S13.E20: In The Air Tonight

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Meredith and Nathan have to confront their feelings when they are are stuck sitting next to each other on a plane.

Promo:

[funnygirl]

What's the trite reason as to how they both just happened to end up on the same commercial flight? 

Edited April 7, 2017 by funnygirl

[Crazy Bird Lady]

Ugh. Not this again!! 

[TVForever]

Was that guy talking with Meredith outside the bathroom Jai from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? 

[weightyghost]

Okay but can Mer get with cute dentist?

She and Riggs had more chemistry with their other partners this episode than each other. The show needs to not force it. Not like it won't though. Riggs is not the person I would expect/want Meredith to ~move on with. 

Also didn't appreciate Meredith getting snippy with the pilot. I'm pretty sure she knew best when it comes to landing a plane.  

[LexieLily]

Riggs should have taken flight attendant up on her offer. At least she seemed to like him.

[TVForever]

4 minutes ago, weightyghost said:

Okay but can Mer get with cute dentist?

She and Riggs had more chemistry with their other partners this episode than each other. The show needs to not force it. Not like it won't though. Riggs is not the person I would expect/want Meredith to ~move on with. 

Also didn't appreciate Meredith getting snippy with the pilot. I'm pretty sure she knew best when it comes to landing a plane.  

. I wanted to smack the living tar out of Meredith. Frankly I think the pilot spent too much time talking with her. This is not your OR Meredith- this is the pilot's house. And if she says the plane can't land- the plane can't land. That's it. Now get out of her face so she can get back to work.

[Chicken Wing]

Either Meredith is a cold, playing-hard-to-get tease who enjoys manipulating Riggs, or she's still a bereaved widow who is simply not ready to move on to a new relationship yet.

Either way, why is Riggs bothering?

[funnygirl]

The best part of the episode, for me, were the flashbacks to season 8 crash and the Meredith/Derek moments. 

Not necessarily smart to highlight a time, characters, and a love story that was so exceptionally good during a season that is so tragically uninspired. 

Meredith and Nathan do nothing for me. They are beyond forced.

Edited April 14, 2017 by funnygirl

[SnoGirl]

I think I would be more invested if this will they-wont they wasnt dragged out through the WHOLE SEASON. It was the whole season right? Because if it wasnt, it definitely feels like it has been.

I think its hard to like Riggs and Mere because she and Derrick literally lit the screen on fire, at least the first couple of seasons. I really do like Riggs, and I wouldnt mind him and Mere together. But its been a not so great cat and mouse between them.

I know this episode was about getting them together, but would it have been so awful if Alex had been there? Has he ever been seen since Jail(dinner scenes have been it right?)? It would have been interesting to see him bounce between the two of them. And he wasnt apart of the Seattle Five, we could have seen some guilt from him. Oh bloated cast, we either get twenty people or two. 

[Crazy Bird Lady]

It was nice to *finally* see a medically-oriented Grey's episode, for a change! 

But I agree with those who would rather have seen Mer go off with the adorable dentist, and Riggs give the adoring stewardess his private number.

[Laurie4H]

This was the most cheesy contrived episode in a long time.  The dialogue at the beginning was cringeworthy.  Meredith has one conversation with the dentist and Riggs has to mention how they are chummy....same with Meredith mentioning the flight attendant.  How old are these people?   

I can't even go there when the older woman who commenting that the one guy with the pulmonary hypertension wasn't raised right.  Oh the dialogue.....  

[Pepper the Cat]

Sure Mer, demand to speak with the pilot as she tried to fly a freaking plane through a freaking thunderstorm! 

And demand she land even after she tells you it's not safe!!

i knew right from the start that the rude, mean to children man would have a medical emergency and require care. 

And finally bathroom sex? Ewwwww

[shantown]

I think we were supposed to get a vibe of "oh they noticed each other talking to someone of the opposite sex because they NOTICE each other because they're IN LOVE." But the vibe it gave me was "oh good, they've stopped snipping at each other for two minutes and have found someone they actually enjoy talking to." Not at all what the writers were going for, I'm guessing. 

Mostly I'm just sick of bottle episodes. If we're only gonna get two characters don't make it Meredith and Riggs being blandly tepid for an hour. 

[choclatechip45]

One of the worst episodes ever.

[readster]

So, here is the question. Why the HELL did the plane take off if they knew they were going to go through 2 yes count them 2 DANGEROUS storm systems? Yeah, the entire season and Riggs come across as a moron who can't just let someone go. Yes, as we have said, I'm sure his "dead wife" will magically show up in finale. After dragged out for 2 years. 

[Amethyst]

I was glad the pilot reminded Meredith that she had 250 passengers to worry about, not just one.  Meredith needed to sit down and let the pilot do her job.

2 minutes ago, shantown said:

But the vibe it gave me was "oh good, they've stopped snipping at each other for two minutes and have found someone they actually enjoy talking to." Not at all what the writers were going for, I'm guessing. 

Same here.  It was refreshing to see Meredith and Cute Dentist actually smiling and flirting with each other, instead of the constant animosity with Riggs we've been seeing.  But in the end, I was glad that she didn't hook up with the dentist, because it felt too much like the Derek-Flynn parallel.  

And when he realized Meredith wasn't into him, he just smiled and walked off.  Wow, it's like he understood that Meredith wasn't into him!  Seriously Riggs, take notes from this guy.

While Meredith and Riggs are dull as dishwater, at least it put an end to the"will they won't they" crap.

[WhosThatGirl]

I didn't like this episode. But like most episodes of Greys, it was meh. I still cannot believe we're still on Meredith and Riggs but at least it's happening now so finally I guess? This arc has been going on for almost ever at this point. And I couldn't care less about it. 

[mojito]

The passengers who were evacuated from their seats to make the OR....where did they sit during all the turbulence that followed? Minor point, but as soon as they left their seats, I kept wondering where they would go. Maybe pair up and use the lavatories?

I don't want to use the lavatory for what it's there for....let alone anything else.

I like that stuck-in-the-middle Janis proved useful during surgery. 

Dumb episode but still fun to watch the "drama". No Maggie and Amelia, a plus. 

[TVForever]

38 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

 

Same here.  It was refreshing to see Meredith and Cute Dentist actually smiling and flirting with each other, instead of the constant animosity with Riggs we've been seeing.  But in the end, I was glad that she didn't hook up with the dentist, because it felt too much like the Derek-Flynn parallel. 

That's because you're forgetting that these doctors have the maturity of middle-schoolers. Remember middle school, where the person you treated the worst was the person you actually liked?

I thought the dentist and the flight attendant were adorable. And there was actual chemistry in both pairings. So of course, they had to go. 

So now we get to watch Meredith and Riggs some more. 

[WhosThatGirl]

Didnt you know, Meredith is the sun!!! Her word is gospel and we should all be so lucky to hear her views on anything!

[TVForever]

5 minutes ago, RogerDodger said:

Meredith - Next time, please fly United.  

RodgerDodger for the win!!!!

[upperco]

The series is richer when it fulfills its premise of following and focusing on Meredith's journey. This episode succeeded in that regard. However, the decision to place an entire installment away from the hospital -- inherently a gimmick -- ensures that it's not going to resemble the rest of the series (especially with only two regulars), which means it's not an ideal showing. If it succeeds, it won't be on the show's usual terms. That noted, confining the action to a limited space over a finite period of time requires a more overt exploration of characters and their interactions. Furthermore, the dangerous plane setting -- though contrived -- inspires natural, easy tension. This episode, fundamentally, had both. 

The problem? The script. McKee, whose seniority finds her tackling these overblown "prestige" excursions, earned her figurative stripes during an earlier era in which the stories were compelling, but the dialogue was especially trite and not character-motivated. (I'd say we have the opposite problem now. The stories are uninspired, but the characters' voices are more individualized and consistent.) This entry was a return to that form -- forced, unbelievable characterizations; sappy, overly convenient dialogue; broad, unsubtle objectives... But with a gripping story that almost made the gimmick, a truthful representation of this year's narrative state, worth excusing. If only, as usual, the writing was stronger...

[Starscream]

6 minutes ago, RogerDodger said:

I know we were suppose to hate pulmonary hypertension guy, but I really thought Meredith was the one out of line in her reaction to him.  

It reminded me of the way Stephanie treated Cross last episode.

I know this episode was filmed an especially long time ago and that's why I thought it didn't quite jibe with what I've seen recently.

I had a good laugh when Meredith was talking about brain deficiencies and all that when trying to get Riggs to stop helping his guy.  Wasn't she out for some ridiculous amount of time after she drowned only to survive with no problems whatsoever?

[Marley]

One of the worst greys episodes I've ever seen. Please stop with Meredith and Riggs it's not working. There is no chemistry there. Showing flashbacks of Derek and Meredith isn't helping either.

Also Meredith should probably never fly again. 

What is with Greys too and all these solo episodes? They are my least fave episodes and they almost always suck. I'm getting close to being done with this show but it's so hard to quit! Meredith and Riggs together may make it easier to finally stop watching tho.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Marley

[Guest]

I turned it off halfway through and figured I could catch up here. It was so boring and predictable, and Meredith annoyed me trying to demand to the pilot what to do. 

The stereotype of doctors having god-complexes is from doctors like Riggs and Meredith who think because they're doctors they can order planes to land, be given security codes to supplies, etc.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm not a nervous flyer, but I still hate episodes like this. One of my friends was a flight attendant when 9/11 happened and then a few years later when Lost premiered so seeing fictional people flying through the air and hitting the ceiling still freaks me out. To be honest, I had never given any thought to flying before those two events. To me, an airplane was just a big bus in the sky. I had never considered any worst case scenarios before then.

I understand Meredith's concern for the guy who was bleeding, but it's not like the captain was just being a stubborn jerk. The plane was flying between two storms. The pilot was trying to get 250 people safely to the ground. She couldn't risk all of those lives just because Meredith said that the guy who hit his head MIGHT have a brain bleed. She also later said that she didn't have clearance to land so she could not just break FAA rules and land anywhere she felt like it. And how would Meredith feel if a pilot came into her OR and started telling her how to operate? Sheesh.

8 hours ago, Amethyst said:

when he realized Meredith wasn't into him, he just smiled and walked off.  Wow, it's like he understood that Meredith wasn't into him!  Seriously Riggs, take notes from this guy.

Ha, no kidding! At the same time, I felt like Riggs was out of line to tell Meredith it's time for her to let go of Derek and move on. That's not your choice to make, Riggs. There's no time table for grieving and there's no specific date when you'll be ready to have a relationship (not just a fuck buddy). Just because YOU want this to turn into a relationship doesn't give you the right to bully Meredith into "getting over" her dead husband.

And did we have to have the last song BLARING over the end of the episode? I know I should just be glad that Shonda is past her two year phase of HORRIBLE whiny emo cover songs, but seriously, turn it down. And get off my lawn!

[Chas411]

We're episodes away from the end of the season and I'm like... Has anything actually happened this year? I feel like nothing has changed in the last ten episodes. Everything is just at a standstill.

[TigerLynx]

I haven't watched in a while, but I tuned in to see how this plane crash would go.  Lexie was mentioned, but not Mark.  That summary Meredith gave of the plane crash, Arizona lost her leg, we were known as the Seattle Grace Five, now there are only three of us, did not do justice to the original plane crash SL at all.  Killing off Lexie and Mark was what made me stop watching regularly.

[readster]

8 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

We're episodes away from the end of the season and I'm like... Has anything actually happened this year? I feel like nothing has changed in the last ten episodes. Everything is just at a standstill.

That's exactly it. Riggs still wants to have Meredith when she doesn't want him (or does, who knows). Stephanie has been beaten to the point she is probably going to leave medicine. Amelia is still: "I can change the rules and I'll have brainless babies no matter what!" Everything with Katherine and Bailey screwing up the teaching program is still going. Nothing has happened this season outside of Jackson meeting his father.

[Pallas]

9 hours ago, TVForever said:

That's because you're forgetting that these doctors have the maturity of middle-schoolers. Remember middle school, where the person you treated the worst was the person you actually liked?

I thought the dentist and the flight attendant were adorable. And there was actual chemistry in both pairings. So of course, they had to go. 

The resistible dentist was named Harrison Peters, and played by Callard Harris (alias not-Michael-Vartan), who is 35 and married to actress Nicole Sessions. He was responsible, poised, accomplished, charming, humorous, respectful of women with authority, and works with kids. But perfect isn't good enough. Meredith wasn't more scared of losing him than of losing him, and he didn't love her like a best friend or therapist -- knowing her better than she knows herself -- with great sex. 

[Qoass]

Yes, Meredith treating the brain bleed with a syringe and a straw was pretty cool, but not as cool as Izzie doing it with a power drill on a sinking ferry!

I don't think it's wise to include a montage of past scenes when the present season suffers by comparison.

[Ohwell]

Riggs annoys me now more than Meredith.  What is wrong with him?  Why can't he take "NO" for an answer and just leave her the hell alone?  I think he is one sick bastard.

[BaseOps]

This would have worked better for me 10 episodes ago, but I thought it was relatively well done. It kept me interested throughout, and I like that the series refuses to forget Derek or let Meredith move on cavalierly. My mother is a widow and even after 10 years she's pensive about 'moving on'. Meredith's 'I'm married' line was particularly heart-breaking to me. 

This was arguably the storyline that suffered the most, along with Alex / Jo, due to the rewriting that had to be done this year. I'm glad that we're at least moving forward with it now, and I liked the medical focus of the episode too. 

[LADreamr]

11 hours ago, RogerDodger said:

Meredith - Next time, please fly United

That was United. The violent turbulence was the in-flight entertainment. 

I liked the episode more than most here, but the most bittersweet part of the flashbacks for me, was seeing Cristina.  She would have been amazing in this episode.  

[Blonde Gator]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Riggs annoys me now more than Meredith.  What is wrong with him?  Why can't he take "NO" for an answer and just leave her the hell alone?  I think he is one sick bastard.

I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

~ Jessica Rabbit

1 hour ago, BaseOps said:

This would have worked better for me 10 episodes ago, but I thought it was relatively well done. It kept me interested throughout, and I like that the series refuses to forget Derek or let Meredith move on cavalierly. My mother is a widow and even after 10 years she's pensive about 'moving on'. Meredith's 'I'm married' line was particularly heart-breaking to me. 

This was arguably the storyline that suffered the most, along with Alex / Jo, due to the rewriting that had to be done this year. I'm glad that we're at least moving forward with it now, and I liked the medical focus of the episode too. 

Would you mind explaining the "rewriting that had to be done"?  I must have missed it...but it certainly makes sense in light of the choppy/disjointed stories we've been getting. Thanks.

[Primetimer]

Meredith and Riggs use a turbulent flight to work through their incomprehensible relationship.

View the full article

[Greysaddict]

This episode was ok, but that is just the problem this show has gone from great or pretty good to just ok or insufferable.  I was/am a HUGE Merder fan but was rational in realizing this is a fictional drama and Meredith would need to move on an eventually find another love interest.  But, I am just not feeling Meredith and Riggs at all.  Their chemistry is weak and even when she says she is into him she looks painfully disinterested.  The only time I felt a remote connection between them was when she told him about Lexie when they sat on the floor of the plane.  Speaking of which, I was into all the flashbacks of Derek and others in seasons 11 and maybe 12 but now I think this show is doing a huge disservice to itself by continuing to show how much better it used to be.

1 hour ago, BaseOps said:

This was arguably the storyline that suffered the most, along with Alex / Jo, due to the rewriting that had to be done this year. I'm glad that we're at least moving forward with it now, and I liked the medical focus of the episode too. 

I'm curious to why you think there was rewriting done this year?  This episode was filmed in November with a seemingly obvious to plan to air in the spring.  The writing and continuity the season has been terrible but I personally refuse to give them any more benefit of the doubt.  They had these episodes planned and mapped out since the beginning.  

Edited April 14, 2017 by Greysaddict

[Shellie]

13 hours ago, mojito said:

I don't want to use the lavatory for what it's there for....let alone anything else.

I couldn't agree more.  Ugh.

It was totally inauthentic to me that these two would suddenly become so overcome with lust.

[funnygirl]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I felt like Riggs was out of line to tell Meredith it's time for her to let go of Derek and move on. That's not your choice to make, Riggs. There's no time table for grieving and there's no specific date when you'll be ready to have a relationship (not just a fuck buddy). Just because YOU want this to turn into a relationship doesn't give you the right to bully Meredith into "getting over" her dead husband.

This bothered me most of all. 

[candall]

15 hours ago, Chicken Wing said:

Either Meredith is a cold, playing-hard-to-get tease who enjoys manipulating Riggs, or she's still a bereaved widow who is simply not ready to move on to a new relationship yet.

Either way, why is Riggs bothering?

This, this, THIS.

 

I've never even seen Meredith look at Riggs with any expression on her face other than "I smell something bad."

Even when agreeing to go to the hotel with him, even at the moment she "can't resist" airplane bathroom sex, she's still rolling her eyes and her nose is delicately wrinkled, like eww.

 

I really thought that blurting out the "I'm a married woman!" line was going to be more significant than it ultimately was.  But there ya go, Riggs--her head and her heart haven't caught up with her reality, so buy a fucking clue already and move along.

 

(Of course, I wouldn't enjoy spending the next fifty episodes watching Riggs develop a relationship with another cast member and then, just when he's out, Meredith drags him back in, either.  Heh.  This whole storyline is really just ill-conceived.)

[taanja]

Wow. For the first time in a long time I watched the entire episode-- from beginning to end. I haven't done that in literally years.

I enjoyed it. Finally a Mere centric ep!  I like Riggs and I like that way he looks at Mere. To quote Grey's -- the heart wants what it wants and obviously his heart wants Mere. I just hope he doesn't break it. All the flashbacks made me remember all the tragedies in Mere's life. Her heart has been broken enough. But I know how this show rolls and Riggs's "dead" wife is gonna show up.

Question-- wasn't there another sister named Molly? Yeah. There is.

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, upperco said:

The series is richer when it fulfills its premise of following and focusing on Meredith's journey

Not for me.  I actually like most of the other regulars more than I do Meredith, and can do without focusing on her journey.  So, if I have to watch lame bottle episodes, I'd rather they not be all about the amazingness that is Mere.

Oh, and Meredith, you had TWO other sisters besides Maggie, and still have one of them.

10 hours ago, Marley said:

Also Meredith should probably never fly again. 

If I ever got on a plane and saw her, I'd get right back off, that's for sure.

[BaseOps]

@Blonde Gator  @Greysaddict

Perhaps 'rewriting' is the wrong word, but certainly tons of plans were changed and there were a lot of outside factors that dictated when actors were available and for how long. This was, at least, confirmed regarding the Amelia / Owen storyline - the plan was never for her to up and leave Owen and hide away on Steph's couch for weeks, but they had to find a way to write her off. Likewise, they had to write Meredith and Camilla out of several episodes. They had 3 maternity leaves and 2 pregnancies to write around this season. That's why there were so many one-off episodes; Camila, Ellen, and Catarina all filmed multiple episodes at once, often out of order to accommodate their time off / pregnancies. Ellen was absent from 3 episodes and used very sparsely in several others, Catarina was written out abruptly in the middle of the year, and Camilla has all but disappeared even as Deluca is randomly professing his love for her to Steph. I think all of this was a big factor in so many stories feeling choppy or stunted. Of course the writing could be better all around, but more so than any other season S13 has felt like stories and characters are disappearing for weeks at a time. 

Edited April 14, 2017 by BaseOps

[OtterMommy]

A quick scan of the comments here and it looks like I'm not the only one shipping Mer and the Pediatric Dentist (well, as much as I can ship Mer with anyone).

I have a lot of different emotions about this episode, but none of them are that I thought this was a good episode. 

I can't help but wonder if it was a blessing or a curse to air this show this week, given the airline related news going on.  That being said, I'm no huge fan of these sorts of things as I am a nervous flyer.  Luckily, this one was so unrealistic that I don't think it is going to come back to me the next time I board a plane.

Look, I'll go with the Mer/Riggs thing if I have to, but I would so much rather see him with someone--anyone--else....Maggie, April, hell...stick him with Owen for all I care.  I think he's an entertaining and somewhat unique character in this show and I feel like putting him and Mer together is just treading water until Owen's sister shows up, encounters Mer and Riggs and says to Mer, "You're the intern surgeon who is screwing my fiance!"  Because, you know, nothing like that has ever happened on this show.

I also felt like this episode was written (and directed) by people who have seen a lot of airplane movies (Air Force One, Airplane, Snakes on a Plane) but who have never actually been on an airplane.  I can only imagine the conniption fits any flight attendants must have had watching this.  No, three people cannot congregate by the bathroom (my husband once got chastised by an attendant when he walked our 5 year old son up to the bathroom).  No, Riggs!  Put YOUR OWN MASK ON FIRST BEFORE YOU HELP ANYONE ELSE!  And, I'm sorry, but that was the largest airplane bathroom I've ever seen....

Oh hey...Meredith remembered that Lexi existed!  That was sweet.  Now I wonder if she'll ever remember her OTHER sister ever existed.  No, not Maggie.  Not Amelia.  No, I'm talking about the one we met back in the early episodes who was Lexi's older sister and a patient in the hospital before Lexi ever showed up and who was never mentioned again after the one episode she was in.  

As for all Meredith's Macgyver moves...honestly, I thought that was all a bit boring.  And disgusting.  I mostly listened to those parts from the other room.

As for what I liked...I did like Riggs in this (I'm liking him the more I see him, especially when Meredith isn't around) and I thought some of the dialogue between Mer and Riggs was snappy and very old-school Grey's.  I also liked the fact that the dick's life was saved by Viagra.

[OtterMommy]

16 hours ago, readster said:

So, here is the question. Why the HELL did the plane take off if they knew they were going to go through 2 yes count them 2 DANGEROUS storm systems? Yeah, the entire season and Riggs come across as a moron who can't just let someone go. Yes, as we have said, I'm sure his "dead wife" will magically show up in finale. After dragged out for 2 years. 

This.  From my experience in flying as a passenger (there was a time when I was flying fairly often), pilots and airlines actually look at the weather from time to time.  If the weather is bad, they find another path. Or they cancel the flight.  They don't fly between two storms (above and below).   Ugh.

[OtterMommy]

14 hours ago, RogerDodger said:

I know we were suppose to hate pulmonary hypertension guy, but I really thought Meredith was the one out of line in her reaction to him.   No, Meredith, not everybody enjoys being seated next to a screaming brat whose parents can't keep them quiet on a flight.  And, no, asking to move to a seat away from aforementioned brat so that you can work in peace does not constitute "mom shaming".  I would like to see a follow up episode where its revealed that his attack could have possibly been prevented had it not been for Mer brushing off his complaints before he went into cardiac arrest.  I know it will never happen.  Mer will be hailed the hero.  I'm finding her more and more insufferable these days.  And don't get me started on her interactions with the pilot.  

 

You know what really bugged me about this?  The fact that it is, in essence, the same story line we had last week with Stephanie and Cross and his TB.  Doctor brushes off patient's complaint for non-medical reasons (this week, because he's a dick.  Last week, because that's what is done to Cross in this show).  It's bad enough that we're getting re-hashes of story lines from seasons past...but this was JUST LAST WEEK!

[clarkbar]

This episode kept my attention, although I found myself getting annoyed with "take charge" Meredith.  I wasn't familiar with Spencer Grammar, but I really liked her and her character.  At first glance, I thought she was Emily Proctor with dyed hair!  

[Bort]

21 minutes ago, clarkbar said:

I wasn't familiar with Spencer Grammar, but I really liked her and her character.

Spencer Grammer, daughter of Kelsey! (whom many may or may not know from a few successful sitcoms called Cheers and Frasier...) I'd seen her previously in Greek, I almost didn't recognize her with the darker hair.

[Starscream]

5 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Oh hey...Meredith remembered that Lexi existed!  That was sweet.  Now I wonder if she'll ever remember her OTHER sister ever existed.  No, not Maggie.  Not Amelia.  No, I'm talking about the one we met back in the early episodes who was Lexi's older sister and a patient in the hospital before Lexi ever showed up and who was never mentioned again after the one episode she was in. 

Molly was around for at least two episodes. 

Edited April 14, 2017 by Starscream