S12.E18: There's A Fine, Fine Line / S12.E19: It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

After a missing child forces the hospital into lockdown, Ben decides to operate on a pregnant mother without the proper surgical equipment. Miranda, as Chief, is faced with the repercussions of the event and whether or not Ben's impulsive actions were justified.

Miranda continues to deal with the aftermath of Ben's reckless decisions and forms an advisory committee to recommend proper disciplinary action against him. Meanwhile, April and Jackson try to put their differences aside for the sake of their baby, and Arizona makes a decision that could affect her relationship with Callie forever.

Promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TXwxBr7FZM

[Daisy]

I for the life of me, have no idea how any of these people have jobs. 
 

What this showed is what I have been advocating from when Mama Avery chipped in with the hospital purchase: a completely neutral, non sleeping, non friend of any of these people. I am sorry - Ben killed that woman. The doors opened, he looked at it and decided to cut anyway. Whatever. surgeon high, that should have been a firing offense....

 

as should Miranda's breaking of the DNR (which this hospital loves to violate - Izzy death). 

 

I mean it was a really good episode, I relatively enjoyed it.... but still. 

[LexieLily]

Well, that's professional, Owen and Meredith, deciding amongst yourself that you don't trust Riggs' medical choices and decisions because of what you feel about him personally.

 

Seriously, Callie? You're going to uproot yourself and Sofia for a year for Penny? And take Sofia away from Arizona, essentially, without talking to her about it first?

 

Good for you, Arizona.

 

Bailey talking to Ben about astonishing lapses in judgement when she brought the dad back when he specifically had a DNR? And of course ​he miraculously comes back to life.

[choclatechip45]

I enjoyed the episode. I thought it was ridiculous Bailey was questioning Arizona and Meredith while they were operating. I've never liked Callie and have been an Arizona fan. I can't believe the way Callie told her telling her she could just take a 6 hour flight to Sofia.

[roomtorome]

Not sure how their marriage makes it - it was obvious from the beginning that Bailey didn't trust her husband - if you can't trust someone, you are on a slide out the door or, you should be.  The actor who plays her husband just leaves me cold - always does, in every role I have ever seen him in.  He emanates nothing authentic emotionally - to me.  All his yelling and blustering just made me think he might hit a wall or throw a table but I didn't get the feeling he was genuinely upset for screwing up, the woman's death or anything else.  

 

April is up there with one of my top ever annoying characters.  

[SnoGirl]

I'm on the fence with Ben's situation. I've been in a couple of emergency situations, and sometimes people do really crazy things. During one, I was calling 911, I watched my friend pace back and forth shouting randomness (she wasn't the one I was calling 911 for). She had no memory of it after the paramedics left (the emergency was a crazy stressful situation). I know Ben's a doctor and should be used to high octane situations, but talk about a crazy, traumatic situation. What I want to know is why wasn't there a therapist involved or had talked to Ben about not seeing the elevator doors open?

On the other side of the situation, what a stupid corner to have in a hospital without a means to contact help. Why didn't someone see the situation on the monitors in the security office? Or why didn't Ben or Deluca try to put something through all the glass windows to call for help? Or why wasn't Deluca CALLING someone instead of texting/paging them?

I hate the current storylines. I want more Meredith and Alex. I'm disappointed with tonight's episodes. I wish the writers had just done more.

Edited April 15, 2016 by SnoGirl

[izabella]

Bailey talking to Ben about astonishing lapses in judgement when she brought the dad back when he specifically had a DNR? And of course ​he miraculously comes back to life.

 

I was confused by this.  I thought they said he was brain dead, or nearly so - very little brain activity.  So how is he all better now?  And why did Bailey violate the DNR? 

 

The c-section also bugged me, and not because of the elevator opening.  April said Ben had done c-sections before and was good.  So why did everyone act like he had butchered her?   In addition to not registering the elevator door, did he also totally fuck up the c-section?  I mean, they were acting like her insides were a mess and were sopping up towels of blood. 

 

Meredith is really, really dumb.  She nursed Christina through all her Owen drama.  Meredith ought to be more aware than the others that Owen sees things only from his perspective, always.  She shouldn't trust his perspective to be the only perspective or an accurate perspective.  She definitely shouldn't be questioning Riggs' medical skills on that basis, when everything he's done in the hospital is evidence that he knows what he's doing.

[sarkygal]

When high school sex Maggie and failure to launch Amelia are the most professional doctors in the hospital, you've got a real problem. Kudos to Riggs pointing out that he doesn't have to justify his personal life to any of his coworkers.

 

I can't get behind the sheer hypocrisy of Bailey violating a DNR minutes before suspending her husband for being a surgery addict. And the idea that Alzheimers trial cheat Meredith and Hulksmash Owen would be on a disciplinary panel for any other doctor is just ludicrous. 

 

I'm increasingly disgusted that Shonda's interpretation of feminism is that only men ever get punished on any of her shows while the female characters go scot free for the same crimes/violations. 

 

Edited to add, yay healthy baby! And Arizona should maybe have talked to Callie first before going straight to a lawyer. She of all people, should know how impulsive Callie is when she's in luuurv.

Edited April 15, 2016 by sarkygal

[bybrandy]

My mom when she works goes into a zone and she doesn't respond to anything anybody says, it is super frustrating.   Then like four hours later she'll rattle off responses to everything you said while she was in the zone.  Except the one time that I thought she was hearing me in the zone and I got home from work and told her about my day and that I was going up to take a nap and woke up a couple of hours later to find that she didn't remember the conversation we had and so she thought I'd never come home from work and she'd had my dad call the highway patrol and the hospitals and they got my boss to drive home the way I would have gone looking for a wreck.  

 

Which is my way of saying I can believe that Ben was so zoned he didn't see the elevator door but he missed critical information that cost the life of his patient so he should face some action.   I also think Miranda should be fired for violating the DNR, but she won't be.

[North]

Edited to add, yay healthy baby! And Arizona should maybe have talked to Callie first before going straight to a lawyer.She of all people, should know how impulsive Callie is when she's in luuurv.

This!  People already deciding poor victimized Arizona was in the right to file for custody makes me shake my head.

 

Callie thought after their conversation that Arizona was telling her to do what she had to in order to make it work with Penny, even if she had to move.  She assumed something, wrongly, but she thought Arizona was giving her blessing.

 

Arizona not talking to her before hightailing it to the lawyer is all kinds of messed up.

 

Neither is wrapped in glory at this moment.

[Amethyst]

Well, that was a twist; looks like they're going the Kramer vs Kramer route with Arizona and Callie, not April and Jackson like it appeared.  Although I'm glad the baby is OK, April and Jackson getting back together is a bad idea.  Pretty sure that's where this is leading, and a baby can't salvage that relationship.

 

Ugh @ Penny.  And come on, Callie, you can't just assume that Arizona will be OK with you moving Sofia across the country without even discussing it with her first.

 

Wow...Ben really screwed up.  I felt so bad for that little girl, trying to be strong and brave for her siblings and grandmother.  Losing her parents and new sibling in the span of a few days would tear up anyone. 

 

That said, I was on Bailey's side in the end.  Ben meant well, but it was such a massive error in judgment and I think his desire to be the hero outweighed his common sense.  I think Bailey was right, he saw what he wanted to see.  No, Bailey didn't do any better ignoring the DNR, and she lucked out with that.  At least the father survived, hopefully without any lasting damage.

 

Was there any point to the Hernia guy other than the lulz?  I was surprised when we didn't see him again.

[Gladrags]

There's no way Bailey should have been involved in Ben's fate in the first place. She was right to pass it off onto Richard, and he was stupid - not to mention unprofessional - to force her to discipline her own husband. I had a hard time getting past that. 

 

And Bailey defying the DNR was no big surprise - the hospital management has always been of the "do as I say, not as I do" variety.

 

Yes, Callie taking Sofia across the country would suck for Arizona, but Arizona's knee-jerk reaction smacked of some sort of payback for Callie being happy with a new partner. Suing for full custody is such a huge leap, when Callie's plans don't seem to be set in stone just yet. 

 

I'm still holding out hope for Jackson and April. Call me a sentimental old fool. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Gladrags

[GreysFan89]

I genuinely have no idea what the hell is going on with Calzona right now. One of them must be leaving or this is a really over the top dramatic way to push them back together, but that seems unlikely as they both seem totally over each other. But I don't think they could be separate and both still there next season after this, someone's going.

 

I had to laugh at the grandmother's confused "I don't understand, I signed a DNR" - oh sweetie, those and HIPAA rules are mere suggestions at this hospital. lol

 

Also I would totally watch a show of that little girl helping her grandma look after her siblings, she was awesome.

[redfish]

Well, that was a twist; looks like they're going the Kramer vs Kramer route with Arizona and Callie, not April and Jackson like it appeared.  Although I'm glad the baby is OK, April and Jackson getting back together is a bad idea.  Pretty sure that's where this is leading, and a baby can't salvage that relationship.

 

 

Well that twist was a bit expected because that's what this show does a lot of. Twist endings. I donnu. Couldn't Arizona just assert her legal rights and insist that Callie not move Sofia all the way instead of full custody? Why can't Sofia stay in Seattle since Callie is coming back in a year since wouldn't Callie with Sofia be a slight distraction to Penny doing her thing. Even Meredith didn't move the kids to Washington when Derek wanted to for his project, but then they were married. I don't why the show wants to create drama for the sake of drama.

 

As much as April/Jackson sounds like it's calming down, I think it's best they share custody and be civil while raising the child as separate parents. It's probably more sane and better in the long run. When they're not together they won't drive each other crazy with their jumping to conclusion. Unless there's another twist ending and Jackson's mother plans a surprise legal action without Jackson knowing...with this show you never know.

Edited April 15, 2016 by redfish

[windsprints]

I thought it was ok, a typical Grey's event type episode. I think it would be more enjoyable if I never watched the show before and didn't know the character's histories or didn't think much while watching.

Bailey talking to Ben about astonishing lapses in judgement when she brought the dad back when he specifically had a DNR?

Let's remember Bailey also made the choice to inject a child with HIV against the parent's wishes. Yes, it worked out in the end but her choice could have left the hospital with lawsuits and a child dead.

 

Once again, Meredith highlighted so much of what I can't stand about her. She sits there judging Riggs' professional judgment based on her buddy Owen's opinion of him personally; always judgmental. Next, she's spilling everything Owen and Riggs told her when chatting with the gals. Did she not scream at & throw Amelia out of the house because she wanted Meredith to tell her what she knew about Owen?  Now here she is telling her everything both men said, lo. Then, she calls Riggs psychotic for not telling her nosy, rude self every detail of his life when she made it clear she's all #TeamOwen. That makes him smart not suffering from psychosis. If anyone lost touch with reality it was Meredith last week not Riggs.

The c-section also bugged me, and not because of the elevator opening.  April said Ben had done c-sections before and was good.  So why did everyone act like he had butchered her?   In addition to not registering the elevator door, did he also totally fuck up the c-section?  I mean, they were acting like her insides were a mess and were sopping up towels of blood.

That couldn't have been a normal c-section, could it? There seemed to be an enormous amount of blood on the floor and pouring out of the poor woman. I didn't get the impression that he butchered her though. I thought by doing the procedure there they didn't have everything they would have in an OR to save her once everything took a turn for the worse.

 

I know there's no realism and all but Bailey with her quivering lip talking to the little girl after her mother died bugged me so much. Don't ask if there's a relative that she can call or get a counselor of some kind to try to help her. Nope, just stand there until she asks you for tooth fairy money. Surely there must be someone more qualified that a surgeon to help a child who just lost a parent.

 

I'm glad the Japril baby seems to be OK. I don't want them back together anytime soon (if at all) but I'd like to see a couple actually work through their problems enough to do what is best for their baby.

 

Great Alex/Jo scenes! Haha, I kid, I kid.

Edited April 15, 2016 by windsprints

[Evie]

Well, that's professional, Owen and Meredith, deciding amongst yourself that you don't trust Riggs' medical choices and decisions because of what you feel about him personally.

Seriously, Callie? You're going to uproot yourself and Sofia for a year for Penny? And take Sofia away from Arizona, essentially, without talking to her about it first?

Good for you, Arizona.

Bailey talking to Ben about astonishing lapses in judgement when she brought the dad back when he specifically had a DNR? And of course ​he miraculously comes back to life.

All of this.

So Riggs is psychotic according to Meredith and thus Meredith and Owen decide to question a decision that two other doctors agreed with. Why does Riggs even want to work in that hospital. First time I've liked Maggie all season.

The Callie/Penny/Arizona stuff played out worse than I imagined.

I don't care about Ben, but Bailey can take several seats. "I don't make lapses in judgment" not only violated the DNR but once injected a kid with HIV without permission. I guess that doesn't count as lapses in judgment since the patients lived.

So glad Alex showed up in order to jumpstart a storyline for others.

[Kate213]

Welp, all the custody speculation was correct.  I can't believe how unaware and selfish Callie is, "Hey, I'm moving our kid across the country, but feel free to visit whenever you have the time!"  Callie/Arizona's earlier talk did NOT include Callie and Sofia moving with Penny, so it's ridiculous for her to assume that Arizona would just be ok with that and give up her daughter like it was no big deal.  Encouraging making long distance work and encouraging a cross-country move are two completely different things, no one's that oblivious.  These two need to have a real conversation where they aren't constantly making assumptions, it's so frustrating to watch.

 

I really hope this isn't Sara Ramirez's exit.  Mark had to be killed off when Eric Dane left because he was such a great father and he'd never leave Sofia and yet it's perfectly fine for Callie to leave and take her from Arizona?  This storyline is really not doing anybody any favors, especially considering it's all to further Callie's relationship with dull Penny.   Since all custody battles end with some loss, even for whoever wins, lets hope that we lose Penny out of it.  I'm not sure the lawyer mentioned filing for full custody, so I'm hoping it's just something to keep Sofia in Seattle. But knowing Grey's it'll end up being all or nothing (and Arizona will predictably lose because, well, she's Arizona).

 

At least it seems like it won't be two custody battles, as Jackson and April are at least for now, headed in the right direction.   

 

Ben should have been fired.  Stressful situation or not, he shouldn't be a surgeon if he's going to zone out and completely miss critical information that's right in front of his face.  And did he also botch the c-section?  That was the impression I got, so then he wasn't even zoning out to concentrate on his awesome doctoring skills.

 

It isn't a normal day for Owen if he isn't pissy and unprofessional.  

[sarkygal]

I know there's no realism and all but Bailey with her quivering lip talking to the little girl after her mother died bugged me so much. Don't ask if there's a relative that she can call or get a counselor of some kind to try to help her. Nope, just stand there until she asks you for tooth fairy money. Surely there must be someone more qualified that a surgeon to help a child who just lost a parent.

I couldn't help thinking of ER where a social worker would automatically have been called for 3 minors with both parents in surgery. But no, let's shove the kids in a room and have a 12 year old advising her grandmother on a DNR. So she'll have to deal with the lifelong guilt after her father miraculously came back to life. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by sarkygal

[backformore]

I get that the C-section was extreme and the mom was in distress.  I'm even OK with the scene where they cut her belly open and blood poured out like a damn fountain.  But did they have to keep repeating that scene as many times as they did?  They told the story from every perspective, and each time they told it - BLOOD GUSHES! 

Stop already.  I can't watch. 

[ForeverAlone]

For me, tonight's episode was the logical conclusion of this show allowing senior doctors/bosses to date and marry their subordinates. This is what years of hospital supply room sex gets you- a supreme conflict of interest. And it was disgustingly graphic with the C section. I'm glad I had eaten dinner earlier, because I usually eat while I am watching this show. 

 

I used to champion Japril over all other couples, but they have been so grossly written with so much crap thrown at them, that I just shake my head at this whole plot to rip them apart as a couple, only to push them back together again, because of a conveniently timed pregnancy. 

[SoapDoc]

 

That couldn't have been a normal c-section, could it? There seemed to be an enormous amount of blood on the floor and pouring out of the poor woman. I didn't get the impression that he butchered her though. I thought by doing the procedure there they didn't have everything they would have in an OR to save her once everything took a turn for the worse.

 

I thought the story was that she was having a late placental abruption so there was free blood in the uterus. Another complication of placental abruptions can be clotting disorders so she might not have been able to clot either.

 

Bailey deciding his punishment was ridiculous. Plenty of spouses work in the medical field together (since that is often where they meet!) and care is taken to make sure they are not supervising each other. There is no way that Bailey should have been the final say -- the assistant chief of surgery, the surgical board Bailey  convened, hell -- Mama Avery would have been a better choice! When Bailey took the job, there should have been some provisions for this.

 

Oh, well. I see a divorce on the horizon for them.

[funnygirl]

So Callie didn't want to go on an adventure to Africa when she was single and living with her then-girlfriend who she was with for almost two years, but she has no problem packing up and disrupting her child's life in the process for an adventure to NY with a girlfriend she just said I Love You to and who she has been seeing for less than a year.

Did I get everything? 

 

Mary Sue Penny triumphs again, with screentime and perfectness. 

[readster]

Sorry, but nothing made sense at all. From Ben "I'm in the zone" to Baily's "I'm right and you are wrong." attitudes. Even Richard telling Baily it was her decision, umm... not that is way conflict of interest. That's what you or Avery and the Board exist to make those decisions when a person who is married to the person in question is in that kind of trouble. I really do wish they should have said why the mother died and what caused the bleeding instead of: "Ben screwed up!" Plus, Grey/Sloan is just a badly built hospital. You have psych wards were the main doctors just want patients to die with no type of medical aid. You get caught in lock downs and only a really, really special badge can get you through everything. But hey, there are cameras all over the place and someone can't push an emergency unlock button when they see that person trapped. Because you know a person is going to magically find themselves in a closed off medical hallway where the only way is either to the trauma center or an elevator that only goes to another set of medical floors and not anywhere near the exit. 

  Also, of course the kid was just upset and hid and caused the damn Code Pink to begin with. I'm so happy that Riggs cleared everything up: "Yeah, I did it, I just left out the cheating and that she was trying to get away from me." "Damn helicopter why did you just have to disappear." 

[LexieLily]

Plus, Grey/Sloan is just a badly built hospital. You have psych wards were the main doctors just want patients to die with no type of medical aid. You get caught in lock downs and only a really, really special badge can get you through everything. But hey, there are cameras all over the place and someone can't push an emergency unlock button when they see that person trapped. Because you know a person is going to magically find themselves in a closed off medical hallway where the only way is either to the trauma center or an elevator that only goes to another set of medical floors and not anywhere near the exit.

 

Speaking of those hospital security cameras, I wonder when those were implemented. It seems like they would have been useful in the countless disasters Grey/Sloan has, especially when Gary Clark was shooting up the hospital.

Edited April 15, 2016 by LexieLily

[readster]

Speaking of those hospital security cameras, I wonder when those were implemented. It seems like they would have been useful in the countless disasters Grey/Sloan has, especially when Gary Clark was shooting up the hospital.

Must be why they had that really, really special badge now. Since, Gary could walk in and out of everywhere and didn't bleed to death first after being shot by the dumbass SWAT team before Callie and Arizona helped him stop the bleeding. 

[GreysFan89]

Speaking of those hospital security cameras, I wonder when those were implemented. It seems like they would have been useful in the countless disasters Grey/Sloan has, especially when Gary Clark was shooting up the hospital.

Can you imagine being the security guard who sits and watches everything all day?, they must go into work with a barrel of popcorn. lol

[chocolatine]

Somebody please remind me, did Arizona ever officially adopt Sofia? Because if she didn't, I don't think she has any claim to custody by virtue of having been married to Callie. My impression was that Callie was splitting custody because Sofia was attached to Arizona, not because of any legal arrangement.

 

I don't understand why a lockdown for an escaped kid had to shut down all the doors and elevators. I understand if this was for an active shooter or something equally dangerous, but for a missing kid, wouldn't shutting all the street entrances suffice? Then make a hospital-wide announcement with a description, and surely, if the kid's still in the building, he would have turned up soon enough. Why aren't there different levels of lockdown depending on the severity of the situation? And why hasn't the staff been extensively trained for all kinds of lockdown situations? As in "the doors will open every X minutes, so if you're trapped somewhere, just wait for the doors to open again". Hard to suspend disbelief on that one.

Edited April 15, 2016 by chocolatine

[backformore]

Can you imagine being the security guard who sits and watches everything all day?, they must go into work with a barrel of popcorn. lol

Are there cameras in the supply rooms?  Hospital Porn!

[Chicken Wing]

I don't think there was a single character who didn't annoy me tonight.

 

Sigh. Okay. First thing's first. I'm not entirely sure I believe Ben that he really didn't see the doors open, that it truly didn't register in his mind, that he didn't make a split-second but conscious decision to ignore the elevator and keep going because he was already in the moment or whatever. If it really was a conscious choice, then obviously he'd need to be disciplined heavily if not fired. But if he really didn't notice, if he was that "in the zone" that it totally passed him by, then he should still be disciplined, although perhaps less so, because just because you didn't do something on purpose doesn't make it okay. He missed something important. And just like in any other case where you're operating and you accidentally miss something, you have to face the consequences for that accident. Still, six months suspension from the whole program? That's a bit much, especially since the board did agree that it was just a mistake. Bailey was absolutely being vindictive in handing down that punishment. Mer and the others said they believe him about the doors, but I don't think Bailey does. She clearly does not see how he could have possibly missed and so she believes he is either lying or just disappointingly incompetent.

 

And what a damn hypocrite she is, by the way. She violated that man's DNR -- which, unlike what Ben said/claimed, was absolutely intentional -- and that's okay? And lucky for her that actually had a good outcome with an inexplicable, one in a million recovery. Good thing things work out when Bailey breaks the rules.

 

I am so sick of this back and forth with Jackson and April. Let's work it out! I hate you! Let's be civil! I'm suing you! The baby's kicking! Great, now we can be friends again for the next five minutes before we start to kill each other again! Ugh, shut up.

 

Did it not occur to Arizona to talk to Callie about not being okay with having Sofia moved across the country before going straight to the attorney to start a custody suit? Why can't these people use their words?

 

Also, is it really necessary to completely shut down every single door in a big giant building full of people who could drop dead any minute?

[readster]

 

Also, is it really necessary to completely shut down every single door in a big giant building full of people who could drop dead any minute?

After working in a hospital for a few years and being part of almost every code in the book minus a bomb threat. It depends on where the situation happened and the size of the hospital. However, places like surgical, trauma and cafe are open because of what could go wrong if they were locked down. Surgical and trauma its obvious. However, if there was an accident, fire or explosion what are people suppose to do in the cafe? Burn to death or: "I'm sorry, I know your hand is sliced open and we have wrapped it, but we are in lockdown. So, you'll just have to bleed to death." Not to mention when there is a Code Pink, the main exits are locked down and trained or security are by emergency exits and patient rooms are locked from inside by nurses, doctors or CNAs to keep from being an access. It doesn't become a Federal Prison and there are no really, really special badge only. In fact, only security would have badges but would be in place if a situation like a patient dying or in extreme distress was happening so they could swipe them out. Plus, if there is security footage and that is shown. There would been radios to talk about it, instead of texting to the chief. However, like April's reason for the restraining order. I wanted Jackson to say: "When have I ever listen to my mother?" Plus, Arizona going to super lawyer that thought keeping the restraining order was a good idea given the situation. Sorry, I don't know how you passed the bar, but that's not how it works. Plus, friends of clients don't just magically go to your office when they want to like that.

[rachel1496]

I'm stumped as to why everyone was convinced Ben was lying. People zone out all the time, it's not some magical surgical phenomenon.

So when Izzie was fired for deliberately cutting an LVAD wire Bailey went to bat to get her job back but when Ben makes a bad judgement call, tough shit? And little miss I Don't Believe You Have Remorse can miss me with that nonsense. Hey Bailey, remember when you injected a child with HIV after being told not to and then refused to apologize? How you were not only not sorry but actually angry that the parents were angry. Didn't see a whole lot of remorse then.

I wish we had gotten some back story on why Alex was so convinced the kid was kidnapped. Without it he just looks like an overreactionary jerk.

The final Japril scene was actually ridiculously cute and I loved Jackson's excitement over the second kick. Now if we could just ship Catherine back to Boston forever.....

ETA: Callie and Arizona should already have a custody agreement as part of thier divorce and it would cover what happens to visitation if one of them needed or wanted to move as well as how far Callie could move Sofia.

Edited April 15, 2016 by rachel1496

[Maharincess]

Well, that's professional, Owen and Meredith, deciding amongst yourself that you don't trust Riggs' medical choices and decisions because of what you feel about him personally.

Seriously, Callie? You're going to uproot yourself and Sofia for a year for Penny? And take Sofia away from Arizona, essentially, without talking to her about it first?

Good for you, Arizona.

Bailey talking to Ben about astonishing lapses in judgement when she brought the dad back when he specifically had a DNR? And of course ​he miraculously comes back to life.

I don't understand how an ex step mother has any say in where the kid goes or what she does. I'm sure she loves Sophia but that's what she is, an ex step mom.

[upperco]

These two episodes were mostly strong, but they never should have been broadcast back-to-back. 

 

The first hour was tense and exciting, primarily because it centered around a self-contained story. Usually the practice of non-linear storytelling, a popular gimmick in contemporary television, obfuscates the narrative itself, distracting from any shortcomings that may exist. However, the script's focus allowed the device to aid the premise, and I thought it was a well-done effort all around, with nothing being downplayed or needing to be downplayed.

 

The second hour opened itself up to the rest of the ongoing arcs, revealing just how much the first hour had existed in a vacuum. And, not surprisingly, when the show went back to its usual modus operandi, all the familiar defects returned -- namely, the proliferation of characters who've never been afforded the kind of definition required for continued emotional investment. That noted, it was a superior entry in its crafting of logical dialogue and motivated actions...

 

Well, until Bailey chose to ignore the DNR. I understood the dramatic reasoning that the script wanted to employ, but the scene came out of nowhere and, once again, served to remind of one of this series' many flaws: the lack of appropriate calibration between sensationalism and realism. (Fortunately, there was a pay-off...) Yet, despite two particularly strong scenes (Maggie/Riggs and April/Jackson) within the final act, obligation to the longterm arcs resumed (Callie/Arizona/Penny especially) and threatened to forsake the quality that the installment otherwise embraced.  

 

Ultimately, I enjoyed both hours, despite wishing that they'd been separated by a week due to their differing styles. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by upperco

[breezy424]

Question?   Was Ben's punishment Bailey's decision or was it 'recommended' by the Advisory Committee?  Maybe I missed something but it seemed Bailey came up with that.  Very hypocritical given her decision to go against a family decision.  It's looking like that marriage is over. 

 

Hypocrisy seems to be the theme of the season.  I'm waiting for Amelia's decision to ignore Penny when doing that operation on the guitar player last week to come back to haunt her since she blamed Penny for her brother's death.  I don't think that story is over.  Then we have April and Arizona last week as well.  April breaks the rules in telling that girl's mom about her being pregnant but is incensed that Arizona told Avery about her pregnancy.  

[Amethyst]

Also, is it really necessary to completely shut down every single door in a big giant building full of people who could drop dead any minute?

 

I wondered if there was something about that particular kid, like he was carrying a contagious virus, or he was the son of a diplomat or something.  I could see calling a Code Pink, but not putting the whole hospital on lockdown to search for him, even if he had been missing a while.

 

Was Ben's punishment Bailey's decision or was it 'recommended' by the Advisory Committee?

 

I thought it was both.  There needed to be some form of punishment for what he did, but Bailey said she wanted to fire him outright, and the committee talked her out of it.  I figured the 6 month probation was a compromised reached by both parties.

[izabella]

Did it not occur to Arizona to talk to Callie about not being okay with having Sofia moved across the country before going straight to the attorney to start a custody suit? Why can't these people use their words?

 

Arizona could have at least uttered the word "no" to Callie when she told her about her plans.  Instead, she ran to a lawyer.  Because she saw how great the lawyers were doing at helping April and Jackson?

[OtterMommy]

There's no way Bailey should have been involved in Ben's fate in the first place. She was right to pass it off onto Richard, and he was stupid - not to mention unprofessional - to force her to discipline her own husband. I had a hard time getting past that. 

 

This!  I didn't see anything wrong whatsoever with her going to Webber and asking him to take over in her place.  In fact, I would have thought that would have been the accepted procedure.  Then, if that was not the case, setting up an advisory committee was a logical next step, but Webber gives her flack on that?

 

There is, of course, the issue that Webber has forgiven interns (or whatever Ben is at this point..) for far worse things.  Remember Izzy and the l-vad wire?  How about what's his name who lost it and operated on Alex's dad?  Both of those seemed far worse decisions, professionally speaking, than what Ben did.

[TheresaW1934]

I don't understand how an ex step mother has any say in where the kid goes or what she does. I'm sure she loves Sophia but that's what she is, an ex step mom.

1. In order for Arizona to file for custody, she must be Sofia's Mother - meaning she adopted Sofia.  Therefore she is not a step-mom, she is Sofia's Mom.  Both Callie and Arizona are legally Sofia's parents.

 

2. Divorce does not change that legal parentage.

 

3. Step would be assigned to new partners Callie or Arizona married.  If Callie married Penny, then Penny becomes the Step-Mother and Callie and Arizona are Sofia's mothers.

Edited April 15, 2016 by TheresaW1934

[backformore]

quickening refers to a pregnant women's first feeling of the baby moving.   Usually a woman is excited to first feel it, it's like a verification that there is actually a BABY in there.

April is a DOCTOR.  How does she freak out when she first feels the baby move?   Most women read books about pregnancy and childbirth, so they know what to expect.    But a DOCTOR has no idea?   A doctor who went to medical school, has no idea that it's normal to feel a baby move, and is practically having a panic attack when it happens?  Especially considering she lost a baby already, wouldn't she be even more attuned to every little sign and symptom, to make sure this baby is OK? 

[asoph91]

I think Arizona acts like this because she afraid that Callie will take Sofia away from her. Fear is a feeling that lead you make decisions without thinking a lot. Maybe she scared that Sofia will get attached with Penny and prefer her as the other mother. Or she could fear that maybe Callie doesn't come back after year ended and decide to stay in NY.

[OtterMommy]

quickening refers to a pregnant women's first feeling of the baby moving.   Usually a woman is excited to first feel it, it's like a verification that there is actually a BABY in there.

April is a DOCTOR.  How does she freak out when she first feels the baby move?   

 

To be fair, this isn't the first time this has happened on this show.  When Meredith first felt her son move, she had a reaction very similar (although not quite as fatalistic) as April's.  

 

But yes--in both cases it was hard to believe that a doctor wouldn't be able to recognize a baby kicking.  I do, however, give a bit of a pass to April as she had been through one pregnancy where her baby never moved.

[NUguy514]

Oh lord. I guess at this point I shouldn't be surprised that anyone can get away with anything on this show, but Ben's entitled attitude and Bailey's utter hypocrisy...they can both go eat a bag of infinite dicks.

Riggs may have been an asshole to Owen's sister, but Owen's and Meredith's using that as an excuse to mistrust his medical decisions? No. Owen is the fucking worst, and he's tarnishing Meredith.

I'm definitely Team Arizona. It's Callie's (idiotic) decision to move and disrupt her, Arizona's, and Sofia's lives, so she needs to be the one to reach out to Arizona and discuss it with her. I don't know if I necessarily think Arizona needed to run to a lawyer about it, but Callie absolutely should have discussed it with her first.

Maggie and Amelia were the only two doctors behaving professionally, so...yeah.

Edited April 15, 2016 by NUguy514

[pennben]

These two episodes were mostly strong, but they never should have been broadcast back-to-back. 

 

The first hour was tense and exciting, primarily because it centered around a self-contained story. Usually the practice of non-linear storytelling, a popular gimmick in contemporary television, obfuscates the narrative itself, distracting from any shortcomings that may exist. However, the script's focus allowed the device to aid the premise, and I thought it was a well-done effort all around, with nothing being downplayed or needing to be downplayed.

 

 

 

I agree, I thought the first episode was fantastic.  I loved that we knew from the moment Bailey was watching the screens and saw Ben cutting into that patient that she caught something that he 'didn't'.  However, I was still caught off guard when they showed what happened......he had a way out and it looked like he chose to ignore it.  That was an effective reveal. 

 

The second episode I liked, but less so.  As noted in the post above mine Ben's completely entitled attitude throughout was incredibly off-putting, and I'm still not sure what the hell Bailey was thinking vis-a-vis the DNR, stupid.

 

I think it does hurt the Callie following Penny to NY arc a lot that there really just isn't chemistry there, at all.  I also hate that both Callie and Arizona made impulsive decisions (one to move with the kid/the other to start a custody battle) without talking first.  Sigh. I don't see this ending well at all. I agree with most that it feels like such a disappointing way to write Callie off, if indeed the show is setting up for her to leave....she either crushes Arizona on her way out, or is crushed herself.

 

Happy to see cooler heads prevail with April/Jackson, whether they get back together or not, I'd like to see it continue on that way for awhile.

 

Owen has become ridiculous with his one-track rage focus; it needs to stop.

Edited April 15, 2016 by pennben

[ChuckWagon]

Hypocrisy seems to be the theme of the season.  

 

 

It's that dang Hypocrisy Oath they all took.

[ChuckWagon]

To be fair, this isn't the first time this has happened on this show.  When Meredith first felt her son move, she had a reaction very similar (although not quite as fatalistic) as April's.  

 

But yes--in both cases it was hard to believe that a doctor wouldn't be able to recognize a baby kicking.  I do, however, give a bit of a pass to April as she had been through one pregnancy where her baby never moved.

 

Yeah...this was a WTF'ery moment..but then backpedaled a bit when Arizona mentioned something about cramping. So, between the cramping sensation coupled with the moving sensation and April being, well April,  I gave her a pass.   And really, after a first pregnancy like April's first, just about anything that you experience can (and will) send you in a panic mode.

[CED9]

I'm not disappointed with how this Callie/Arizona situation played out because it's literally the same way their entire relationship played out.

Callie makes a decision based on an assumption that Arizona will be cool with it. Arizona isn't cool with it, but tells everyone except Callie that she's not cool with it. Miscommunication leads to fighting and talking at instead of to each other.

That's what makes possibly going to court interesting to me. Arizona who is notoriously private will HAVE to open up and tell the truth. Callie will HAVE to listen.

[RealityCowgirl]

I'll never get past the notion that this orthopedic rock-star surgeon (department head?)/co-owner of the hospital thinks uprooting her daughter, packing up and following a resident (with whom she has no demonstrated chemistry) for a year is a grand idea.

[Chicken Wing]

Each and every character on this show generally behaves two or three times dumber than their credentials would suggest.

[choclatechip45]

I had no issue with Bailey forming an advisory committee. I was shocked that someone made a professional decision. I thought it was weird that Meredith was on it since she was sort of involved in the mothers case.

I actually like Maggie I thought she was very professional this episode. I liked that she went straight to Riggs. I wonder if they are going to set those two up.

Edited April 15, 2016 by choclatechip45

[windsprints]

I wondered if there was something about that particular kid, like he was carrying a contagious virus, or he was the son of a diplomat or something.  I could see calling a Code Pink, but not putting the whole hospital on lockdown to search for him, even if he had been missing a while.

Alex said the father had anger issues and they were fighting over custody that morning. I think the fear was that the father kidnapped the child from the hospital. They also said that the kid's condition could lead to him having a bad infection if they didn't find him soon.

Riggs may have been an asshole to Owen's sister, but Owen's and Meredith's using that as an excuse to mistrust his medical decisions? No. Owen is the fucking worst, and he's tarnishing Meredith.

 

If cheating is the criteria to base medical decisions on then the whole hospital is screwed. Why does she trust Richard's ability? Look how he treated Adele by having the affair with her mother. Addison cheated. Mark cheated. George cheated. Derek cheated. And - Owen himself cheated. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by windsprints