S19.E04: Haunted

[Bort]

It’s Halloween night at Grey Sloan Memorial. Meredith and Nick try to spend some alone time together; Levi is stressed due to overworking, and Winston and Owen have the interns practice trauma training on a real cadaver.

Airdate: 27 October 2022

[LexieLily]

River took LSD which prompted him to (a) jump off the roof into a pool and (b) jump off the ambulance onto the concrete, and he only ended up with a concussion and a leg fracture?

[ams1001]

"Don't move, okay?" Patient to disappear in 3..2..1

I get that a real cadaver has a shelf life but taking all the interns away on a night that is notoriously busy is just dumb.

lol...44 seconds on the microwave so you don't have to move your finger to the other button. I totally do this. 9 or 11 seconds instead of ten. (At home I often just hit the +30 seconds button and open the door after it gets to whatever time I actually wanted. The micros at work don't have that button and a couple of them are dials and don't have buttons at all.)

I like the contrast between Blue out for himself and Adams wanting everyone to get their chance. Hope he doesn't get crushed, though.

[JeanJean]

There appears to be  a real bro theme with the patients this year.

49 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

River took LSD which prompted him to (a) jump off the roof into a pool and (b) jump off the ambulance onto the concrete, and he only ended up with a concussion and a leg fracture?

Maybe the LSD caused him to not tense up at all.

[LisaM]

My guess is that Helm comes back in the next episode. 

[Lady Calypso]

So, from what I gather, all the attendings are basically not picking up ANY extra slack and leaving ALL the grunt work to the inexperienced interns and Chief Resident Schmitt who, up until a year ago, showed zero promise as a doctor and having zero experience with being chief resident because his class basically got to lounge around and do minor stuff until last season. 

Like, Richard ONLY decided to step in and help because Schmitt started yelling at nurses. Apparently, nobody else realized that, hey, if THEY want this hospital to function after losing over half their staff, maybe THEY need to stop lounging around themselves and they need to start picking up extra shifts and extra work while on shift. 

Schmitt IS somehow more tolerable now that they're giving him a personality and not having him either be comic relief or stuck in an abusive relationship with the Robot that was Nico. Same with Helm, who also has gotten a personality and seems MUCH happier as a bartender. Unfortunately, she's probably going to get coerced into returning back to the program because, hey, they REALLY are floundering as a whole and they need every doctor they can get. Which is why I admire this season more than I thought I would; they have given the last class of interns personalities that they forgot to give them five seasons ago. 

The new batch of interns, save for Simone, got a little less screentime than the last few episodes, BUT it was nice to see Lucas figure out not just the issue with their fake second patient, but how to get them all to work together AND he shared his win with the others. Good that Lucas is showing how much of a Shepherd he really isn't, because none of the Shepherds we know would have been willingly selfless and humble like that. Sorry, Amelia and Derek, but that also includes you two. 

I LOVED Maggie and Simone's scenes. Simone is turning out to be the current class' star pupil.

Link and Jo? Meh, but just get them together so we can stop with this build-up already. It's boring me to tears.

Also do the opposite with Owen/Teddy. Just break them up so we can stop with THAT build-up. It's clear that Teddy is feeling like they were better off as friends, not as romantic partners, and she is deeply wishing they could turn back time to when they were friends. She seems over him as a husband but wistful as a friend. 

I did like the case of the week.

So, it looks like we're starting to get a hint at where Meredith/Nick's storyline will be going. 

[LexieLily]

It's probably not a ringing endorsement of the new and improved program that it took Richard this long to figure out that Schmidt, as Chief Resident doing the work of his entire class because there was literally no one else, was drowning. (Edit: Or pretty much what @Lady Calypso said, heh.)

"It wasn't ever an option and then all of a sudden it was." What Link really meant to say, Teddy, is that he and Jo were strictly platonic for their entire lives until the powers that be decided to sledgehammer Link/Amelia for no reason, and once they broke them up and Alex left, insert out-of-nowhere feelings on both sides.

Edited October 28, 2022 by LexieLily

[txhorns79]

19 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also do the opposite with Owen/Teddy. Just break them up so we can stop with THAT build-up. It's clear that Teddy is feeling like they were better off as friends, not as romantic partners, and she is deeply wishing they could turn back time to when they were friends. She seems over him as a husband but wistful as a friend. 

Yeah, I tend to think if you are openly telling people how your husband ruined your life, your marriage is in deep trouble. 

I'm also confused about Zola.  Is she not in what should be several times a week therapy?  Is the only thing being done just looking for a new school?  It seems like her problems run much deeper than her intelligence level. 

Finally, how does that hospital operate with what appears to be only one senior resident and a small group of interns?  I guess I don't understand how the interns have time to make sex videos and do pumpkin carving when the hospital lacks so much necessary staff. 

[transitfan]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

lol...44 seconds on the microwave so you don't have to move your finger to the other button. I totally do this. 9 or 11 seconds instead of ten. (At home I often just hit the +30 seconds button and open the door after it gets to whatever time I actually wanted. The micros at work don't have that button and a couple of them are dials and don't have buttons at all.)

If I'm heating something for say, 1 minute 20 seconds, I just punch in 80 seconds 🙂

[choclatechip45]

Adams is way too humble to be part Sheppherd. Simone might be my favorite character they have introduced since maybe Jo. I really like her chemistry so far with the Maggie/Meredith/Richard. Zola should be in therapy as well. 

[DEL901]

Why did Bailey take her child Trick or Treating inside the hospital?   I didn’t see anyone else doing that.  

And there was that throwaway line at the end where Meredith told Zola that they’d start looking for schools outside of Seattle .

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Why did Bailey take her child Trick or Treating inside the hospital?   I didn’t see anyone else doing that.  

I can see them having something for pediatric patients who are able to so they can have some kind of holiday fun, but why would you trick-or-treat in the training room? Something like that would be restricted to places kids aren't going to accidentally see something they shouldn't (like, I dunno, interns practicing on a dead body in a training room?) Also Pru clearly had other Halloween activities (it was her third costume of the day, after all) so why did she need this one? It was clearly only for Bailey.

---

So I drifted off after my alarm went off this morning and dreamed that I was watching Grey's and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs got loose in Seattle and as I woke up one of the interns was about to lose his head. My in-dream reaction was "oh, yeah, I forgot this was gonna happen this episode..." so clearly my dream self saw a trailer for this one.

And now I need it.

Edited October 28, 2022 by ams1001

[txhorns79]

Just now, ams1001 said:

I can see them having something for pediatric patients who are able to so they can have some kind of holiday fun, but why would you trick-or-treat in the training room? Something like that would be restricted to places kids aren't going to accidentally see something they shouldn't (like, I dunno, interns practicing on a dead body in a training room?) Also Pru clearly had other Halloween activities (it was her third costume of the day, after all) so why did she need this one?

I did wonder if something got cut because Ben made a big deal of Pru being tired and made faces that made it seem as though he wasn't into Bailey's plan to take her trick or treating at the hospital, but nothing came from it except seeing Pru sleeping in her stroller later in the episode.     

[transitfan]

34 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I can see them having something for pediatric patients who are able to so they can have some kind of holiday fun, but why would you trick-or-treat in the training room? Something like that would be restricted to places kids aren't going to accidentally see something they shouldn't (like, I dunno, interns practicing on a dead body in a training room?) Also Pru clearly had other Halloween activities (it was her third costume of the day, after all) so why did she need this one? It was clearly only for Bailey.

---

So I drifted off after my alarm went off this morning and dreamed that I was watching Grey's and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs got loose in Seattle and as I woke up one of the interns was about to lose his head. My in-dream reaction was "oh, yeah, I forgot this was gonna happen this episode..." so clearly my dream self saw a trailer for this one.

And now I need it.

On Station 19, early on, Ben was lamenting that Pru might not be able to attend the festivities at the station since Miranda was wroking again.  But then late in the episode, she turned up with the older by that Ben and Miranda aadopted (Ricky?)  Apparently he is old enough to drive now.  I think she was wearing costume #1 (soccer player?)

Dinosaurs, eh?  Blue or Rexy? 😂

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, transitfan said:

On Station 19, early on, Ben was lamenting that Pru might not be able to attend the festivities at the station since Miranda was wroking again.  But then late in the episode, she turned up with the older by that Ben and Miranda aadopted (Ricky?)  Apparently he is old enough to drive now.  I think she was wearing costume #1 (soccer player?)

Dinosaurs, eh?  Blue or Rexy? 😂

I don't watch S19; I figured there might have been some continuation of her day there. It did look like a soccer shirt she was wearing when she first got to the hospital. (I think it said Rapinoe on the back, which is one of the few soccer names I would recognize.)

I think it was Blue. He was looking in a mirror and the dino came up behind him and he had a horrifed-realization moment just as the giant teeth started to pull his head back. Then I woke up.

Edited October 28, 2022 by ams1001

[Lady Calypso]

8 minutes ago, transitfan said:

On Station 19, early on, Ben was lamenting that Pru might not be able to attend the festivities at the station since Miranda was wroking again.  But then late in the episode, she turned up with the older by that Ben and Miranda aadopted (Ricky?)  Apparently he is old enough to drive now.  I think she was wearing costume #1 (soccer player?)

Joey is actually eighteen or nineteen, I'm pretty sure. I know there was the whole thing about him becoming an adult at some point in his early appearances. 

 But yeah, Pru had just gotten back from trick or treating at the station, so I think they were simply hinting that it's been a long day and it was getting late (it was dark at the end of Station 19, so it was at least past 7pm by the time Ben got Pru to the hospital). 

[mammaM]

Confession time: I never liked Jo. Don't know why, just never liked the character from day one. This season I actually like her. Don't know why, maybe because Link and Jo have really good chemistry together, not necessarily romantic but the actors play off each other very well. However, I like them as friends, not as the couple the show is pushing at us.

And I know we're only on episode four, but this is the best season in I don't know how long. 

[iMonrey]

Kids taking LSD and thinking they can fly is some classic After School Special bullshit. 

Quote

"It wasn't ever an option and then all of a sudden it was." What Link really meant to say, Teddy, is that he and Jo were strictly platonic for their entire lives until the powers that be decided to sledgehammer Link/Amelia for no reason, and once they broke them up and Alex left, insert out-of-nowhere feelings on both sides.

Yeah this still bugs the hell out of me, the show managed to ruin the best two relationships on the show in one fell swoop, and why? Just so we could have Kai? As if anyone ever asked for that.

Quote

I'm also confused about Zola.  Is she not in what should be several times a week therapy? 

Not to mention her whole family are doctors and she should be on some kind of anti-anxiety medication.

Quote

I like the contrast between Blue out for himself and Adams wanting everyone to get their chance.

Who the hell is Blue? I've seen several mentions. Is this a Station 19 character?

[taanja]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Kids taking LSD and thinking they can fly is some classic After School Special bullshit. 

Right! I rolled my eyes so hard they practically fell out of my head. Will they do Refer Madness next? The clichés were beating me over the head already!

So the set-up for Mere leaving is because there is NO place in all of Seattle that can handle Zola's genius? 

[txhorns79]

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Who the hell is Blue? I've seen several mentions. Is this a Station 19 character?

He's the intern played by Harry Shum, Jr.  

[marceline]

Bringing Teddy and Owen back was a mistake. Their relationship has moved from dysfunctional to absolutely toxic. It's hard to believe that they were once even friends. What happened to Megan and Farouk? Not that I want to see them again I just can't remember what happened to them.

I did appreciate the show addressing how they were using the cadavers and giving some details about the process. I had a friend who donated her body to science and some of those scenes really started getting to me.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, taanja said:

Right! I rolled my eyes so hard they practically fell out of my head. Will they do Refer Madness next? The clichés were beating me over the head already!

So the set-up for Mere leaving is because there is NO place in all of Seattle that can handle Zola's genius? 

Ha - Reefer Madness. I watched that one day with my grandmother after I had smoked some reefer.

I don't know where Link went to school - I am older than he is and I dropped acid in high school - and nobody I knew attempted to fly or had anything other than spectacular visual effects and thought they had uncovered the grand secrets of the universe. 

The whole Zoila thing is I suspect a plot device to explain why Meredith will be not appearing in episodes for the rest of the season.

The whole Zoila plot line is ridiculous. She is intellectually gifted - why would that necessarily cause anxiety. It is such a myth that people who are smart are somehow mentally impacted. The issue is only if an intellectually gifted child is not recognized as such and is in a learning environment where they are bored. However, you go to a school with smart kids and the problem is solved because you are challenged and you are with other kids who are on your intellectual level. Most large school systems have a school like that especially if you are a rich doctor and can afford the best private school. Many of those have the ability to structure classes so that a child is with their social peers but still able to take whatever classes are necessary for their level - even college level if necessary or very esoteric specialized stuff. Ask me how I know as I went to Hunter High in Manhattan which is a public school for gifted kids.

[LexieLily]

12 minutes ago, marceline said:

Bringing Teddy and Owen back was a mistake. Their relationship has moved from dysfunctional to absolutely toxic. It's hard to believe that they were once even friends. What happened to Megan and Farouk? Not that I want to see them again I just can't remember what happened to them.

The last time we saw Farouk he magically recovered with no trauma from his heart surgery and McWidow was the only person that noticed Megan was on the edge of suicide/a breakdown. McWidow promised to be Megan's talk-to person and then shortly thereafter McWidow went back to Ireland because of the Owen assisted suicide situation, so who knows if Owen/Teddy ever bothered to check on Megan?

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah this still bugs the hell out of me, the show managed to ruin the best two relationships on the show in one fell swoop, and why? Just so we could have Kai? As if anyone ever asked for that.

Three: Link/Amelia, Link/Jo, and Alex/Jo. I know Alex/Jo had their own extenuating circumstances for breaking up, but it wasn't a coincidence that as soon as Alex was out of the way and Jo was single they started playing Link/Jo out of nowhere.

Edited October 28, 2022 by LexieLily

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

He's the intern played by Harry Shum, Jr.  

Dr. Benson "Blue" Kwan

(I didn't actually know the character's full name until just now.)

[LittlePeas3]

I like the new and improved Helm.  I want her back,  I also want her back as Chief Resident.  She will keep the interns on their toes and she will make (hopefully) Schmidt even more likeable. She also seems to have the balls to say what she thinks these days, which is refreshing. (There was a quote to go with this, but when I spelled also incorrectly, I somehow managed to delete it) I hope she is back soon. The interns won't know what has hit them.  Schmidt just yells lately.

14 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Yeah, I tend to think if you are openly telling people how your husband ruined your life, your marriage is in deep trouble. 

I'm also confused about Zola.  Is she not in what should be several times a week therapy?  Is the only thing being done just looking for a new school?  It seems like her problems run much deeper than her intelligence level. 

Finally, how does that hospital operate with what appears to be only one senior resident and a small group of interns?  I guess I don't understand how the interns have time to make sex videos and do pumpkin carving when the hospital lacks so much necessary staff. 

TPTB/writers must have their favourites.  We have chiefs of departments and Winston.  There are no surgeons.  Bailey and Richard would count, if we actually saw them operating, but they are just general surgeons and of late, just wander around the hospital, they rarely do surgeries.  They have kept so many of the older characters (Teddy, Owen) who are becoming redundant and left the hospital with out decent characters whose storylines actually have somewhere to go, other than down the toilet.  April running the ER would have been far more interesting than Teddy.  

Zola - I don't know what to say here.  I would definitely have thought therapy was a must.  There is a lot they are missing here.  I get this though, they could spend several episodes just on this, but then there would be no hospital scenes.  

7 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Why did Bailey take her child Trick or Treating inside the hospital?   I didn’t see anyone else doing that.  

And there was that throwaway line at the end where Meredith told Zola that they’d start looking for schools outside of Seattle .

I know, right?  What idiot takes a kid trick or treating in a hospital? Bailey seemed superfluous in this episode.  And Pru.  Why do they keep putting her in a pram?  Surely, she is big enough to walk?  Are they trying to make her younger so she can be Luna's friend, ala Sophia and Zola back in the day?  She is far too big to be using a pram! Then there is the fact that she had already trick or treated.  I know I am in Australia and it isn't a huge thing here, but wouldn't 1 trick or treat excursion be enough for a 4 (guessing her age) year old?  There is only so many sweets and chocolates a kid that age needs.  

I like how the writers have Maggie and Winston actually talk to each other.  Hopefully, this means they won't head down the married, bitter couple route like T/O.  Their arguing reminds me of the viciousness between Meredith and Derek when he wanted to go to DC to do the brain mapping trials.  It annoyed me when it was done with Mer/Der, it's annoying me even more with T/O.  Either resolve it or break them up! 

[Dancing Queen]

4 hours ago, mammaM said:

I know we're only on episode four, but this is the best season in I don't know how long. 

I thought the exact same thing when I was watching!

I think stepping back from the older generation of doctors and focusing on the young'uns has been a breath of fresh air, and it's one reason why the Teddy/Owen and Jo/Linc relationships feel so grating to me.  I never liked Teddy/Owen or Jo/Linc together except as friends, but I could get onboard with them IF the writers make those couples' situations feel more organic (OR give them interesting medical stuff to do outside of their romance plots).  At the moment, when they're on screen I'm just yawning and wondering what those scrappy new interns are up to.

12 minutes ago, LittlePeas3 said:

I like the new and improved Helm.  I want her back,  I also want her back as Chief Resident.  She will keep the interns on their toes and she will make (hopefully) Schmidt even more likeable. She also seems to have the balls to say what she thinks these days, which is refreshing.

It feels like Helm has had more character growth this season than in all the previous seasons she's been on the show - and she's not even at the hospital!  She would rock as Chief Resident.

[marceline]

I had completely forgotten about Helm. In fact I've realized that I've completely forgotten everything about last season. I have no idea who's still on this show or isn't.

Every time Bailey shows up with Prue I get confused because most of that story happened on Station 19 and the part that happened on Grey's didn't mean shit to me. I don't know what to make of Bailey anymore. I just don't.

Meredith almost always works my nerves but I love her relationship with Zola. "I'll pick you up anytime from anywhere. Always."

Who among us hasn't needed to hear that?

5 hours ago, LexieLily said:

The last time we saw Farouk he magically recovered with no trauma from his heart surgery and McWidow was the only person that noticed Megan was on the edge of suicide/a breakdown. McWidow promised to be Megan's talk-to person and then shortly thereafter McWidow went back to Ireland because of the Owen assisted suicide situation, so who knows if Owen/Teddy ever bothered to check on Megan?

Thanks. I thought I missed something.

[KaveDweller]

12 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Why did Bailey take her child Trick or Treating inside the hospital?   I didn’t see anyone else doing that.  

And there was that throwaway line at the end where Meredith told Zola that they’d start looking for schools outside of Seattle .

I guess that is setting up Meredith to be gone most of the season.

But it seems really dumb that Zola is having anxiety/panic attacks and Meredith (a doctor) is addressing by looking for a new school and not a therapist?

10 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I did wonder if something got cut because Ben made a big deal of Pru being tired and made faces that made it seem as though he wasn't into Bailey's plan to take her trick or treating at the hospital, but nothing came from it except seeing Pru sleeping in her stroller later in the episode.     

It was a continuation of a Station 19 plot, but it seems like they are setting up conflict between Ben and Miranda. But I'm not sure why, since 1) they are one of the only stable couples in the Grey's universe and 2) the actors are now on different shows and that seems really hard to write properly. Unless they just want to do more crossovers.

Edited October 28, 2022 by KaveDweller

[MarylandGirl]

58 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I guess that is setting up Meredith to be gone most of the season.

But it seems really dumb that Zola is having anxiety/panic attacks and Meredith (a doctor) is addressing by looking for a new school and not a therapist?

This bothers me, too. I wasn't as smart as Zola apparently is, but I was in gifted and talented/honors classes in middle and high school. I also dealt (still deal with) OCD, anxiety, and depression (well, that part wasn't until later in high school). I was plenty challenged in my classes, but that did not magically alleviate my OCD and anxiety. My parents sent me to a psychiatrist for a little bit when I was 12 or so, but I really needed regular therapy. Finally getting real help as an adult!

I mean, maybe if there's some sort of school that's for gifted students that also provides regular therapy for them? But otherwise, this just seems like they're focusing on her giftedness and completely ignoring the mental health part. I'm pretty sure she wasn't having a panic attack at the sleepover because the activities weren't mentally challenging enough for her.

They have an opportunity here to spotlight the importance of getting psychological help for kids/adolescents--take advantage of it!

Edited October 28, 2022 by MarylandGirl

[ally8620000]

1 hour ago, marceline said:

Meredith almost always works my nerves but I love her relationship with Zola. "I'll pick you up anytime from anywhere. Always."

I love their relationship too but when they were on the couch all I could think was "Zola is so obviously her favorite. You never even see her mention the other kids. Ever ". I know its because the actress is older and can work more hours but it stood out to me.

[ams1001]

25 minutes ago, MarylandGirl said:

I mean, maybe if there's some sort of school that's for gifted students that also provides regular therapy for them? But otherwise, this just seems like they're focusing on her giftedness and completely ignoring the mental health part. I'm pretty sure she wasn't having a panic attack at the sleepover because the activities weren't mentally challenging enough for her.

The fact that her anxiety seems to be focused, at least in part, on Alzheimer's and fears that her mom/aunt will get it has nothing to do with her being gifted, either.

[LexieLily]

31 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

The fact that her anxiety seems to be focused, at least in part, on Alzheimer's and fears that her mom/aunt will get it has nothing to do with her being gifted, either.

It's not even the Alzheimer's, is it? Zola's father died in a horrific accident and she is (probably) the only one of her siblings that remembers him, and after her father died her mom shuttled her and Bailey away from Seattle and her "village." Her mom had long-Covid, almost died, and she and her siblings were raised by her aunts for the better part of a year. Etc. Etc. 

[ams1001]

16 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

It's not even the Alzheimer's, is it? Zola's father died in a horrific accident and she is (probably) the only one of her siblings that remembers him, and after her father died her mom shuttled her and Bailey away from Seattle and her "village." Her mom had long-Covid, almost died, and she and her siblings were raised by her aunts for the better part of a year. Etc. Etc. 

It's probably all of that, but when we first saw her have a panic attack she was giving her little presentation about Alzheimer's and said something like "my mom and my aunt are going to get it" and she also mentioned it as something she was thinking about when she couldn't sleep at the slumber party. She's had a ton of trauma related to her parents but that seems to be thing she's focused most on, at least at the moment.

[PepSinger]

Zola's storyline makes no sense. Being gifted has nothing to do with feeling anxiety over your family's mortality. Meredith can't find a school in all of Seattle for Zola to attend? Why isn't Zola in therapy? How did these entirely separate issues become conflated??

I want Owen and Teddy off my screen, but that's always the case. They need to get divorced at this point.

As someone who works in a hospital, what Griffiths said about her previous place of residency is 100% accurate. It's infuriating, and it sucks to lose good residents because of other staff members, doctors, and nurses being racist and suffering zero consequences for their behavior.

This season is the most watchable this show has been in years. Who is responsible for this?

[FnkyChkn34]

How do we know for sure that Zola is NOT in therapy?  Maybe she is and just no one has mentioned it?

Most other medical shows (at least Chicago Med and New Amsterdam) feature a psychologist as a main character.  We've never had one on Grey's except for a long time ago when Meredith went to therapy to get all whole and healed, so there's really no point to focus on anyone going to therapy.  It would bring in a new character to an already huge cast, and focus on a supporting character and not one of the main adults.  I think anything is possible.  Next week they might have a throw away line about her being in therapy since her panic attack, but I didn't hear any of them say that she definitively isn't in therapy either.

Jo and Link is still a no from me.  Not that I'm wishing for something to happen to a child character, but maybe Scout can have a crisis and Link and Amelia re-bond over something that has to do with their son?  Link and Amelia were one of the best relationships, IMO.

Does the hair and make-up department only know one men's haircut?  Owen now has the same haircut as Nick, it's just curly.  And it doesn't look great on either of them.

I guess Owen's suspension doesn't prevent him from teaching interns?  Or is that why Nick and Winston were there too?  I guess Winston was the adult in the room, since he seemed to stay the whole time.

Nick and Meredith are boring me too.  None of these relationships work, but I do agree that this season is off to a much better start in general that the recent past.  The interns have promise.

[babyrambo]

Definitely agree with all the comments about this being the most watchable season for years. Not sure what’s going on but they need to keep it up. Cohesive, interesting storytelling at Grey Sloan again, what a time lol.

I was fully prepared to dip after the first two episodes because usually that’s all I can take before things get laughably bad but I’ve actually been enjoying it. At this point, unless they pull something incredibly extra out of left field(entirely possible given that this is still greys and random, petty drama is their whole deal especially as of late)I think I might actually watch the entire season.

It helps that I don’t actually have to catch up with all the older residents to know what’s up because they’re the ones I have the least interest in. I still don’t know or care about Teddy and Owen’s troubles (as terrible as it was for Cristina, the three of them figuring their crap out was the most interesting dynamic for Teddy and Owen IMO—now it’s just. Too little too late)but it’s great because when they’re on I can break for snacks. I did catch the tail end of Teddy and Link’s convo and it seemed like there was a vibe there but idk. Better than Jo/Link in my opinion because they give me absolutely nothing on the romantic front. Or maybe that’s my bias against Jo speaking. I really couldn’t stand how she treated Stephanie and didn’t care for her and Karev so she’s always just been there, to me. 

And Meredith/Richard/Bailey are basically just old reliable at this point. Weathered but strong, you can count on them for some firm but gentle counsel in the form of a metaphor riddled speech and honestly I don’t hate it. 

Not sure about Zola’s plot though. Because is it her genius or her anxiety? I get that genius can cause anxiety but they keep honing in on her being gifted but it actually seems like her fears stem from losing her family? With Meredith’s own experiences though, I don’t get why Zola(and the rest…I wanna say there are two more? I definitely don’t remember  their names or even how they came to be though)hasn’t been in therapy since she could talk. I know it’s leading up for a(temporary?)exit for Meredith but I feel like that storyline could do with a little more finesse. But I’ll wait it out  

Like always, I am liking the newbies more and more. Simone continues to shine, although I’m still hoping they ease up on her a bit(hers and Maggie’s conversation was really well done and organic and Maggie’s response was perfect. Letting Maggie evolve past the immature, abandoned baby sister is a good idea and I hate that it’s taken them this long but I’m glad it’s happening at all. She and Winston are unexciting but for a Greys couple maybe that’s a blessing lol). They definitely need to explore the other interns a lot more and give Simone a silly episode or something before it becomes too much though. Pair her up with McNephew again and get the ball rolling on that romance. But slowly. I know Greys doesn’t do slow but they’re cute and this show needs a fresh bow romance so if they don’t rush it, they could have something there. Well. After he breaks up with his aunt(I get it’s for the drama but it’s so ridiculous. Everyone’s related or married at Grey Sloan the news of his Shepherdness would’ve hardly made a ripple.

My one complaint was that this episode wasn’t very fun for a Halloween episode—Bailey’s costume was awesome and I loved how into Halloween she was, fun!Bailey is always a fave—but I also can’t remember previous Greys Halloween episodes being all that lighthearted so maybe it tracks. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by babyrambo

[DEL901]

6 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

How do we know for sure that Zola is NOT in therapy?  Maybe she is and just no one has mentioned it?

Most other medical shows (at least Chicago Med and New Amsterdam) feature a psychologist as a main character.  We've never had one on Grey's except for a long time ago when Meredith went to therapy to get all whole and healed, so there's really no point to focus on anyone going to therapy.  It would bring in a new character to an already huge cast, and focus on a supporting character and not one of the main adults.  I think anything is possible.  Next week they might have a throw away line about her being in therapy since her panic attack, but I didn't hear any of them say that she definitively isn't in therapy either.

Jo and Link is still a no from me.  Not that I'm wishing for something to happen to a child character, but maybe Scout can have a crisis and Link and Amelia re-bond over something that has to do with their son?  Link and Amelia were one of the best relationships, IMO.

Does the hair and make-up department only know one men's haircut?  Owen now has the same haircut as Nick, it's just curly.  And it doesn't look great on either of them.

I guess Owen's suspension doesn't prevent him from teaching interns?  Or is that why Nick and Winston were there too?  I guess Winston was the adult in the room, since he seemed to stay the whole time.

Nick and Meredith are boring me too.  None of these relationships work, but I do agree that this season is off to a much better start in general that the recent past.  The interns have promise.

But there was another shrink…the one who “fixed” Owen in a single session.  Maybe then can send Zola to the same doc.  Should take about 15 minutes, tops, to solve her issues.  

[Mirabelle]

Shrink: Zola, your mother is the sun. The sun is eternal. Your mother will outlive us all.

Zola: I didn't consider that. Okay!

[iMonrey]

Quote

Quote

Who the hell is Blue? I've seen several mentions. Is this a Station 19 character?

He's the intern played by Harry Shum, Jr.  

He's listed on imdb as Benson Kwan. Have they called him Blue on the show? 

[Lady Calypso]

12 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

How do we know for sure that Zola is NOT in therapy?  Maybe she is and just no one has mentioned it?

The general thing I've taken from this show is that, although it's not anti-therapy, they don't really focus on therapy much at all unless it's for a short arc (like, very short arc, usually no more than three episodes). Station 19 handles therapy better than Grey's, since they have characters go see one therapist a couple of times a season. Grey's has probably only shown a handful of characters go to therapy, and they're not often mentioned as continuing to go to therapy. They go when there's a major crisis (ie. they are part of a traumatic event), and then never mentioned again.

It's possible Zola's in therapy, but we'll never hear about it because this show will never have much focus on therapy. Not really sure why, either. Clearly, every single character would benefit from seeing a therapist regularly but they often never do here. 

[Snow Fairy]

17 hours ago, ams1001 said:

The fact that her anxiety seems to be focused, at least in part, on Alzheimer's and fears that her mom/aunt will get it has nothing to do with her being gifted, either.

True.

And I don't see how a new school would help with that

I like this season, it has the old grey's vibe.

But I still don't like Schmitt. We saw how he started, and that's why his attitude towards the interns bugs me

[JeanJean]

29 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

The general thing I've taken from this show is that, although it's not anti-therapy, they don't really focus on therapy much at all unless it's for a short arc (like, very short arc, usually no more than three episodes). Station 19 handles therapy better than Grey's, since they have characters go see one therapist a couple of times a season. Grey's has probably only shown a handful of characters go to therapy, and they're not often mentioned as continuing to go to therapy. They go when there's a major crisis (ie. they are part of a traumatic event), and then never mentioned again.

It's possible Zola's in therapy, but we'll never hear about it because this show will never have much focus on therapy. Not really sure why, either. Clearly, every single character would benefit from seeing a therapist regularly but they often never do here. 

I think Meredith went to therapy quite a bit in one early season, when she was figuring things out about her mother. I think Amy Madigan played her therapist.

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, JeanJean said:

I think Meredith went to therapy quite a bit in one early season, when she was figuring things out about her mother. I think Amy Madigan played her therapist.

She WAS in nine episodes, true. I did just look it up, but that is the very special case where a therapy storyline lasted that long (and, by long, it was only six episodes plus three guest appearances in the next two seasons). I stand by my point that therapy isn't utilized well on this show unless it's to deal with a traumatic event or dealing with a very specific issue (that gets solved in said therapy arc).

[MarylandGirl]

I recall the Calzona marriage counseling to be really bad. Where the counselor told them to live together but not speak for 30 days, or something like that. Which seems completely absurd to me. I've been in marriage counseling, and the counselor pushed for communication, not living in silence. And it's also not generally up to the counselor to suggest a split, as I understand it, and I think this one ultimately did? Been a while since I've seen those episodes.

[statsgirl]

14 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Zola's storyline makes no sense. Being gifted has nothing to do with feeling anxiety over your family's mortality. Meredith can't find a school in all of Seattle for Zola to attend? Why isn't Zola in therapy? How did these entirely separate issues become conflated??

A couple of episodes ago someone told Meredith that gifted children who aren't challeneged become anxious so I assume that is why Meredith is looking at new schools instead of, you know, looking at what brought on Zola's panic attack i.e. talking about the loss and potential loss of her maternal figures. Most people would have taken her to a therapist for a panic attack, not changed schools possibly leading to even more anxiety.

I cannot recall a single good therapy session on this show so I assume the anti-therapy stand is coming from the top down.

On 10/27/2022 at 11:13 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Link and Jo? Meh, but just get them together so we can stop with this build-up already. It's boring me to tears.

Between Link/Jo, Meredith/Nick Maggie/Winston fighting and the always cringe-worthy Teddy/Owen,  they better come up with some good relationships for the newbies.

[Quark]

Decent episode, but I kept wondering how that kid's glasses didn't break.

[ams1001]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

He's listed on imdb as Benson Kwan. Have they called him Blue on the show? 

When they were introduced in the season premiere, he said everyone called him Blue “as in the ribbon, 'cause I always win."

[Milaxx]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:57 AM, marceline said:

Bringing Teddy and Owen back was a mistake. Their relationship has moved from dysfunctional to absolutely toxic. It's hard to believe that they were once even friends.

I haven't like their relationship since they brought her back. I mean Teddy's pregnancy was the result of Owen rebounding & flying to Germany (?) for a long distance booty call. Why she would follow him back to the states after that and then proceed to build a relationship from that is gross. I hate they the show tried to make them the measuring stick of a successful relationship for Maggie/Winston or Linc/Jo is insane.  I liked Maggie/Winston before this season and I have no idea why they didn't let Jo/Linc connect last season. 

On 10/28/2022 at 5:58 PM, KaveDweller said:

I guess that is setting up Meredith to be gone most of the season.

They definitely are but it's being done so heavy handed, that it's insufferable. Also the whole genius Zola thing makes no sense.  Especially when it's clear the main issues are more MH. I realize many extremely smart kids can also have MH issues, but the way they are writing this, they are muddling the 2.

I dunno, this week wasn't as enjoyable. It felt very heavy handed. They are clearly moving the characters around to prepare for Meredith's departure, but it's super clunky writing.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Milaxx

[marceline]

On 10/28/2022 at 8:24 PM, ams1001 said:

The fact that her anxiety seems to be focused, at least in part, on Alzheimer's and fears that her mom/aunt will get it has nothing to do with her being gifted, either.

This is why I think she'll go to Minnesota. That would be her choosing to focus full-time on curing Alzheimer's while Zola attends Wakanda High School.

[taanja]

On 10/28/2022 at 7:09 PM, ally8620000 said:

I love their relationship too but when they were on the couch all I could think was "Zola is so obviously her favorite. You never even see her mention the other kids. Ever ". I know its because the actress is older and can work more hours but it stood out to me.

I've noticed that for years!