S12.E24: Family Affair

[stopthestatic]

Sad about SaRa but saw it coming weeks ago. I'm hoping they'll bring her back early next season for an episode, just for a proper goodbye, if anything. I'm confused by the wording of both her and Shonda's statements though. "Time off" implies she might be back. Is it possible she's leaving to do something on Broadway and will make a return once that wraps up??

 

I hate to say it but I really did love this episode wholeheartedly. The sister scenes were just so much fun - proof that you don't need disaster and death to make the show enjoyable. This is what I want to see more of...compelling character and character-dynamic stories, with respect and honour given to the history of the show and its past characters/relationships. That opening scene with Alex and Meredith felt particularly heavy to me emotionally. The entire theme of "is there just one true love?" also felt like a meta commentary on the show itself, which has now split up basically all of their big MFEO couples - MerDer, Calzona, Izzex, Crowen. It felt like the perfect conversation for the show to be having as they head into next season. And speaking as someone who was livid when they killed Derek off, it really did get me thinking - maybe there is more than one love for everyone and maybe Meredith will have another great love. Ellen and Martin's chemistry was definitely present in this episode. At least I felt it. Obviously nothing can beat what Ellen and Patrick had, but I'm rooting for them. And that final scene with Maggie was the cherry on top, I think it'll lead to some really fun stuff for Ellen and Kelly (I still think they didn't explore their sister relationship enough before just jumping into it, I'll be glad to see some conflict between them).

 

This season and this finale fixed a lot of the wounds left over from season 11 for me. As someone who has watched from the pilot and complained about the show relentlessly, I think this season was a huge step up and I'm excited for season 13.

[Chicken Wing]

Oh, and I'm shocked that it was the season finale and we had a dramatically rainy day and Dead Megan didn't turn up on any doorstep.

[pennben]

Okay, so I'm watching the episode and really enjoying it, mostly giggling ("he needs more sun"...hahahahahahaha), then occasionally serious albeit in ridiculous situations and then....screeeech, hold on, Arizona/Callie decided to switch the kid cross country every other year?! No. Just no. Reading here, I guess I understand if Ramirez is leaving for now....they sure do imply she can/will be back, but that was a bunch of nonsense.  That would not happen.

Honestly, in my mind, Callie is going to show up at Penny's apartment, with Sofia in tow, and Penny is just going to open the door, look at Callie, say "Nope" and slam it in her face.  I'm with ya Penny!!

All in all a really good season, there were a handful of episodes that I wasn't fully on board with, but what a great recovery from last year.  And I enjoyed how they set up next year. 

What can I say (probably lots more later:)), I still like the show. 

[Deanie87]

6 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

I think Riggs was my MVP two weeks in a row. He really is great and I'm actually very looking forward to his relationship with Meredith. They're scene at the church was my favourite of the episode. Also, I've said for a while that I wish they had made Cross a regular instead of DeLuca. I like the silliness he brings. 

As for Alex / Jo, I figured most fans would be happy because at least they're never making us doubt how much she loves him (and vice versa.) The DeLuca thing was such cheesy setup, but that's Greys. It will give them a lot to deal with next season. I DO wonder how she made it through med school with a fake name... maybe she legally changed it? 

Edited to add: I LOVE when they give Justin scenes like that. He really can act his butt off when he needs to. I thought Camilla was a bit silly in some scenes, but acting drunk can be tough. 

Yeah, I thought Camilla was good in the first loft scene (with her sad conciliatory breakfast and cleavage). I thought some of the drunk scenes were funny, but I also thought that she should have been more of an emotional/devastated drunk, which I guess we got later sort of and could have been the direction as well. Did she say that they guy was a powerful man?  I didn't expect that, I expected him to be a lowlife of some kind (not that an abusive ass isn't a lowlife but you know what I mean.) That is an interesting twist.  I just wish that there was a recent development with it because while it does make sense with her stuff in seasons 9 and 10, it really doesn't make sense with what came earlier this season.  And I wish that she would have explained why she felt she couldn't tell Alex.  But, it could have been much, much worse, and it could lead to something really interesting next season.  Fingers crossed I guess.

[Tooch]

PLEASE let Jo's ex be someone from Scandal land or something and have a thriller crossover! I mean why not? Scandal is fucking ridiculous now and so is Greys, and Shonda loves a crossover. A powerful politician?

The dumbest thing about the Jolex crap is that if changing her name was enough to get her licensed as an MD and a surgeon in one of the top programs in the country there is NO reason she couldn't have just married Alex and not said anything. You hear all the time about those dudes with wives in other states who never even know anything is amiss. Yes polygamy is illegal, but who cares if you're in hiding from a violent psycho? Ridiculous. 

I can't even talk about the absurdity of the kitchen table c-section. Labor CAN move very quickly but how long did that ambulance take!? They called it before her water even broke. For fucks sake. 

Refuse to comment on Callie. Poor Sofia. 

[CookieChica]

I'm pretty neutral on DeLuca but if he were a real person, I would suggest he pull a Smash and beg Callie to take him with her. Guy, you are too normal to live in this insanity. Get out now. 

[BaseOps]

12 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

Yeah, I thought Camilla was good in the first loft scene (with her sad conciliatory breakfast and cleavage). I thought some of the drunk scenes were funny, but I also thought that she should have been more of an emotional/devastated drunk, which I guess we got later sort of and could have been the direction as well. Did she say that they guy was a powerful man?  I didn't expect that, I expected him to be a lowlife of some kind (not that an abusive ass isn't a lowlife but you know what I mean.) That is an interesting twist.  I just wish that there was a recent development with it because while it does make sense with her stuff in seasons 9 and 10, it really doesn't make sense with what came earlier this season.  And I wish that she would have explained why she felt she couldn't tell Alex.  But, it could have been much, much worse, and it could lead to something really interesting next season.  Fingers crossed I guess.

"I was living in my car... and then I met him and I wasn't living in my car anymore. Everybody loved him. I did. He never wanted anyone to stop loving him. So if I [undistinguishable] he would hit me in my face. Or my stomach." 

I can't tell what she says here. But yea, I thought her first scene was good, some of the dialogue in her reveal to DeLuca was just clunky. 

"If you try to divorce him..." "He would FIND me" 

And then her stripping and all DeLuca's "No, no, what are you doing!" made me chuckle a bit. I was just waiting for Alex to storm in. 

Also, I liked that they had Owen / Riggs get over there shit, but I wish there had been some actual build-up. Anyway, the Mer / Riggs scene that followed was great.

Edited May 20, 2016 by BaseOps

[pennben]

18 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

Oh, and I'm shocked that it was the season finale and we had a dramatically rainy day and Dead Megan didn't turn up on any doorstep.

I'm assuming it was raining so hard and storms were in the area, so the airport was closed; but we all know it......Megan's coming!  This storm was just a warning:)

[Gladrags]

A season-ending episode where everyone is happy? Or almost happy? Or almost everyone is happy?

Nevermind. LOL

I'm just glad no one died. Except for maybe poor DeLuca. I bet he never gives a drunken woman a ride home again. Oh, and maybe Ranting and Raving Owen is dead. Who was that mellow redheaded guy? 

The rest ... meh. I liked Amelia's dress. Good for Bailey, telling Ben she trusted him right before he sliced April open. I'm glad April, Jackson and baby have a shot at being a happy family. I felt bad for Richard - he's always looking so perplexed these days.

If that was Callie's goodbye after years and years on this show ... then shame on TPTB. 

My favorite line was from Amelia, talking about Maggie (paraphrased): Every time I tell her the world is on fire she hands me a marshmallow.

[BabyBBQKendall]

Pretty good. I generally like the finales, they're the only time we get any movement and resolution in the stories. It's the other 23 episodes that are murder ;)

[redfish]

Quote

Avery with the baby was adorable. 

I was surprised they didn't pull more dark drama with them. I was expecting for the last minute that either the baby died or April. But I was okay with that, now they can create NEW drama over the baby.

I did like the Ben/April scene because this was the teachable moment that Ben needed. It finally occurred to him that you can't pull cowboy moves without considering the consequences because it dawned on him that if he screwed up someone he knows is going to die. That he still has a lot to learn. I wonder if they directing him to go into pediatric surgery?

Wow Meredith is the worst person ever. She's not twisty, she's the destroyer of moments. She rattled Amelia in the last episode and then enabled her to run from her wedding and will engage in a psuedo love triangle with her sister and Riggs. Although I don't think Maggie should feel betrayed since she and Riggs never started anything so Meredith didn't really steal him from her since he never engaged with her at all. Whelp, I guess we shall see how this pans out in the next season.

[BaseOps]

5 minutes ago, redfish said:

Wow Meredith is the worst person ever. She's not twisty, she's the destroyer of moments. She rattled Amelia in the last episode and then enabled her to run from her wedding and will engage in a psuedo love triangle with her sister and Riggs. Although I don't think Maggie should feel betrayed since she and Riggs never started anything so Meredith didn't really steal him from her since he never engaged with her at all. Whelp, I guess we shall see how this pans out in the next season.

Mer was definitely a bit out of line last week... but the worst person ever? Amelia wanted to run - that isn't on Meredith. She offered to walk her down the aisle or go with her if she wanted to leave. Amelia chose to leave. She also didn't engage in any type of love triangle... she slept with a guy who her sister later revealed she had a crush on. 

Edited May 20, 2016 by BaseOps

[Court]

19 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

"I was living in my car... and then I met him and I wasn't living in my car anymore. Everybody loved him. I did. He never wanted anyone to stop loving him. So if I [undistinguishable] he would hit me in my face. Or my stomach." 

I can't tell what she says here. But yea, I thought her first scene was good, some of the dialogue in her reveal to DeLuca was just clunky. 

"If you try to divorce him..." "He would FIND me" 

And then her stripping and all DeLuca's "No, no, what are you doing!" made me chuckle a bit. I was just waiting for Alex to storm in. 

Also, I liked that they had Owen / Riggs get over there shit, but I wish there had been some actual build-up. Anyway, the Mer / Riggs scene that followed was great.

I think she said if I bought the wrong thing. I wonder if he paid for her med school. Then she changed her name?

[LexieLily]

5 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

Mer was definitely a bit out of line last week... but the worst person ever? Amelia wanted to run - that isn't on Meredith. She offered to walk her down the aisle or go with her if she wanted to leave. Amelia chose to leave. She also didn't engage in any type of love triangle... she slept with a guy who her sister later revealed she had a crush on. 

Yes, but to me, at least, that entire Meredith monologue in the back room of the church with Amelia, it felt like Meredith was just going through the motions of what Amelia wanted to hear from her, especially because of what Amelia had just said. There ever wasn't a sense that Meredith was ever truly happy for Amelia.

[StaceyNotStacie]

This wasn't too bad. I liked that they went through with the wedding and that the baby was fine. I wonder what her name will be since they always seem to name the babies after other characters. 

I liked how they set up the next season. I'm just wondering where they will pick up with the new season. 

Amelia's dress was pretty, but I didn't like the hair. It was too matronly. She would have looked better with the hair down it in a nice bun. When they mentioned Derek not being there to walk her down the aisle, I thought Richard was going to do it since they seemed close from AA. 

[Deanie87]

2 minutes ago, Court said:

I think she said if I bought the wrong thing. I wonder if he paid for her med school. Then she changed her name?

It seems like this could very easily start to veer into Sleeping with Enemy territory and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  After reading some of the post-finale articles, I'm wondering if the DeLuca beatdown is to emphasize why Jo was afraid to tell Alex.  Clearly, mature and drama-free adult that he is now, Karev still has a bit of a problem keeping his temper in check, and maybe she feels like keeping him in the dark about everything is protecting him as well.  Good lord, this is getting so seedy and soapy and I'm kind of here for it.

[BaseOps]

5 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Yes, but to me, at least, that entire Meredith monologue in the back room of the church with Amelia, it felt like Meredith was just going through the motions of what Amelia wanted to hear from her, especially because of what Amelia had just said. There ever wasn't a sense that Meredith was ever truly happy for Amelia.

Perhaps, but she didn't have to do that. A terrible person would have said "you're right, I don't like you." Meredith offered to be there for her. Her family wouldn't even be there, but Meredith was. She was by Amelia's side all day when no one else was. 

[Amethyst]

Wow, that was dull.  So predictable, with the exception of Callie leaving.  

I'm not even a fan of Amelia, but I wanted her to sock Meredith in the mouth.  Meredith's little pep talk with Owen was going too far, and it didn't matter if Christina and Owen had been together.  They broke up.  It happens.  This was Owen and Amelia's wedding day and Meredith needed to sit her ass down and shut up.  What if Owen had called Christina?  What would that have accomplished?

Jeez, what a lame ending for Callie.  The only upside is that she didn't die horribly like so many others, but considering that Sara was there 10 years without so much as a farewell to anyone else...that felt cheap.  At least if she had been at the wedding she would have been surrounded by her friends.  IA that Arizona thinks Callie will be gone longer than a year.  Bummer for Sofia.  

Too bad that they're setting up that hokey love triangle with Maggie, Riggs, and Meredith, because I think Maggie and Riggs do work, as opposed to Meredith and Riggs, who don't have much more than hatesex, imo.  Of course that will develop into twu wuv!

Really, Grey's?  Alex pulling the old "bursting in at the wrong time" cliche?  Come on.  

Glad Jackson and April's baby was OK, but April had me rolling my eyes for a while.  Given the circumstances of her last pregnancy, I thought she would have raced to the hospital the moment the contractions started, regardless of the rain.  But it had to happen this way of course, so Warren could be vindicated from the tragic pregnant lady from several weeks back.  

[LexieLily]

1 minute ago, BaseOps said:

Perhaps, but she didn't have to do that. A terrible person would have said "you're right, I don't like you." Meredith offered to be there for her. Her family wouldn't even be there, but Meredith was. She was by Amelia's side all day when no one else was. 

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

[BabyBBQKendall]

Okay, so who are we going to cast as rich and powerful Mr Jo Wilson? And can we make him Jackson's errant and absent father, while we're at it?

[WhosThatGirl]

The thing is, it wasn't a bad episode, but it was just kind of like "an episode" if that makes sense. Like, it was good and okay, but boring.  I'm more upset about poor Deluca getting his face smashed in by Alex and despite that I only like three facts about him, I like him a lot more than I like most of this seasons cast so, yeah. 

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

When we met Neve Campbell, one of Derek's sisters, she told Mer off by saying that Mer never goes to see them or their kids and refuses to let them see Zola- at the time she was the only child- and then said Mer only goes to the family if she needs something. Also, I am assuming Mama Shepred thought the wedding was happening too fast.

[Scylla]

Random thoughts -

-I was worried when they cut out of the scene of Alex beating down DeLuca, that what if he beat him until he died. (too dramatic I know but I still feel so bad for that 'setup' that we all knew was going to happen) 

-I don't know if its just me, but did ANYONE else *initially* think when Maggie was saying she likes Riggs (we all thought for Mer, right?) and she thinks he likes her, I thought maybe those two were fooling around on the side. Anyone else think that? 

-Was wondering if they were going to lose April and save the baby (i can see that happening but wasn't sure if Sarah was leaving the show). 

-The part of Ben uncovering the baby in his arms after getting out of the ER definitely made me teary eyed.  

-While everyone DID guess Jo is already married (i was the dumb one who thought she was illegal from canada or on the run/fugitive - guess i got that part right), no one who thought she was married thought about her hiding out and name change etc? I see a lot of posts in here like 'how did that happen if..?" but so many of you guys thought she was married.. how did that play out in your head? (curious).  I do like Jo but its disappointing she never told Alex any of this. And no, having a baby wont solve that problem. 

-Riggs/Mer- its happening, folks. Get ready. He has that smoldering look in his eyes like McDreamy. Yep. It's there. 

-Arizona giving sophia back to Callie.. WHILE i do understand 'i want us all happy, yay!" mentality, now you have a goddamn lawyer's bill to pay, so hope youre happy about that. 

-Owen/Amelia - still weird to me but I'm *TRYING*. (I also just want Yang back ... like,yesterday). 

[BaseOps]

7 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

It seems like this could very easily start to veer into Sleeping with Enemy territory and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  After reading some of the post-finale articles, I'm wondering if the DeLuca beatdown is to emphasize why Jo was afraid to tell Alex.  Clearly, mature and drama-free adult that he is now, Karev still has a bit of a problem keeping his temper in check, and maybe she feels like keeping him in the dark about everything is protecting him as well.  Good lord, this is getting so seedy and soapy and I'm kind of here for it.

I hope they really dig into this next season, honestly. At this point I don't see how they could gloss over it. They've never given Jo / Alex a season-ending story like this before... it's always been something sort of romantic. This is an actual STORY so I have some hope. Is it sort of soapy and a bit over-the-top for my taste, but I'll take it. I hope that with Callie gone (sigh) we get some real focus on them next year. 

1 minute ago, LexieLily said:

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

I didn't watch PP closely, just caught the odd episode after Grey's. I could never really get into it. If I'm right, the sisters live in different areas (someone correct me?) I think it seemed to mostly have to do with the idea that Amelia is a junkie and her family thought she was rushing into this so they didn't want to support it... that's what I got from the phone call at the beginning. It probably has a lot more to do with the actors who play her sisters + mother lol. 

[Deanie87]

Just now, BlindMaryIngalls said:

Okay, so who are we going to cast as rich and powerful Mr Jo Wilson? And can we make him Jackson's errant and absent father, while we're at it?

OH.MY.GOD!!!!  Please cancel all of your plans for tomorrow to spam everyone associated with Grey's with this exact idea!  I'll help you!  Can you even imagine?  

[choclatechip45]

I wish there was an Addison mention.

Quote

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

It was mentioned that Amelia felt closer to Addison than any of her sisters growing up.

[BaseOps]

Just now, choclatechip45 said:

I wish there was an Addison mention.

It was mentioned that Amelia felt closer to Addison than any of her sisters growing up.

Thanks for this - I was wondering if when the series ended, were Amelia and Addison still very close? 

[pennben]

6 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

When we met Neve Campbell, one of Derek's sisters, she told Mer off by saying that Mer never goes to see them or their kids and refuses to let them see Zola- at the time she was the only child- and then said Mer only goes to the family if she needs something. Also, I am assuming Mama Shepred thought the wedding was happening too fast.

I feel like we've met two of Derek's sisters.  Also, we have met his mother, played by the always awesome Tyne Daly.  Even though we don't know exactly what she was saying on the other side of the phone to Amelia, those of us that have followed Daly for decades could figure out the tone and tenor and disapproval that Amelia was hearing. Hell, after what I had assumed I would be hearing from a Daly character, it's a miracle that Amelia came out of the bathroom at all!

[Anela]

45 minutes ago, Gladrags said:

 

My favorite line was from Amelia, talking about Maggie (paraphrased): Every time I tell her the world is on fire she hands me a marshmallow.

That was my favourite bit, too. I was envying the optimism of a fictional character. 

17 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

I'd forgotten about that - it really annoyed me, but it was a nice setup for Owen to show up, and tell her that *he* was there. That was sweet. 

[esco1822]

Ugh, my poor Calzona heart is broken. Callie is leaving to be with that piece of cardboard and Arizona let her take Sophia. If nothing else, I think Shonda owes her a little happiness next season i.e. an actual relationship which I thought we were supposed to get this season anyway. What a dumb and selfless act, I kind of love her.

As a Private Practice watcher I'm annoyed with the whole Amelia already having had the love of her life thing. If I remember correctly, she had a fairly brief relationship throughout which both parties were high as a kite and he eventually overdosed. And she gave birth to a/his baby without a brain. never felt like that was a great and true love. With regard to the Shephard family, I just don't buy none of them going considering Derek first described his sisters as annoyingly close. This screams of yet another plot device.

As for Callie, I can't even believe they painted such an unflattering picture of her this season and actually let her go out like that.  No apology to Arizona who ended up giving her far more than she ever deserved. No grand declarations or nervous speeches. No goodbyes. It seems like the most anti-climactic departure of a major and beloved character ever on this show. I can only guess Shonda hopes she changes her mind and comes back for an ER inspired Doug/Carol swan song.

Overall I have to say, SMDH.

[BabyBBQKendall]

13 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

OH.MY.GOD!!!!  Please cancel all of your plans for tomorrow to spam everyone associated with Grey's with this exact idea!  I'll help you!  Can you even imagine?  

Anything that brings Jackson and Alex into each others' orbit again works for me. I loved their rivalry/semi-friendship back in the resident days. "Bite me, pretty boy!" Oh lololol snarky Alex, you are sorely missed.

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

While everyone DID guess Jo is already married (i was the dumb one who thought she was illegal from canada or on the run/fugitive - guess i got that part right), no one who thought she was married thought about her hiding out and name change etc? I see a lot of posts in here like 'how did that happen if..?" but so many of you guys thought she was married.. how did that play out in your head? (curious).

Because the "I'll bet Jo's already married" guess didn't also involve her hiding from anyone. I was thinking it was some kind of marriage of convenience/money situation that she couldn't end for some practical (or impractical) reason or another. She wouldn't have to hide or change her name for that. But if her "I'm already married" story does involve her hiding and changing her name, it raises some nitpicky questions. I have to imagine it's kind of hard to get stuff (like, say, admission to medical school) with a name and social security number with absolutely no history behind them.

[Anela]

I just assumed she was married, because that's usually the case. I first thought maybe she'd married as a teenager, and she just didn't know where he was, but I guess that's something she would have admitted to Alex. The husband will probably just happen to end up in the hospital, needing emergency surgery. 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Anela

[Daisy]

23 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Is there some backstory I don't know about (from Private Practice, maybe) that would tell why none of Amelia's family wanted to come? If nothing else, they should want to come to see Derek's children.

Amelia - as you know - raging drug addict. 
On private practice she had a huge bad episode. so I am thinking her family is still thinking the time she disppeared for like 13 days (high as a kite), comes in and goes HEY THIS IS MY NEW LOVER EVERYONE, HIS NAME IS RYAN (yes, caps are needed) and they basically just got high together. Addison threw an intervention where Amelia got pissed as hell, and started chanting "What do we want? DRUGS! when do we want them? NOW!" over and over until Addy gave her Oxy. then she snorted it up and ran off with Ryan and they bother said hey we should have one more trip - then be clean and go get married. 

they tripped, Ryan OD'ed, and Amelia sobered up.
then found out she was pregnant. the Baby didn't have a brain, and so she gave birth the baby died and all the organs got donated. Mama Shep nor the sisters ever appeared on PP. 

 

what pisses me off is that Ran was never ever written to be a Love of Anyone's Life. He was the reason (well part of) why Amelia got back into drugs in the first place, and was all "wee. high! wooo!" He wanted to sober up, but they were always so high it was never really intended (to me anyway) that this was ever gonna be a thing. Ryan was not a "Finn" (where he COULD have been a LoHL) or an Addi or anyone in that extent. they were together for like 3 minutes. 

which is probably where Mama Shep was like well it was on and off and off and on are you sober? though - i do have to say: that was cold. had they come, they would have seen, then everyone would be happy. I thought it was a cheap way to "save money" not to bring in the real Mama Shep and the sisters. 

[choclatechip45]

Quote

Thanks for this - I was wondering if when the series ended, were Amelia and Addison still very close? 

I believe so from what I remember. Amelia is Addison's son godmother. I'm pretty sure Amelia mentioned Addison when she having her meltdown to Owen last season after Derek died that she couldn't stop calling her.

Does this mean the teacher Jo mentioned in season 9 is either made up or helped her escape?

Edited May 20, 2016 by choclatechip45

[Madding crowd]

Amelia barely knew Ryan and I doubt she could remember much of their time together. On this show, no one can just have a regular, basic wedding without some craziness taking place. I'm glad Amelia came back; she and Owen both deserve some happiness. I don't agree that she can't get married because she is an addict. She will always be an addict who makes the choice not to use. Life is short, and waiting around for everything usually ends up with it being too late for anything.

i guess Meredith was a little better, but I just don't like her anymore. Riggs would be better off with Maggie but she probably isn't dark and twisty enough. Happy everything turned out ok for April and baby but I don't believe for a minute they wouldn't have waited for the ambulance. It's not like they are in a rural backwoods. I'm not even sure how much Ben could tell about the baby's heartbeat without a fetal heart monitor. 

Very surprised in the Arizona/Callie ending. So Arizona is choosing Callie's happiness over her daughters happiness and her own. 

As far as Alex and Jo; everything about it was too predictable and it really is impossible these days to erase your identify and then engage in a career which requires lots of background checks and licenses. Maybe if Jo were hiding out as a waitress in a small town, otherwise no way.  

[WhosThatGirl]

47 minutes ago, pennben said:

I feel like we've met two of Derek's sisters.  Also, we have met his mother, played by the always awesome Tyne Daly.  Even though we don't know exactly what she was saying on the other side of the phone to Amelia, those of us that have followed Daly for decades could figure out the tone and tenor and disapproval that Amelia was hearing. Hell, after what I had assumed I would be hearing from a Daly character, it's a miracle that Amelia came out of the bathroom at all!

We met three, I believe. We met Neve Campbell, and then the therapist one in season 2 when she came and was friendly with Mark and Addison. And then we met Amelia. There is one we haven't met, I think. Amelia and Derek are the closest in age of the siblings, I think. According to Addison, Amelia asked her for advice on birth control and to do her hair for prom. Also from my memory, the joke with all the sisters is that Derek was the favorite with their mom.

[ChicksDigScars]

51 minutes ago, pennben said:

I feel like we've met two of Derek's sisters.  Also, we have met his mother, played by the always awesome Tyne Daly.  Even though we don't know exactly what she was saying on the other side of the phone to Amelia, those of us that have followed Daly for decades could figure out the tone and tenor and disapproval that Amelia was hearing. Hell, after what I had assumed I would be hearing from a Daly character, it's a miracle that Amelia came out of the bathroom at all!

Well, three, counting Amelia. Nancy Pants, the OBGYN, who hated the slutty intern (Meredith), Lizzy, who bitched out Meredith (and made me cheer), and Amelia. The only one that we never met was Kathleen, the psychiatrist, but I assume that she would be played by another brunette actress with great hair.

I assume that Amelia and Addison remained close. Private Practice ended with Addison marrying Jake (the lovely Benjamin Bratt), and Amelia was present with the hottie ER doc. Are we sure that Amelia's first great love wasn't him? They were canoodling at the wedding and he said, "that will be us one day," as Addie and Jake were saying their vows. Or did she specifically reference Ryan the druggie, and I missed it?

I assume that Amelia and Addison spent much time weeping and bitching on the phone and texting nasty things about Meredith following Derek's death. 

[WhosThatGirl]

7 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Well, three, counting Amelia. Nancy Pants, the OBGYN, who hated the slutty intern (Meredith), Lizzy, who bitched out Meredith (and made me cheer), and Amelia. The only one that we never met was Kathleen, the psychiatrist, but I assume that she would be played by another brunette actress with great hair.

I assume that Amelia and Addison remained close. Private Practice ended with Addison marrying Jake (the lovely Benjamin Bratt), and Amelia was present with the hottie ER doc. Are we sure that Amelia's first great love wasn't him? They were canoodling at the wedding and he said, "that will be us one day," as Addie and Jake were saying their vows. Or did she specifically reference Ryan the druggie, and I missed it?

I assume that Amelia and Addison spent much time weeping and bitching on the phone and texting nasty things about Meredith following Derek's death. 

Nancy that was her name! So, yes we've met three. We should meet the third one, though. I do kind of love that all of Derek's sisters have bitched out at Meredith. Except for Amelia. 

When Amelia came to GA, during the season when Derek and Mer were fighting about him giving up DC, it was because the ER doc had asked her to marry him and she was conflicted and needed advice from Derek about what she should say. She ended up breaking up with him and staying in Seattle.

[pennben]

7 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

 I do kind of love that all of Derek's sisters have bitched out at Meredith. Except for Amelia.

Beg pardon? 

I'm not saying she wasn't justified here and there, but I'm not following your exception for Amelia as having not bitched out at Meredith.

[breezy424]

So, we got to watch for how many minutes of Jo undressing herself before Alex would come in the door?  Really?  We knew this was going to happen.  Poor writing. I found myself concentrating on this rather than Jo's story about why she didn't want to marry Alex.

Add to that April's birth.  Like others have stated, the ambulance just didn't get there for how long?  Like rain and a thunderstorm is sooo..... unusual in Seattle.  Warren redeems himself.  Boring.

All in all, it was a disappointing finale.  I did enjoy Amelia, Maggie and Mer going for the slushie but the episode was not clever in any way.  And maybe Maggie thinking Rigg's like her but that's really about it.  It was so predictable.

[WhosThatGirl]

20 minutes ago, pennben said:

Beg pardon? 

I'm not saying she wasn't justified here and there, but I'm not following your exception for Amelia as having not bitched out at Meredith.

Okay, I guess you're right. I'll clarify what I meant: Derek's other sisters don't really seem to want to have much of a relationship with Meredith, Nancy didn't like her at all and Lizzy came to the show having tried to have one but Meredith didn't want to. Even at the end of the episode, Mer sort of gave Lizzy an inch but yet I remember when she was writing a will or something on who would get the kids, she was sad that Christina didn't want to be the one to take the kids and kept mentioning Derek's sisters. What I mean is Amelia begs to have a relationship with her, unlike the other two. They have their reasons, I guess. But that's what I meant. I get why Meredith is the way she is, when Lizzy came and called her out on not behaving like family unless she needed something, she brought up Lexie and Meredith shut that down, but now Mer has opening let Maggie in and yet she still continues to shut Amelia out at times. Like her rant last week. This could be because of her loyalty she feels towards Christina, but sometimes it's not warranted. Hopefully, I made my reasoning make more sense. To me, it seems like Amelia is the only one who arrived and saw that her brother was dating Meredith and was open to being her sister/friend right away.

Edited May 20, 2016 by WhosThatGirl

[Black Knight]

Yeah, I also had a problem with no mention of Addison. Amelia would want her there more than anyone. Not only did she feel closer to Addison than any of her sisters, she also chose Addison over Derek.

I can't believe the way the show completely f'd up the Arizona/Callie/Sofia storyline. I understand they needed to write Callie off since Ramirez was exiting the show and that they didn't want to kill the character - and even though I don't like Callie, I didn't want to see her killed off either. But so the end result is that Callie learns nothing at all, she just looks sad until Arizona gives in and gives her everything she wants? And while I don't believe Callie would really move away without her daughter, I also don't believe Arizona would let her daughter move away. (The "every other school year" thing is just completely ridiculous.) Yes, again, I realize SR's exit put the writers in a bind, but what they should have done was have Callie decide to go away for a little bit to do some self-assessment and work on herself, and make it sound like it would just be for a few weeks. (Then, if SR doesn't return, it just turns indefinite.) Yes, it's a little implausible Callie would think of leaving her daughter even for a few weeks, but it's also implausible for Arizona to do this - especially when Callie hasn't done a damn thing to address the fact she went scorched-earth on Arizona in court. And at least with my preferred ending it would involve some actual character growth for Callie, in having her recognizing her mistakes and wanting to learn from them and taking steps in that direction. With this ending, Callie learns nothing except that playing the victim still works for her, and Arizona backslides big time into "leap[ing] to fulfill [Callie's] needs" despite the fact Callie hasn't said or done one thing to mend any of the damage she did. I can't believe Arizona said that "we" did things wrong, as if it was equal 50/50 when Callie admitted herself in the last episode that she was never going to consider leaving Sofia in Seattle. And why in god's name would Arizona trust Callie to stick to anything? Just because she's giving Callie a lot now? She knows better than anyone that when you give Callie something, she just comes back asking for more. Arizona! You should have listened to Bailey!

And Penny's just going to take her right back, even though Callie refused to even give a long-distance relationship a try even though Penny was willing to do all the work of flying back and forth? I wonder if Arizona knew about that - most likely not, since she didn't see Penny before she left, and she and Callie weren't exactly on the sort of conversational terms where Callie would have shared that with her. The Callie/Penny breakup was all on Callie! Penny was willing to try. Callie and Arizona and Sofia could've all stayed in Seattle and Callie would've still had Penny. (Okay, yeah, I realize Callie would start whining about missing sex immediately, but again, it just shows how in this whole mess Callie was continually unwilling to put herself out even a bit for the people she loves.)

This also flies in the face of how we were shown in the custody trial episode that Arizona was the mom Sofia was clinging to. But oh, Mommy is sad, so whatever. Gah.

I suppose this is really just the writers' way of freeing up Arizona so she can have a girlfriend next season, which, sure, I do want to see Arizona get a girlfriend finally. But it's not that hard to write around Arizona having her daughter and a girlfriend. Meredith's got three kids, after all, and Bailey was a single mom who had a couple of boyfriends before she re-married. Callie got Penny.

Uggggghhhhh. They really just completely threw out everything on Arizona's side - how much she didn't want to have her daughter living so far away, her concern for how it would be for Sofia to be uprooted from her life, and all the righteous anger and lack of trust she had over what Callie did to her in court - and skipped the chance to have Callie grow as a character, just so they could write Callie off with Sofia. I would have hated a Calzona reunion, but I hate this almost as much. Arizona feels bad for Callie, when Callie never felt bad for her during all this and would not have spent a second feeling bad for her had she won the custody battle and taken Sofia off to NYC.

Bye Callie. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, and while I like Sara Ramirez, I do hope she ultimately decides not to return to the show, because I cannot stand the character. If they had written Callie off the way I wanted, the character going away on a (supposedly) short retreat to reflect and do work on herself, I would've be interested in seeing her return down the road, to see how she's grown in the meantime. But this? Nope. She would return the same old Callie, and I've had more than enough of her.

Poor April - the scenes with her made me cringe. For her to have to go through that, with Ben wielding the scalpel, after everything with Samuel? Please let that be the last of Japril baby drama. I'm sure the couple will have plenty more drama, but let it involve something other than fears about the baby.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Black Knight

[windsprints]

I liked it quite a bit. It was nice to have a finale with no sweeping disaster or anyone dying.

Quote

I assume that Amelia and Addison remained close. Private Practice ended with Addison marrying Jake (the lovely Benjamin Bratt), and Amelia was present with the hottie ER doc. Are we sure that Amelia's first great love wasn't him? They were canoodling at the wedding and he said, "that will be us one day," as Addie and Jake were saying their vows. Or did she specifically reference Ryan the druggie, and I missed it?

I don't think Amelia referenced Ryan by name. I've always had the impression that Amelia glorified the relationship with Ryan and built it into something more than it was as part of coping with everything that happened during that time. Ryan died, her baby died, at least if he was the love of her life she had that to hold onto.

Quote

With regard to the Shephard family, I just don't buy none of them going considering Derek first described his sisters as annoyingly close

I think the other 3 are close. Amelia was closer to Addison than her sisters. I would have loved an Addison mention. I actually liked that they addressed the family not coming. They usually just ignore than we all come here and say they should have thrown in some dialog, lol.

I am very glad that Jo and Alex have a story going into next season. It feels like a retcon but at least it fits somewhat with what we've seen of Jo including her reaction to Peckwell raising his hands to her (I think that is how she described it, its been awhile) way back a few seasons ago. What didn't fit for me was the timing and her never saying anything about marriage before. They've been together for years now and their future together has come up more than once. If Jo couldn't marry Alex she could have easily said she didn't believe in marriage due to her background but that she loved him and wanted a life with him without the tradition and piece of paper.  It also doesn't fit at all with 12x3 when Jo was "what am I?","are you all in with me?" when Alex said Izzie was his wife. But, where it stands now is that 12x3 should be ignored and just go with the retcon. If they actually get some story next season it could be worth it.

I'm glad I don't live in Seattle where rain can cause an ambulance to take eons to arrive. I'm glad both April and the baby were ok (that baby was adorable!).

I hate that Callie didn't get goodbyes with others since it was Sara's last episode. I'm glad Callie lived and all but feel cheated that its ending this way. She was part of the show for 10 years, she deserved some goodbye scenes with others. 

I've like Riggs from the time he arrived and I'm really looking forward to more of him next season. I'm glad Owen's rage for him appears to be done and we can move on. I loved "Now you think you're my sun and my moon." given "I AM THE SUN" in season 11. 

I figured the sisters falling for the same guy was coming. I hope it plays out more playful/lighter than bitter and overly dramatic.

The timeline makes my head hurt - April is further along in her pregnancy, a whole wedding is planned yet Meredith and Riggs are just seeing each other since having sex?  At least have time move the same for everyone.

[Chas411]

Did she change her full name or just her last name? Asides from the fact rhat it's been a few years I do get why she may not have told Alex. If u remember correctly he nearly killed Peckwell and got into serious trouble when he thought he'd hurt Jo and she didn't want that so maybe she was afraid telling him would make the situation worse. 

[Muffyn]

I assume the ambulance took the same route that Derek took to the airport the day he died.  You know, the one that completely circles around Seattle.  This leaves plenty of time to search someone's house, find a medical bag, clear off the kitchen table, prep the  pregnant lady and get slicing.  Heck, he could have also cooked dinner and mowed the lawn. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Arizona. Why? You are going to let Callie take your daughter to New York every other year? That is fucking insane. Can you imagine spending an entire school year away from your child? Yes, Sofia deserves to have two happy moms, but why is that contingent upon Arizona making it happen? Callie is the one who makes herself miserable with her own choices.

As per usual, Amelia annoyed me. For someone who is so bossy at work, she really wants other people to tell her what to do in her personal life so that she can then blame them. Case in point: Meredith says that she is Amelia's person today and they can do whatever Amelia wants to do. Amelia chooses to run and then ten minutes later, blames Meredith for FORCING her to run. Take some fucking responsibility for your life, Amelia. Make a choice and then live with the consequences. Why is that so difficult?

The timeline makes my head hurt - April is further along in her pregnancy, a whole wedding is planned yet Meredith and Riggs are just seeing each other since having sex?  At least have time move the same for everyone.

Don't forget to add to that list - Jo turns down Alex's proposal and they've just been living together but not discussing it at all until the morning of the wedding and then suddenly Alex decides that he's done with this nonsense!

[photo fox]

I didn't think Amelia was saying that the guy from PP was her "one true love". I thought her freak out was because Owen had had his (Cristina), so couldn't really love her (Amelia). Which was of course compounded by overhearing Mer basically telling him to call Cristina and make sure it was okay for him to get married. WTH, Mer? I was so glad when Owen shut her down about all of that "she gave you to me to take care of" nonsense.

Owen in general was just kind of awesome this episode. UO but I still like him, and I like Amelia, and I hope they make it work. And CS was just stunning tonight. 

JW and that baby were just so sweet together. I did think it was odd that when the ambulance showed up, Jackson took off with April without a backward glance at the baby. I realize it was for maximum dramatic tension and gave Ben a "moment", and probably they already knew the baby was fine and April wasn't, but seeing Jackson be a little conflicted would have been nice. But I'm so happy about a healthy Japril baby that I shan't complain too loudly. JW and SD got some nice acting moments as well.

The Jo stuff feels like such a retcon, and I hate the "person walks in on an innocent scene that doesn't look innocent and assumes the worst" trope. But I'm so relieved that Alex is getting a story that doesn't revolve around Meredith that I shan't complain about that, either.

The less said the better about Arizona's big decision. So last week, it was imperative for Sofia's well-being that she stay in Seattle, but this week that's thrown out because Callie has the sads? I think when you have kids, you put your big girl panties on, and a smile on your face, and you fake it 'til you make it. I'm kind of over this idea that parents need to be happy for their kids to be happy. And I'm definitely over Calzona acting like Sofia is like a stuffed animal that they can pass back and forth to whomever is feeling emotionally needy.

After the way Callie treated Penny when she was on her way out, she's making a pretty huge assumption that Penny will even want to see her, let alone have her move in and co-parent a child.

[RealityCowgirl]

2 hours ago, Muffyn said:

I assume the ambulance took the same route that Derek took to the airport the day he died.  You know, the one that completely circles around Seattle.  This leaves plenty of time to search someone's house, find a medical bag, clear off the kitchen table, prep the  pregnant lady and get slicing.  Heck, he could have also cooked dinner and mowed the lawn. 

For the love of.... Yes, this. 

[craziness]

Regarding Callie picking up and moving to NYC, doesn't it take some time to move all your crap across the country?  And didn't penny trade in the 2 bedroom apartment for a one bedroom,  in order to save money so she could fly back and forth? I really think Callie should go there on her own to make sure things will work out,  given the way she dismissed penny,  and then come back for sofia.   But,  then again,  I'm a practical person. 

Regarding jolex,  I'm concerned that seeing alex beat down DeLuca like he did will freak out jo with flashbacks to her abusive husband (ie, seeing alex be so abusive. ...). If I'd been abused,  I don't think (logically) I could stay with someone that I now saw beating someone else.  Their future could be alex facing charges for beating up DeLuca,  and jo running again. 

And,  just a legal question.  If she legally changed her name,  wouldn't that be in the public record?  So couldn't the husband look to the courts for her new name?  And if she just started using a new name,  would be hard to get into med school,  get hired by GS hospital,  this was not a well thought out recon. ...

[LydiaMoon1]

Yawn. That was predictable from beginning to end.  <Oprah's voice> You get a car!  You get a car! Everybody gets a car!>  Well, everybody except for Stephanie and Jo. Steph got a dead boyfriend and Jo got an invisible husband. Pfffft. 

I was underwhelmed.