S12.E24: Family Affair

[Chewy101]

The part of the equation this show's characters have failed miserably at is the "love of my life" part. They make foolish decisions over it, or doubt moving forward at all, wondering about having achieved it. Either way, it's not a fool proof insurance policy, but an obsession on this show. And it's a death sentence (either relationally or literally).

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

 I actually kind of like the idea that a soulmate doesn't necessarily have to be tied up with a romantic love. I have no problem with the distinction between "soulmate" and "love of my life."

That's why Joey ended up with Pacey. :)

[taanja]

On ‎5‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 1:48 PM, Chewy101 said:

I found that incredibly out of character when we have met Amelia's mother and sisters in various episodes throughout the years. I'd think they would all go just to root for some stability in her life. The only one who would be a jerk and not go to the wedding would have been Derek. So Amelia constantly talking about Derek being there for her was ironic to me. 

How on EARTH did Meredith think telling Owen to call Kristina would be a good gauge to see if what they had was good enough. She is such an evil witch. When she was telling Amelia she was there for her, it was so wooden and dead sounding, I would not have bought it for a second.

I definitely hurt for Amelia in this episode, but I also think that was one ugly dress/hair combo. She looked like a 60 year old grandma.

 

Loved the look on Ben's face when he was looking out the front door for the ambulance. "Miranda is going to KILL me if I do this!" That was the stupidest plot ever. A C-section with no sutures or blood? When the last time he did this, he slaughtered that woman.? Ugh. 

Why did Alex even come home then? What time WAS it? The whole episode was skewed for me with time.

I thought her telling Owen to call Cristina was totally in character.  Christina is and always will be her person.

Oh and I loved that scene when Mere was telling the terrible Amelia that she would be her person (I mean seriously! Chick is so messed up even her family knows what an emotional waste she is and have basically washed their hands of her.) Mere was trying to be the person of someone she doesn't really like. but hey! no one else --- not a single soul--stepped up to the plate except for Meredith. So kudos Mere! 

I agree. Amelia's dress and hair looked wretched!

Edited May 23, 2016 by taanja
finish sentance

[Deanie87]

On May 21, 2016 at 0:44 PM, allthumbs said:

There was an on-set dust up.  Hard for people around not to see or hear it. Feel free to ignore me. I have no skin in this game. 

Wait...I'm I'm a nosy gossip so I'm going to head over to the Behind the Scenes thread if you want to join me there with scoop :)

[Nobodysfan]

I kind of feel sorry for Amelia not to have her family NONE of them who are alive at her wedding. How many sisters are there? None of them bothered to come. At least her mother could have come, it was pretty cruel and harsh of her not to come to her daughter´s wedding. 

That was a nice calm Owen/Nathan scene, at least Owen did not jump at his throat this time. A nice white flag from Nathan to bring the ring. I guess they will bury the hatchet.

Edited May 25, 2016 by NathanRiggsfan

[Chewy101]

On 5/20/2016 at 7:57 PM, WhosThatGirl said:

The Jo thing really makes no sense with the timeline.

Can we create a drinking game over this? Because, some sort of Grey's Bingo is definitely in order at this point. The recycled plots, the recycled debates over Grey's issues, the canned statements the characters say..... So much here.

[WhosThatGirl]

9 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

Can we create a drinking game over this? Because, some sort of Grey's Bingo is definitely in order at this point. The recycled plots, the recycled debates over Grey's issues, the canned statements the characters say..... So much here.

Also, the kids and their ages.  We would all be very drunk.

[Chewy101]

1 minute ago, WhosThatGirl said:

11 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

Can we create a drinking game over this? Because, some sort of Grey's Bingo is definitely in order at this point. The recycled plots, the recycled debates over Grey's issues, the canned statements the characters say..... So much here.

Also, the kids and their ages.  We would all be very drunk.

I get caught up all the time, trying to figure out the timeline and medical probability of things.... Not to the mention the moral implications.... This is Grey's Bingo from hell.

[Chewy101]

Every time someone says "seriously"!  Everytime someone gets drunk and bangs someone for comfort. Every time someone get indignant that someone did to them what they did to someone else... Everytime someone had a narcissistic monologue about their life while something worse was happening in the background. It's endless. Endless soapy Bingo...

When they continue to assassinate characters and make a joke out of the show, I'd be content to at least call B1 when Meredith once again rolls her eyes about how people are too full of themselves, Because Irony Bingo could be fun...

[anna0852]

On 5/21/2016 at 4:43 AM, marceline said:

 

I think that the redemption was the fact that he didn't want to perform the procedure. He desperately wanted to wait for the ambulance but April had to talk him into it. That's my take anyway.

When Ben said that he felt a foot, at that moment I pictured Trixie and Patsy from Call the Midwife busting through the door. 

Patsy: "You've done a wonderful job here Mr. Warren but now we need you to boil as much water as you possibly can and we'll take care of the rest." *shoves Ben toward the kitchen*

Trixie (chirpy but worried): "Hello April! It looks like Baby has decided to make his or her debut today! *does exam* What a lovely frock wherever did you get it?"

(Did I just write a Grey's/CTM crossover fic?!)

I totally forgot about Dementia Lady.

For all that that this is funny, it's also true. As midwives in that time period, Patsy and Trixie would have been trained in manual skills that could probably have easily dealt with a footling breech. We've already seen Trixie deal with a prolapsed cord. Because of the rising prevalence of C-sections, these skills are being lost to obstetric history. Not that Ben is an OB/GYN but I felt it was an interesting thought.

[apn85]

I normally just read this forum and do not post, but the conversation was just too good to pass up.

I really can't add anything to the SR departure. I wish her the best, and hope everything is okay with her. It does frustrate me that we went through all the Callie/Arizona drama for it to end this way, but I guess some things cannot be helped. 

Re: April c-section: Sarah Drew did amazing work, so there is that. I don't group her in with the rest of this mess, honest. I know first and foremost, you just can't take this show too literally, but sometimes it is more than I can handle. 

1) I've worked in OB for 9 years. When you feel a prolapsed cord, you never remove your hand. Your hand stays in there holding the presenting part off the cord until the baby is delivered by c-section. No doubt the baby would have died in the time it took Ben to pump himself up, April to climb on the table and get situated, Ben to call Bailey, Bailey to track Jackson down, Arizona to ramble instructions, Ben to find an old medical bag full of stuff from 1972 that had probably dry rotted, Ben to pour hand sanitizer all over everything including April and find himself a suitable knife. I think that about covers it - Baby Girl Avery would have been long gone by then.

2) Someone mentioned it earlier. April would have absolutely had to be restrained. Once again, Sarah Drew knocked it out of the park, but no way April would have stayed on the table. I speak from experience here. I have encountered exactly one situation like that in my career and it was a case of Mom was bleeding profusely, baby was severely bradycardic, and anesthesia was in a case in another part of the hospital at the exact moment it had to begin if the baby had any chance. Lidocaine was used locally, but that does little to no good. It took everyone in that room to hold this woman down. Fortunately, anesthesia was there quickly and Mom got to nod off to general anesthesia land. April stay on the table? Hell.No.

3) In the scene where Jackson is helping April hold the baby for the first time, I saw an IV but nothing connected to it. You mean to tell me that she had a kitchen table c-section with no sutures, rode to the hospital with a gaping abdominal wound, and underwent surgery and she didn't even need IV fluids? No pain medication pump? What about antibiotics? Last we heard Ben was gonna pack her full of dish towels. Hopefully freshly laundered. I'd be asking for every antibiotic in the pharmacy to be started on me.   

4) Again, someone mentioned it above, and I know we are probably supposed to know that Ben was able to relay everyone's status to Jackson, Bailey, Arizona but Jackson never even glanced Ben's way. He opened that ambulance door screaming April's name and I'm not real sure he even saw Ben on the rig! Which tells me one thing, his ass is about to be all over April once again. How many times is this now? He is completely whipped. Save us all the trouble. Save the lawyers the trouble. You are NEVER going to get over her. This baby only compounds the issue now. I don't even know why he tries. Quit wasting my time week to week and just follow April around and save us all the headache. She's got him now. What she will do with him, anyone's guess. 

With that said, I sincerely do like Jackson. I mean no offense, but damn dude. 

I also think the baby they had in the episode was adorable. She (or he, who knows) was probably the most sensible character in the whole episode. I'm not at all surprised she decided to make her debut in Meredith's house. Hell, EVERYONE has lived at Meredith's house, including April & Jackson. She probably thought that was her stop. 

Meredith better have a new kitchen table in Season 13. I'm not saying Jackson and April should buy it for her as a token of their appreciation, but it'd be a nice gesture. Throwing that thing in an autoclave wouldn't save it at this point. It's gotta go.

I think I have purged what was weighing on me. This is my favorite place to read recaps of the show, you all are great!!

[Catznip]

On May 27, 2016 at 6:47 PM, apn85 said:

I normally just read this forum and do not post, but the conversation was just too good to pass up.

I really can't add anything to the SR departure. I wish her the best, and hope everything is okay with her. It does frustrate me that we went through all the Callie/Arizona drama for it to end this way, but I guess some things cannot be helped. 

Re: April c-section: Sarah Drew did amazing work, so there is that. I don't group her in with the rest of this mess, honest. I know first and foremost, you just can't take this show too literally, but sometimes it is more than I can handle. 

1) I've worked in OB for 9 years. When you feel a prolapsed cord, you never remove your hand. Your hand stays in there holding the presenting part off the cord until the baby is delivered by c-section. No doubt the baby would have died in the time it took Ben to pump himself up, April to climb on the table and get situated, Ben to call Bailey, Bailey to track Jackson down, Arizona to ramble instructions, Ben to find an old medical bag full of stuff from 1972 that had probably dry rotted, Ben to pour hand sanitizer all over everything including April and find himself a suitable knife. I think that about covers it - Baby Girl Avery would have been long gone by then.

2) Someone mentioned it earlier. April would have absolutely had to be restrained. Once again, Sarah Drew knocked it out of the park, but no way April would have stayed on the table. I speak from experience here. I have encountered exactly one situation like that in my career and it was a case of Mom was bleeding profusely, baby was severely bradycardic, and anesthesia was in a case in another part of the hospital at the exact moment it had to begin if the baby had any chance. Lidocaine was used locally, but that does little to no good. It took everyone in that room to hold this woman down. Fortunately, anesthesia was there quickly and Mom got to nod off to general anesthesia land. April stay on the table? Hell.No.

3) In the scene where Jackson is helping April hold the baby for the first time, I saw an IV but nothing connected to it. You mean to tell me that she had a kitchen table c-section with no sutures, rode to the hospital with a gaping abdominal wound, and underwent surgery and she didn't even need IV fluids? No pain medication pump? What about antibiotics? Last we heard Ben was gonna pack her full of dish towels. Hopefully freshly laundered. I'd be asking for every antibiotic in the pharmacy to be started on me.   

4) Again, someone mentioned it above, and I know we are probably supposed to know that Ben was able to relay everyone's status to Jackson, Bailey, Arizona but Jackson never even glanced Ben's way. He opened that ambulance door screaming April's name and I'm not real sure he even saw Ben on the rig! Which tells me one thing, his ass is about to be all over April once again. How many times is this now? He is completely whipped. Save us all the trouble. Save the lawyers the trouble. You are NEVER going to get over her. This baby only compounds the issue now. I don't even know why he tries. Quit wasting my time week to week and just follow April around and save us all the headache. She's got him now. What she will do with him, anyone's guess. 

With that said, I sincerely do like Jackson. I mean no offense, but damn dude. 

I also think the baby they had in the episode was adorable. She (or he, who knows) was probably the most sensible character in the whole episode. I'm not at all surprised she decided to make her debut in Meredith's house. Hell, EVERYONE has lived at Meredith's house, including April & Jackson. She probably thought that was her stop. 

Meredith better have a new kitchen table in Season 13. I'm not saying Jackson and April should buy it for her as a token of their appreciation, but it'd be a nice gesture. Throwing that thing in an autoclave wouldn't save it at this point. It's gotta go.

I think I have purged what was weighing on me. This is my favorite place to read recaps of the show, you all are great!!

Lol...Always cracks me up when I read a post from someone in the medical profession providing a hilarious analysis of the ridiculously OR procedures.  

[Nobodysfan]

Remarkably nice scenes between Jo and Deluca, they have great chemistry potential,and what a gentleman he has been to her, almost slipped on the rug, very thoughtful and caring to her. I have never noticed such behaviour from him towards Maggie. He behaved to Jo like a true gentleman would. 

 Interesting though, I think the potential is there for Jo and Deluca.

After their scenes, I totally see Deluca as not just handsome, but what a warm-hearted man he is deep down. Something we did not see with him and Maggie at all.

Edited June 7, 2016 by NathanRiggsfan

[mdw]

On May 19, 2016 at 6:03 PM, PreviouslyTV said:

Grey's hits the season finale trifecta: a wedding, a birth, and the revelation of a big secret. Tina Mitchell has questions!

View the full article

I completely agree with what the reviewer said about Arizona's gesture to Callie undermining the whole court drama. It does seem that this episode was an excuse for the producers to make a courtroom drama.  I did enjoy watching it, although I don't think it fit with the depiction of Callie and Arizona's relationship and the way they parented Sophia after their divorce. 

On May 19, 2016 at 6:22 PM, BaseOps said:

Arizona says "bring her back next weekend, and I want all summer and every other school year." So it sounds like she'll still be the primary guardian but is just willing to be flexible so Callie can have some leeway. I still hate how quickly they wrapped it up. If they knew this was her final episode, WHY did they do it this way? I guess it was all about the surprise, but damn... 

In an interview, Shonda Rhimes said that she found out Sara R was leaving three days before it was announced. She say that she had a whole arc leading to a reconciliation between the Callie and Arizona planned out. Since both Shonda Rimes and Sara Ramirez have characterized her leave as a break, maybe Ramirez will return in a year and the story for Callie and Arizona will continue as planned.

[mdw]

On May 20, 2016 at 9:23 AM, Greysaddict said:

Seriously, that is the worst custody arrangement ever and makes absolutely no sense.  Switching schools once is tough on kids, I couldn't even imagine going to a different school every other year.  The Calzona storyline and Callie's exit is basically the exact same scenario as MerDer last year.  One half is leaving, so build up a big stroyline only to rush it into a nonsensical ending.  

I really think that the children in the storylines are just plot devices. All of the things the characters say about parenthood and balancing career/family needs, the custody battle ring somewhat false.

[BabyBBQKendall]

On 23/08/2016 at 10:25 AM, mdw said:

I completely agree with what the reviewer said about Arizona's gesture to Callie undermining the whole court drama. It does seem that this episode was an excuse for the producers to make a courtroom drama.  I did enjoy watching it, although I don't think it fit with the depiction of Callie and Arizona's relationship and the way they parented Sophia after their divorce. 

In an interview, Shonda Rhimes said that she found out Sara R was leaving three days before it was announced. She say that she had a whole arc leading to a reconciliation between the Callie and Arizona planned out. Since both Shonda Rimes and Sara Ramirez have characterized her leave as a break, maybe Ramirez will return in a year and the story for Callie and Arizona will continue as planned.

JMO, but I take that Shonda interview with the biggest grain of salt I can find. She says she had the Calzona reconciliation arc planned, but Callie spent the whole of S12 mooning over Penny, surely the least charismatic GA love interest ever...the Calzona breakup just didn't feel like others we've seen (Mer/Der: the early years, Mark/Lexie, Jackson/April, etc) where we knew all along the participants were MFEO and just marking time with other people. Maybe she was being sincere, or maybe it would have moved in a Calzona direction at the very end of the show (when there'd be no need for follow through), but OTOH, Shonda can say anything about anything when she doesn't actually have to make good on it. To me, the way Callie was written in S12 felt like it was always intended to lead up to her departure (brief and perfunctory finale appearance aside); I was really surprised to hear that the decision was apparently a last minute thing.  

[mdw]

12 hours ago, BabyBBQKendall said:

JMO, but I take that Shonda interview with the biggest grain of salt I can find. She says she had the Calzona reconciliation arc planned, but Callie spent the whole of S12 mooning over Penny, surely the least charismatic GA love interest ever...the Calzona breakup just didn't feel like others we've seen (Mer/Der: the early years, Mark/Lexie, Jackson/April, etc) where we knew all along the participants were MFEO and just marking time with other people. Maybe she was being sincere, or maybe it would have moved in a Calzona direction at the very end of the show (when there'd be no need for follow through), but OTOH, Shonda can say anything about anything when she doesn't actually have to make good on it. To me, the way Callie was written in S12 felt like it was always intended to lead up to her departure (brief and perfunctory finale appearance aside); I was really surprised to hear that the decision was apparently a last minute thing.  

How long do you think that the producers plan for a given story arc for a character or a couple? It seems to be in general about two seasons, plus or minus half a season? Also, when was the decision made for Patrick Dempsey to leave? Wasn't the decision made partway through season 11? It seems like the need to change the season's main story to one where Derek dies derailed other story arcs, specifically in the way the beats of stories were spread across the episodes. 

I can see how there may have been a plan for the two of them to reunite eventually, but the season ending may have been left open just in case Sara Ramirez decided not to renew. The fact that Callie and Penny did not have the same spark that the couples who stick have indicates to me that Penny may have been one of those relationships that the characters in GA have before realizing who they are truly in love with or still truly in love with. 

From what I've read, it seems that Shonda Rhimes really loves Sara Ramirez and the fact that Callie wasn't killed off is a positive sign that maybe the characters will work their way back to each other,  assuming Sara Ramirez returns. On a side note, how many more seasons do you think Grey's will go?

[OtterMommy]

46 minutes ago, mdw said:

From what I've read, it seems that Shonda Rhimes really loves Sara Ramirez and the fact that Callie wasn't killed off is a positive sign that maybe the characters will work their way back to each other,  assuming Sara Ramirez returns. On a side note, how many more seasons do you think Grey's will go?

I read a comment from an exec at ABC where he said that they want Grey's on as long as people are still watching it.  I think it is the highest rated network show, so my guess is that it will be around for some time yet to come....

[WhosThatGirl]

I also think they keep Greys around because they want a good working relationship with Shonda. Has Shonda given any shows to any other networks since Greys? I'm not sure, but I am going to guess no. But they like that she always has new shows or ideas and Greys was/is her hit and so they probably will keep it on until it really is LOW low in ratings-which I doubt it will ever be super low to where people will guess- or until Shonda wants to be done with it. I just think about PP, when Kate had said she was done when the final season ended, ABC had said that didn't mean the show was, and then a few weeks later Shonda made the announcement it would be the final season. I think if Shonda had wanted to keep going with that show without KW, they would have (that would have been not a smart move since KW was the star of the show, but you guys know what I mean). And I know they cancelled that one show she had but I don't think she was all that invested in it. I just think about a lot of ABC's dramas now are Shonda shows. And I know she has a new one coming up for the fall season as well. So, they like her and want to keep working with her as well as Greys being a ratings hit. 

[mdw]

8 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I read a comment from an exec at ABC where he said that they want Grey's on as long as people are still watching it.  I think it is the highest rated network show, so my guess is that it will be around for some time yet to come....

I also read one article where Shonda said that she would want to continue until Ellen Pompeo quit. Ellen Pompeo said in a different article that she had decided to ride this show as long as she could. So....

I hope, though, that they decide to end it when it is still good. I came back to watching it this summer after stopping after S9 and was happily surprised by how good it still is. Most tv shows have a shelf life of 4-5 years, even if they go on longer.

[Scatterbrained]

41 minutes ago, doram said:

 

It was? Because that's not the impression I get at all when I watch season 11. The whole season arc from the first episodes when Mer is playing wingwoman to Callie during the Calzona breakup while she's dealing with Derek's DC resentment at the same time - there is a strong separation / "the end of an era" theme that continues to play like a symphony, with highs, lows and crescendos, throughout the season. 

Well, as I understand it, first he asked for extended time off so he could race, and they granted it, hence the whole DC arc.  Then they got fed up and decided to kill him off.  He had marital issues in there somewhere and some say he had an affair with someone on set (not an actress).

Edited August 26, 2016 by Scatterbrained

[apn85]

I also wonder how long it will go on. I mean I have heard the as long as Ellen wants to continue thing, but just because Ellen wants to keep doing it doesn't mean it's going to be good. 

I keep having this feeling that Jesse Williams will leave after this season. He just has so many projects going on. I read somewhere that his and Sarah Drew's contracts were up after this season. If he goes, I pray Shonda doesn't kill him. I don't think I can deal with that. Also, I can't very well tell Sarah Drew (and I do love her dearly) to get lost if he does, but if JW decided to go then I'd just rather her do the same. They could get back together, Jackson could decide to go out East where Avery HQ are or something and there you go. Everyone is alive, loose ends tied up, I'm happy. :P

I just have a feeling he won't return and she will though. This is based on nothing but my own paranoia, but I've been blessed to look at him for 7 seasons now; they are gonna cut me off eventually. 

[Scatterbrained]

I think being on a show like Grey's makes it pretty easy to do side projects.  It's an ensemble cast and, some episodes will barely feature certain characters.  Also, it seems like TPTB are willing to accommodate and even help nurture their actor's side interests.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, Scatterbrained said:

I think being on a show like Grey's makes it pretty easy to do side projects.  It's an ensemble cast and, some episodes will barely feature certain characters.  Also, it seems like TPTB are willing to accommodate and even help nurture their actor's side interests.

I've also read that is one of the reasons actors like Grey's...not only because they have the freedom to do side projects, but it also is less of an impact on family life than a show with a smaller ensemble.  I do think that Jackson is one of the more integral characters--I'm not saying he's more important, but his presence (being an Avery, being the--what is his title?--Chair of the Board?, etc) is more tied into everything else--and losing him would be quite the logistical shake up, more so than when Derrick or even Cristina left (in both cases, their replacements--Amelia and Maggie--were already in place and, while both departures were an upheaval for Meredith, it was still pretty much business as usual at the hospital.)

But I agree...I don't know how I would deal with the loss of Jesse Williams.  I'm still mourning Eric Dane's departure.

[apn85]

On 8/27/2016 at 11:52 AM, OtterMommy said:

But I agree...I don't know how I would deal with the loss of Jesse Williams.  I'm still mourning Eric Dane's departure.

I mean they cannot keep taking our eye candy! ;)

[Scatterbrained]

On August 30, 2016 at 6:12 PM, apn85 said:

I mean they cannot keep taking our eye candy! ;)

Damn right!  We should start a petition!  Then TPTB will have to bend to our will and keep him on the show!  Right?!?!?

[mdw]

I hope if any of the original four actors, Jessie Williams, Sarah Drew, or the actor who plays Bailey's husband Ben Warren- I always love when Bailey refers to him as "Ben Warren" - decide to leave the series, they let Shonda Rimes know early in that season so that she can write their exit into a storyline that makes sense and honors the character. I really would hate it if any of these characters were killed off or unceremoniously leave, like Callie does.

I feel invested in Jackson & April and Ben & Bailey and want both couples to end the series together and be happy. I like Alex with Jo but would not mind it if they ended up with other people. I was attached to Callie and Arizona, but have gotten used to them being a divorced couple. After they were divorced in s11-12, I came to like Arizona's character much more than Callie's which was the reverse of how I felt before they got divorced.

If Jessie Williams were to leave at the end of the year, I agree with apn85 that Jackson should go to Boston and run the Harper/Avery foundation and ideally April goes with him. If Sarah Drew stays after he has left, maybe they could have a bi-coastal relationship where she stays in Seattle most of the time and the characters visit each other frequently. And, as this show takes place at GSM hospital, we never see Jackson but it is assumed that April & child do offscreen. Otherwise, I hope GA does what ER did with Carol and Doug. He leaves 1-2 years before she does. They are estranged but neither gets in another relationship. When she leaves, they get back together and the tv audience assumes that they are living happily offscreen.