S17.E05: Fight the Power

[PradaKitty]

That was a beautifully done episode. The huge list of names on the screen kept getting larger as the camera panned out.  It reminded me of seeing Gone With the Wind ion a large screen as that camera panned out to an endless view of ailing and dying soldiers.  It gave me chills. 
 

I also told my dying mother who had dementia that if she wanted to go we would be all right. She did. We are. 

[madmax]

9 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

I also told my dying mother who had dementia that if she wanted to go we would be all right. She did. We are. 

I've had to tell two dying family members that we would be OK, my brother and my father.  We are.  For the most part.

[stonzeejazz]

As a member of the DAR this episode was offensive in it's portrayal of DAR members.   We give scholarships based on merit (from their submitted essays) regardless of race or gender.   In order to receive a scholarship one has to apply for it and submit an essay.  

[A coin in the hand]

I have "enjoyed", such a bad choice of a word, Grey's since it came back. It is deeper, as it should be IMO, as it is about a hospital that deals with sad experiences. You can usually find me over in the other detective series going on about some bleak Nordic Noir so I may not be the target audience for fun Grey's. I love the conversations in Purgatory that Mer is having. I am on board with Shonda reminding all of America that systematic racism has a lot of repercussions and deadly ones. Health care for Black America is appalling and I think one of the most racially diverse casts, with Black Woman who created it and placed in a hospital....oh yeah this is the exact place these kinds of themes need to be. Hit that over and over again until no one can say they had no idea. I am a brown and white mix, so maybe this hits home for me.

 

 I love that rascally Tom seems to be staying. I, too, loved Mer with Delucca because he is so doable and not really an asshole like the other men on the show. (But I love Tom, ---yes, because he's hilarious.) And I do love Teddy and Tom, but I have never hated the Teddy character. I did go and live in Europe during my teen years and then again after college for another 6 years, so I may have a different outlook on how important fidelity is...oh! I mean it isn't an automatic get rid of a character or person. I wonder why it keeps happening to Owen. He is the constant in these bad relationships. 

 

Oh Madmax, beautifully said and beautifully lived. It takes such love to let the person go because it is their wish.

[LisaM]

17 hours ago, Jeopardy15 said:

Same here Lisa M. I lost my Mom in April (not COVID) and they allowed me to be in the room with her before she passed away. The scene when Bailey told her mom that it was okay to “let go” and they would be okay was literally the same thing I said to my Mom. I had no idea I would be triggered by this episode. 

I considered it a personal victory that we were able to bring my mother home - via special ambulance with her attached to a ventilator - so that she could pass at home surrounded by her loved ones. I was on speakerphone with her for an hour as she was dying and told her over and over that it was okay for her to go - we would be okay. My mother did not have COVID but the COVID restrictions affected us just as if she did. 

I thought the scene with Bailey singing to her mother with dementia was very realistic - apparently music is a trigger to past memories. Also - Bailey's scene with Maggie where Bailey said that she was not sure what to do - very real. 

[A coin in the hand]

Pradakitty, I meant to include you in my admiration for your strength in being truly their for you mother, as she needed you to be. And LisaM, a wound so fresh, my condolences. Being home, surrounded by loved ones is such a gift to her and to you. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I think this is proof that Grays touched something very deep in many of us. 

[OpalNightstream]

That was rich of Bailey to say patients weren’t just referred to by their ailment “arm pain guy” or faceless statistics. The vast majority of cases that enter that  hospital are met by gleeful docs who can’t wait to cut them up and fight for the novelty of the unusual cases. 
 

[readster]

1 hour ago, OpalNightstream said:

That was rich of Bailey to say patients weren’t just referred to by their ailment “arm pain guy” or faceless statistics. The vast majority of cases that enter that  hospital are met by gleeful docs who can’t wait to cut them up and fight for the novelty of the unusual cases. 
 

Hell, it's like they have a special box ready go with: "Oh great, we get to cut you open now, wheee!"

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I will always be “Grey’s”’ (hope I punctuated that right) bitch but admit the previous two episodes of luminous Mer on the beach bored me to tears ... 

... so this episode all was forgiven. I love Bailey (and the Chief) and having her carry this beautiful episode meant the world to me (and cameo from the awesome Frankie Faison!!!! Has he been on as Papa Bailey in the past and I just forgot because brain injury????)

I thought they handled the pandemic with grace and sensitivity and the right amount of tear-inducing moments. That crawl screen at the end ... gah. Blurry eyes. 

Tomorrow will be 39 years since I held my mom’s hand at her bedside and sang to her (“Everything I Own” by Bread) and told her she could let go (did the same for my dad 15 years ago without the singing). In both cases, other family members were pissed at me for not begging them to fight. I hope someone will do the same for me. I’ve already written a note not yet sent to my daughter asking her to learn “Some Fantastic Place” by Squeeze to send me home. 

[pennben]

That’s the thing of it isn’t it?  This episode, much like the last, started with the notion that patients need advocates. Sometimes like the prior episode it means  getting more treatment.  Sometimes, as this episode showed, the advocate has to say “no”.  
I think that what shook me & resonated with me was the beautiful telling of the advocate that continues to say no throughout as difficult as that is. 
it’s not easy, but sometimes it’s right, even when you know you’ll be shattered.  
 

Edited December 15, 2020 by pennben

[Mirabelle]

On 12/13/2020 at 7:46 PM, OpalNightstream said:

That was rich of Bailey to say patients weren’t just referred to by their ailment “arm pain guy” or faceless statistics. The vast majority of cases that enter that  hospital are met by gleeful docs who can’t wait to cut them up and fight for the novelty of the unusual cases. 
 

I've never quite forgiven Bailey or Weber for laughing when Kepner accidentally cut off a patient's ear. Nothing funnier than a potential lawsuit and a woman's genuine distress over being mutilated. 

[FnkyChkn34]

I re-watched this episode last night, in anticipation of tonight's episode.  It was fine.  I still missed how they miraculously found/saved Koracick, but I really don't care.  The best part was the one scene that Linc was in, eating his mac'n'cheese, and then looked up at Amelia and said, "wait, you had sex with Koracick??"  The rest was all still a bit too heavy for my taste, but it was well done.

I'm looking forward to Meredith getting better and then the show making a time jump to the present day so that they can all receive the vaccine - and we can move on to happier topics, like who's sleeping with whom.  I hope that happens after the Christmas break.

[OpalNightstream]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

The best part was the one scene that Linc was in, eating his mac'n'cheese, and then looked up at Amelia and said, "wait, you had sex with Koracick??"  The rest was all still a bit too heavy for my taste, but it was well done.

At this point everyone in that hospital should just assume everyone has had sex with everyone. 

[Avabelle]

This episode was so so depressing. I stopped paying attention halfway through  because while it was so depressing. It was also really boring. The scene with Bailey and Maggie on the bench went on about five minutes longer then it should have. I felt for Bailey, I really did but the storyline just didn’t grab me.

Teddy skulking around trying to make Toms covid hospitalisation all about her. She is the worst. I think they could have salvaged this had they just let it be that she loved him but it’s clear that she wants to salvage the friendship because she’s just looking for a pal to boost her ego. 

Does Schmidt just sponge off Jo? He sleeps on her couch, she drives him to work and she seems to feed him too - it’s like she’s replaced his mother.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Avabelle