S13.E13: It Only Gets Much Worse

[flickers]

Maybe this whole Minnick storyline is a meta statement on how the residents never got to become our eyes and ears on the hospital, like MAGIC were back in day, because our attendings (the original characters) never handed over the reins, and because the new batch were all so deathly dull?

[PepSinger]

Minnick is the worst new character this show has ever had. I know it's the writing, but maybe it's the acting, too? This episode made me hate her. How is she an expert???

I know this show plays fast and loose with specialties and real life hospital scenarios, but the idea that a sports/ortho surgeon and a resident would do a surgery on a CHILD when there are qualified pediatric surgeons at the hospital is just too much. It's up there with last week's ludicrousness when Riggs picked up a saw to do an amputation.

Where are Meredith and Alex??? For the love of God, if I have to suffer through terrible storylines, the least you can do is give me my veterans.

[shantown]

4 hours ago, Snow Fairy said:

I really really hope they don't pair up Arizona and Minnick. Like, ever. Every "will they, won't they" alwalys ends up as "they will", and I hope they change it this time.

Please please please have it be a big plot twist where they're friends. Only friends.

[pennben]

6 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

 I remember in the first season the interns would get so excited about any weird/rare case that came in. Especially Christina, didn't she do it in front of the patients sometimes? 

Indeed! One of the early episodes that I can think back to that shows this is not a new phenomenon among the newer surgeons is from the first or second season, when a woman comes in that has a tumor that is massive, I want to say it was more than 100 pounds or so.  I believe that Christina stole the patient from another department and all of them went crazy to be part of it, they all were much more unprofessional as some judge Stephanie for.  I also think it was one of the rare glimpses of good guy Alex we got to see early on when he had made fun of her (and maybe got assigned to her because of it) and was a fierce advocate for her after they talked.

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm ambivalent about her, as well as Leah, Ben, and DeLuca. None of these characters was ever really fleshed out IMO. I still struggle to remember their names at times......I don't know why all these characters seem so generic to me, but they do. They've been defined by their hookups and their positions rather than personality or background.

 

4 hours ago, PepSinger said:

 For the love of God, if I have to suffer through terrible storylines, the least you can do is give me my veterans.

I think we don't know a lot of the newer characters because folks will always want to see the veterans they bonded with in the earlier days.  So, I think it is inevitable that they will generally be underdeveloped unless there is a big push internally to give them the screentime and attention to make them stick (Owen/Amelia/Maggie).  Otherwise, they are just going to be characters we see more often than extras. I don't say that judgmentally at all, I think it just is what it is.

I do, however, often wonder how some of these folks feel.  I assume that they are pretty damn happy when promoted to series regulars for the paycheck and grateful for the opportunity, but for someone like the actor playing DeLuca, I'm guessing he gets probably an hour of screentime, in total, a season (with many of those minutes in the background).  Even for the actress playing Jo, when I read her interviews there seems to be so much thought as to the character and the development of that character, and so very, very little of it ends up on the screen that I often wonder what the hell she is talking about in her interviews.  That has to be frustrating and make them crazy to see how little of that shows up. Not to mention that they must know that in many quarters people are annoyed that the little time that they get takes away from the originals.

I guess that is the blessing/curse of coming into a long running show in the third (or fourth? fifth?) wave of new characters introduced.

Edited February 18, 2017 by pennben

[RacerHo7]

2 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Minnick is the worst new character this show has ever had. I know it's the writing, but maybe it's the acting, too? This episode made me hate her. How is she an expert???

I know this show plays fast and loose with specialties and real life hospital scenarios, but the idea that a sports/ortho surgeon and a resident would do a surgery on a CHILD when there are qualified pediatric surgeons at the hospital is just too much. It's up there with last week's ludicrousness when Riggs picked up a saw to do an amputation.

Where are Meredith and Alex??? For the love of God, if I have to suffer through terrible storylines, the least you can do is give me my veterans.

Yes.  The surgery on a child (when even on this show they've said many times over the years how pediatric surgery is highly specialized) was crazy.  Arizona is a general surgeon, plus she is a pediatric and fetal surgeon (adults, kids, and fetuses). When did Minnick learn so much about surgery on children that she could tell one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country (as per the show), that she could only observe?  It was absurd.  Then she made that child's death about her, not Stephanie, and not that child's family.  Even when they are trying to 'soften' Minnick, they do it, by showing her to be selfish.  That's not going to make me like her or want her around.  Every episode she's in, just makes me like her less.  I'm pretty sure, I'm supposed to be liking her more.  I think it's clearly the writing, but also the acting.

[Jessie monster]

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

 (Yes, that particular story arc makes me bawl like a baby every time I see it.)

The best story arc they have ever done.

[WhosThatGirl]

Since they rerun GA on lifetime for like four hours, I'm always struck by how good the show was back then. I don't know where it lost the wheels, obviously so much BTS drama that couldn't be controlled and then for some reason the show continually decided that drama meant raising the stakes in terms of how many traumas can humans survive but still. It was good, appointment tv once Upon a time.

[tapplum]

I actually feel bad for April. I've never liked her, but being named Chief of General is obviously a huge deal for her in a way that being chief of their respective specialites just isn't for the others. Meredith, Arizona, Bailey, Jackson, Maggie (like Cristina, like Derek) always knew they were headed for great things, and just took it as their due. They've fought and they've worried and they've worked hard, but on a fundamental level, they knew they'd get there. They were the star students, or the legacy kids, the geniuses. April is none of that (like George wasn't). They could afford to take a stand and say no to something like this, knowing they'll have other chances, that there are safety nets. April doesn't have that security. Also she's something of a social outcast, people aren't loyal to her the way they are to Meredith or to Richard, which means it's not fair to expect the same level of loytalty from her either. We all know she'll lose Chief the second Meredith consents to return, and that she'll pay dearly for this stint socially, so I felt really sorry for her, seeing how happy she was and how much work she put in during her last scenes with Catherine.

[readster]

21 hours ago, skydrome said:

I just don't get it why they hired Minnick who specialized in sports rehabilitation to revamp their hospital teaching program. Teaching is great of course but it takes time to become a good doctor and do your surgery or operations. I watched this series train doctors from intern to become real doctors. Her method is not fit for the attendings and residents.

And why I am feeling that the writers are trying to pullout Meredith in this series. Why?????

Just my thoughts! :)

That's the thing, Minnick's profession and being in charged of the teaching program MAKES NO SENSE! Of course she hasn't lost any patients before. She has worked in a field where unless she is messing around with major arteries, she has been more worried about bones, joints, ligaments. Yet they had her come in nicking hearts, veins, ect to teach doctors better. Catherine and Bailey's big idea was she was great because of her bull in a china shop attitude and having ZERO fatalities or loses. That right there is a red flag no matter what field you are in. Trust me, people can have almost perfect records, but still have faults. Because let's face it we know that as doctors and surgeons themselves, both Bailey and Catherine have LOST patients. We've seen it, we have seen them go in panic mode when they can't save them. Even kids. Here, Minnick has never seen that and has her higher than though attitude and what happens when a kid dies, and completely shatters another doctor who work doing surgery in SOMETHING NOT IN HER FIELD. It went out of the door. How should everything go down? Minnick is removed as head, they all come together on the board and figure out what the hell has happened and how to fix their program. 

  But no! Instead they have it where Catherine and Bailey are doing everything, Jackson is too caught up in his problems with April, Meredith and Alex are complaining about how life is unfair and Owen and Amelia are being completely stupid about things. So, problems with the teaching program at the hospital? What problems? DRAMA!

[Deanie87]

17 hours ago, moonorchid said:

This notion that April is unworthy of chief of general because it's merediths is beyond me. What are mers stellar qualifications? It would be amazing to see where april would be if she had half the breaks and guidance that Meredith did.

i hated it when April yelled at the patient cause, cmon girl! But it was a boiling point of Maggie's incessant childish behavior and everyone being, "you're not dr grey!". I was glad when she kicked Maggie out, all Maggie was going to do was second guess April every step of the way and be overly critical and that's not the kind of environment a doctor should have while operating.

Maggie in the past has mentioned how she was always an outsider because of her smarts and her being so much younger than everyone. Well she seems to be enjoying being in the "cool kids club" now :/

Also, didn't April say more than once that she was the interim Chief, while Meredith was "unavailable?"  I didn't watch the whole episode, but I know she said it at least once.  So unless I missed something, its not like she was wearing a tiara with LIFELONG CHIEF on it or talking shit or shoving it anyone's face.  She was doing the job Bailey asked her to do and she seemed to understand that it was completely temporary.  

I also can't stand the way that the writers are now telling us that Meredith is beloved and respected by all when that clearly hasn't been shown on screen.  If it were season  5 or 6 and Cristina, Mark, Derek, George, etc.,  were still around, okay sure.  But she has barely interacted with half of the characters that have been on the show for years now, and when she has, many of those interactions have been tense, at best.  Especially her interactions with her workplace "inferiors" who depend on her to teach them, such as Jo and DeLuca.  So while April has never been one of my favorites, the more they push the "Meredith is the Best" scenario, the more I root for April.  She has her flaws, but she also earn her position without the money, connections or nepotism that many of her colleagues were blessed with. That alone makes her just as qualified, at least for me.

And I'm not saying this to be anti-Meredith or even pro-April.  For me, its just another example of the laziness of the writers who are trying to shortcut something that hasn't been earned.  For years, the writers only seemingly cared about Mer/Cristina and Mer/Derek and did nothing to cultivate her relationships with anyone else.  But then once there is no more Cristina and Derek, they shove Alex in (who is now apparently worthy of being the Person or even worse, taking Derek's place...ugh), and bring in Maggie to be her cheering section.  But barely any attention was given to any kind of friendship between  Meredith and Arizona, Owen, Jackson, April, or any kind of mentorship with the newer crop of characters.  So I find it insulting now that we are supposed to magically think that everyone rallies around Meredith like it was season 7 when no effort has been put forth by the writers to get to that place.  Per usual.

Edited February 18, 2017 by Deanie87

[moonorchid]

1 hour ago, Deanie87 said:

Also, didn't April say more than once that she was the interim Chief, while Meredith was "unavailable?"  I didn't watch the whole episode, but I know she said it at least once.  So unless I missed something, its not like she was wearing a tiara with LIFELONG CHIEF on it or talking shit or shoving it anyone's face.  She was doing the job Bailey asked her to do and she seemed to understand that it was completely temporary.  

I also can't stand the way that the writers are now telling us that Meredith is beloved and respected by all when that clearly hasn't been shown on screen.  If it were season  5 or 6 and Cristina, Mark, Derek, George, etc.,  were still around, okay sure.  But she has barely interacted with half of the characters that have been on the show for years now, and when she has, many of those interactions have been tense, at best.  Especially her interactions with her workplace "inferiors" who depend on her to teach them, such as Jo and DeLuca.  So while April has never been one of my favorites, the more they push the "Meredith is the Best" scenario, the more I root for April.  She has her flaws, but she also earn her position without the money, connections or nepotism that many of her colleagues were blessed with. That alone makes her just as qualified, at least for me.

And I'm not even saying this to be anti-Meredith or even pro-April.  For me, its just another example of the laziness of the writers who are trying to shortcut something that hasn't been earned.  For years, the writers only seemingly cared about Mer/Cristina and Mer/Derek and did nothing to cultivate her relationships with anyone else.  But then once there is no more Cristina and Derek, they shove Alex in (who is now apparently worthy of being the Person or even worse, taking Derek's place...ugh), and bring in Maggie to be her cheering session.  But barely any attention was to any kind of friendship for Meredith with Arizona, Owen, Jackson, April, or any kind of mentorship with the newer crop of characters.  So I find it insulting now that we are supposed to magically think that everyone rallies around Meredith like it was season 7 when no effort has been put forth by the writers to get to that place.  Per usual.

Yes, she never alluded that she thought this was permanent. She didn't backstab anyone to get it. But she was chosen and in her point of view, it would be cause she deserves the opportunity.

itll prob be revealed she was used as a ploy by Catherine and it will suck cause she does deserve the opportunity, she's put in her time just as much as Meredith. 

I don't understand this fierce loyalty to Meredith either. Back in the first 8 seasons I could understand, but now, Meredith barely has the capacity to care about the "sisters" who clamour for her attention and she's latched on to Alex cause her actual people (Derek and Cristina) are gone. When's the last time she actually cared about Jackson, April, Arizona, jo, Deluca, Ben, Stephanie, Bailey, Richard, Amelia. Owen (except to hate on Riggs) and Riggs. How is Meredith inspiring this fierce loyalty from these people when she can muster the energy for any of them? 

 

3 hours ago, tapplum said:

I actually feel bad for April. I've never liked her, but being named Chief of General is obviously a huge deal for her in a way that being chief of their respective specialites just isn't for the others. Meredith, Arizona, Bailey, Jackson, Maggie (like Cristina, like Derek) always knew they were headed for great things, and just took it as their due. They've fought and they've worried and they've worked hard, but on a fundamental level, they knew they'd get there. They were the star students, or the legacy kids, the geniuses. April is none of that (like George wasn't). They could afford to take a stand and say no to something like this, knowing they'll have other chances, that there are safety nets. April doesn't have that security. Also she's something of a social outcast, people aren't loyal to her the way they are to Meredith or to Richard, which means it's not fair to expect the same level of loytalty from her either. We all know she'll lose Chief the second Meredith consents to return, and that she'll pay dearly for this stint socially, so I felt really sorry for her, seeing how happy she was and how much work she put in during her last scenes with Catherine.

Yes! I've said this before, it's easy for the rest of them to take a stand and work for a cause because they have options, the ability to say no. April doesn't. She actually has to take opportunities to prove herself. It sucks that after Meredith is begged to come back and she takes her place at the throne April will continued to be punished for this. 

April should have explained herself better, and she tried with Jackson, but these people as her friends should have given her the benefit of the doubt and straight up asked her what she was doing and what she thought she was gonna gain from this. 

[TVAddict]

I was thinking about posting a rant about how every time a homosexual character is introduced, they almost immediately become a love interest of the other homosexual character(s) in this show.  But then it dawned on me that every time a single heterosexual character is introduced, they almost immediately become a love interest of some other heterosexual character in this show.  I guess it's just how they roll.  It would be nice, however, to have some characters who are never interested in hooking up, like Meredith and Alex, who back in the day joked about it, but just remained pals.  I seriously disliked this week's episode because the grown-ass doctor people were acting like children and the patients all suffered because of it.  

[Blonde Gator]

3 hours ago, readster said:

But no! Instead they have it where Catherine and Bailey are doing everything, Jackson is too caught up in his problems with April, Meredith and Alex are complaining about how life is unfair and Owen and Amelia are being completely stupid about things. So, problems with the teaching program at the hospital? What problems? DRAMA!

Therein lies the rub for me.

Catherine (and the Foundation) gave Jackson a big vote on the board.  Meredith (now has 3 shares), Arizona (two, hers & Mark's via Callie), Christina's share (who knows, who is voting that?), and Dr. Webber also has an ownership share.  Bailey is a board member, perhaps a voting member, but she is NOT an owner.  So this whole palace coup by Catherine Avery and Bailey is just so much BS!   Clearly, Jackson is on Webber's side, and he still controls the Foundation vote.  The Board could have and should have shut this down from the get go. 

So how is this whole thing going down?  It's just shoddy writing all the way around.  I think Shonda has moved on to her other projects.  Losing Sara Ramierez was inexcusable, IMO.  We've got crummy new characters (bring back Arizona's blind mentor, at least she was interesting), and wasted "old ones" (Owen, Meridith and Alex) and some new characters with potential (Stephanie, DeLuca, and Riggs).  I don't want to see another gay hook-up for Arizona, enough!  She's a chirpy but super-judgemental pain in the ass, she needs to grow up, and maybe having her single for a while will get rid of her more unpalatable judgey edges.  Amelia is just a horrible character from start to finish, kill her off already, no loss, and Catherine Avery as well.   Bailey's "Heart of the Hospital" character has been ruined, totally by this latest story line.   She's gone from struggling new chief to a real Nazi.  Maybe they could use that, and have people start calling her the Nazi again, behind her back.  Make her realize how far she's gone awry might be a redeeming story line. 

Unless I see some marked improvement by the end of this season, I am done.   It's sad, but I don't think Shonda cares about it any longer.  Maybe she should turn the reins over to one of her subordinates who cares about the heart and soul of Grey's.  *doing the sad walk*

[BaseOps]

25 minutes ago, Blonde Gator said:

I don't want to see another gay hook-up for Arizona, enough!  She's a chirpy but super-judgemental pain in the ass, she needs to grow up, and maybe having her single for a while will get rid of her more unpalatable judgey edges.  

 

You lost me here... you don't want another 'gay hook-up'? What does Arizona being gay have to do with it? Also, she's literally been single since the beginning of season 11. We're halfway through season 13 right now. 

[Court]

I'm all for Arizona having a love interest as long as it is not Minnick.

[Crazy Bird Lady]

1 hour ago, Blonde Gator said:

I don't want to see another gay hook-up for Arizona, enough!  She's a chirpy but super-judgemental pain in the ass, she needs to grow up, and maybe having her single for a while will get rid of her more unpalatable judgey edges.  

Unless I see some marked improvement by the end of this season, I am done.   It's sad, but I don't think Shonda cares about it any longer.  Maybe she should turn the reins over to one of her subordinates who cares about the heart and soul of Grey's.  *doing the sad walk*

Gator, I'm feeling pretty much the same way about Grey's. I don't even find episodes like these last two entertaining, so why watch? [It's kind of like watching a train wreck: you don't want to see it but you just can't look away.]

1 hour ago, BaseOps said:

You lost me here... you don't want another 'gay hook-up'? What does Arizona being gay have to do with it? Also, she's literally been single since the beginning of season 11. We're halfway through season 13 right now. 

Baseops, I don't know Gator, and I certainly can't read Gator's mind. But I obviously didn't read that comment the same way you did, because I don't think Gator's objection to Arizona and Minnick hooking up was all about Arizona being a lesbian.

I used to think Arizona was the most impressive and likable character on Grey's. She has always been professional, she's a good teacher, and she's an amazing pediatric surgeon. During the 3-way relationship with Callie and McSteamy, Arizona seemed to play a calming, peacemaker/compromise role that I admired. But ever since she and Callie's ugly divorce, it seems like Arizona has been choosing worse and worse temporary 'hook-up' partners. If she were a real person, I'd suggest maybe she should take some time to work things out in her own head before getting involved with with anyone else. She's gone through some really traumatic things, and talking to a therapist about her issues might help her to move on, and to find a real relationship with someone a lot better than Minnick! 

Edited February 18, 2017 by Crazy Bird Lady
forgot something

[tapplum]

1 hour ago, moonorchid said:

Yes! I've said this before, it's easy for the rest of them to take a stand and work for a cause because they have options, the ability to say no. April doesn't. She actually has to take opportunities to prove herself. It sucks that after Meredith is begged to come back and she takes her place at the throne April will continued to be punished for this. 

April should have explained herself better, and she tried with Jackson, but these people as her friends should have given her the benefit of the doubt and straight up asked her what she was doing and what she thought she was gonna gain from this. 

Agreed. I don't understand why Owen and Riggs weren't on April's side. Of course Alex, Richard, Maggie and Bailey will ultimately alway choose Meredith over April, and while Jackson cares for her he's obviously never respected her - but Owen's been April's mentor, he's always seemed to appreciate and value her (honestly I'm wondering why they've never hooked up, as that'd make a lot more sense than both Japril and Omelia: they're both pretty much out of the loop socially, both comparatively conservative, and they've always seemed to like each other), and Riggs served with her and gave every apperance of being friendly with her. Owen not only isn't close with Meredith, they've often been quite antagonistic towards each other, so really, what's he doing? He seems really disloyal to April.

[Snow Fairy]

Ontopic on why the board didn't shut down the Minnick program... I think the members of the board actually forgot they own the hospital. They are too deep in their stupid plots to remeber the bigger picture.

If someone suspended me from the hospital I partially own, and tried to make Minnick happen, I would be furious. The old Meredith would fight Bailey anyway she knows. Now she's just meh

[funnygirl]

2 hours ago, BaseOps said:

Also, she's literally been single since the beginning of season 11. We're halfway through season 13 right now. 

Actually, Arizona got her groove back and was dating throughout most of season 12. Just because we didn't see it doesn't mean she's been single and celibate this whole time. 

Now they are forcing a relationship with her and Dr. Minnick that, even as a slow build up, has no spark and is not working. Would it be so horrible to have these doctors carry on relationships with people outside of the hospital, and we maybe see the random guest actor pop in and out every once in awhile? Like when Bailey was married to Tucker in the beginning of the series, and Richard and Adele.  

Edited February 18, 2017 by funnygirl

[Starscream]

50 minutes ago, tapplum said:

Owen not only isn't close with Meredith, they've often been quite antagonistic towards each other, so really, what's he doing? He seems really disloyal to April.

He's trying to rise above it and act like an adult rather than be a childish zealot like his table buddies.  He's also the only one of them who knows what it's like to be in charge of the whole hospital, so he should have a good appreciation for the viewpoints of both Bailey and Webber.

 

I'm surprised Jackson hasn't gone off on his mother.  He's supposed to be the grand poobah at the hospital, but mom has rendered him impotent.  Part of me would like to see him call together the anti-Minnick faction to suspend Bailey and ban Catherine from the hospital, just because he can.  He's such a weak character that it'd be fun for once to see him really fight back.

[tapplum]

2 minutes ago, Starscream said:

He's trying to rise above it and act like an adult rather than be a childish zealot like his table buddies.  He's also the only one of them who knows what it's like to be in charge of the whole hospital, so he should have a good appreciation for the viewpoints of both Bailey and Webber.

 

I'm surprised Jackson hasn't gone off on his mother.  He's supposed to be the grand poobah at the hospital, but mom has rendered him impotent.  Part of me would like to see him call together the anti-Minnick faction to suspend Bailey and ban Catherine from the hospital, just because he can.  He's such a weak character that it'd be fun for once to see him really fight back.

Idk, I obviously agree that most of them are being absurdly childish, but it seems incredibly stingy of Owen not to spare April a kind word when she's so blatantly being ostracised. He clearly felt bad for her, and it would be so easy for him to just give her a word of encouragement. Instead he sat with the anti-April brigade, leaving her out in the cold. If he doesn't want to take sides, that's obviously his prerogative, but given the working relationship he's had with April and the difficulties she's facing right now, I'd expect him to at least give her a friendly pat on the back.

Oh yes, I'd *love* to see that. Given that Richard, Jackson, Meredith, Alex and Arizona own the hospital between them, it beggars belief that their idea of "resistance" is disallowing April to sit with them at lunch...

[WhosThatGirl]

Speaking of Christina's shares, didn't she give them to Alex? 

[tapplum]

2 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Speaking of Christina's shares, didn't she give them to Alex? 

Yes, she did. However the show seems to forget this...

[jschoolgirl]

How does Meredith have three shares? Hers and Derek's, sure, but where'd the other one come from?

[Crazy Bird Lady]

I think she got her other half-sister's share.

[BaseOps]

1 hour ago, funnygirl said:

Actually, Arizona got her groove back and was dating throughout most of season 12. Just because we didn't see it doesn't mean she's been single and celibate this whole time. 

Now they are forcing a relationship with her and Dr. Minnick that, even as a slow build up, has no spark and is not working. Would it be so horrible to have these doctors carry on relationships with people outside of the hospital, and we maybe see the random guest actor pop in and out every once in awhile? Like when Bailey was married to Tucker in the beginning of the series, and Richard and Adele.  

Exactly... she had off-screen hook-ups, but going 2 years without a real love interest on Greys is basically unheard of (unless you're Stephanie). I don't like her with Minnick either as I see no chemistry, I just don't like the idea of Grey's audiences saying they don't want to see another "gay hookup". 

[WhosThatGirl]

1 hour ago, tapplum said:

Yes, she did. However the show seems to forget this...

I thought she did but I wasn't positive. I'm not sure if this gives the right to vote but I would assume it does. But yeah the show doesn't even remember who is on the board. 

I don't get what Minnick is even at the hospital for honestly. She only has apparently real experience in sports medicine and yet she's having the residents cut open left and right, because she believes in "throwing them into the water and letting instincts figure it out" or something. 

[Blonde Gator]

5 hours ago, BaseOps said:

You lost me here... you don't want another 'gay hook-up'? What does Arizona being gay have to do with it? Also, she's literally been single since the beginning of season 11. We're halfway through season 13 right now. 

It's so overblown and OBVIOUSLY gratuitous, just eww with Minnick.  Arizona is always SO about herself, that she needs a little time off love interests, a la Meridith, to get over herself.   Sheesh, touchy much?

[PepSinger]

Alex isn't a board member. I remember because while Christina wanted to give him her shares, it had to be put to a vote. Arizona didn't vote for him because she wanted him to be the Head of Pediatric Surgery since she was going to be Head of Fetal Surgery. Bailey and Webber are board members. Meredith, Arizona, and Jackson are board directors.

Nonetheless, the fact that 4 out of 5 people on the board and ALL of the board directors oppose Minnick just makes it LUDICROUS that they haven't convened a board meeting and ousted her. WTF?

On another topic, I think the loyalty to Meredith can be out of professional loyalty instead of friendship. While I totally agree that they haven't taken the time to develop any friendships between Meredith and any of the new people since season 8, I can buy that people would still be appalled by her suspension. Also, while I agree that April hasn't had the same opportunities as Meredith, Meredith has proven herself to be a great, highly regarded surgeon despite the history of her last name. I can't think of a time when April has wowed me, not that it means she's not a good doctor. 

Edited February 19, 2017 by PepSinger

[BaseOps]

1 hour ago, Blonde Gator said:

It's so overblown and OBVIOUSLY gratuitous, just eww with Minnick.  Arizona is always SO about herself, that she needs a little time off love interests, a la Meridith, to get over herself.   Sheesh, touchy much?

Arizona hasn't had an onscreen love interest in longer than Meredith, though. That comparison seems a bit odd. Meredith had sex with Riggs at the end of last season and then spent several episodes being chased by him... she also had sex & several dates with that other surgeon last year. When's the last time Arizona even had a kiss onscreen, much less a romantic storyline?

[timimouse]

On 17/02/2017 at 0:52 PM, Daisy said:

I don't remember everyone else's. (i want to say Meredith had a brain LOL)

This made me LOL. Thanks .

Sorry for being late to this party. I don't get to see the episodes on the same night and i also don't get to read all the prior posts, so my apologies if this has already been said.

On 17/02/2017 at 6:23 PM, alleycatt101 said:

I want to strip April's face from her traitorous body. She says she "earned" her new position. She didn't. Meredith earned it. April had it dropped in her lap. She's not a General Surgeon, she's a Trauma Surgeon and the way she acts is just going to alienate her from her friends and family. She doesn't deserve to be the new Chief of General, but if Owen had been suspended making her Chief of Trauma would've made sense. But this? When they can finally get Minnick out of the way, April is screwed, because Meredith knows how to run her department and April's just playing dress up.

This i agree with. April was never my favorite character but she definitely grew on my in the past 3 or so seasons. Yet, all throughout this episode, I found myself hating her. And you put it into words for me. I don't think she earned it. I also think she handled it badly. I can understand being put in a tough position but I think the mature thing would've been to say to Bailey "Thank you for this opportunity but before you send out that email, could you give me a day to talk to my peers?" I don't think that would've been an unreasonable request, and it would've given her the opportunity to talk to them and explain why she felt she needed to take the job and come up with a plan to move forward. The way she did it does make her look like a traitor. And it still would've provided the necessary drama as then we would have "someone on the inside".

I also knew that poor kid was going to die, the minute we saw him. And I just didn't feel as much emotion as i used to because I feel like we've seen this SO MANY TIMES already. Maybe it's time Grey's called it quits. Because while i still love to tune in weekly, I'm no longer in love with the characters and show that I once was. 

Lastly, can i sign the "no to Arizona and Minnick" petition? Arizona is also one that i didn't initially like but has grown on me tremendously to the point where she's one of my favorites (except when she gave up Sofia to Callie.... cuz that was just plain stupid) and I despise the way they're trying to shove this pairing down our throats. UGH. 

Edited February 19, 2017 by timimouse
Petition suggestion

[flickers]

1 hour ago, PepSinger said:

Alex isn't a board member. I remember because while Christina wanted to give him her shares, it had to be put to a vote. Arizona didn't vote for him because she wanted him to be the Head of Pediatric Surgery since she was going to be Head of Fetal Surgery. Bailey and Webber are board members. Meredith, Arizona, and Jackson are board directors.

Nonetheless, the fact that 4 out of 5 people on the board and ALL of the board directors oppose Minnick just makes it LUDICROUS that they haven't convened a board meeting and ousted her. WTF?

On another topic, I think the loyalty to Meredith can be out of professional loyalty instead of friendship. While I totally agree that they haven't taken the time to develop any friendships between Meredith and any of the new people since season 8, I can buy that people would still be appalled by her suspension. Also, while I agree that April hasn't had the same opportunities as Meredith, Meredith has proven herself to be a great, highly regarded surgeon despite the history of her last name. I can't think of a time when April has wowed me, not that it means she's not a good doctor. 

This show has definitely pushed the perplexing "everybody loves Meredith" narrative before, but I think Arizona and Jackson were reacting mostly out of loyalty to (Team) Webber, because they barely interact with Meredith and don't seem to be particularly friendly, and Mer was also on Callie's side in the custody case. OTOH, they are both close to Webber. Owen I'm not sure about, and Riggs was definitely thinking with his nads.

Edited February 19, 2017 by flickers

[DearEvette]

I don't see the anti-April sentiment as necessarily being pro-Meredith.  I see it as an outgrowth of the the Team Richard vs. Team Minnick.   Meredith got suspended because she wouldn't knuckle under the Minnick directive.  When April took over the job she started actively implementing the Minnick stuff.  So the cries of traitor etc. has more to do with her defecting from the Richard team and falling in line with Bailey.  Using Richard's analogy of a war, Meredith is seen as loyal soldier because she took a hit for the team.  Whereas as April is seen as being a turncoat first and profiting off Meredith's sacrifice second.

[Joana]

Being tired of Arizona's "gay hook-ups" is like saying you're tired of Jo doing surgeries or DeLuca doing, well, anything. That said, it's gross that they're obviously still trying to make it happen with Minnick. Just no.

[Scatterbrained]

Meredith is on Richard's side because they have a long and complicated personal and professional history together.  He is like a father figure to her.

Maggie is on Richard's side because he is her bio-dad and that seems to mean something to her, and also because her half-sister is on Richard's side.

Arizona is on Richard's side because they are good friends and he has supported her through getting back into the dating game and through her custody trial.

Nathan is on Richard's side because he has the hots for Meredith, which apparently trumps his friendship with April.

Owen was there to facilitate conversation and offer a brief political statement.  On a personal level, his wife's brother and sister-in-law are/were very close to Richard and Richard also has an AA connection with his wife, but he has had a very close working relationship with April.  I can understand his desire to stay out of it.

Jackson.... I feel that Jackson mainly got into this because he wanted a project that he and April could do together as a team.  I thought it was so funny last week when they both yelled at the sleep room knocker to "go away/it's occupied" because back in the day, they would have been yelling it because they were busy getting intimate,  not because they were planning a coup.  

The way he can't take his eyes off her indicates he still has feelings for her.  It's like she's in his veins and he cannot get her out.  So, I think he took it even more personally when she jumped ship, but he's not ready to hate her for doing so, yet.  He may also be starting to feel a "family loyalty" towards Richard now.  As an aside, I loved the nursery scene where he picks up the baby and holds her close and nuzzles her for a moment.  It seemed like all the stresses and cares of his world went away for a moment.  

Catherine.  I don't see Catherine as evil.  I feel the whole "sue for custody" storyline was written a bit out of character for her.  I've always imagined her as having to wear so many hats (single mother, medical doctor, foundation runner) that she's never had the luxury of time to be lax or demure.  I imagine her as going in, making waves/getting things DONE, and then moving on to the next part of her life and doing the same there.  It can make her seem over-the-top at times, but I don't think that makes her evil.  I also get the feeling that she hasn't really had time for any long-term intimate relationships, so she's a little rusty/out of practice when it comes to dealing with Richard, especially when their careers collide.  Again, I don't see that as evil, just inept.  Her conversation and dinner with April was the highlight of the episode for me.  I've always loved their friendship.  I'm glad it's back on track (seemingly).

I wonder if Meredith will return to her position?  She's a widowed single mother of three kids.  Maybe the department chief responsibilities are a lot and maybe this break allows her to see that.  

Also, the plane crash happened first (killing Lexie and Mark), then the settlement happened, then they used the settlement money to partially purchase the hospital.  (The Avery foundation put up the rest of the funding for the hospital purchase).  Mark's settlement shares would have gone to his closest next of kin (Sophia) probably managed by Callie (whomever he named in his will, or whomever a judge named if there was no will).  I'm not sure that Callie and Arizona bought an extra share with that money.  I would imagine that it's in some sort of trust.  Lexie's settlement would have gone to her father, unless she had a will stating otherwise, which I doubt, since she was young and was not planning on dying anytime soon.  If, for some reason, Thatcher was dead, it would probably be divided amongst Meredith and her other sister.  Again, I don't think Meredith has a third share.  Just her's and Derrick's.

I'm all for same-sex romance as long as the chemistry is there.  There isn't that kind of chemistry between Minnick and Arizona.  In that case, I'd rather they just be friends and maybe go to trivia nights together and be each other's "wing-woman".  I think they should have done some chemistry tests to see who Jessica Capshaw clicked with and created a more believable storyline for a romance to happen.  It's just not working here.

I wonder if Sara Ramirez is planning to return?  That might affect the way things are written.  

[Dee]

When did Riggs become part of the inner circle?

[gymratgrandma]

When you rush because you are on a bragging high then your patient loses. Yes it was Stephanie's fault and Minnick's 

Bailey is a mismanager period she is ruining the hospital 

I can understand them being angry with April but she can do the job. 

[Sarnia]

Okay. So the only way to make the viewers feel something positive for Minnick is to kill a 9 year old child. That's how deep in a hole this character is. And even that fails miserably. Writers, I think you need a little Catherine Avery in your brainstorming meetings.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Stephanie Learns A Hard Lesson On Grey's Anatomy

In just one awesome scene, Richard demonstrates why it's 'Richard Forever, Minnick Never!'

[taanja]

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 3:19 PM, Crazy Bird Lady said:

I am totally disgusted with what they just did to Grey's, suspending Meredeth and then making April (of all people) Chief of Surgery?!

I've got to give April credit for tenacity, but she's a flake. She has always been a flake -but not telling Jackson that they were pregnant was really stupid. No way that could have ended well. If there's one thing you need from a Chief of Surgery, it's stability and reliability and clear thinking under pressure. That's not April. I think only Alec would have been a less appropriate choice for Chief of Surgery than April.

Not to mention, there's an issue with nepotism. April isn't married to Jackson anymore, but she was, and she's raising Caroline's only grandchild! 

I'm a forever fan of Grey's --but tonight, I won't be watching it. I mean, Even weight loss surgery for 600 lb. people is starting to look good, in comparison to this story line!

It took me about 2 minutes in to realize this was going to be an April-centric episode. No. Thank. You. Like last week I turned the channel.

This is Grey's trying to see how well they will do without Meredith or Alex. Again. No. Thank. You.

[Mommy2be612]

On 2/18/2017 at 6:56 PM, PepSinger said:

Alex isn't a board member. I remember because while Christina wanted to give him her shares, it had to be put to a vote. Arizona didn't vote for him because she wanted him to be the Head of Pediatric Surgery since she was going to be Head of Fetal Surgery. Bailey and Webber are board members. Meredith, Arizona, and Jackson are board directors.

Nonetheless, the fact that 4 out of 5 people on the board and ALL of the board directors oppose Minnick just makes it LUDICROUS that they haven't convened a board meeting and ousted her. WTF?

On another topic, I think the loyalty to Meredith can be out of professional loyalty instead of friendship. While I totally agree that they haven't taken the time to develop any friendships between Meredith and any of the new people since season 8, I can buy that people would still be appalled by her suspension. Also, while I agree that April hasn't had the same opportunities as Meredith, Meredith has proven herself to be a great, highly regarded surgeon despite the history of her last name. I can't think of a time when April has wowed me, not that it means she's not a good doctor. 

Alex isn't in the bored, but he still owns Christina's shares to the hospital.  Her seat was given to bailey, but. It her shares 

[hks]

Gaaah. I am super bummed that Jerrica Hinton is leaving the show. She's been the ONLY newish character I've liked. I hate just about everyone else. And she's leaving. Although I don't blame her - she's very talented and of course she'd jump to do an HBO show after being on Grey's this long. I just wish we didn't have to suffer without her. She was excellent in this episode.

[LisaM]

I had emergency abdominal surgery 3 years ago. As I watched this episode on my dvr, I kept thinking how glad I was that I had an experienced surgeon performing the complicated surgery. I know that this is a teaching hospital but, as a patient, I would rather go to a different hospital than have one of these inexperienced residents doing a solo surgery on me - particularly with someone like Minnick handcuffing the most experienced person in the OR. I hope that the parents sue the shit out of the hospital; I'm not sure that they would actually win but they should do it anyway.

April telling the patient in the ICU that she was "nicer" than the patient's own doctor is so unprofessional. I can easily see why April took the job. I also think that Catherine was manipulating her placement behind the scenes because she knew that April - who had worked for everything her entire life - would not say no.

Maggie's hair bugged.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Since they rerun GA on lifetime for like four hours, I'm always struck by how good the show was back then. I don't know where it lost the wheels, 

It seems to me the quality of the show started to plummet when Shonda Rhimes started launching a bunch of other shows, and maybe left Grey's to someone else to run.

[jaync]

Quote

Stephanie performing a pediatric surgery solo is ridiculous. Isn't neuro supposed to be her focus?!

Minnick and Stephanie indicated that they didn't view it as pediatric surgery as much as just a basic surgical procedure, which apparently was what was planned for the two randomly chosen residents to do as their first solos. IMO, it would've been far more ridiculous for brain surgery to be Stephanie's first ever solo - one has to crawl before they can walk/run.

Quote

Losing Sara Ramierez was inexcusable, IMO.

It's not TPTB's fault that the actress chose to leave.

Quote

I don't want to see another gay hook-up for Arizona, enough! 

[Crazy Bird Lady]

52 minutes ago, jaync said:

Minnick and Stephanie indicated that they didn't view it as pediatric surgery as much as just a basic surgical procedure, which apparently was what was planned for the two randomly chosen residents to do as their first solos. IMO, it would've been far more ridiculous for brain surgery to be Stephanie's first ever solo - one has to crawl before they can walk/run.

It's not TPTB's fault that the actress chose to leave.

Perhaps it would have been more ridiculous for brain surgery to be Stephanie's first ever solo --although drilling a burr hole (to decompress the brain) is actually a relatively simple procedure, compared to some that are done on other parts of the body. 

In any case, IMO the choices for "first ever solo" surgery should 'never' be either a pediatric procedure or brain surgery. Performing surgery on a child is always different from performing it on an adult, and Stephanie wasn't even being 'seconded' by their pediatric specialist. Her 'second' was Minnick, whose specialty is sports medicine! 

And, of course, if (somehow) drilling a burr hole to relieve pressure on the brain had to be someone's first 'solo' surgery, I would *certainly* expect that Dr's "second" to be an experienced brain surgeon, not some completely unrelated specialty.

[hks]

On 2/17/2017 at 1:40 PM, funnygirl said:

They should've gotten a more seasoned actor to play the educational consultant, much like they got Geena Davis to play Arizona's mentor. This Dr. Minnick, and the actress, is very unconvincing of anyone who could come in and attempt to change things for the better and also carry the authority for it. 

But because the show wants to kill two birds with one stone and fill the Arizona love interest slot, this is just one big reason why the arc is falling flat. 

This is a good point.  I think they had a decent idea here - the residency program was failing - the attendings were NOT doing their job in the teaching part of this teaching hospital - so they bring someone in to try to fix this.  Challenging Weber in the process.  That could have been good and believable.  But they brought in someone SO TERRIBLE.  The character and actress are the worst.   I can't figure out if they're showing Minnick to be so incompetent because they want the resulting argument to be that Weber was right all along? Because he isn't. He was not doing his best job at that time. 

And the idea of Minnick and Arizona?? I like Arizona and I want her to be with someone so much better.  Minnick is awful.  Her character is annoying and smug and there's absolutely nothing cute between the two of them.  (Arizona was great with Callie - even their separation drama felt real and they always had chemistry.  They need to find another character like that). 

[gator12]

The hospital needs to lose their teaching hospital certificate or whatever it is that makes them a teacher hospital. Also, all these heads of these department needs to be fired, not suspended, b/c they aren't competent at doing their jobs. They just care about petty mean girls high school BS.

[jaync]

Quote

In any case, IMO the choices for "first ever solo" surgery should 'never' be either a pediatric procedure or brain surgery.

I totally agree, and the bottom line is, Minnick (and Stephanie) fucked up. That the patient was a youth was just a contrivance so Minnick and Arizona could have some scenes together.

[Court]

26 minutes ago, jaync said:

I totally agree, and the bottom line is, Minnick (and Stephanie) fucked up. That the patient was a youth was just a contrivance so Minnick and Arizona could have some scenes together.

And to make us feel sorry for Minnick. I don't. I hate her more.