shows on the big 4 networks last night: Notorious (1.0), How To Get Away with Murder (1.3), Chicago Medical (1.3), Rosewood (0.9), The Good Place (1.4), The Blacklist (1.2), Pitch (1.0). Grey's is also once again ABC's highest-rated show in the demo this week, besting Modern Family (2.2).

I liked the light tone of this episode and I appreciate the focus on smaller storylines like Ben & Bailey having an issue with Tuck, April wanting to be back at work, etc. I liked the Alex / April interactions. It's always nice when we see different sets of characters interacting, and these two actually have a lot of history over the past few years. I enjoyed a lot of the small moments throughout this episode, and I also thought the medical storyline was one of their best in a while. I agree that the 'triangle' storyline is trite - we're all ready for it to end. I actually quite like Meredith and Riggs and I feel like they have really nice chemistry. I thought the moment of her going back into the room and talking about her Derek dreams was nice. Maggie and Amelia just don't really do anything for me, though I do find Amelia a lot less grating than her first season or so on the show. It feels like they've toned her down a bit, thank God. But like someone else said above, I'd probably enjoy the Meredith and Riggs developments more without the added layer of Maggie whining about it 24/7 and Meredith having to lie.

I was just thinking this. I thought I read somewhere that her pregnancy wasn't going to be written in, but who knows. Regardless, Owen watching Harriet likely means that Owen's longing for fatherhood will likely come into play again.