S12.E14: Odd Man Out

[beautifulGA]

I liked the episode! Arizona was phenomenal! What I liked the most was Bailey believed in her unlike last time where she kept demoralizing her. Bailey is clearly proving to be better chief than Owen ever has been.

Loved Callie Mer Maggie scenes as well. Especially Them calling Mer out on the Jo fiasco. I didn't felt Meredith's apology. There was awkward pauses in that scene.

I don't know why I can't get myself to stand Penny and yet the writers keep polishing her. Jo and Stephanie never got this 'perfect' treatment. If they are legit exploring Callie and that rag, shouldn't there be scenes between them to make us root for them (gag! Not that I want it but I don't understand why we need to like her when she's not required)

I am okay with Arizona telling April. What amuses me is Arizona being more concerned about the baby then April. April and Arizona's friendship has been unscathed thus far so a little shake up ain't that bad.

Thank god for no Maluca.

Owen and Amelia were cute but that was some major character shift (from dark and barking to sunshine and kissy)

Jackson went on a date already? I don't understand how characters jump into dating so soon after divorce.

I hope they don't write Ben as some sexist ass.

What I'm not liking about Season 12 is lack of continuity. Everyone is getting a big episode or two that isn't linked to or affect any other episodes. The storylines are stagnant and not getting anywhere.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't think Arizona violated HIPAA because she isn't April's doctor. Currently she's just a friend (or maybe ex friend). She was trying to run tests on her, but April refused.

I never said that Arizona violated HIPAA by telling Jackson. I said that everyone at this damn hospital violates HIPAA all the time by blabbing about patients (case in point: this week it was Rita Moreno's husband's girlfriend, last week it was the cheerleaders - it happens just about every week), so given their completely lackadaisical attitude about respecting people's medical privacy, it is no wonder that Arizona decided to tell Jackson.

 

When my dad was in the hospital, I couldn't get any information about his condition until my mom gave the doctor permission to tell me, but at Seattle Grace Death Mercy you can tell non-family members anything about any patient in the whole hospital!

[Deanie87]

I agree with most of what has been said.  Mer's reason for disrespecting Jo was nonsensical bullshit, but that's in keeping with that entire storyline so I guess its fitting. I'm glad that Jo stood up for herself and that someone FINALLY told Jo to take her problems to the right people, but honestly this should have been done a season ago.  Oh well, at least more than one person acknowledged that Jo had a point and now its over.  I'm fine for Jo and Meredith to never interact again.

 

I think that Will Thorpe (is that a soapy name or what?), is creepy.  I honestly did not see anything between them in the last episode that would cause him to blow up Meredith's phone the way he did or to come hang out at her work all day waiting for her to come out.  Also, he has a weird mouth.  On the other hand, Riggs is really growing on me and I actually find myself looking foward to getting to know more about him.  Unlike....

 

PERFECT PENNY!  Who got more screentime than almost anyone outside of Arizona or April.  I guess she is the backup Stephanie.  Anyone know when JH's pilot will air?  Given the choice between the two, I would much prefer Stephanie.  It always annoys me the way that the writers so blatantly play favorites.  Some characters will always be shown in the right no matter what they do (Meredith, Bailey) and others seem to exist just to be scapegoated (Arizona for example).   If someone had to spill the beans to Jackson, I guess Arizona makes the most sense given her specialty and her relationship with April.  But she is just now getting out from under all of the cheating stuff, it sucks that they put this on her as well.

 

For the love of God, can we find something for Alex to do other than give people relationship advice and say no to risky surgeries?  At this point, I think that the best way to watch this show is just to find a couple of scenes to enjoy on their own and not try to follow or invest in any storylines.  For one thing 3/4 of the cast don't have a storyline and most of those storylines that are ongoing haven't made sense in a couple of seasons.

[BaseOps]

What I'm not liking about Season 12 is lack of continuity. Everyone is getting a big episode or two that isn't linked to or affect any other episodes. The storylines are stagnant and not getting anywhere.

 

This is my primary issue. With so many characters, it's just impossible for the writers to continue each story every week. That's why I wish they didn't bother adding in Penny and even Deluca. There were enough characters to make interesting dynamics without adding them in, plus they already added Riggs for new blood and Maggie and Amelia are both relatively new. A few characters have ongoing arcs (April / Jackson, Meredith, Maggie / DeLuca, Amelia / Owen / Riggs) and everyone else is basically given one-offs. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by BaseOps

[Biggie B]

I hope they don't write Ben as some sexist ass.

 

I hope I'm remembering this correctly, but he wasn't too accepting, initially, of his sibling's transition, was he? Was that Ben? Can't remember. Not that that makes him necessarily sexist, but rather, indicative of a more conservative (not in the political sense), traditional nature. I sure that doesn't happen. He and Bailey are at completely different junctures of their careers, it's no shocker that she's earning more or has more responsibility. Their jobs are apples and oranges, as far as I'm concerned. The day may well come when Ben earns as much or more than his wife. As if that should matter...it's not a competition.

 

I liked the woman who was having the quadruplets. At first, I thought her story line was going to focus on some sort of conflict between her and her husband, especially when she jokingly referred to the babies as tax deductions. I thought, oh no, she's gonna be portrayed as not caring about the babies and outsourcing their care to a nanny, or that her husband would end up being a stay at home dad while she went right back to work (which normally is no big deal, but could be used as a device to cause marital issues). Thankfully, this couple seemed very united and on the same page about everything, so I was glad for that. I also thought the actress did a good job, showing us both the sheer terror and panic as well as the struggle to keep her wits about her while something completely crazy was happening. Something very minor but compelling caught my eye, and that was one quick moment in which our viewpoint was from the mom's point of view (looking down her own body at Arizona working furiously) and you could see the mom's index finger (the one with her own pulse monitor on it) trembling wildly. I thought that was a very realistic touch and added to the intensity of the scene.

 

I also very much liked how Riggs wanted to know what issues Amelia has with Penny - when he said, "Hey, I'm new, so I need to know what the deal is." And even though Amelia didn't offer him anything of substance as a reason for her dislike of Penny ("It's personal."), at least Riggs tried to cut through the crap and get a straight answer. He didn't get it but he tried. I like him. He seems level-headed (except around Owen!) and rational. I thought his interaction with Rita Moreno was pretty funny as well. On a shallow note, he's good looking and who doesn't love an Aussie accent? I am still assuming that he's going to get tangled up with Mer at some point, this being a soap opera and all.

 

I didn't feel that Mer's apology to Jo was terribly sincere but was, rather, pragmatic. Mer was told point blank by Callie and Maggie that she's been treating Jo like shit. She may or may not agree completely, but I got the feeling that Mer found it more efficient to just offer an apology - heartfelt or not - and just clear the air so that things could move along. At least she actually said the words out loud, face to face. She gets some points for that. And maybe Jo, too, thought, "Hey, this might be sort of bogus, but whatever, I'll take it and run with it." Onward.

 

Oy vey, Arizona has put herself in the midst of a huge conflict. It's certainly possible to argue both sides: that she should and should not have said anything to Jackson. But, cat's out of the bag. Too late now! She'd better brace for impact, as April's likely to come down on her pretty hard. Let the games begin!

[Joana]

The BIG CONFRONTATION!!!1 was such an anticlimax. But I guess it's another case of promos making something look more dramatic than it actually is. So apparently Meredith doesn't even realize how crappy she's been to Jo even though it's been going for ages and it's visible to pretty much everyone. And moreover, she's doing it out of concern for Alex. Yeah, right. But at least that SL is out of the way and I do believe it's really over now. Though, I've been wrong about that before, so who knows.

 

I don't mind Penny, actually. I think the actress is improving and I would be OK with her staying on the show. That said, they really are trying too hard to make her happen. It would have been more than OK if Amelia had simply said that Penny is a fine doctor doing her job right. All this "ZOMG, best intern EVER, born to be a neurosurgeon" is definitely an overkill. Speaking of Amelia, I think she has some pretty good chemistry with Nathan, surprisingly. Still, I do not want any more love triangles on this show. 

 

And speaking of chemistry, or lack of it - Meredith and the army doctor: what the actual hell is that? Why is a guy like him ALL OVER her even though he barely knows her, they had next to no interaction and she's made it clear she doesn't want to keep in touch with him? Such BS. Yeah, I know in GA's universe it probably spells a love story for the ages, but in the real world, it's more than just a bit creepy, not to mention completely unrealistic.

 

Arizona is probably my fave character on the show, but what she did to April is hideously wrong. I get that she must have been annoyed that April didn't want to get tested, but at the very least she should have had an "Either you tell him or I will" conversation with her. To paraphrase the immortal words of Joey Tribiani, she's so far out of line she doesn't even see the line, the line is a dot to her!

I don't see how April can ever trust her again. But of course, within a few episodes they'll be BFFs again and act like nothing has happened.

 

Like I said not too long ago, couples on this show are happy as long as they're not given any screen time. This is the 2nd episode in a row that the show has paid attention to Ben and Bailey, and uh-oh, things appear to be going south for them. I just hope they don't use the tired "Weak male can't handle the strong, independent, hear-me-roar woman" SL for them.

 

Callie (and Maggie) talking about sex. What else is new. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I also very much liked how Riggs wanted to know what issues Amelia has with Penny - when he said, "Hey, I'm new, so I need to know what the deal is." And even though Amelia didn't offer him anything of substance as a reason for her dislike of Penny ("It's personal."), at least Riggs tried to cut through the crap and get a straight answer. He didn't get it but he tried.

I totally get a new doctor wanting to find out why someone else is avoiding working with a specific person because it's true - when you're new, you don't know what the deal is with anyone. That's bad enough in a regular job but when you're a doctor and people's lives are at stake, you want to make sure you don't get stuck with someone who is slow or hesitant or in any way inefficient. As much as I dislike Amelia, I like that she didn't tell Riggs anything about her Penny hate except that it was personal. She didn't tell him that Penny was a terrible doctor or not to use her either.

 

I didn't feel that Mer's apology to Jo was terribly sincere but was, rather, pragmatic. Mer was told point blank by Callie and Maggie that she's been treating Jo like shit. She may or may not agree completely, but I got the feeling that Mer found it more efficient to just offer an apology - heartfelt or not - and just clear the air so that things could move along. At least she actually said the words out loud, face to face. She gets some points for that. And maybe Jo, too, thought, "Hey, this might be sort of bogus, but whatever, I'll take it and run with it." Onward.

I think that Meredith really was unaware that she was treating Jo any worse than she treats the other interns. When you consider how the interns have described Meredith as scary, Medusa, etc. I think Meredith has been tough with all of the interns and she truly thought she was treating Jo the same way. And when you remember how Cristina treated her interns (ha, I still remember when she assigned them numbers because she said she couldn't be bothered to learn their names) or how we have seen many of the attendings (Sloane and Weber come to mind) sending their interns out to pick up coffee, dry cleaning, etc. I think Meredith honestly believed that she was treating Jo no worse than the others. I'm not saying it's necessarily true, but I think Meredith was unaware that Jo felt more picked on than the others.

[North]

PERFECT PENNY! Who got more screentime than almost anyone outside of Arizona or April. I guess she is the backup Stephanie. Anyone know when JH's pilot will air? Given the choice between the two, I would much prefer Stephanie. It always annoys me the way that the writers so blatantly play favorites. Some characters will always be shown in the right no matter what they do (Meredith, Bailey) and others seem to exist just to be scapegoated (Arizona for example). If someone had to spill the beans to Jackson, I guess Arizona makes the most sense given her specialty and her relationship with April. But she is just now getting out from under all of the cheating stuff, it sucks that they put this on her as well.

This is inherently why I never really understood why people didn't find the way they were writing Arizona to be troublesome at the beginning of the season.

Literally all she was doing was comic relief and propping up characters like Alex in ep 3.

They haven't actually dealt with the problematic aspects of her personality; they just glossed over them.

Now she's done something that many people are going to find issue with and all that good will is going to go out the window.

[Deanie87]

I didn't feel that Mer's apology to Jo was terribly sincere but was, rather, pragmatic. Mer was told point blank by Callie and Maggie that she's been treating Jo like shit. She may or may not agree completely, but I got the feeling that Mer found it more efficient to just offer an apology - heartfelt or not - and just clear the air so that things could move along. At least she actually said the words out loud, face to face. She gets some points for that. And maybe Jo, too, thought, "Hey, this might be sort of bogus, but whatever, I'll take it and run with it." Onward.

 

 

I think that Meredith is the stand in for the writers here.  They started this stupid conflict nearly 2 seasons ago and just needed to end it, whether it made sense or not.  

 

Didn't Nathan ask Amelia if Penny was a "dead fish" or something like that?  HAHAHAHAHA...he is becoming my new favorite!

[Chas411]

Jo didn't feel more picked on though. She was being picked up. Callie and Maggie confirmed this so while the show sucked ay having Mer apologise sincerely the viewers at least got confirmation that Jo isn't making it up.

I agree though that I don't think Meredith meant it vindictively. She genuinely is just that self centred that she'd never notice how terribly she came across. She was fine with Jo until she lost Cristona and needed Alex at her beck and call. I think it's a total cop out that the show won't admit to such a glaring truth.

[Joana]

This is inherently why I never really understood why people didn't find the way they were writing Arizona to be troublesome at the beginning of the season.

Literally all she was doing was comic relief and propping up characters like Alex in ep 3.

They haven't actually dealt with the problematic aspects of her personality; they just glossed over them.

Now she's done something that many people are going to find issue with and all that good will is going to go out the window.

 

The writing for her this season has been abysmal. There were some issues before, like for example how it's never been really explored why cheated on Callie, but it's especially bad now considering she's been little more than comic relief. Her relationship with April - first the pregnancy joke that was in awfully bad taste and now revealing her secret - it almost looks like they are making her appear like a shitty friend on purpose and I can't possibly understand why. 

[Chas411]

I completely get why she cheated on Callie. It took me so long but I get that it was about her and not Callie. I'm just sad that they never got past it and now both characters are at a standstill and poor Callie is stuck with Penny.

[Joana]

The current version of Callie that does little but complains about the lack of sex or is looking forward to her hot sex or talks about sex generally is for me about as attractive/interesting as Penny, so they're a good match as far as I'm concerned. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Joana

[CED9]

The writing for her this season has been abysmal. There were some issues before, like for example how it's never been really explored why cheated on Callie, but it's especially bad now considering she's been little more than comic relief. Her relationship with April - first the pregnancy joke that was in awfully bad taste and now revealing her secret - it almost looks like they are making her appear like a shitty friend on purpose and I can't possibly understand why.

I don't know. Personally, I've always found April and Arizona's friendship quite superficial. Out of convenience more than anything. April is really Arizona's only friend that didn't have some sort of loyalty to Callie first.

[North]

I completely get why she cheated on Callie. It took me so long but I get that it was about her and not Callie. I'm just sad that they never got past it and now both characters are at a standstill and poor Callie is stuck with Penny.

The thing is, it's still an interpretation of why she cheated because the show refuses to actually do the work and dig deeper into why Arizona does what she does.

Unless they start doing that there will always be a certain part of the fandom that won't look past her bad decisions.

I don't know. Personally, I've always found April and Arizona's friendship quite superficial. Out of convenience more than anything. April is really Arizona's only friend that didn't have some sort of loyalty to Callie first.

Alex, while friendly with Callie has never shown any particular loyalty to her. Alex's friendship with Arizona is far deeper.

[Slj]

I'm glad Amelia and Meredith got their shit together because I was expecting the episode to end with Wilson and Blake going to Bailey to put in complaints about them.

The puppy scene was great, it was nice to see that with Owen and Amelia, neither character gets much chance for light stuff.

Arizona was out of line telling Jackson, but I didn't have sympathy for April, she was messing him about. I could see her waiting for 12 weeks, but they were over, there was no excuse not to tell Jackson.

[Deanie87]

The current version of Callie that does little but complains about the lack of sex or is looking forward to her hot sex or talks about sex generally is for me about as attractive/interesting as Penny, so they're a good match as far as I'm concerned.

Current version? LOL. I think that oversharing has been one of her big personality traits from the get-go. I also understood why Arizona cheated, but I still hated that they did it. I wish it had been explored a lot more from her side. Instead it became all about Callie and how Callie was done wrong yet again. I have never been a big Callie fan in the past, but I do think that the Calzona break has been good for both characters. I just wish that Arizona didn't always have to be the bad guy. I don't think that Arizona, April or Jo have much in common but there must be something about them that the writers just don't like because they always get painted in the worst light.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Deanie87

[North]

The current version of Callie that does little but complains about the lack of sex or is looking forward to her hot sex or talks about sex generally is for me about as attractive/interesting as Penny, so they're a good match as far as I'm concerned.

I actually liked the interactions between Meredith, Callie, and Maggie yesterday. It felt real.

I also feel like Maggie is the one who talks about sex the most and it gets irritating.

Current version? LOL. I think that oversharing has been one of her big personality traits from the get-go. I also understood why Arizona cheated, but I still hated that they did it. I wish it had been explored a lot more from her side. Instead it became all about Callie and how Callie was done wrong yet again. I have never been a big Callie fan in the past, but I do think that the Calzona break has been good for both characters. I just wish that Arizona didn't always have to be the bad guy. I don't think that Arizona, Callie or Jo have much in common but there must be something about them that the writers just don't like because they always get painted in the worst light.

It's the writing.

Their go to for every character for comic relief scenes for the most part usually has to do with sex.

With Jo it's whining.

Arizona gets to do the bad things.

[Joana]

The thing is, it's still an interpretation of why she cheated because the show refuses to actually do the work and dig deeper into why Arizona does what she does.

 

Exactly. I mean, I share that interpretation and it does make sense to me, but it's still something that hasn't been discussed or looked into on screen, while there have been plenty of opportunities to do so.

 

I don't know. Personally, I've always found April and Arizona's friendship quite superficial. Out of convenience more than anything. April is really Arizona's only friend that didn't have some sort of loyalty to Callie first.

 

I think it certainly started that way, but I did feel they had genuinely bonded over time and now these happenings make you question that.

That's the biggest problem on this show now, you just don't know if whatever happens have some actual meaning in the grand scheme of things or everything is just random and down to lousy, sloppy writing. 

[CED9]

Alex, while friendly with Callie has never shown any particular loyalty to her. Alex's friendship with Arizona is far deeper.

True, but I meant moreso as friends that are just for them. Alex has a connection with others, Meredith in particular. April and Arizona really don't.

I think it certainly started that way, but I did feel they had genuinely bonded over time and now these happenings make you question that.

That's the biggest problem on this show now, you just don't know if whatever happens have some actual meaning in the grand scheme of things or everything is just random and down to lousy, sloppy writing.

The way they write them has either been for comic relief, getting drunk together, etc. or they are shown discussing serious issues and then ending it with comic relief throwaways.

To me, Arizona telling Jackson has nothing to do with April and Arizona's friendship and everything to do with Arizona's professional concerns as a fetal surgeon.

Edited March 18, 2016 by CED9

[Joana]

To me, Arizona telling Jackson has nothing to do with April and Arizona's friendship and everything to do with Arizona's professional concerns as a fetal surgeon.

 

It makes sense and I agree that Jackson needs to know, except that there's really no justification for doing it behind April's back. She could have warned her that she's going to tell him. Or encouraged Jackson to talk to April without telling him what the deal exactly was and thus given her a chance to tell him herself. 

That's what you're supposed to do if the other person is nothing more than a professional acquaintance, let alone a friend. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Joana

[Artymouse]

I would like Alex to give the "Most Improved/Stable Adult/Logical" etc etc award again this week for recognizing and pointing out April's huge logical flaw. I love that Alex was the one who convinced her to tell Jackson. (Even if that choice was taken from her.)

 

 

This! I love Alex's evolution, and it's kinda funny that the guy who was such a jackass in the first season has become, basically, the only grownup in the room most of the time. I've said before that he's my favorite character, and it's nice to see him get a little more screen time that isn't slotting him as the fourth sister or whatever.

 

And I also foresee trouble in the Ben/Bailey relationship. I get that as a resident, he makes a lesser salary than Bailey (so 200 percent difference in salary: Ben makes $50K and Bailey $200K??), but it's like no one ever remembers that he was already a doctor before he became a resident, and I'm guessing that an anesthesiologist makes big bucks. If they have to go down this road, it could be interesting to explore it from that angle -- Ben wondering if he made the right decision, from a financial and career standpoint -- rather than making it about taxes and a straight-up spousal income disparity.

[dmc]

I'm sorry but seriously all I have to say about this is WTF -- "The question that caused millions of jaws to drop"???

LOLOLOLO it's the Bachelor's most dramatic rose ceremony yet

[Deanie87]

This! I love Alex's evolution, and it's kinda funny that the guy who was such a jackass in the first season has become, basically, the only grownup in the room most of the time. I've said before that he's my favorite character, and it's nice to see him get a little more screen time that isn't slotting him as the fourth sister or whatever.

 

 

I love his character development for the most part, and how good of a friend he can be, but to be honest, I miss his jackassery sometimes.  I wish that they would give him a little bit of an edge now and then.  These days he sort of just goes around dispensing advice and compliments and wearing pleated khakis.  The next thing you know he is going to be wearing cardigans and loafers.  Yeesh.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Deanie87

[dmc]

I didn't buy Meredith's apology either.  Mainly because I don't think Meredith has a reason to be to mean to Jo other than the writing.  When Alex first started dating Jo, Meredith was the one that convinced Alex to give her another chance after she beat up that doctor and the one that Jo confided in when Alex told her about his father.  Meredith never disliked Jo.  She pushed for her from the beginning. The reason she is being nasty to Jo is because Shonda is writing it that way for some reason. The writing for Jo and her relationship with Meredith has changed and the only reason I can think that it would change is if something to happen with Meredith and Alex.

 

April is a jerk.  She needed to tell Jackson that she was pregnant.  It's his kid and he hasn't done anything to her to warrant her keeping this a secret.  Even after a divorce, this is still his kid.  But Arizona shouldn't have said anything.

 

I hope Meredith says yes to her date.

[hendersonrocks]

Bailey and Ben are going to be on the outs soon, aren't they?

 

Sure seems like it. And as a lady with a similar title and salary differential in my marriage, uggghhhhhhhhh if they take the stereotypical route. For the love of god, please don't just make it about Ben's manly discomfort with Bailey's power and money. 

 

Penny bugs, and every time I see Owen and Amelia kissing I expect one of their giant jaws to unhinge and eat the other whole. 

[readster]

 

Ben wondering if he made the right decision, from a financial and career standpoint -- rather than making it about taxes and a straight-up spousal income disparity.

Right, which would be an interesting story line for Ben. However, they painted it as "I'm the man, and I should be making more money than you." She's the chief and has been at the hospital since she was an intern, even gave a marriage to her career. Bailey has earned the salary. The problem with spouses who are in that situation is when they aren't smart with their money when they are making such a difference. At one point, my wife was making a lot more than me and we had bills and I told her that we should pay things off since we had the money to spare and there would be still plenty in the bank, but just basic debt. Her excuse was we needed to save and that any other bills that I acquired was my own damn fault and I should pay it off. Well, guess what? She lost her job and then we had extra bills and we had to on to the money we had, which had dropped since her hours were reduced just before she lost her job. We had to borrow money from her uncle who won it at gambling and her parents screwed us by buying their old car for $3,800 when it was really worth $1,200, but I had to smile and do it. Now, we have debt we both constantly complain about and while I do make more than when said situation happened. We could have paid things off, gotten a newer car and not owe her uncle money if she would have just not acted like Ben. Funny how money can become such a problem for couples when they really make a pretty good money to begin with and then realize that maybe they made a rash decision instead of being logical about it. Of course, I doubt we will see that with Ben anytime soon.

Edited March 18, 2016 by readster

[betsyboo]

I totally get a new doctor wanting to find out why someone else is avoiding working with a specific person because it's true - when you're new, you don't know what the deal is with anyone. That's bad enough in a regular job but when you're a doctor and people's lives are at stake, you want to make sure you don't get stuck with someone who is slow or hesitant or in any way inefficient. As much as I dislike Amelia, I like that she didn't tell Riggs anything about her Penny hate except that it was personal. She didn't tell him that Penny was a terrible doctor or not to use her either.

 

me, too - she could have sandbagged her. I was pleasantly surprised.

[Primetimer]

And more not-so-burning questions that arise when a transparent plot device force some doctors to work with their least favorite residents.

Read the story

[Joana]

I'm curious to see how (if at all) they're going to explain Arizona's decision to tell Jackson about the baby. There's no way to make what she did look good but I at least hope they're going to stick with her professional concern as the reason and not bring up additional BS, like pulling another "Meredith sides with Owen" stunt saying she did it out her loyalty to Jackson or something. 

[Shellie]

So do we think that Alex and Arizona planned it -- that Alex would talk to April while Arizona broke the news to Jackson? 

 

There are too many people on this show whose name starts with A.  Gets confusing.  Even Jackson is Avery.  

[izabella]

Jackson went on a date already? I don't understand how characters jump into dating so soon after divorce.

 

This is where Grey's story telling sucks big time.  Jackson may have only been officially divorced for 6 weeks or so (since April is now 12 weeks pregnant), but he has been alone for two years while April was away.  He has had much time to detach from her emotionally, or at least to put his emotions for her away since they were only leading to pain and frustration for him.  Thus, I can see how he might be ready to go on a date, even though I think he himself also mentioned that it was too soon for him to really be into it.

 

I can understand Bailey and Ben needing to deal with income differentials, increases to their joint income, and the impact on their taxes.  My fiancee and I are holding off on marriage until we can talk to a financial adviser because the marriage tax penalty is a thing, and there are things you can do to minimize the tax burden.  I appreciate the story line, but not that it revolves around Ben suddenly feeling insecure or sad-ego about it.

[Artymouse]

There are too many people on this show whose name starts with A.  Gets confusing.  Even Jackson is Avery.  

 

Alex and April even have the same first and last initials!

 

Edited because words need to be in the correct order for them to make sense.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Artymouse

[gator12]

April wasn't away for two years, she was away for a a year and 3 months.

[Shellie]

I can understand Bailey and Ben needing to deal with income differentials, increases to their joint income, and the impact on their taxes.  My fiancee and I are holding off on marriage until we can talk to a financial adviser because the marriage tax penalty is a thing, and there are things you can do to minimize the tax burden.  I appreciate the story line, but not that it revolves around Ben suddenly feeling insecure or sad-ego about it.

 

This felt greatly out of character to me.  Ben decided to leave a lucrative position to pursue other possibilities and acquire another credential, and Bailey seemed none too thrilled about this at the time.  Ben hasn't ever come off as insecure.

Even Alex and April have the same initials!

 

And then there's Amelia . . . 

[Cementhead]

I think that Will Thorpe (is that a soapy name or what?), is creepy.  I honestly did not see anything between them in the last episode that would cause him to blow up Meredith's phone the way he did or to come hang out at her work all day waiting for her to come out.  Also, he has a weird mouth.  On the other hand, Riggs is really growing on me and I actually find myself looking foward to getting to know more about him.

I agree in so much as saying the same thing to myself last night; creepy indeed.  And like you, I am also starting to enjoy Riggs now that they have given him a personality and some actual lines to read.  Way more attractive to me than Dr. Creepy.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Cementhead

[DearEvette]

And Jo's middle name is Alice.

[BabyBBQKendall]

April wasn't away for two years, she was away for a a year and 3 months.

Her time overseas plus their months of separation(s) since. He's been on his own around two years.

[gator12]

It hasn't been two years base on the age Meredith youngest... kids doesn't look like she can crawl yet 

[RachelKM]

To be honest Merediths apology and reasons for disliking Jo don't seem like a retcon to me. I can actually buy that's she's that self centred that she never actually noticed how out of line and rude she was being to Jo. What annoys me is that had Alex raised this with Meredith like EVER or asked her to stop treating his girlfriend like crap then she probably would have a long time ago.

Jo made the situation worse with her reaction to being treated badly but in my opinion she needed support from Alex, her partner and Merediths best friend. She didn't get it and that is why I'm having a hard time buying Alex as the poor petal who could get hurt which is why Mer is hard on her. I know he's had it tough and made some bad relationship choices but guess what Mer, Jo hasn't exactly had the easiest of times either.

I agree with all of this.  I was glad Jo said something, but her manner of doing so somewhat undermined her point. I really wish she hadn't said "get your own boyfriend" because that made it seem like the issue was more about jealousy of the closeness between Meredith and Alex rather than Meredith's treatment of Jo as a human and as a doctor which I feel  and I've always believed Jo felt was the real and more important issue.

 

I also agreed with Meredith that Jo needs to learn not to let people treat her badly and keep taking it.  Alex absolutely should have stuck up for her long before now, but Jo should have stood up for herself.  I really liked Jo and Alex together initially.  But, in addition to the ridiculous pacing of their progress (partly due to the stupid time jump that had everyone treading water emotionally for a year while Meredith ran away to grieve), one of the things that has annoyed me most about them over time is 1) Alex allowing Meredith to be such a dismissive ass to Jo, and 2) Jo not confronting either of them about it for like THREE YEARS.  It's like she didn't have enough self esteem to think Alex would take up for her if she asked and didn't want to have to face that and possibly break up, so she just took it.  After a while, I stopped feeling sorry for her and started thinking she was complicit in her own misery.

 

High five to Edwards for telling Jo she had ten more seconds to complain about Meredith and then no more. To be honest, this is a problem I have with a certain friend of mine who complains about the same thing incessantly but never does anything to change the situation. I get that you're frustrated but if you aren't going to do anything about it, then you are CHOOSING to let the situation remain the same. That's totally your choice, but I don't need to hear about it all the time. Make a change or STFU.

 

I did laugh when Jo stopped to take a breath in her tirade and then all Meredith said was, "Are you finished?" It was like watching a mom talk to her kid having a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. While I was fine with Jo standing up for herself, yelling at Meredith in the hallway at work was so unprofessional (I know, I know, it's Grey's Anatomy so I shouldn't expect professionalism!).

I will second your High Five!  I was so relieved when someone finally told Jo to stop whining and say something to the person who she has the issue with or accept that it will never change and SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT.  It goes long with what I was saying above.  A little venting is fine, but at some point either do something about it or don't and accept the consequences of which ever choice you make.

 

 

My issue with April is that she has been framing her selfishness as kindness towards Jackson. She's been keeping it a secret because, as she told Arizona last week, she wanted to be happy. She is avoiding reality because she knows there is a good chance it's going to suck, and THAT is why she hasn't told Jackson. I am a feminist through and through, but she is a shitty person for not telling him that she is pregnant.

 

Also, this.  April was so full of it with her Jackson can't handle it.  It's not about that.  Plus she already admitted she wanted to be happy for a while. So what it really is about is wanting to remain in her happy denial bubble and not deal with Jackson or potential complications.  And I would have sympathy for that if 1) April were honest and 2) it wasn't going on for so long.  I was happy to credit April with a week or two to revel in the pregnancy, but much further than that is just horribly unfair to Jackson.

 

Plus, she pissed me off with her "I have faith.  Jackson doesn't have that."  It's more of what I was talking about before wherein certain very religious people seem to view atheism as a lacking something.  They genuinely feel that we cannot experience things like awe, joy, or hope without faith.  Jackson may be a person who worries and can't get past his concern to have sufficient hope.  But if that ends up being the case, it would evidence of his personality and approach to life, not lack of faith.  Faith is one way to convince yourself to have hope, but it not the only way.  

 

 

PUPPIES! PUPPIES! WE ALL NEED PUPPIES! Seriously, if the show ended with a pile of puppies every week, I might be more willing to overlook some of the ridiculous/illogical/unbelievable things that the writers throw at us.

Yes.  Puppies make everything better. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by RachelKM

[St. Claire]

Wow, Arizona was way out of line to tell Jackson about the baby without giving April a warning that she was going to do so. I agree that Jackson needed to know, but a "If you don't tell him by [next week/tomorrow/whatever], I'm going to" would have been reasonable.

 

Dr. McSmolder is kinda stalker-y but is nice to look at, so I'll allow it.

 

Jo was complaining about Mer not taking her seriously as a doctor/blowing her off for not being the favored resident, but her whole tirade against Mer was personal ("get your own boyfriend!"). That undermined her argument, IMO.

 

I don't think Ben is as upset about Miranda making so much more money than him, he's upset by his domain that she's trusted him with for years (i.e., the tax prep) is being disregarded and he feels like he's being talked down to by the accountant. He's got less agency at work and now she's hiring a new person to take away his agency in their home life. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't see it as Miranda taking away his agency but trying to do what's best for their family financially. Hiring an expert who knows all the latest tax rules and loopholes could save them a lot of money, which means more money that they get to keep. That money could go towards Tuck's college fund or a vacation (haha, I know, like Bailey would ever take a whole week off!). To me, it's the equivalent of letting your spouse change the oil on the car but later taking it to a mechanic to get the carburetor replaced. It's totally fine to do stuff yourself but you should also recognize when a professional would be better suited for a more complicated task.

[betsyboo]

I forgot I wanted to mention that I sincerely hope we continue to see momma-patient's pregnancy until birth. (She will always be Penny to me, but since we have a Penny I didn't use it. And I thought Casey would be unfamiliar. Clearly I don't remember the character's name....)

Edited March 18, 2016 by betsyboo

[Adeejay]

Military doctor is scorching hot, but I was hoping they'd pair Meredith with Riggs.  I think Arizona was way out of line. 

[statsgirl]

Richard mixing up the residents without warning the attendings is why he's the second worst hospital administrator ever (first place belongs to Cuddy from House).  It's not a bad idea but doing it suddenly like that leaves the residents unprepared and taking the anger from the attendings for being on their service.

 

However, the most unethical thing belongs to Arizona for telling Jackson that April is pregnant.  Clearly a hospital that has never heard of HIPPA. (Why is Arizona even offering to be April's doctor?) Sloan-Grey needs an ethics board badly.  For the record, I'm still on April's side. Jackson has shown very clearly he doesn't want to be a part of her life.  He will have to be, if the baby is healthy, but right now having him know is only going to be a source of stress for her and she doesn't need that now.

 

Third place in You Suck goes to Riggs, for having a resident on her first day on the service do a difficult and dangerous procedure instead of calling her attending like she's supposed to do. Also, maybe he should find out why Amelia is angry at Penny before judging her and countermanding her orders.

 

That woman has a lot of anger for stalling the divorce for 11 years.  But Rita Moreno shines every time.

 

I thought that when Ben and Bailey met, he was an attending (anesthetics) so they would have been making about the same money.  It was later that he decided to be a resident to do surgery and now she's making big buck as Chief.

 

The good -- Edwards telling Wilson she had 10 more seconds to complain so that she would finally do something about it; Callie and Maggie telling Meredith off about her treatment of Jo; Amelia agreeing to teach Penny even though she resents her; and puppies!

 

Arizona's solution to quad-mom's early labor seemed all kinds of stupid, but I'm sure it will turn out to be another Grey-Sloan medical miracle that will become the standard of care in hospitals the world over. I snark, but only when the storyline demands it.

I'm not a doctor but I thought it was a good solution.  The bad one was Karev's who wanted to deliver all four babies super premature.

Edited March 18, 2016 by statsgirl

[St. Claire]

I don't see it as Miranda taking away his agency but trying to do what's best for their family financially. Hiring an expert who knows all the latest tax rules and loopholes could save them a lot of money, which means more money that they get to keep. That money could go towards Tuck's college fund or a vacation (haha, I know, like Bailey would ever take a whole week off!). To me, it's the equivalent of letting your spouse change the oil on the car but later taking it to a mechanic to get the carburetor replaced. It's totally fine to do stuff yourself but you should also recognize when a professional would be better suited for a more complicated task.

I think she was right to get the advice and work from the professional, but I think that Ben viewed it as her disregarding his position/taking away his agency. She started in with the discussion without him knowing and he expressed discomfort ("but *I* do our taxes"), then she told him somewhat offhandedly that he'd hired her at the end. Personally, I am happy to let others take care of my taxes (my husband does it now, but I'd be fine with a professional doing it if our financial situation became more complicated).

 

However, the most unethical thing belongs to Arizona for telling Jackson that April is pregnant.  Clearly a hospital that has never heard of HIPPA. (Why is Arizona even offering to be April's doctor?) Sloan-Grey needs an ethics board badly.  For the record, I'm still on April's side. Jackson has shown very clearly he doesn't want to be a part of her life.  He will have to be, if the baby is healthy, but right now having him know is only going to be a source of stress for her and she doesn't need that now.

 

Arizona telling Jackson didn't violate any ethics statutes, since April is not Arizona's patient; all she's doing is violating a friend/colleague code of not blabbing other people's personal stuff. The fact that they constantly treat each other even though they have personal relationships opens up all sorts of ethical issues, but Arizona's actions in this  episode don't actually fall into that category.

 

I am kind of on April's side. She didn't want to tell Jackson at the divorce signing, since she didn't want him to feel pressured to stop the divorce. He will want to be part of the child's life because he's enough of a stand-up guy that he won't abandon his child (I think he still loves April and will not turn his back on her either, but my main point is that he won't punish his child because of not being able to sustain a marriage with its mother). She didn't want to tell him up to now because she didn't want to seem like she was trying to recapture their marriage, and she didn't want to open up the "what if?" discussions about the OI. Although I totally disagree about her decision to not get tested, I still feel like it's her absolute right to make that decision. She's going to carry the baby to a gestation point that is considered viable (Samuel would have been considered viable in the absence of other medical issues based on how far along the pregnancy was), so she plans to have faith in the health of this baby and will face the challenges as they come. I would never make that decision because I would rather (a) get the reassurance that my baby is healthy or (b) know the challenges in advance so I could prepare. But, again, my choice is not appropriate for anyone else's pregnancy. 

 

That woman has a lot of anger for stalling the divorce for 11 years.  But Rita Moreno shines every time.

 

I was confused by the timeline. The affair had been going on for 11 years, but the wife said she'd wasted 33 years on his meanness, so he must have started to act like a jackhole to her even before taking up with a new woman. Also, she was stalling the divorce so that she didn't lose anything based on the pre-nup, not because of any lack of anger during the past 11 years.

[Nobodysfan]

Thorpe is one creepy stalker. His "my pretty face" made me laugh. He looks like Lord Dracula to me.

 

BTW, I´ve been counting and the elderly man was the 3rd patient in a row for Riggs that died. 2 in 1212 and now another patient. Quite depressive.

I liked how Nathan encouraged Penny to do the procedure.It had balls.

 

Rita Moreno was really good. Some serious acting skills there.

 

A sincere apology from Meredith to Jo. It felt right.

 

I like puppies, but that was one cheesy and corny scene for OA.

Edited March 18, 2016 by NathanRiggsfan

[Nobodysfan]

Arizona telling Jackson about the baby....should cause all sorts of problems.  

Yes, she had no right.

Edited March 18, 2016 by NathanRiggsfan

[Nobodysfan]

Maybe I read it wrong, but Riggs certainly zoned in on Amelia once he saw she was involved with Owen. Anyone agree?

JC had just about the cutest hair in the world, now she's growing it out again into a straight fried mess? Why??

I love April, but it seemed inappropriate to give the line about the Supreme Court taking away a woman's right to a pro-lifer.

In what way zoned in? Like he became interested in her and Penny´s story or he wanted to know if Amelia has some bias against him?

[RedheadZombie]

In what way zoned in? Like he became interested in her and Penny´s story or he wanted to know if Amelia has some bias against him?

Like he perked up at seeing Owen is involved with her, and deliberately got closer to her. Whether to cause trouble or as a way to help resolve his relationship with Owen. I'm not sure. But it seemed very deliberate.