S19.E05: When I Get to the Border

[txhorns79]

Quote

Bailey and Addison take a road trip to volunteer at a family planning center, but a patient's ectopic pregnancy leads to complications. Elsewhere, the interns play detective about Lucas' relationship with Amelia, and Meredith catches up with Jackson on a trip to Boston.

A few notes: I would watch a spin off with Addison traveling the country in her surgical transport van performing life saving abortions, while kicking ass and taking names.

I just can't with Lucas' dumb secret.  That he was actually yelling at Amelia for not doing more to go along with it, and for her not being thrilled at the idea that people think she is having sex with an intern, was just too much.  The sooner that storyline ends the better.  

As for Meredith, Zola is having anxiety ridden emotional breakdowns and she's only in therapy once a week?  And did Meredith even consider her other children before she decided to move everyone across the country?     

[funnygirl]

This is the first episode I've thoroughly enjoyed in years. 

[JeanJean]

I know some of it depends on what Meredith is given to do, but to me Ellen Pompeo seems to enjoy being on the show again. I love the scenes between Mer and Zola.

Did anyone else think Amelia was being a bitch to her nephew?

Edited November 4, 2022 by JeanJean

[txhorns79]

7 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

Did anyone else think Amelia was being a bitch to her nephew?

She was propositioned by an intern because her nephew has left people with the impression that she is sleeping with one.  She has a right to be angry over that. 

[JeanJean]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

She was propositioned by an intern because her nephew has left people with the impression that she is sleeping with one.  She has a right to be angry over that. 

I see your point. In fairness, though, she puts him in positions where people think that.

[DEL901]

6 hours ago, JeanJean said:

I know some of it depends on what Meredith is given to do, but to me Ellen Pompeo seems to enjoy being on the show again. I love the scenes between Mer and Zola.

Did anyone else think Amelia was being a bitch to her nephew?

I think she is thrilled to be counting down until her 8 episodes are up.   

And of course she’ll be moving to Boston and curing Alzheimer’s…she’s already taken care of Parkinson’s and needs a new challenge.  As for her other kids… not as important as Zola or Mer’s need for a new challenge.  Maybe she can cure Catherine too, in her spare time.  And no need to worry about Nick who moved to Seattle for her, or Amelia and Maggie.   Nephew can move in and take up the slack.  Nick too.

And yes, I didn’t like how Amelia was treating her nephew.  She didn’t respect his boundaries and SHE is the reason The interns misread the situation. 

And another ham handed PSA, the grown up equivalent of an After SchooL Special.   While I agree completely with their stance, it seems like this episode and the sex Ed one were strictly educational and I’m expecting an exam at the end of the season.  

On the plus side, no Owen or Teddie.  

[BooksRule]

The scene in the gift shop where the interns were checking their phones and rushing out after saying 'Oh, Schmitt!' made me laugh.  They made it sound like a curse.

[txhorns79]

6 hours ago, JeanJean said:

I see your point. In fairness, though, she puts him in positions where people think that. 

I view it as him putting himself in those positions.  If he didn't feel the need to lie about being related to Amelia, it wouldn't be an issue. 

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

And of course she’ll be moving to Boston and curing Alzheimer’s

Didn't they already do that storyline a few seasons ago?  Wasn't that an Alzheimer's study that Derek was doing that Meredith blew up violating the double blind structure to ensure Adele got the real treatment?

[choclatechip45]

Aw I loved Bailey & Addison together that was one of my favorite friendships back in the day!

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

And did Meredith even consider her other children before she decided to move everyone across the country?     

I was thinking the same thing. How old are the other two? Why is Zola's opinion the only one that matters?

Lucas, just tell them the truth already. This is annoying. 

[Lady Calypso]

I think both Amelia and Lucas were in the wrong about how they handled this situation. Amelia should not have been so public when talking to Lucas, as he requested, and he should have shut down the sex rumours immediately. Amelia had every right to get upset and Lucas had every right to tell his aunt that she caused this. But he does need to clean up this mess since he allowed the rumour to spread in the first place.

It was cute to see Scout with Lucas, though. He didn't do any favours by explaining the toy situation. 

Addison and Bailey's plot was definitely on the nose and a bit preachy, but well acted and also kind of needed. I felt bad for the woman who died; none of this was her choice and it was sad to see her die on the side of the road. However, still a bit too preachy, but Grey's doesn't know how to tone it down ever. 

So, Meredith is moving to Boston with her family, even though she only consulted Zola and not her other two children. I get Zola needs a stable environment where she can thrive and get the help she needs, but at least remind us about her other children and how they matter. 

So, Catherine is sick again but won't be telling everyone. Of course she's making decisions in secret without her family's input. Typical Catherine, always thinking she knows best. Yes, it's her cancer but her family deserves to know and she's always keeping things from them. 

No Owen or Teddy, hooray!

[Shellie]

I have a problem believing this woman could not find any doctor in her part of Idaho who would terminate an ectopic pregnancy. Her own doctor wouldn't, but surely there are others because technically doing so is not illegal there. The law says abortions are allowed to save the woman's life. 

I'm also confused about where they were going when the highway traffic got jammed up. I was thinking they could bring the woman back to Pullman, but that's only like 10 miles.

[txhorns79]

3 minutes ago, Shellie said:

I have a problem believing this woman could not find any doctor in her part of Idaho who would terminate an ectopic pregnancy. Her own doctor wouldn't, but surely there are others because technically doing so is not illegal there. The law says abortions are allowed to save the woman's life.

I can't speak as to Idaho, but there have been stories about women who have needed abortions because of problems with the pregnancy, but they were made to wait by hospitals and/or doctors because the new laws concerning abortion were vague and people were scared about criminal liability. 

[readster]

2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I view it as him putting himself in those positions.  If he didn't feel the need to lie about being related to Amelia, it wouldn't be an issue. 

I agree, its all him, even Addison was confused why he acted the way towards her until she realized he didn't want anyone to know about it. Yes, Amelia was being bitchy, but after everything that happened with the Interns. I be like: "Look! NEPHEW! By the end of the day you better tell your friends this is all made up and if they still don't believe you. I'm calling them all up here I'm telling them YOU ARE MY NEPHEW! Then I'm telling them I'm in a relationship with a non-binary woman and going to then  tell them that Dr. Lincoln is the father of our child and that it didn't work out between us. Then shut up and start being doctors!

Edited November 4, 2022 by readster
missing words.

[iMonrey]

I get that maybe Lucas didn't want the other interns to know Amelia was his aunt, but letting them believe they're sleeping together isn't a better option. Either way they think he's getting special treatment because of his relationship with Amelia. When they first started to notice something between the two of them he could have just said she was an old family friend or something if he didn't want to them to know they were related.

Quote

And another ham handed PSA, the grown up equivalent of an After SchooL Special. 

{sigh} On the one hand I see the need and the relevance for this sort of story. On the other hand it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. They could just do the case without the doctors going into long-winded, expository dialogue that sounds like it was written by a campaign manager. Show, don't tell.

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, readster said:

By the end of the day you better tell your friends 

Yeah, why is she even giving him three days?

[Milaxx]

3 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Didn't they already do that storyline a few seasons ago?  Wasn't that an Alzheimer's study that Derek was doing that Meredith blew up violating the double blind structure to ensure Adele got the real treatment?

My memory fails me, but wouldn't that taint her credibility on working on any Alzheimer related study? I mean, I know Grey's isn't anything close to real life, but they couldn't find a better excuse for EP to exit the show?

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I was thinking the same thing. How old are the other two? Why is Zola's opinion the only one that matters?

Ellis is pretty young, but IIRC Bailey is maybe a year or 2 younger than Zola. 

Anyway, the entire story arc developed for EP's exit is just sloppy. Just go already.

I did enjoy Bailey & Addison. As heavy handed as the storyline was, I didn't mind it. It's reality for far too many people with uterus now. 

HATE revisiting the Catherine hiding her medical issues from her family storyline again.

Also hating the Lucas/Amelia storyline. Unless he was going to be completely no contact with his family, he should have tried to match elsewhere. So Amelia is wrong and so is Lucas. It's just dumb all all-round. Some clean and deal with the nepotism accusations.

Best part of this episode was no Owen & Teddy.

[bybrandy]

Ham handed?  Sure.  But everybody I know in real life in the medical community is pretty much beating the drum with this much urgency.   People who can be come pregnant are going to die because of this ruling.   Full stop.  End story.  

I see how Lucas doesn't want people to think he's getting things because he's a Shepherd.   What I don't get is how people thinking he's getting things for sex is better.   

I wish Catherine was being honest with Jackson and Richard but I think it is well within her rights to decide she's done with treatment.  

I like seeing Jackson.  Wish we got to see April.   

I feel bad for Bailey and Ellis less because they aren't being consulted because Ellis probably only remembers being raised by Maggie and Amelia and now they are going to be removed from the only stability they've had.  And I don't mind them moving because it is what is best for Zola an aknoweldgement that it is costing the others something feels right... but then I'm only assuming Meredith plans to bring the younger kids, lol.

[MrWhyt]

44 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

{sigh} On the one hand I see the need and the relevance for this sort of story. On the other hand it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Subtly is overrated, sometimes a sledgehammer is needed,

Quote

. The law says abortions are allowed to save the woman's life. 

at what point is the woman's life in danger? when the ectopic pregnancy is detected? or when it has ruptured and she's bleeding? as mentioned the various bans are vague and doctors don't want to face criminal charges.

edit: there is a difference between "the health of the mother is in danger" and "the life of the mother is in danger" I believe some bans allow abortion for the latter but not the former. The ectopic pregnancy was unhealthy but it didn't start threatening the life of the mother until it actually ruptured.

Edited November 4, 2022 by MrWhyt

[DEL901]

10 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

at what point is the woman's life in danger? when the ectopic pregnancy is detected? or when it has ruptured and she's bleeding? as mentioned the various bans are vague and doctors don't want to face criminal charges.

Exactly, so many of those lawmakers didn’t know or x

care about the consequences…remember that guy from a few years ago that wrote the law that an ectopic pregnancy had to be reimplanted in the uterus?   When the impossibility of this was pointed out to him, he plead ignorance…insert eye roll here.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I’m guessing that this episode wrote out Addison along with Meredith. 
 

re: Lucas and Amelia, I’m surprised his mother hasn’t shown up yet to check on him. Her trouble-prone son is working alongside her “train wreck” sister. Unless she’s washed her hands of him, I would have expected a helicopter mom to show up just to make sure he hasn’t screwed up. 

[izabella]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I get that maybe Lucas didn't want the other interns to know Amelia was his aunt, but letting them believe they're sleeping together isn't a better option. Either way they think he's getting special treatment because of his relationship with Amelia. When they first started to notice something between the two of them he could have just said she was an old family friend or something if he didn't want to them to know they were related.

This.  And it damages Amelia's reputation as a doctor and teacher.  If a resentful intern goes to HR and says they are getting scut work because Amelia favors her lover or something, it could damage the hospital's intern program...which is on probation, isn't it?

1 hour ago, Milaxx said:

Also hating the Lucas/Amelia storyline. Unless he was going to be completely no contact with his family, he should have tried to match elsewhere.

Isn't this crop of interns composed of med students who didn't match anywhere else?  Which is why they were available for the hospital  to hire them after having its program shut down?  Instead of worrying about others thinking he gets favorable treatment because of his family, he should be grateful to have an internship position at all.

[Milaxx]

33 minutes ago, StaceyNotStacie said:

I’m guessing that this episode wrote out Addison along with Meredith. 
 

re: Lucas and Amelia, I’m surprised his mother hasn’t shown up yet to check on him. Her trouble-prone son is working alongside her “train wreck” sister. Unless she’s washed her hands of him, I would have expected a helicopter mom to show up just to make sure he hasn’t screwed up. 

I got the impression the Addison story arc is still up in the air. If the rumors of Kate Walsh rejoining and not just guest starring are true, I think they are trying to figure out a way to bring her back.

23 minutes ago, izabella said:

This.  And it damages Amelia's reputation as a doctor and teacher.  If a resentful intern goes to HR and says they are getting scut work because Amelia favors her lover or something, it could damage the hospital's intern program...which is on probation, isn't it?

Isn't this crop of interns composed of med students who didn't match anywhere else?  Which is why they were available for the hospital  to hire them after having its program shut down?  Instead of worrying about others thinking he gets favorable treatment because of his family, he should be grateful to have an internship position at all.

Oh yeah, that's right. This is the misfit match class. That just makes the whole secret nephew story even dumber. You bring on the misfit who is related to the chef and 1 of the surgeons, but want to keep it secret? Was everyone tripping on shrooms or something? What sane person would think that would work?

[LexieLily]

Isn't Boston where Derek wanted them to move before the plane crash?

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

12 hours ago, JeanJean said:

I see your point. In fairness, though, she puts him in positions where people think that.

Lucas is wrong to not correct people when they assume he's sleeping with her. He's not even thinking about the repercussions of that on Amelia with the sexual harassment stuff and so on, and I actually think it's bizarre that someone his age isn't more cognizant of that.

However, Lucas has set this clear boundary that Amelia just doesn't respect ever, which is also annoying. He's explained countless times when he feels as he does, but she still pushes it with some of the weird auntie stuff that she does and the thing with Scout was just ridiculous.. she claimed she would have a trusted intern do the same thing but she doesn't, she only has him do stuff. Like she's been around that hospital long enough to know what on-call rooms imply. They're at a hospital. There's no reason for daycare staff members to contact Lucas, a doctor  and a newbie for a change of clothes for the kid. 

Lucas is definitely wrong, but Amelia has made this situation much harder than it had to be and hasn't listened to or respected what he was saying. And the worse part is that she gets it better than anyone.

They both annoyed me for how they've been handling things. 

[babyrambo]

This episode took the secret nephew thing from silly to irritating. I get his initial reason for not wanting his family name out there and Amelia hovering certainly didn’t help, but yikes. 

- “They think I’m dating my nephew!”

- “Not dating, just sleeping together!”

Can’t lie, I laughed. But more in disbelief. Like there’s no way he’s this shortsighted and obtuse.

Amelia even giving him 3 days to come clean was pretty gracious because at the end of the day, the rumour taking off is on him. Had it been my reputation on the line I wouldn’t give him three minutes, let alone three days. I like McNephew a lot though, he’s well intentioned and nice, if little dim. Just needs to wisen up. 

And they explained the Zola thing a little better in this episode. Although, why they couldn’t have done that about two episodes ago escapes me. It’s a little funny how obvious it is that Zola is the only grey-baby that matters, though. Makes me wonder why they bothered giving Meredith so many kids. Not that I’m complaining. Kid storylines are always overly precious or pretty boring, imo, so this is a nice middle ground. And while the other two are young enough that moving won’t affect them too badly, it’s still a lot. 

Meredith being on her way out and this episode ending as it did makes it seem like they’re slowly reintroducing Addison back as a main and I’m into it. I loved seeing her and Bailey team up (their friendship used to be really delightful in the early seasons) and them being the ones to handle the abortion storyline was interesting, both actresses were really solid, especially in that scene were they tried to save the woman. Sure, they didn’t hold back with the monologues but I didn’t find the overall tone or topic heavy handed at all. I’ve definitely had near identical conversations with friends over the few months; it’s just reality.

I did miss seeing the interns though. Still holding out hope that they’re phasing out some of the attendants and lining up the newbies to take their places. It’s way more interesting watching them learn and come into their own, rather than having Teddy and Owen’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Marriage stuffed down my throat for the nth time  

 

[mammaM]

Addison and Bailey driving around kicking ass in that OR on wheels. 

Its the show I never knew I needed

[LittlePeas3]

I was so excited to see Jackson and to see Tom, and then there was Catherine and the whole episode was tainted for me.  This episode would have been good without her.  Boston was ruined with her there.  Despite this, I love watching Meredith and Jackson together.  They only ever had rare scenes together.  They're good.  Jackson seems in his element there. I can see a spin off with Meredith, Jackson, April and Tom.  Ideally no Catherine - she can go to Seattle and look after Grey-Sloan.

They've definitely dragged the Lucas is a Sheppard though.  It should have been resolved a couple of weeks ago.  It is now becoming stupid.  Even though Amelia's reaction was very funny.  This wouldn't have happened if Meredith hadn't made Amelia his mentor.  

This episode was full of spin off ideas - and Bailey Addison with the PRT too. That whole arc was another Grey's PSA if ever there was one. 

Did anyone notice there wasn't a single surgery this episode?  Just lots of storylines.  No Maggie and Winston, no Schmidt (thank goodness), no Teddy and Owen.  

[Milaxx]

1 hour ago, babyrambo said:

And they explained the Zola thing a little better in this episode. Although, why they couldn’t have done that about two episodes ago escapes me. It’s a little funny how obvious it is that Zola is the only grey-baby that matters, though. Makes me wonder why they bothered giving Meredith so many kids. Not that I’m complaining. Kid storylines are always overly precious or pretty boring, imo, so this is a nice middle ground. And while the other two are young enough that moving won’t affect them too badly, it’s still a lot. 

 

IIRC Bailey was due to having to write around EP's real life pregnancy. No clue why they thought Ellis was necessary.

[funnygirl]

34 minutes ago, Milaxx said:

IIRC Bailey was due to having to write around EP's real life pregnancy. No clue why they thought Ellis was necessary.

Probably to smooth over the fact that they (unnecessarily, IMO) killed off Derek. Little Ellis is a consolation prize. 

I like that Meredith is moving to Boston to work on curing Alzheimer's - it's a nice call back to when Derek had an offer from Harvard and he said he wanted to cure Alzheimer's. Things have come full circle. 
Zola's well being is the priority, and now she gets to thrive in a new environment and Meredith has a great opportunity. The family wins. Little Derek Bailey and Ellis will adapt. 

Bonus: Meredith gets to work with Jackson, April, and Koracick again. And Callie and Arizona are close by in NYC. 

I hope this setup for Meredith's exit sticks, though if it does, I'm curious to see what will bring her back (if Ellen decides to come back)... Unless it is as simple as Meredith making visits from time to time, but it feels like at the very least the days of Meredith Grey being present in every episode (voice overs aside) will be over. 

I could care less about Lucas hiding the fact that he's a Shepherd. The whole plot is dumb. All of these residents were picked from the bottom of the barrel, so it's not like his family name gave him any more favor over his peers. JMO

I've always loved Addison and Miranda's friendship and I really enjoyed them working together. I don't know how much or often Kate Walsh will be available being that she basically lives in Australia now, but I hope to see more of them together in the future working on women's reproductive health. 

It was great to see Jackson and Tom again. Jesse Williams did a great job directing.  

[LexieLily]

8 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Lucas, just tell them the truth already. This is annoying. 

At least one of the interns already knows the truth. The week before last when Simone's grandmother showed up at the hospital and Lucas hung out with her, Simone said she looked up Lucas and knew he was a Shepherd. They agreed to keep each others secrets. So I don't get what the big deal is about.

I'd been thinking about it since last night after reading yours and all of the comments about Meredith doing this move without consulting her youngest children and how Zola is the favorite Grey-Shepherd child, and part of me wondered if it doesn't go back to Derek. Derek was the one who had the initial connection with Baby Zola and brought to the table the idea of adoption. Zola was the impetus for Meredith/Derek to go to the courthouse and make their marriage legal. Bailey was a toddler at best when Derek died in the accident and Meredith didn't learn about Ellis until after Derek was dead. Zola is the only one of their three kids that Meredith/Derek raised together; just like Zola is the only kid that has significant memories of her father, Meredith has memories of Derek-as-a-father mainly via Zola. Whether subconsciously or consciously, I wonder if that plays any part in Zola's seemingly-favored status.

Maggie and Amelia aren't going to pack up and move to Boston with her. Who's going to babysit for Meredith now or pick up the kids at school and daycare? Catherine Avery? April? (Is Richard doing half-time in Seattle/half Boston?)

Edited November 4, 2022 by LexieLily

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Maggie and Amelia aren't going to pack up and move to Boston with her. Who's going to babysit for Meredith now or pick up the kids at school and daycare? Catherine Avery? April? (Is Richard doing half-time in Seattle/half Boston?)

Maybe she'll actually have to hire someone. (I feel like there have been references to an unseen nanny or something but I'm not sure.)

Is Nick going to stay in Seattle? He moved there for Mer and now she's leaving..?

[StaceyNotStacie]

37 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

least one of the interns already knows the truth. The week before last when Simone's grandmother showed up at the hospital and Lucas hung out with her, Simone said she looked up Lucas and knew he was a Shepherd. They agreed to keep each others secrets. So I don't get what the big deal is about.

If Griffiths knew that he was related to Amelia by looking him up, why haven’t the others bothered to do the same. You’d think that in today’s day and age that the interns would be checking each other out online or on social media to scope out the competition. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by StaceyNotStacie

[FnkyChkn34]

7 hours ago, Shellie said:

I have a problem believing this woman could not find any doctor in her part of Idaho who would terminate an ectopic pregnancy. Her own doctor wouldn't, but surely there are others because technically doing so is not illegal there. The law says abortions are allowed to save the woman's life. 

I'm also confused about where they were going when the highway traffic got jammed up. I was thinking they could bring the woman back to Pullman, but that's only like 10 miles.

Not necessarily.  A 10-year-old rape victim had to drive to Indiana to get an abortion because she couldn't get one in Ohio.  The new/old laws are so messed up that I can't even type this without getting angry... 

7 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I can't speak as to Idaho, but there have been stories about women who have needed abortions because of problems with the pregnancy, but they were made to wait by hospitals and/or doctors because the new laws concerning abortion were vague and people were scared about criminal liability. 

Exactly.  States have passed some very disturbing laws.  Being made to wait is the mildest of the stories now.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'd been thinking about it since last night after reading yours and all of the comments about Meredith doing this move without consulting her youngest children

I don't want to get all high-horsey about children being snowflakes these days, but when I was growing up we moved around the country a lot due to my father's job, and we didn't have any say in it whatsoever. And we lived with it. I don't believe a grown adult should make life decisions based on what their five year old wants.

[KaveDweller]

10 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I was thinking the same thing. How old are the other two? Why is Zola's opinion the only one that matters?

Lucas, just tell them the truth already. This is annoying. 

Meredith may have asked the other kids what they, but they didn't show it because it wasn't important enough. Plus, they are really young and will be impacted less than Zola.

8 hours ago, Shellie said:

I have a problem believing this woman could not find any doctor in her part of Idaho who would terminate an ectopic pregnancy. Her own doctor wouldn't, but surely there are others because technically doing so is not illegal there. The law says abortions are allowed to save the woman's life. 

I'm also confused about where they were going when the highway traffic got jammed up. I was thinking they could bring the woman back to Pullman, but that's only like 10 miles.

They said the woman was from Moscow, Idaho, which I looked up and it is right over the border from Washington. It probably was easier to drive there then try and track down another doctor who may not do it.

I am not sure where the clinic was though. It was far from Seattle, but I don't know if it was so far it made sense for that to be the location she picked. 

[SoMuchTV]

Well, I was all set for the blue lights and sirens to come on as Bailey and Addison crossed the state border, followed by a few days in jail and extended legal issues for them, plus the poor patient dying of complications, so I guess I was relieved that we only got the death of the mother…?

[Shellie]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Not necessarily.  A 10-year-old rape victim had to drive to Indiana to get an abortion because she couldn't get one in Ohio.  The new/old laws are so messed up that I can't even type this without getting angry... 

That's different than someone's life inevitably being in danger from an ectopic pregnancy. I must admit it's mind-boggling to think that legislators believe doctors should wait until the life actually is in danger rather than prevent that from occurring beforehand. The doctors know what's going to happen. 

Just to clarify, I am totally pro-choice and think it's outrageous that a 10-year-old rape victim has to go out of state for an abortion.

[DEL901]

11 minutes ago, Shellie said:

That's different than someone's life inevitably being in danger from an ectopic pregnancy. I must admit it's mind-boggling to think that legislators believe doctors should wait until the life actually is in danger rather than prevent that from occurring beforehand. The doctors know what's going to happen. 

Just to clarify, I am totally pro-choice and think it's outrageous that a 10-year-old rape victim has to go out of state for an abortion.

The doctors know, but they wait due to the way the laws are written…even if the threat to life is inevitable, they can’t take action until it becomes a life or death situation.   There have been news stories about women in this situation, not all of whom have survived.  

[izabella]

15 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

The doctors know, but they wait due to the way the laws are written…even if the threat to life is inevitable, they can’t take action until it becomes a life or death situation.   There have been news stories about women in this situation, not all of whom have survived.  

And for the ones that do survive, often have to live with more drastic outcomes, like losing a Fallopian tube or ending up with an entire hysterectomy.

[ams1001]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

At least one of the interns already knows the truth. The week before last when Simone's grandmother showed up at the hospital and Lucas hung out with her, Simone said she looked up Lucas and knew he was a Shepherd. They agreed to keep each others secrets. So I don't get what the big deal is about.

I know; I almost mentioned that. I know she said she wouldn't tell anyone, but has she tried at all to at least tell the others they're not sleeping together? (Though I guess then they'd want to know how she knows..)

2 hours ago, StaceyNotStacie said:

If Griffiths knew that he was related to Amelia by looking him up, why haven’t the others bothered to do the same. You’d think that in today’s day and age that the interns would be checking each other out online or on social media to scope out the competition. 

Yeah, kind of unrealistic in this day and age. 

5 minutes ago, izabella said:

And for the ones that do survive, often have to live with more drastic outcomes, like losing a Fallopian tube or ending up with an entire hysterectomy.

Never mind the massive medical bills they could have avoided.

[PepSinger]

I work in an OB/GYN department, and I am here to tell you that there was nothing unrealistic about Addison and Bailey’s dialogue. That screaming monologue that Addison gave is pretty much how some doctors reacted behind the closed doors of their offices. I will always remember that day. Even though this show is long in the tooth, there are still plenty of people who watch it versus watching the news, and if one person learned something new or had their mind changed, then this episode was worth it. Especially when Miranda was talking about her incomplete miscarriage and explicitly said a the treatment for an incomplete miscarriage (D & C) is the same for an abortion (D & C). To me, the scene with the mother dying talking about all of the things that she didn’t want to miss about her daughter’s life was heartbreaking and depressing because I know that *will* happen in real life. That little girl, the mother, and her husband all deserved better. And you know what? Her fetus is still dead at the end of the day, so no one’s life was saved. Flames, flames on the side of my face.

As for the rest of the episode…

I am fully team Amelia in this stupid plot to not have anyone know that Lucas is her nephew. Hell, like others said previously, I don’t know why she’s even giving him three days to tell the truth. If it were me, he’d have three minutes. He’s too old to be that stupid about the implications of an attending sleeping with a subordinate.

I really liked the Boston scenes, except for Catherine choosing to lie to her family about her illness. That’s not fair to them, and I would really resent the hell out of her once I found out, even if that was after she’d died.

Overall, good episode. It gets an A- for having no Teddy or Owen.

[nokat]

20 hours ago, iMonrey said:

{sigh} On the one hand I see the need and the relevance for this sort of story. On the other hand it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. They could just do the case without the doctors going into long-winded, expository dialogue that sounds like it was written by a campaign manager. Show, don't tell.

I'm of two minds about this. Some people need the sledgehammer, because if you're so focused on one thing (the fetus) you don't care about the pregnant woman.  Then I think people who think a certain way, will not change their minds, and those of us like me who think what is happening is horrific, I already know what damage will be done, and people with no medical training have no reason to be part of the discussion.

So probably the sledgehammer won't change minds, and believe me, I want to go on those tirades that Addison had.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, nokat said:

 and believe me, I want to go on those tirades that Addison had.

I have...but I don't have an audience. I expect sledgehammers from this show at this point, anyway.

[nokat]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I have...but I don't have an audience. I expect sledgehammers from this show at this point, anyway.

I've seen this topic on more than one show. I had to delete one as I was getting so angry. It's not just Grey's that is using the hammer, but they use medical things out of headlines. This is what is happening and scaring people, so it is appropriate to address it.

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, nokat said:

but they use medical things out of headlines.

They're the Law & Order of the medical drama. "Ripped from the headlines!" (Though I guess most shows do that to some extent, at least if they're set in the current day.)

[Shellie]

13 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Even though this show is long in the tooth, there are still plenty of people who watch it versus watching the news, and if one person learned something new or had their mind changed, then this episode was worth it.

I was thinking that even if nobody changes their mind, maybe this episode will convince some additional people to go vote for women's health rights next week.

[sashayshante]

On 11/4/2022 at 6:39 AM, DEL901 said:

And another ham handed PSA, the grown up equivalent of an After SchooL Special.

Absolutely. The dialogue came right out of a brochure.  When Shona Rhimes had Olivia Pope get an abortion it was incredibly powerful BECAUSE of the lack of dialogue surrounding it. Grey's writers always over do it 

Ryan Murphy doesn't does a lot of things wrong but one thing he does well is work the struggles and oppression of the gay community into his stories without hammering you over the head.

[DEL901]

Miranda told Addison that southern Illinois was the place she could do the most good, and offered her the mobile surgical vehicle….

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/us/planned-parenthood-illinois-mobile-abortion-clinic/index.html

[FnkyChkn34]

23 hours ago, Shellie said:

That's different than someone's life inevitably being in danger from an ectopic pregnancy. I must admit it's mind-boggling to think that legislators believe doctors should wait until the life actually is in danger rather than prevent that from occurring beforehand. The doctors know what's going to happen. 

Just to clarify, I am totally pro-choice and think it's outrageous that a 10-year-old rape victim has to go out of state for an abortion.

It's not that different, though.  Can the average 10 year old really carry a pregnancy to term?  I'm going to guess no... it was definitely a threat to her life; a definite threat to her health at the very least.  

But either way, it's still an example of these extremist laws - no exceptions, whatsoever.  It's maddening.  I'm not only pro-choice, but I'm also pro-it's none of anyone else's business.  Each woman/person needs to do what she/they need to do.  Other people (meaning politicians and the religious type that think that everyone else needs to agree with them and/or be controlled by them) need to butt out.  Keep religion out of politics, please.