S12.E05: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

[ElectricBoogaloo]

In the midst of the sisters’ dinner party, Maggie ditches her cooking duties to rush to the hospital. Meanwhile, April steps in to help cook as an attempt to avoid Jackson, and Arizona nervously waits to find out more about Callie’s new girlfriend.

 

Promo:

[BizBuzz]

OMG

 

I am beyond words, I will have to come back after I let this set for awhile.  I will say ... this episode was amazing.  Well done.

[Chicken Wing]

Whyyyyyyy???? Why was this episode so good?? And where is Ellen Pompeo's Emmy?

 

(Not liking Penny getting re-matched to Grey Sloan, though, and Meredith giving her the okay to stay with it in the end. This whole turn of events is veering into contrived territory.)

[Daisy]

This  was really good...... 

but i don't understand why they played "waterfalls".  it didn't really seem to fit the mood. 

 

Meredith screaming that it wasn't about Amelia and to get her out, or she'd kill her. I may or may not have shouted at Owen when he moved her out of the room. 

[cooper16]

I can't stand Penny, i wish this was the only episode she was in. I was so hoping Meredith would keep walking up those stairs while Penny was talking

Edited October 23, 2015 by ppp38

[curlygirl]

I have to say that I really felt bad for Perfect Penny. Talk about a shitty night. She was probably all nervous about meeting her girlfriend's large group of friends and then she comes face to face with a reminder of the worst day of her life and how she messed up.

 

I really liked April in this episode. She didn't hound Jackson about their marriage, she made dinner when everyone else was flailing their limbs in helplessness about what to eat, and she empathized with Penny.

 

Amelia is so horrible. I'm so glad that Meredith tore her a new one and even Owen called her on her bullshit.

Edited October 23, 2015 by curlygirl

[represent]

 

I have to say that I really felt bad for Perfect Penny.

So did, I. I really like "Perfect" Penny, that's all I got from this episode. 

 

Oh and Arizona was hilarious.

[BaseOps]

Fantastic episode. Great acting, well paced, it was tense, funny, interesting, full of great character moments. 

 

I loved Meredith telling Amelia off. Ellen was amazing in that scene and in every other scene. Meredith has been my voice of reason this season; I still can't stand Amelia. I didn't hate her tonight, only because her over-dramatics made for some great moments for once (Callie smashing the table to silence her!) I also thought her scene with Owen was weird.. of all the things they could have had him say... he felt relief when he thought the plane crashed? Uhm... 

 

I loved all the Alex / Meredith stuff. I wondered if maybe they were gonna hook up in that bedroom scene. And speaking of rooms... since when did Amelia smashing the wall turn into an ENTIRE home renovation? The entrance is totally different, too. Where the hell are the kids??

 

Maggie and DeLuca are fun because it's light, but there's nothing over-interesting about them yet... I don't mind Cross, I even think he's sort of funny, but they need to find something to do with him or just drop him. Drunk Arizona is always amusing and she had some really funny lines tonight.

 

I liked how they dealt with the Penny reveal overall... but I'm not happy about Penny becoming a GSM resident. This was the 250th episode and two regular cast members weren't even present. We DON'T need more characters. Focusing on Penny means taking away from everyone else, and there are already characters missing every week. We're going to be looking at a handful of characters who get no storyline at all. While I'm enjoying this season so far, with this many stories, it's going to end up the same as last season - no focus, uneven arcs, sidelined characters... Why was Ben made a regular? Why add Henderson when Shonda already planned to add Penny + these interns? It makes no sense to me. I hope this isn't a long-term arc, but I can't see them adding her if it wasn't. 

 

Edited to add: I forgot all about Jo even being in this episode because, despite being on the show for years now, she's still only used as a prop. It's why I still don't care about her being with Alex. I don't hate or love her character, but Shonda is using her suddenly to prop up Stef. This story just seems so random, and Jo is getting shit on. Alex just ignores her and it's funny? Their relationship is a joke. 

Edited October 23, 2015 by BaseOps

[SoapDoc]

 

Whyyyyyyy???? Why was this episode so good?? And where is Ellen Pompeo's Emmy?

 

I totally agree. I always record Grey's but I wanted to watch this live. And my husband kept trying to change the station -- not today! This was a really good episode and Ellen brought everything today. I even felt sorry for Penny -- I think the actress did a really good job of portraying whose remorse was just oozing out of every pore.

 

Well done show.

[Artymouse]

My stupid phone keeps eating my post, so I hope third time is the charm.

I loved this episode; it was riveting. Loved seeing the Mer/Alex friendship, thought the acting was stellar and writing was very good. I'll probably rewatch before the weekend is over.

I loved the Jackson-Callie moment and Mer's explosion at Amelia.

But I still don't like Amelia, and I found Maggie even more irritating than usual. What cardiothoracic surgeon babbles like a sugar-crazed 12-year-old?

And I hated Penny the character and thought the actress wasn't very convincing.

But overall, best episode in past couple of seasons, or possibly tied for best with the recent Alex-centric one.

[pennben]

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD...this episode was awesome.

 

Yeah, that's right Mer, you shame the shit out of Amelia acting like she's the one who lost everything because her brother died and then, once again, tried to lay it at your feet......You go in, I got your back, I'll hold your gold!

 

And Owen, who when you learned about Christina in the plane crash and were relieved....well, sit your ass down and allow my bus to roll over your sorry ass and allow me the pleasure of running right over Amelia who you are currently assaulting by kissing. Honestly, you wished Christina dead and now you are supposed the be a romantic lead.  Stand behind Penny, because Meredith will have none of that. You think she's mad at Penny?  Tell Meredith to her face you had a moment where you were happy when you thought Christina died.

Edited October 23, 2015 by pennben

[Amelie06]

The episode was just ok for me. Parts of it were excellent, parts were annoying. All the machinations to keep Penny at the party were ridiculous. Penny is an adult. She could have just gotten up and left at any time. She could have insisted that all of the fools talking over her shut up so she could explain that she had to leave immediately.

 

I hate Amelia. Hate. I seem to have an aversion to the actress. But I felt for her in this episode. She was being fairly insufferable, but she had the right to be upset. Meredith knew it would be problem for Penny's connection to Derek's death to come out. Of course Amelia was going to have a strong and horrified reaction. Why does husband trump brother? Why does Meredith get to say, "well he was my husband. so you don't get to talk or to be upset. We fucked and could get divorced at any time. So that clearly trumps brother on every possible level"? Why does one get to be more devastated than the other? I didn't really like Meredith's actions in this episode. And shutting the door in Callie's face? Derek didn't die two days ago. He died a year and some change ago. We've all been through terrible grief, you hopefully get to a point after a year where you don't wantonly trample over those close to you in your despair.

 

I basically didn't pay attention to Maggie and her hot intern. Are they always going to be the comic relief couple? And dammit, if Maggie knows she's prone to UTIs, she needs to be taking reasonable precautions after sex.

 

I didn't want to punch April in the face this episode. Success.

 

Jackson seems to be wavering on the April front. I need him to be strong. She's a terrible wife who only thinks of herself.

 

The writers are really trying to make Cross happen.

 

I loved Stephanie's incisive deconstruction of Jo. She took her down! Right when Jo was lulled in a sense of sisterhood. I didn't have an issue with anything she said. All the evidence put before us is that Stephanie is smart and works her ass off. Jo bitches to her boyfriend and looks annoyed all the time. Instead of recognizing and respecting that Stephanie is just better than her, she's spinning her wheels. That's unfortunate because the only way to catch up to people who are better than you at something is to acknowledge it and then use it to work harder.

[Fallacy]

I didn't love the episode because I hate that Derek is dead.

[Chicken Wing]

I didn't love the episode because I hate that Derek is dead.

But this episode was all about people hating that Derek is dead, so that should have been a 10. :)

[pennben]

 

The writers are really trying to make Cross happen.

 

I have no idea who Cross is.

 

 

I loved Stephanie's incisive deconstruction of Jo. She took her down!

 

I thought Stehpanie lost her damn mind in that last bit with Jo. We'll have to see where it goes.

[missbonnie]

I personally am hoping that somewhere down the line Meredith ends up with Alex. Jo is as useful as a potted plant 90% of the time.

[manbearpig]

Meredith's death glare while making those drinks justifies her Medusa nickname, finally. Ellen Pompeo was excellent all episode. The way the tension built until Meredith melodramatically revealed that Penny contributed to Derek's death was so well done. Awful that Meredith and Amelia kept calling Penny a killer, but it made for great television. I think bringing Penny in to work at the hospital is a bit much, though.

 

Arizona was hilarious. Her inappropriate crush on her ex-wife's girlfriend was killing me, and I loved how April kept swiping Arizona's wineglasses. Love the Az/April friendship. Liked that it was a mostly cover-free episode, until the end, but I actually enjoyed hearing Waterfalls. That song popped up on Scream Queens a few weeks back, too. 

 

I liked Stephanie's speech to Jo, and I feel like they could finally have an interesting dynamic. Maggie's initial freak out about potentially having an STD was hilarious but it was a little jarring flipping between the hospital and the house, though, because I was far more interested in the dinner from hell. 

[Free]

(Not liking Penny getting re-matched to Grey Sloan, though, and Meredith giving her the okay to stay with it in the end. This whole turn of events is veering into contrived territory.)

 

It's for the drama, at the very least it'll be more interesting than some of the newbies.

[TVAddict]

Wow!  I'm jumping on this episode's bandwagon.  There were several kinds of awesome.  But most of that has already been hit on by previous posters.  One thing that deserves to be highlighted is this:  How hard was SaRa rocking that purple dress?  Yowza!

[Greysaddict]

well it was soapy and contrived but I loved almost every second of this episode!!  I thought every character really got a chance for something interesting/meaty to play even if it was just a few scenes/lines.  Love love Arizona and April, Jcap and Sarah are great together.  Loved the Meredith and Alex scene in the bedroom but also the rest of their scenes.  Actually Ellen was just all around fantastic in everything this episode.  

 

One of my favorite things about this episode was the non verbal acting.  The looks that Ellen, Sarah, Caterina and Jessica were giving were really really key.  

 

I didn't like the Owen/Amelia scene at all.  WTF was that about the plane crash and Cristina??  I'm not saying he should never mention Cristina to Amelia bc they both obviously have a ton of baggage, but 1) why does Owen always make the plane crash about him and 2) since when was he "relieved' that Cristina could have died.  UGH

 

I also didn't like the Maggie/DeLuca stuff.  I get they were supposed to be comic relief but it fell flat to me.  Who runs to the ER for a UTI??  

 

Webber was strangely absent from this dinner party which was strange to me.  I know it wasn't really "promoted" as special 250th episode but why have an original character absent for such a milestone episode?  its not like he wouldn't have fit in there.

 

Not really feeling the Penny coming to GSMH as a resident.  I didn't really understand her reasoning to Callie of why she didn't mention being involved in Derek's case.  Her claim "its a big hosptial I didn't think you knew him" was crap.  Anyway, I hope her stint is short term.  Last thing this show needs is another regular character.    

 

Oh forgot to add, Arizona getting along with Penny and having so much in common with her was kind of funny to me.  The hardcore calzona shippers will hate it, but Jcap really played it well.  

Edited October 23, 2015 by Greysaddict

[FuriousStyles]

So for anyone still in love with Cristina&Owen, was that like Shonda saying fuck you to that pairing? Because, having Owen say he wished Cristina was dead, while she was in the middle of a life or death (and statistically speaking mostly death) incident and not when he's just mad at her and being facetious was really hardcore terrible. I mean, how does a pairing come back from that realistically? And of course im just speaking in general terms, because its not like Cristina is coming back.

Im so glad Meredith finally put Penny out of her misery and laid everything out on the table. It honestly felt more torturous watching Penny beat around tbe bush about where she worked and all that, than when she had to give a step by step recount of what happened to Derek.

But just when I do start to feel sorry for her, I remember that this idiot put herself in that situation. At first I thought well, maybe she didnt know Callie worked at the same hospital as Derek and Meredith (a stretch, I know) but then when Bailey said she was a new resident having applied for a position, I was like waaaahhh? This chick has some nerve. Like of all the hospitals in the state you go there??? And then you dont know your going to Meredith's house? Like you dont even ask Callie what the person's

name is? Not buying it.

Amelia is insufferable a lot of the time, but im not going to fault her for however she's expressing her grief unless/until she becomes a danger to herself or someone else. She's entitled to be a mess a year, or 2 or 3 later. Derek was her brother, her best friend, mentor, and she probably considers him her hero given the circumstances of their father's death. Its tough to lose someone that means that much to you. But is it as much or more than a husband and father of one's children? I dont know.

Edited October 23, 2015 by FuriousStyles

[Greysaddict]

This  was really good...... 

but i don't understand why they played "waterfalls".  it didn't really seem to fit the mood. 

 

Meredith screaming that it wasn't about Amelia and to get her out, or she'd kill her. I may or may not have shouted at Owen when he moved her out of the room. 

Yes!  I forgot to mention the awful music (although this was the only song).  Did they fire the person who used to be in charge of the music?  Its not that the performance of the covers is awful but the selection of songs just do not fit the mood at all.  Also the music is suddenly incredibly distracting this season.  I don't know if its the song selection or the volume or whatever but I never used to notice the music.  This season its completely taking over some of the scenes.  

Edited October 23, 2015 by Greysaddict

[Anela]

I wasn't going to watch tonight, but now I think I will. 

[PrincessTT]

Amelia is insufferable a lot of the time, but im not going to fault her for however she's expressing her grief unless/until she becomes a danger to herself or someone else. She's entitled to be a mess a year, or 2 or 3 later. Derek was her brother, her best friend, mentor, and she probably considers him her hero given the circumstances of their father's death. Its tough to lose someone that means that much to you. But is it as much or more than a husband and father of one's children? I dont know.

 

I don't think it has to be a 'which one is tougher' type of thing... They both lost the same Derek but they both lost totally different things when he died so their grief is going to be different too. It's not a competition or 'I lost more than her', it's just grief. 

 

Having said that I didn't like the way that Amelia came at Meredith with the "how could you do that to me?" attitude and I was glad when Meredith kicked her out of her room. 

[Artymouse]

Greysaddict, you're spot-on about the music. It took me a minute or so so to recognize Waterfalls, and during that distraction I missed several lines of dialogue.

[Evie]

I love drunk Arizona.

I like Jo and am tired of her being the loser.

The Penny drama was good for an episode, but I can't with it continuing when so many characters have nothing to do.

[FuriousStyles]

I don't think it has to be a 'which one is tougher' type of thing... They both lost the same Derek but they both lost totally different things when he died so their grief is going to be different too. It's not a competition or 'I lost more than her', it's just grief.

Well thats my point...its not a competition, at least to me. But it seems the general consensus is that Amelia should shut the hell up, especially as it pertains to her anger (however misguided) at Meredith, because "its not about her". Not saying Amelia is right to yell a d complain to Meredith of all people, but she's grieving and obviously not thinking clearly. Edited October 23, 2015 by FuriousStyles

[Chicken Wing]

By the way, what are the odds that everyone was off on the same night? Who's watching those incompetent interns?

[North]

I really liked this ep.

 

Thought Ellen did a geat job, Caterina was okay (but I have problems with Amelia on the best of days), SaRa was fabulous, and Sarah Drew was really good.

 

While I though JCap was good with the material, I didn't like the material.  I didn't find it all that funny.

 

Callie and Arizona are supposed to be friendly exes and she is drunkenly making inappropriate comments about being with Penny.  How about being happy that the ex is happy?  What are they doing with Arizona?

 

Crowen fans are going to be up in arms and they have every right to be.  What the heck was that?  Being relieved at the thought Cristina was dead.  You became even worse Owen.  I didn't think that was possible.

 

I hate Jo.  I won't deny it.  I like Stephanie.  I thought Stephanie was a jerk for what she said to Jo.

[Greysaddict]

By the way, what are the odds that everyone was off on the same night? Who's watching those incompetent interns?

its a HUUUUGGEEE hospital so obviously there are plenty of other surgeons working (sarcasm).

 

Well thats my point...its not a competition, at least to me. But it seems the general consensus is that Amelia should shut the hell up, especially as it pertains to her anger (however misguided) at Meredith, because "its not about her". Not saying Amelia is right to yell a d complain to Meredith of all people, but she's grieving and obviously not thinking clearly.

I agree with you here, it's definitely not a competition and both Meredith and Amelia are both allowed to grieve in their own ways.  For me, the issue with Amelia is she has said to Meredith "how could you do this to me" multiple times.  Meredith (and Penny) didn't DO anything to her.  Could be that she's not thinking clearly but it comes across as selfishness rather than grief.  

[Chicken Wing]

Okay, I'm going to do what I never thought I would do, because I never have any reason to - defend Owen. A little. I'm going to cut him some slack on that Cristina confession. Let's be real - he didn't actually hope that Cristina died in that crash. It wasn't a conscious desire or wish or whatever. Sometimes when something happens or you get some news, you don't just have one set reaction. A million little thoughts crash on you, all the possibilities and eventualities race through your head, all your emotions come tumbling out - often all at once. And for a split second, after learning that Cristina was in a plane crash and knowing that it might mean she was dead, Owen had a fleeting thought, a realization, that losing Cristina to death would have hurt less than her leaving him. Just a realization of how those two concepts would compare. That's all. And it's a horrible thought, even if it was just a fleeting one, but let's be honest. We all have those horrible little thoughts that hit us out of nowhere, without our even realizing that we're thinking it until after we thought it and we're like, Whaaa? So, I'll cut him some slack.

[PrincessTT]

Well thats my point...its not a competition, at least to me. But it seems the general consensus is that Amelia should shut the hell up, especially as it pertains to her anger (however misguided) at Meredith, because "its not about her". Not saying Amelia is right to yell a d complain to Meredith of all people, but she's grieving and obviously not thinking clearly.

 

I do agree with you, my comments about it not being a competition weren't specifically aimed at you. 

And while I do agree that Amelia is grieving and not thinking clearly I appreciated that Meredith didn't stand for her misplaced anger. Grief is awful it leads us do and say some awful things, but it's not a free-pass to lash out at everyone around us. 

 

I hate Jo.  I won't deny it.  I like Stephanie.  I thought Stephanie was a jerk for what she said to Jo.

 

I like both of them, but I thought what Stephanie said to Jo was quite accurate. 

Instead of looking to improve her own skills and raise herself up to the level that Stephanie is at, Jo would rather try and find excuses for why Stephanie is excelling.

And in doing so she's actually diminishing Stephanie's talent and skill, and really proving the point about why Stephanie didn't want people to know about her childhood sickness.

[Greysaddict]

so here I go trying to apply logic to this show, but I was confused by something.  Can you be a resident at a non-teaching hospital?  Penny said the place she worked at was not a teaching hospital but she also said she was "re-matched" to GSMH.  I thought internships/residency was only a thing at teaching hospitals.  Does anyone know how the residency thing works?

 

-overthinking party of 1

[Greysaddict]

Okay, I'm going to do what I never thought I would do, because I never have any reason to - defend Owen. A little. I'm going to cut him some slack on that Cristina confession. Let's be real - he didn't actually hope that Cristina died in that crash. It wasn't a conscious desire or wish or whatever. Sometimes when something happens or you get some news, you don't just have one set reaction. A million little thoughts crash on you, all the possibilities and eventualities race through your head, all your emotions come tumbling out - often all at once. And for a split second, after learning that Cristina was in a plane crash and knowing that it might mean she was dead, Owen had a fleeting thought, a realization, that losing Cristina to death would have hurt less than her leaving him. Just a realization of how those two concepts would compare. That's all. And it's a horrible thought, even if it was just a fleeting one, but let's be honest. We all have those horrible little thoughts that hit us out of nowhere, without our even realizing that we're thinking it until after we thought it and we're like, Whaaa? So, I'll cut him some slack.

this is a great analysis Chicken Wing.  I totally get the reaction on Owen's part (at that time), but I don't get why he used THIS as example to show Amelia that he too had flaws and wasn't perfect.  I would have actually rather had a completely brand new story from him to give us more insight on his background than having bring up the plane crash.  Do you have any thoughts on that?

[Happy Harpy]

Shit did hit the fan. That was drama. Phew. I agree, Ellen Pompeo killed it.

 

Thank you, Andrew and Maggie, for the cuteness and levity and did I mention the cuteness? Tell me that Andrew has no dark secret, and he's really that good guy she can trust.

 

Loved April, she was the voice of reason for me. It was very in character, in my opinion, for her to be the one to place herself in Penny's shoes and be charitable, if I can say so. Loved her scenes with Jackson (hey, he had a scene with Alex, too! Yaas!) and she and Arizona are a blast together.

 

I usually like Amelia, and I understood her losing it because indeed, it was her brother, until she went into mode "me, me, me" and reproached Meredith with not telling her. Then I was 100% with Meredith (not that I wasn't 100% with her before). There, yes, shut up. I liked her better in the end, when she became more self-aware.

I loved Owen in this episode, he was good as the voice of reason, too, although the plane crash thing came completely out of left field for me.

 

Talking about coming out of left field. Stephanie, you conceited, pretentious bitch.When finally she had a reaction I liked, and I thought ok, she can forgive mistakes...just when I thought that there was more sense to last week's ridiculous plotline because for the first time, I did feel that she and Jo had things in common and could become really friends in my eyes and not just "friends because they're the two last of that batch of interns"...she goes on her egotistical, heinous, vicious rant?

Because in the facts, Jo was talking common grounds, and Stephanie was the one who looked positively disgusted at the idea, put competition on the table and was spewing bitterness. Projecting much, dear? It seems to me like you're the one who wants to feel superior. I don't think I hated a character's reaction so much since Izzie.

And she'd better not go anywhere near Jackson.

 

I loved the Alex/Meredith friendship, they're great together.

Nevertheless, I couldn't enjoy their scenes as much as I normally would. I'm not in favor of a romantic pairing for them, because I see them as brother and sister and I like that they have the only platonic close friendship between male and female characters on the show. They do have chemistry, they have a lot in common, they understand each other, so it isn't a toxic relationship, and I could be won over, even though I love Alex and Jo (especially if Mere is here for Alex again).

But if they want Jo and Alex to breakup in order to pair him with Meredith, which is what I think they're doing, imo they should do it for reasons like their age difference, and considering how much they brought  to each other imo, on friendly terms. Instead, I feel that Jo is given the trademark Shondaland treatment for clearing the field:

-vilified: check, see the Stephanie plotline.

-buttmonkey: check, aka "demoted to trash duty".

-constantly put in a bad light: check, the cheese intern. I mean, what was the point of his presence, aside from having her treat him like the delivery boy?

Maybe Jo/Alex has a huge following on other boards or offline, because the most surprising to me is that if I look at this board, it isn't a popular pairing so I don't see why the writers would need to do that to Jo for most people to accept the breakup.

And C.Luddington has always been so enthusiastic about the show, I feel bad for her to see her character treated this way.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Happy Harpy

[represent]

 

Crowen fans are going to be up in arms and they have every right to be.  What the heck was that?  Being relieved at the thought Cristina was dead.  You became even worse Owen.  I didn't think that was possible.

Not me, I get it, as a shipper I get it. I saw posts to that effect when it was Burke and Cristina, saying that they wanted Cristina to die rather than her go on and meet someone else, because some other man shouldn't benefit from all the "work" Burke put into her, LOL. and they were just so upset that their ship had sailed. It's sick, but...

 

Owen's basically saying that in that moment he thought it would have been better for him to lose her death than to lose her to the life she's living elsewhere without him. Although nobody said he couldn't tag along but..I believe he said if she had died then "they" and their love would be etched it time. He did say "etched in time."  

 

He finally said, that it's totally selfish, which we already know he is, not unlike pretty much all of these characters on this show IMO.

Edited October 23, 2015 by represent

[North]

I like both of them, but I thought what Stephanie said to Jo was quite accurate. 

Instead of looking to improve her own skills and raise herself up to the level that Stephanie is at, Jo would rather try and find excuses for why Stephanie is excelling.

And in doing so she's actually diminishing Stephanie's talent and skill, and really proving the point about why Stephanie didn't want people to know about her childhood sickness.

This is a very good point.

 

I just thought she was a little too blunt but whatever Jo needs to be better.

[izabella]

I loved Jackson's puzzled, "How is this a dinner party?  Did someone force you to throw a dinner party?"

 

Someone, please remind me, why was this dinner party happening?

Edited October 23, 2015 by izabella

[Artymouse]

When Owen started talking to Amelia about not being perfect, I thought he would bring up the PTSD, either from the general perspective of having such a difficult time adjusting to life back home, or the more specific incident of choking Cristina. I never expected anything like what he said.

And when Mer and Alex were in the bedroom, I was a little concerned that they were going to start making out. So glad TPTB didn't go there.

[clarkbar]

I thought this was a strong episode.  On a shallow note, I will say I loved Meredith's hair.  I like seeing Alex/Meredith as friends (or as a previous post said, in a brother/sister relationship).  I don't want them to have a romantic relationship.  I like the lightened-up Arizona.  And regarding UTIs at the ER:  Yes, it happens.  Hell on earth.

 

[Chicken Wing]

And when Mer and Alex were in the bedroom, I was a little concerned that they were going to start making out.

 

I would have shot my TV.

 

And regarding UTIs at the ER:  Yes, it happens.

 

People go to the ER for splinters.

[Kagomei]

First I wanna say how upsetting it is not being American sometimes. You guys can watch it live without using awful live streams online!!! Don't ever complain about not being able to watch anything or I'll hunt you down and kill your whole family! (joking, or am I?)
Anyway, the episode was amazing!
I felt so sorry for Meredith the whole time. Ellen was outstanding, Meredith's pain was tangible and I loved her screaming at Amelia.
I agree that they are both grieving, but I hate the way Amelia goes after Meredith like everything is her fault. Amelia is always like "me me me me", not everything is about you, Amelia. Derek's death teared a whole family apart. She should grief with Meredith and not yell at Meredith over his death. He's gone now, it's not like blaming anyone will bring him back.
My uncle was killed a month ago, someone shot him to steal his motorcycle and he died. I want the culprit in jail, but instead of wasting my time hating on this person I prefer to remember my uncle because nothing can bring him back. Of course we automatically want to find someone to blame, but even when there is someone to blame, like in my uncle's case, hating on this person doesn't change anything. It just brings more pain. Of course I understand that to each their own, I'm just trying to explain how I feel about this situation.

I love how Alex knows when Mer is not okay, Their scenes are so cute. I wish I had a friend like that lol

Arizona made me laugh and I think JCap did a great job.

I felt kinda sorry for Penny for a little while but then she tried to explain it to Callie and no, just no. Go away, Penny! Having you around is too painful. So much for a lighter season, smh.

I usually like Maggie a lot, not in this episode though. I wasn't in the mood for her speeches tonight. I do think Maggie and DeLuca are very cute though and I want to see more of them. Just wasn't in the mood. Oh, and that scene in the bathroom like  wtf? How can you not see that your sister is not okay? I'm a very sensitive person and I would definitely be able to read the damn room. These people are so selfish.

The thing Owen said was... unexpected, I guess. I didn't like it, but whatever, it's not like I care about anything related to him. On a shallow note, KMK looked really hot. 

Meredith saying she has three kids was kind of funny because where the hell are those kids again? haha 

Just one more thing. Greysaddict, you said it was kind of soapy, but really if you think about it it wasn't at all. If it were soapy this is how Meredith would have reacted haha 

Edited October 23, 2015 by Kagomei

[KaveDweller]

I do agree with you, my comments about it not being a competition weren't specifically aimed at you. 

And while I do agree that Amelia is grieving and not thinking clearly I appreciated that Meredith didn't stand for her misplaced anger. Grief is awful it leads us do and say some awful things, but it's not a free-pass to lash out at everyone around us. 

 

 

I like both of them, but I thought what Stephanie said to Jo was quite accurate. 

Instead of looking to improve her own skills and raise herself up to the level that Stephanie is at, Jo would rather try and find excuses for why Stephanie is excelling.

And in doing so she's actually diminishing Stephanie's talent and skill, and really proving the point about why Stephanie didn't want people to know about her childhood sickness.

 

I don't think Jo was finding excuses for why Stephanie was excelling. She just said that maybe there was a connection....I don't think that was an insult or a criticism, it was an observation that being sick as a made her the person she is today.  That's not diminishing her talent and skill, it's just noting that maybe it developed, or her drive developed, out of a childhood weakness. It's still acknowledging that she's talented and skilled.

[betsyboo]

I have to say that I really felt bad for Perfect Penny. Talk about a shitty night. She was probably all nervous about meeting her girlfriend's large group of friends and then she comes face to face with a reminder of the worst day of her life and how she messed up.

 

I did not, once we learned that she had enough information available to her to avoid the situation entirely.

I totally agree. I always record Grey's but I wanted to watch this live. And my husband kept trying to change the station -- not today! This was a really good episode and Ellen brought everything today. I even felt sorry for Penny -- I think the actress did a really good job of portraying whose remorse was just oozing out of every pore.

 

Well done show.

 

It was a draining, but excellent episode.

well it was soapy and contrived but I loved almost every second of this episode!!  I thought every character really got a chance for something interesting/meaty to play even if it was just a few scenes/lines.  Love love Arizona and April, Jcap and Sarah are great together.  Loved the Meredith and Alex scene in the bedroom but also the rest of their scenes.  Actually Ellen was just all around fantastic in everything this episode.  

 

One of my favorite things about this episode was the non verbal acting.  The looks that Ellen, Sarah, Caterina and Jessica were giving were really really key.  

 

I didn't like the Owen/Amelia scene at all.  WTF was that about the plane crash and Cristina??  I'm not saying he should never mention Cristina to Amelia bc they both obviously have a ton of baggage, but 1) why does Owen always make the plane crash about him and 2) since when was he "relieved' that Cristina could have died.  UGH

 

I also didn't like the Maggie/DeLuca stuff.  I get they were supposed to be comic relief but it fell flat to me.  Who runs to the ER for a UTI??  

 

 

Not really feeling the Penny coming to GSMH as a resident.  I didn't really understand her reasoning to Callie of why she didn't mention being involved in Derek's case.  Her claim "its a big hosptial I didn't think you knew him" was crap.  Anyway, I hope her stint is short term.  Last thing this show needs is another regular character.    

 

 

Yes, please explain how Penny was going to avoid all of these people.She knew when Derek died that he was 1. part of neuro team at SGM; 2. his wife was also a surgeon and 3. there was <zero chance> that Callie didn't know him (the "it's a big hospital" excuse grated.)

Im so glad Meredith finally put Penny out of her misery and laid everything out on the table. It honestly felt more torturous watching Penny beat around tbe bush about where she worked and all that, than when she had to give a step by step recount of what happened to Derek.

But just when I do start to feel sorry for her, I remember that this idiot put herself in that situation. At first I thought well, maybe she didnt know Callie worked at the same hospital as Derek and Meredith (a stretch, I know) but then when Bailey said she was a new resident having applied for a position, I was like waaaahhh? This chick has some nerve. Like of all the hospitals in the state you go there??? And then you dont know your going to Meredith's house? Like you dont even ask Callie what the person's

name is? Not buying it.

 

Seconded.

 

Alex Karev is the bestest BFF in the history of best BFF

Edited October 23, 2015 by betsyboo

[PrincessTT]

I don't think Jo was finding excuses for why Stephanie was excelling. She just said that maybe there was a connection....I don't think that was an insult or a criticism, it was an observation that being sick as a made her the person she is today.  That's not diminishing her talent and skill, it's just noting that maybe it developed, or her drive developed, out of a childhood weakness. It's still acknowledging that she's talented and skilled.

 

It wasn't an observation though, it was an assumption. 

Jo doesn't know why Stephanie is the way she is and she isn't in a position to say that her sickness made her a fighter, as Stephanie has never said (or even implied) that that was the case. 

Making that assumption about how her sickness must have affected her does seem like finding excuses.

To me, what Jo said came across as "oh so now I get why you're doing so well" and made Stephanie into 'the girl who was sick' which isn't a position that Stephanie chose for herself.

[VCRTracking]

"Perfect Penny killed my husband."

 

Awesome line.

[Anela]

I understand her telling Amelia off when she was yelling about what she'd done to her, but she was also sideswiped. I can understand her freaking out.  If anything happened to my sister, and her husband (douchebag that he is), kept something like that from me, I would also flip out. 

[represent]

 

I don't think Jo was finding excuses for why Stephanie was excelling. She just said that maybe there was a connection....I don't think that was an insult or a criticism, it was an observation that being sick as a made her the person she is today.  That's not diminishing her talent and skill, it's just noting that maybe it developed, or her drive developed, out of a childhood weakness. It's still acknowledging that she's talented and skilled.

This time I call Stephanie on being too sensitive, and I'm a Stephanie fan. I just thought Jo was happy to find out that Stephanie has had to struggle in her life and has had a real life and death struggle at that. She did mention her own struggle right after she brought up Stephanie's. I thought s she was saying that it's the struggle that makes her kickass. Yeah, of course she's brilliant, but I don't find the correlation any different than the ones I made with MAGIC and what drove them.  It just made her feel closer to Stephanie and try to understand her more. If Stephanie wants to act like it has nothing to do with the young woman she's become them fine, but I can't buy that, sorry.  If they were going for something else, sorry, I missed it once again. Why couldn't they just stay friends, it was a nice exchange. Writers, think of another story line for Stephanie please, having this trumped up issue with Jo is nonsense. 

 

Who wasn't on the show tonight besides Richard, his wife I don't count so...

Edited October 23, 2015 by represent

[izabella]

I usually like Amelia, and I understood her losing it because indeed, it was her brother, until she went into mode "me, me, me" and reproached Meredith with not telling her. Then I was 100% with Meredith. There, yes, shut up. I liked her better in the end, when she became more self-aware.

 

Amelia's still mad at Meredith for not calling her when she was at the hospital with Derek.  So she's now outraged that, as it appears to her, Meredith once again is keeping information about Derek to herself instead of remembering Derek has a sister,  a sister who just hugged the doc who "killed Derek."  I get it - it's insult to injury.  And those two never resolved that, not that we saw because they mostly skipped a year.

[Kagomei]

 Who wasn't on the show tonight besides Richard, his wife I don't count so...

Ben wasn't in the episode either.