S13.E18: Be Still, My Soul

[TVAddict]

Good story, good pace.  I liked it for those reasons, but hated that Alex was relegated to one scene at the dinner table, showing him laughing with all the others.  I realize this was Maggie and her mom's story, but they did manage to set up some relationship angst-to-come, with Mer, Maggie and Riggs.  Seems like they're trying to show that Riggs is thinking that Mer will never make the time for him yet Maggie needs him.  That was the vibe I got anyway.  Glad to see that Richard finally told Bailey off.  He needed to get that off his chest to allow for air-clearing to occur, which it sort of did.  Don't fully understand his comment about Ellis never forgiving him though.  That felt like a bit of a retcon in the middle of the Richard-Bailey moment.  Loved the sisters over lasagna scene at the end.   

[JessePinkman]

Great episode. I felt for Maggie quite a bit and they did a fantastic job establishing Diane's character as someone you'd hate to lose (it doesn't hurt that she was played by LaTanya Richardson Jackson).

That said...this episode spanned weeks if not months, yes? How much do you wanna bet those idiots Owen and Amelia haven’t said one word to each other since the last episode?  

[mojito]

Quote

 He needs that scruff.  it totally cranks up his hotness meter.

To each his own, of course. I lean towards: if he needs scruff, his hotness meter isn't all that high to begin with. 

[Biggie B]

Quote

That said...this episode spanned weeks if not months, yes?

This is a good point. Let's see where things are in Arizona and Eliza's relationship, Jackson and April's relationship, Owen and Amelia's. Things cannot possibly be exactly where we last saw each of these couples, not with the time that's supposedly elapsed. If they are...that is a serious glitch. It'll be as if Diane's treatment happened in some alternate universe. I'm setting my expectations as low as possible, since continuity and the passage of time are completely flexible, inconsistent, and/or non-existent on this show.

[moonorchid]

Maggie as a character doesn't bother me and I was with her this episode when I wasn't bitter about the Blantant writer manipulation to get the audience to love her. The same damn qualities that are positive for her are negative for april. When April stands her ground she's a bitch but when Maggie does it she's empowering. Maggie goes through a crisis and the damn Calvary gets rounded up while april has lost a baby and been literally gutted to birth her second child and no one is looking at her with any sort of concern. Even next week with Jackson being all worried and concerned watching Maggie work makes me want to gag.

maggie was given the "George" treatment this episode and I personally don't find that it was earned outside of mer, Amelia, Richard, and maybe Alex. 

But outside of that, episodes like JTS and this show that there is still quality in the writing when it's focused on a few characters in an episode. Did I miss everyone we didn't see tonight, not really cause in the frame work of the episode they would have been out of place...much like Arizona, and Jackson to an extent was this week...but what bothers me is like what someone said above...this characters have on going arcs that are just stalled for this. I wish these writers would figure out a better system of figuring out which arcs to move forward and still touch on everything else. Like last week we could have gotten a ten second awkward scene between japril to just get a glimpse of what post JTS is like for them...but no we get a three episode arc of Maggie.

[OtterMommy]

Man, I probably shouldn't have watched that episode--it hits far too close to home right now.  All in all, I loved it--and I'm glad that they left this one uncluttered with other cases.

I do wonder about that hospital--pretty much every doctor had their turn doing something to Diane (not including Amelia, who seemed to only be there for support) EXCEPT an oncologist.  Really?  Also, why was Webber doing her larynx surgery?  Isn't Jackson the ENT guy (in addition to being the second coming of the Plastics God)?  And I don't know why Meredith was ever on Diane's case.  No, they aren't blood relatives--but she is Diane's daughter's sister.  And Diane is staying in her house.  My friend, who is a doctor (not a surgeon, but a PCP), won't see anyone she knows outside of a professional capacity as a patient.  Now, obviously, I'm not sure how Diane could have gotten that distance in a hospital where her daughter was chief of cardio, but things like having Bailey as the lead instead of Webber, the biological father of her only child, would have been at least a step in that direction.

But Shonda, if you need to add more doctors in the future--and, let's face it, you know you will at least want to--please add an Oncologist.  Since it seems the majority of cases we see are cancer, it is strange that they don't have one.

I loved Diane and Maggie's relationship, and I think that it explained a lot about Maggie.  Yes, she's childlike--but it is pretty clear that her parents, or at least her mother, enabled that.  I think it will be interesting to see how Maggie's character grows from here on out.

[OtterMommy]

13 hours ago, moonorchid said:

Jackson and arizonas presence kept taking me out and making me roll my eyes.

 

Yeah, I wasn't sure what they were doing with Jackson on the case--Diane was far past any kind of reconstructive surgery.  However, I was a little disappointed that, after Arizona showed up with a bottle of wine at Meredith's, that we didn't get more Drunk Arizona.  I like Drunk Arizona.  And, apparently, Webber has forgiven her for her whatever-it-is with Minnick?  At least enough that they would carpool/be Arizona's designated driver.

[OtterMommy]

4 hours ago, Earmuffs Mom said:

Overall, I thought it was a very well-done episode, reminiscent of earlier Grey's.  However, one thing that kept taking me out of it was Maggie's dad not being there until after her mom died.  They were married over 30 years, just recently got divorced, and even if the divorce was bad, he couldn't come support his daughter and/or pay respects to the woman he raised a child with?  I guess I am colored by my own experience.  My parents were together from the time they were teenagers, but got divorced when I was 18.  When my dad was dying of cancer 16 years later, my mom still came to support me and say goodbye to him.  She told me that even though they had no love lost, they had a long history, he was my dad, and she was sad for those things.  He really appreciated her making that effort to say goodbye and it helped me so much to have that support.  

If he was in Boston, it wasn't exactly a hop-skip-and-a-jump to Seattle.  And, since Maggie was still in the room with Diane, I think that he arrived just shortly after she died (which was earlier than expected).  I wasn't bothered so much by his a bit too late appearance, although I thought the arrival in the helicopter was a bit over the top.

Quote

Back to the show...Did anyone miss Stephanie, Jo, Leah, April, DeLuca, Ben, Eliza, or Owen?  Were you bothered by a practically mute Alex, Arizona, and Amelia?  This cast is so bloated that eleven regular cast members could be practically deleted for this storyline, leaving plenty behind to make the episode interesting. 

I missed DeLuca.  I don't think there can be too much DeLuca for me.  

Is Leah even still on this show?

[OtterMommy]

4 hours ago, Biggie B said:

Edited to add: I also hated the #TearsforGrey hashtag that was in the lower left corner of the screen throughout the episode. Jeez. Subtle as a trainwreck.

I'm so glad I didn't see that.  Pretty much when any show tells me that I need to cry, I won't cry.  I hate it when shows tell me how I should feel and I think seeing this would have pissed me off enough to impact my enjoyment of this episode.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, OtterMommy said:

I'm so glad I didn't see that.  Pretty much when any show tells me that I need to cry, I won't cry.  I hate it when shows tell me how I should feel and I think seeing this would have pissed me off enough to impact my enjoyment of this episode.

Cough... thisisus.... cough.  

I did cry this episode.  As you mentioned, it was hitting a little too close to home. I'm not usually a crier, especially when the show sledgehammers you with what you should feel.

[taanja]

17 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I have to ask - where were Meredith's kids when they had the big family dinner at Casa Meredith and when Meredith, Maggie and Amelia were round-the-clock at the hospital?

Wait! What? Meredith has children? say it ain't so!

[Deanie87]

1 hour ago, Biggie B said:

This is a good point. Let's see where things are in Arizona and Eliza's relationship, Jackson and April's relationship, Owen and Amelia's. Things cannot possibly be exactly where we last saw each of these couples, not with the time that's supposedly elapsed. If they are...that is a serious glitch. It'll be as if Diane's treatment happened in some alternate universe. I'm setting my expectations as low as possible, since continuity and the passage of time are completely flexible, inconsistent, and/or non-existent on this show.

This is my problem with the way the last couple of seasons have been written.  Owen and Amelia apparently went for months without talking, Jackson and April just slept together and it has not been addressed, Jo told Alex she was MARRIED and he offered to go to jail, in part for her, and they have not had ONE conversation about any of it.  And months have gone by.  Its just stupid.  The next episode looks vaguely Maggie centric and the one after that is Mer and Nathan centric on a plane.  So when (if) we finally get around to any of these long running and stalled threads, either they are going act as if no time has passed and things will pick up exactly where they left off months ago OR they will not get addressed at all and the whole slate will be wiped clean as if none of these plot points happened.  Like with Arizona and Richard.  I admit that I haven't been paying too much attention, but wasn't their last interaction the big betrayal of him seeing her waking up next to Minnick?  Did they have a conversation that I can't remember or did they just show up at the party all friends again, with absolutely no indication that any of that happened?

[Biggie B]

Quote

 Like with Arizona and Richard.  I admit that I haven't been paying too much attention, but wasn't their last interaction the big betrayal of him seeing her waking up next to Minnick?  Did they have a conversation that I can't remember or did they just show up at the party all friends again, with absolutely no indication that any of that happened?

Richard did have a subsequent conversation with Arizona in which Richard said he would come around to the concept of them (Arizona and Minnick) together, but that he'd need time.

[iMonrey]

I just can't brink myself to care about Maggie, and this episode did nothing to help. Maggie just seems far too childish and whiny to be this top-rated heart surgeon. I think part of the problem is the actress - she has a bit of a lisp at times and she basically sounds like a little girl. So while I can recognize the stellar acting all around in this one, I still haven't grown to care about Maggie any more than before. {shrug}

[Scatterbrained]

I did think that this was a beautiful episode and I enjoyed watching it.  Regarding the lack of oncologist:  I just consider it A necessity of moving the storylines along without adding a bunch of extra people.  I suspend my disbelief accordingly.  Regarding Arizona, the actress was probably just available to keep a dinner table seat warm.  I've heard that multiple episodes were filmed at a time this season.  Those that were not seen this episode will probably be featured quite a bit in a different episode.  I'm not surprised they haven't shown Japril since the sequel.  I suspected that would happen.  Regarding Richard's comment about Ellis, I felt he was thinking about all of Maggie's life that he missed out on and felt like that was Ellis' vengeance at play.  I believe there have been some voiceovers in other episodes stating something like, "The past is in the past and you can't go back, you can only move forward."  This is one instance of that being painfully true for a character.

[taanja]

17 minutes ago, Scatterbrained said:

 Regarding Richard's comment about Ellis, I felt he was thinking about all of Maggie's life that he missed out on and felt like that was Ellis' vengeance at play.  I believe there have been some voiceovers in other episodes stating something like, "The past is in the past and you can't go back, you can only move forward."  This is one instance of that being painfully true for a character.

Especially the part where Maggie asks--- where is my dad? and Richard is standing right there looking pained because he realizes she wasn't/doesn't think of him as her father. That was actually well done I thought.

Ellen Pompeo directed this ep?

[Ohwell]

29 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I think part of the problem is the actress - she has a bit of a lisp at times

And Jackson and Meredith lisp, too.  Shonda apparently likes lispers.

[Tara Ariano]

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

On Grey's Anatomy, Maggie Fights For Her Mother's Life, But Cancer Fights Right Back

Maggie runs an emotional gamut as her mother faces her last battle with cancer.

[jaync]

Damn, show. Between this episode and the pollen, I helped pay the power bill at the Kleenex factory.

Loved the story about Ellis's ashes. (I haven't seen some of the earlier seasons.)

Quote

Once again, WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING that made her feel like that.

Not giving her orgasms, apparently.

[Snow Fairy]

7 hours ago, Biggie B said:

The whole episode just did absolutely nothing for me. Nothing. I felt no emotion, nothing but annoyance. Where were her oncologist and radiologist? Why would ANY of the cast members even be REMOTELY involved in Diane's care?

I agree with that. Was bored watching it. No tears.

I'm tired of all the tragedies in their lives, Shonda has overdone it

[ladygolfer]

I lost my mom to cancer almost two years ago to the day of the airing of this episode (3/29). 

She loved GA, so for me, this episode was incredibly emotional.

I cried last night when I watched it and I cried reading the recap. 

?

Edited March 31, 2017 by ladygolfer

[Daisy]

Okay. I liked the episode premise, but I didn't like the episode. it hit too close to home for me personally, my mom has breast cancer like i mentioned. but this is where I think it fell flat. 

I don't feel connected to Maggie. Like I loathe Amelia, but had this been Mrs. Shepherd, all of this would have been amazing. Or even Catherine or something. Maggie still doesn't feel like part of the "family" so unlike Susan (hiccups) or Ellis, or Mr O'Malley, it's like. Well, sorry your Mom died Maggie. 

And this is what pisses me off about this damned show/hospital. Can't one of these people stand up and tell Maggie no, she can't be involved because doctors can't be involved w/their family? don't "hold" her hand. And a lot of the verbal slaps to Meredith + Richard... I get she's hurt but i mean... i think that's always a lame excuse imo. you still control your words. 

I dunno. this episode bugged me. but it was still really good. 

[Rae Spellman]

15 hours ago, mojito said:

I've decided that my favorite couple is Richard and Arizona. 

Yes! I wonder if Arizona and Jackson went to the dinner for Maggie/Diane, or if they were really there for Richard. And also, is Richard sleeping in the hosptial only when his wife is in town?

[Marley]

This episode was sad because of what was happening and my grandma died of cancer but as a greys episode I didn't like it.

I have never liked Maggie so it was hard for me to care about the episode.

It seemed so isolated. Only certain people were coming and going. This show is not what it used to be and that makes me sad. Im rewatching and on season 7 right now and when i watch new episodes it just makes me sad. 

Riggs is so blah and I see no chemistry with Meredith so when they can't  go on their date it makes me happy and not sad like the show wants me to feel. 

Maggies dad just shows up at the end? Seems rude. Plus he was gonna write a cheque for the helicopter? Is he rich lol.

The end with them eating lasagna just annoyed me because forks scraping bugs me so much lol.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

21 hours ago, JessePinkman said:

this episode spanned weeks if not months, yes? How much do you wanna bet those idiots Owen and Amelia haven’t said one word to each other since the last episode?  

It had to cover at least several weeks since we saw Diane undergoing more than one surgery, regular chemo treatments (which is how she got to know the nurse whose son failed his driving test), and then multiple chemo treatments for the clinical trial in the room by herself (with the resulting side effects like those horrible sores, coughing up blood like a TB patient), before she finally died.

Heh, but my concern wasn't about the continuity with other characters' storylines (but yeah, I'd bet Owen and Amelia just spent those weeks/months not speaking a word to each other) but how old that lasagna had to be when they were eating it at the end of the episode.

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Heh, but my concern wasn't about the continuity with other characters' storylines (but yeah, I'd bet Owen and Amelia just spent those weeks/months not speaking a word to each other) but how old that lasagna had to be when they were eating it at the end of the episode.

Yeah that lasagna didn't look too appetizing.  

Edited April 1, 2017 by Ohwell

[Blonde Gator]

8 hours ago, Marley said:

This episode was sad because of what was happening and my grandma died of cancer but as a greys episode I didn't like it.

I have never liked Maggie so it was hard for me to care about the episode.

It seemed so isolated. Only certain people were coming and going. This show is not what it used to be and that makes me sad. Im rewatching and on season 7 right now and when i watch new episodes it just makes me sad. 

Riggs is so blah and I see no chemistry with Meredith so when they can't  go on their date it makes me happy and not sad like the show wants me to feel. 

Maggies dad just shows up at the end? Seems rude. Plus he was gonna write a cheque for the helicopter? Is he rich lol.

The end with them eating lasagna just annoyed me because forks scraping bugs me so much lol.

Richard arranged the helicopter air cab from SeaTac for Mr. Pierce.  There was an awkward "thank you >>> my pleasure" exchange between the two as Richard Webber greeted Mr. Pierce on the roof of the hospital when Maggie's dad arrived. 

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Heh, but my concern wasn't about the continuity with other characters' storylines (but yeah, I'd bet Owen and Amelia just spent those weeks/months not speaking a word to each other) but how old that lasagna had to be when they were eating it at the end of the episode.

Oh. Ew. you're right.

But maybe it isn't supposed to be the same lasagna.  I mean, that was quite a bit left over and there were, what, at least 7 people at that dinner?  I have a family of four, 2 of whom are teen-aged boys,  and I am lucky to have even one serving left over in a 9 x 16 pan.

[WalrusGirl]

On 3/30/2017 at 9:52 PM, chitowngirl said:

But...in all the time that passed during this episode, we can assume that Owen and Amy still haven't talked to each other.

Ah, but Amy may well have not spoken to *anyone*, at least on-screen. Making this week the most I've liked her since she was being written by the PP writers.

[WalrusGirl]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Heh, but my concern wasn't about the continuity with other characters' storylines (but yeah, I'd bet Owen and Amelia just spent those weeks/months not speaking a word to each other) but how old that lasagna had to be when they were eating it at the end of the episode.

That part sort of stunned me, because it means that Diane died within days of the esophageal tear at the dinner - which does make sense, with Jackson telling Maggie he just wanted to get her mom through the next 24 hours, and how fragile she already was to sustain the test and then undergo another surgery. But I'd initially assumed that more weeks were passing with Diane on hospice (as they had all episode; I'm guessing it spanned maybe 4-8 weeks, based on how many chemo drop-ins we saw).

Given the leftover lasagna, though, I think Richard tried to get Maggie's dad out (from, presumably, Boston) pretty immediately after Maggie said she wanted her Dad (this *after* the dinner/esophageal tear), and her mom died within the next 1-3 days. The time limit varies by state, but they wouldn't leave her body for the time it would take to fly from Boston to Seattle - a funeral home has to pick up the body from an institutional setting within six hours in the state where my grandmother died, and that's likely about the max a hospitalized hospice room would allow before moving the body to a refrigerated morgue or funeral home.

So I suspect Maggie's father's "late" arrival was more due to how quickly she died in the end, and that he was out within a day of her telling Richard she needed him. I think my feelings on him seemingly "not being there" to support Maggie are different because he lives and presumably works across the country, and Diane was mid-treatment and Maggie clearly didn't think they were "there" yet. He likely couldn't just camp out for months or easily make personal visits; presumably they were in contact off-screen.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I'm wondering about Maggie's family and upbringing after this episode. Diane seemed very "motherly" (I always think about Marie and Debra's conversation on Everybody Loves Raymond where Marie explains the difference between someone being a mother and motherly) and I'm wondering if they were well-off after her father's comment to Richard that he'd write him a check for the helicopter ride. I really liked that initial meeting between the two men; it was awkward but there was a mutual respect between them. 

[ChaChaSlide]

On March 31, 2017 at 0:02 PM, Scatterbrained said:

Oops!  My mistake!  Maybe she snuck them out the back to Uncle Owen who takes them out  a lot so he can get his kid fix.  Or maybe, she called Nathan later and said, "I know what you can do to help, take the kids out to dinner for a while."  Or maybe it's the invisible "Grey's nanny".  

It would make way more sense for Grey to have a nanny than daycare. She's a widowed mom of three very young kids and a presumably large amount of money (the house is paid off, she probably got an inheritance from Ellis, and life insurance policies from both Ellis and Derek, as well as being a board director of the hospital and a surgeon herself). I prefer to think it's just one of those off screen situations.. Until they mention it and the nanny saves one of the kids with an advanced medical procedure and the nanny turns out to be... Owen's dead sister and Riggs dead fiance ?.

I figured out who Maggie's personality reminds me of: Meredith in the If/Then episode. Meredith on that had that same kind of whiny, nervous, bubbly energy that Maggie has now, the only difference being that her self esteem as a surgeon was lowered due to bizarro-Ellis' constant criticism, but she was still relatively buoyant in terms of her personality because she felt love and support from both her mom and dad in Richard, just like Maggie felt with her adoptive parents. Maggie isn't confident in personality like Miranda (I think neurotic is the best word to describe her) but it's obvious her parents put her above everything and told her she was the best growing up, hence her exceeding expectations and becoming a young Cardio chief well assured in her capabilities. Long story short, Maggie is meant to be Meredith if she weren't DarkandTwisty™. And for those saying Maggie is similar to April, it's not a coincidence Meredith and April were best friends in If/Then.

[DearEvette]

51 minutes ago, ChaChaSlide said:

I figured out who Maggie's personality reminds me of: Meredith in the If/Then episode. Meredith on that had that same kind of whiny, nervous, bubbly energy that Maggie has now, the only difference being that her self esteem as a surgeon was lowered due to bizarro-Ellis' constant criticism, but she was still relatively buoyant in terms of her personality because she felt love and support from both her mom and dad in Richard, just like Maggie felt with her adoptive parents. Maggie isn't confident in personality like Miranda (I think neurotic is the best word to describe her) but it's obvious her parents put her above everything and told her she was the best growing up, hence her exceeding expectations and becoming a young Cardio chief well assured in her capabilities. Long story short, Maggie is meant to be Meredith if she weren't DarkandTwisty™. And for those saying Maggie is similar to April, it's not a coincidence Meredith and April were best friends in If/Then.

This is a pretty good analysis.  I also wonder if her being naturally smart -- witness her mother telling the story of her reading all by herself at age two -- is something that she felt she had to constantly live up to. I am no Maggie, but I was rather an advanced child and was reading solo by age 4 and I know that whenever my parents or grandparents would proudly point that out to company, I always felt I had to continue to live up to their expectations and stay that smart golden child.  So every academic achievement that got talked up I always felt I had to do more.  I grew out of that compulsion by the time I got to college and decided to break loose and have fun, but given the personality they've given Maggie -- smart, overachiever, perfect kid, no troubles, no rebellion -- I could see why she is so tighly wound all the time and has a case of arrested development.

[Gladrags]

On 3/30/2017 at 10:07 PM, pennben said:

"We dumped her down the scrub sink outside OR 2"/"By the water"---I had to rewind that a couple of times because it was so good.  Hee!

That was my favorite part ... 

The episode seemed to stall and then jerk forward and stall again, but still it was compelling.

[Deanie87]

17 hours ago, Gladrags said:

That was my favorite part ... 

The episode seemed to stall and then jerk forward and stall again, but still it was compelling.

That pretty much describes the whole season to me, mostly minus the compelling part.

[Maukie99]

Why does Meredith have to go to Maggie again and again to not eat with Nathan? First she tells him that she is ready for a date with him and then everything changes again and Meredith uses Maggie as an excuse and not to eat with him or to start a relationship, but both have feelings for each other and want each other. Maggie may be so vulnerable, but she is also clear on her own. Besides, Amelia is still there. O.ô

[OtterMommy]

8 hours ago, Maukie99 said:

Why does Meredith have to go to Maggie again and again to not eat with Nathan? First she tells him that she is ready for a date with him and then everything changes again and Meredith uses Maggie as an excuse and not to eat with him or to start a relationship, but both have feelings for each other and want each other. Maggie may be so vulnerable, but she is also clear on her own. Besides, Amelia is still there. O.ô

Because Maggie is her sister, she herself was close to Diane, and they had just lost someone very important to them?  Personally, I think that trumps a possible dinner with someone who it seems like has not really showed any serious interest in months (it's hard to tell in Grey's time, but I do think we're at least a few months out from the last time Nathan made any sort of indication he was interested).

[tvfanatic13]

I am getting old and having a brain fart. I forget how M&M are sisters! Please tell me!

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I am getting old and having a brain fart. I forget how M&M are sisters! Please tell me!

Maggie is the illegitimate baby that Ellis had (father is Richard) and gave up for adoption when Meredith was very young and Ellis ran away with her to Boston.

[tvfanatic13]

Does she know that richard is her father?

[OtterMommy]

13 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

Does she know that richard is her father?

Yes.  She knew that Ellis was her mother before she came to Seattle and had a suspicion that Richard was her father.  When it was revealed that he was it was sort of...not what anyone expected.  She recognizes him as her biological father, but only that.  In her eyes, she already has a father (the guy who choppered in).  Honestly, the whole thing is a bit too clean to really be believed but, in the realm of unbelievable things on this show, it's the smallest of small potatoes.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 1:56 PM, OtterMommy said:

Man, I probably shouldn't have watched that episode--it hits far too close to home right now.  All in all, I loved it--and I'm glad that they left this one uncluttered with other cases.

I do wonder about that hospital--pretty much every doctor had their turn doing something to Diane (not including Amelia, who seemed to only be there for support) EXCEPT an oncologist.  Really?  Also, why was Webber doing her larynx surgery?  Isn't Jackson the ENT guy (in addition to being the second coming of the Plastics God)?  And I don't know why Meredith was ever on Diane's case.  No, they aren't blood relatives--but she is Diane's daughter's sister.  And Diane is staying in her house.  My friend, who is a doctor (not a surgeon, but a PCP), won't see anyone she knows outside of a professional capacity as a patient.  Now, obviously, I'm not sure how Diane could have gotten that distance in a hospital where her daughter was chief of cardio, but things like having Bailey as the lead instead of Webber, the biological father of her only child, would have been at least a step in that direction.

But Shonda, if you need to add more doctors in the future--and, let's face it, you know you will at least want to--please add an Oncologist.  Since it seems the majority of cases we see are cancer, it is strange that they don't have one.

I loved Diane and Maggie's relationship, and I think that it explained a lot about Maggie.  Yes, she's childlike--but it is pretty clear that her parents, or at least her mother, enabled that.  I think it will be interesting to see how Maggie's character grows from here on out.

An orthopod first, please, so Jackson can stop performing inappropriate surgeries. 

[katisha]

On 2017-3-31 at 11:29 PM, Earmuffs Mom said:

Overall, I thought it was a very well-done episode, reminiscent of earlier Grey's.  However, one thing that kept taking me out of it was Maggie's dad not being there until after her mom died.  They were married over 30 years, just recently got divorced, and even if the divorce was bad, he couldn't come support his daughter and/or pay respects to the woman he raised a child with?  I guess I am colored by my own experience.  My parents were together from the time they were teenagers, but got divorced when I was 18.  When my dad was dying of cancer 16 years later, my mom still came to support me and say goodbye to him.  She told me that even though they had no love lost, they had a long history, he was my dad, and she was sad for those things.  He really appreciated her making that effort to say goodbye and it helped me so much to have that support.  

Back to the show...Did anyone miss Stephanie, Jo, Leah, April, DeLuca, Ben, Eliza, or Owen?  Were you bothered by a practically mute Alex, Arizona, and Amelia?  This cast is so bloated that eleven regular cast members could be practically deleted for this storyline, leaving plenty behind to make the episode interesting. 

I have just watched this episode today and I absolutely think you're right, that cancer or serious illness should overcome any bad feelings left over after a messy divorce. However, I was recently talking to a young acquaintance whose dad has a stage 4 melanoma on his face which has spread to his throat and jaw. His marriage breakup was bad but upon hearing about her ex-husband's situation the ex-wife was willing to let bygones be bygones and try and help...only he didn't WANT her to. I suppose this could have been a plausible scenario for Maggie's mum and dad too.

[skermac]

On ‎3‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 8:50 PM, chitowngirl said:

Jeez, does anyone's parent make it through at Seattle Grey Mercy Death??

But a well done episode. I exactly how it feels to be a raw as Maggie and she portrayed it perfectly.

it doesn't seem like it

[Chas411]

On 31 March 2017 at 6:41 PM, moonorchid said:

maggie was given the "George" treatment this episode and I personally don't find that it was earned outside of mer, Amelia, Richard, and maybe Ale

And this right there is why I'll never like Maggie. Sorry just caught the episode again today with the other half and I'm pleasantly surprised to see him having the exact same thoughts.