S13.E20: In The Air Tonight

[Daisy]

2 hours ago, Starscream said:

Molly was around for at least two episodes. 

at this point i think Molly is in the attic. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hey, maybe Molly is the unseen babysitter for Meredith's three kids!

But yeah, I laughed when Riggs said, "You have a sister?" and she said yes. Poor Molly. Not gone but still forgotten.

[Earmuffs Mom]

I hated how Riggs pushed Meredith about letting go of Derek. He was the great love of her life and they have three young children together. Even in show time it's only been a few years since he died. Meredith shows nothing but vague interest in Riggs as an outlet for sex, which doesn't mean she's ready for a relationship or to let go of Derek. 

Maybe Meredith is so flattered by Riggs' attention and pursuit that she feels like she owes him something, be it sex or an attempt at a relationship? Either way, they have tepid chemistry and I can't root for them. The flashbacks made me miss the days when this show truly was TGIT viewing for me.

[shantown]

6 hours ago, kariyaki said:

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.

Whoa, I didn't recognize her at all! 

[PepSinger]

Why was this episode allowed to air? What was the point? This entire season has been fluff.

Edited April 15, 2017 by PepSinger

[Cementhead]

4 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Why was this episode allowed to air? What was the point? This entire season has been fluff.

IMO, this was the dumbest, most ridiculous episode of Grey's I've ever seen.  Well, I never did see the singing episode, so, there's that.  And perhaps it wasn't the worst EVER but yeah, your questions summed it up perfectly.  I am at the point where I am basically just watching Grey's for 2 reasons -- habit and I have nothing else to watch.  Most years, I am usually hate-watching it, with beautiful Jesse Williams' face being the only thing getting me through.  But this season has actually been enjoyable to me (shocking!!!) and it has even felt very old school Grey's to me a few times which has been nice in a sentimental, nostalgic way, in spite of all its many, many problems.  Main problems named Owen and Amelia; who I too, want to drown in an ocean.  But this episode?  What the what??  I was just annoyed by all of it.  Right down to Meredith's super ugly brown sweater.   That ugly sweater and Riggs' sudden weirdly looking clean-shaven face deserve each other. 

[Nobodysfan]

This was the first episode after a looong time I watched as a full episode, not just bits and pieces.

Not feeling Meredith and Nathan, no, not at all. Did they hook up again in the lavatory? Weird moral values that Meredith possesses, tells Riggs she is married and sleeps with him twice? What kind of values does she have? 

I am honestly puzzled, why would every man on earth would want to be with Meredith? You have a good-looking dentist suddenly on the plane, having hots for Meredith out of blue?Weird...

Annoyed by Riggs, too, the way he pushes himself on her, just awful, he must be desperate.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Nobodysfan

[Nobodysfan]

18 hours ago, Earmuffs Mom said:

I hated how Riggs pushed Meredith about letting go of Derek. He was the great love of her life and they have three young children together. Even in show time it's only been a few years since he died. Meredith shows nothing but vague interest in Riggs as an outlet for sex, which doesn't mean she's ready for a relationship or to let go of Derek. 

Maybe Meredith is so flattered by Riggs' attention and pursuit that she feels like she owes him something, be it sex or an attempt at a relationship? Either way, they have tepid chemistry and I can't root for them. The flashbacks made me miss the days when this show truly was TGIT viewing for me.

I hate this, too.

The flashbacks only proved how Merthan is odd,odd,odd.

On 14. 4. 2017 at 3:00 AM, weightyghost said:

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.  

100% true.

On 14. 4. 2017 at 1:59 PM, 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.

I barely watch now and it feels like I do not miss anything.

[sarkygal]

Wasn't Riggs a trauma field surgeon with Owen? I just found it out of character that Meredith would have the McGyver surgery moves when Nathan's history and lack of airplane PTSD would have made him the better surgeon for the brain bleed patient. And i agree with everyone they have zero chemistry.

[OtterMommy]

34 minutes ago, sarkygal said:

Wasn't Riggs a trauma field surgeon with Owen? I just found it out of character that Meredith would have the McGyver surgery moves when Nathan's history and lack of airplane PTSD would have made him the better surgeon for the brain bleed patient. And i agree with everyone they have zero chemistry.

Good point, and one I hadn't considered (and it just makes me roll my eyes more at this episode).  I wish I could go back and erase this episode out of my memory...

[Lillybee]

At least they weren't flying United.

[Complexity]

On 4/14/2017 at 11:59 AM, OtterMommy said:

I also liked the fact that the dick's life was saved by Viagra.

I loved that part, especially when the old lady whipped out a bottle full of pills. I couldn't help but wonder if it was so full because they hadn't bothered to use them or if they just got a ton of them for whatever trip they were taking? Either way, it cracked me up. ?

[Lamima]

Dumb episode. BUt this show has been clinging for life for years now. Please just put it, and us, out of misery and pull the plug.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Lamima

[lorbeer]

On 14.04.2017 at 5:13 PM, LADreamr said:

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.  

I was curious if anybody would mention the incident... Not the best week for Grey's to air episode like that.

[DearEvette]

IMo, This was not a bad episode per se.  As a bottle episode focusing on two doctors responding to a critical medical emergency on an airplane it was actually ok.

What makes it not that great is that it was done in service to furthering the bland Meredith/Nathan romance.  So far none of their interactions has made me long for them as a couple.  Or made me eager to see them together.  Meredith acts like she is doing Nathan a favor by even looking at him half the time.  The other half of the time her mixed signals make me acutely uncomfortable.  One the one hand she keeps telling him 'no' and  yet on the other, when he insists on ignoring her 'no' she gives in to him sexually.

I honestly don't see what he sees in her?  I like Meredith generally as a character, despite her many flaws.  But she is giving off absolutely nothing that should make Nathan so enamored.  So it makes the entire romance feel forced.  Like the recap said, the only thing all the great flashbacks with Derek did was make you remember how good she and Derek were together and how much this present relationship just pales in comparison.

[tapplum]

Since Meredith and Alex are the only characters left that I care about, I did enjoy the episode more than most. But something's off when the only parts of it that made me feel anything were the flashbacks and Meredith's "I'm married." Like, were they *trying* to emphazise how bland all the recent characters are?  I just feel like, back in the day, there were a ton of characters that I might not *like* all that much, but I *cared* about them, because I knew them. They had a clear pov, a personality, a history, relationships and goals. Whereas basically everyone nowadays, they're just...non-entities.  While I'm invested in Meredith, it's hard to care about her "relationship" with Nathan when I barely remember he exists.

[Maukie99]

For me it was one of the best episodes in season 13. Thanks Shonda for this episode. I've seen them from front to back. She had wit, humor. Tension, romance and also action between. Just the Meredith has dropped and Nathan has given herself and had sex with him on the toilet was good and well I found that she told him about Lexie and why the hospital is called Grey Sloan.

Even though Nathan himself could do research himself and find out where he works and why it is called Grey Sloan memorial, but well that is not important now. The flirts between Meredith and the pediatrician's dentist were very amusing , but also the flirts between Nathan and Candice, although there really only Candice flirted with him, since Nathan only had eyes for Meredith and she wants.

Class, of course, how cool Meredith has done the neurosurgery under these difficult conditions on the plane. Mac Gyver moderate. Very very good, since you have noticed that she is really the daughter of Ellis Grey. I think this also increases their chances of winning a Harper Avery Award. After all, there will be talks about everything and give plus points for the Grey Sloan.

The end was of course great with the retrospect of Derek and Meredith. It was touching and sad to see everything, but also to see the looks of Meredith, Cristina, Lexie, Mark and Derek. I found it great that this was installed. I hope now the Meredith and Nathan will be a couple or already.

Meredith has once again given a jerk and wanted to share with him a hotel room. Derek wanted her to live on and let him go. I think when he looks down from heaven, he is glad that she has found a new partner again in Nathan, who understands what she is going through. The two fit well and complement each other well.

I would not be surprised if Meredith is now getting pregnant. Just by the way. ;-)

[OtterMommy]

4 minutes ago, Maukie99 said:

Even though Nathan himself could do research himself and find out where he works and why it is called Grey Sloan memorial, but well that is not important now. The flirts between Meredith and the pediatrician's dentist were very amusing , but also the flirts between Nathan and Candice, although there really only Candice flirted with him, since Nathan only had eyes for Meredith and she wants.

Well, to be fair to Nathan...GSMMWSGH  was the home a super-duper-famous-surgeon by the name of Dr. Grey, who is now deceased.  I don't think anyone would be off their rocker to think that the memorial was to Ellis and not Lexie Grey.  (The Sloan part is a whole different issue...)

[Maukie99]

2 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Well, to be fair to Nathan...GSMMWSGH  was the home a super-duper-famous-surgeon by the name of Dr. Grey, who is now deceased.  I don't think anyone would be off their rocker to think that the memorial was to Ellis and not Lexie Grey.  (The Sloan part is a whole different issue...)

Yes, but he works and should be informed. He should also be aware that if he and Meredith get a child, whether a daughter or a son, the one or the other will wear the name Grey.

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, Maukie99 said:

Yes, but he works and should be informed. He should also be aware that if he and Meredith get a child, whether a daughter or a son, the one or the other will wear the name Grey.

Not necessarily.  For all the average joe, who might even be employed at the hospital, might know is that the "Grey" (and "Sloan") parts of the name come from wealthy benefactors who left a lot of money to the hospital.  That sort of thing happens all the time.  Now, the fact that there is a Dr. Grey at the hospital, who everyone knows is the daughter of another Dr. Grey, who was very famous, it isn't an illogical conclusion to draw that Ellis Grey would be the one for whom the hospital is memorialized.

Plus, it was made pretty clear that Meredith (and Arizona, the only other surviving passenger on that other flight who is still at the hospital) don't talk about it.  Plus, Nathan doesn't really seem to talk to anyone else that much, except maybe Maggie (and does Maggie even know about Lexie?  I mean, I'm sure she does, but it really isn't a hot topic), so who would tell him.  I doubt it is in the new-hire orientation.  

[Maukie99]

2 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Not necessarily.  For all the average joe, who might even be employed at the hospital, might know is that the "Grey" (and "Sloan") parts of the name come from wealthy benefactors who left a lot of money to the hospital.  That sort of thing happens all the time.  Now, the fact that there is a Dr. Grey at the hospital, who everyone knows is the daughter of another Dr. Grey, who was very famous, it isn't an illogical conclusion to draw that Ellis Grey would be the one for whom the hospital is memorialized.

Plus, it was made pretty clear that Meredith (and Arizona, the only other surviving passenger on that other flight who is still at the hospital) don't talk about it.  Plus, Nathan doesn't really seem to talk to anyone else that much, except maybe Maggie (and does Maggie even know about Lexie?  I mean, I'm sure she does, but it really isn't a hot topic), so who would tell him.  I doubt it is in the new-hire orientation.  

I mean only, the possible daughter or the possible son would be named after Gray after the mother.

[lavenderrose]

• This episode was just meh to me. I did like hearing Meredith mentioning Derek and Lexie, but other than that it was just yawn inducing. I don't particularly care for Riggs and can't for the life of me why either Meredith or Maggie likes him; he's clearly meant to be a Derek clone and I'm rolling my eyes every time he speaks. I think they should've paired Meredith up with someone "dark and twisty" like her (I'm not saying Alex, but if the shoe fits...) it would've been more interesting seeing Meredith interact with someone who has a similar perspective and they could do it with humor as well.
• Once again Maggie is a shining star and could do better than Riggs or anyone at Seattle Grace honestly. I don't think she'll care that Meredith and Riggs are a couple or whatever but more about the fact that Meredith continually lied to her. She trusts Meredith and is one of the very few people that genuinely sees her for who she is (besides Cristina of course) and accepts her grumpiness and all. I think she'll be hurt by this especially with it occurring closely with her mother's passing. Family is extremely important to her, but I think this will be the catalyst of her hooking up with someone.
• BTW United jokes aren't funny...
• Meredith taking charge was in character for her and I was glad seeing her be bad ass.
• Could've used less Riggs in the episode. I wish they would just kill him off he's such a bore or put him with April who is equally as annoying.
• I miss Alex but then if he was on there more, I would have to see Jo on the screen whose presence I didn't miss at all.
• Pediatric dentist guy was annoying and so was flight attendant.
• Guy with pulmonary hypertension was just an ass and should've just minded his business. I hate people who take issues with kids on planes; of course they're gonna throw a tantrum when they're sitting down for hours and not allowed to play. I'm glad Meredith told him off.
• I don't want Meredith to have another kid that we don't get to see on screen so hopefully they don't make that a story line.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, Maukie99 said:

I mean only, the possible daughter or the possible son would be named after Gray after the mother.

There's nothing wrong with a child having the mother's last name.

[Crazy Bird Lady]

To be fair, Molly treated Mer like trash -- even after Mer donated her a kidney.

[Biggie B]

I'll admit I didn't watch this episode that attentively (fast-forwarded through just about all of the impromptu skull surgery), but I never thought that Mer and the dentist were mutually flirting. He was certainly interested ("Do you need anything? Company?") but every time they spoke, Meredith basically sent him away to do something else. To me, it seemed as if she acknowledged that yes, he had at least enough medical knowledge/training to be of help, but beyond that...nothing. He also looked  REALLY young, almost too young to be taken seriously as much more than an extra set of helpful hands. I didn't for one moment think of the two of them together. As for the flight attendant, she couldn't have been more blatant than if she hung a neon sign around her neck that said, "I AM ATTRACTED TO YOU, RIGGS!" Both the dentist and the flight attendant were nothing more than vehicles used to make the point that Meredith and Riggs would eventually come together (despite Meredith's resistance and despite Riggs' complete obsession with a person who treats him like crap [rightly or wrongly] and despite other viable options).

I wish there had been one last interaction with Ingrid, the young woman with headphones who was initially sitting between Riggs and Meredith. She ended up being really helpful and it would've been nice if at least one of them had thanked her at the end of the crisis.

The pulmonary hypertension guy was just a caricature as well, and poorly done at that...he embodied practically every awful stereotype in the book! I'm pretty sure that even Stevie Wonder could've seen what was going to happen to his character from the first moment he appeared. He might as well have had a big P on his forehead, for "PREDICATABLE."

Although I agree with other posters that Riggs was absolutely out of line to tell Meredith to get over her grieving, for some reason I still like the guy and feel as if he could do better than to worship Meredith so blindly. I still feel as if his personality is pretty consistently decent - he seems to have the least amount of ill will towards his colleagues (and vice versa), and his medical skills seem completely appropriate. I get frustrated with and disappointed in him that he is so utterly besotted with Meredith.

Overall, I did not think this was such a great episode. I appreciated a few isolated moments, but they weren't enough to carry the whole thing.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Biggie B

[Scatterbrained]

This episode was a bit of a miss for me.  In some scenes, Pompeo had a bit of a raspy voice and her affect seemed a bit flat.  I wonder if she might have had a mild illness at the time of shooting that affected her performance a bit.  It didn't just seem to be about depression and hesitation to me.  Like others, I didn't really like Riggs pushing Meredith to move on.  That's something she has to decide for herself.  I hope the intention was to have his character say out loud some of the things that she might be thinking but not voicing.  An external dialogue instead of an internal monologue.  

The two scenes that carried the most weight for me: 1) when Riggs was talking about how there are usually lulls in between bomb blasts, and that you wait for the lull and the go.  2) the statement in the ending voiceover about deciding whether or not to avoid the crash by choosing to get on the plane.

[Tara Ariano]

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

Grey's Anatomy Inducts Two New Members Into The Mile High Club

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

[Mrs. DuRona]

Like most people here, I just don't get the appeal of Meredith and Riggs.  Also, when a widow says that she's married, you just stop.  Let her take the time she so obviously needs.  UGH, I wish she had just walked away at the end.

[schnauzergirl]

I finally watched this episode and can't get back that hour of my life.  When you care about the supporting characters (Ingrid, Candace, the Dentist, and yes even the Pilot) more than the two main characters,  something is seriously wrong.  Full disclosure: Meredith is my least favorite character so she has to go the extra mile to make me care about what's happening to her.

[Meow25]

The drama surrounding Meredith is so effing stupid.  So everytime she's on a plane bad things happen?  Can we count how many times Meredith has been dead or in mortal peril?  Good grief.  Pretty soon they'll have her hit by a train and miraculously survive.  

Seriously.  We have gone FULL ON DAYTIME SOAP with these last few episodes.  Hell, I guess it's been the last 10 seasons.  I shouldn't be surprised.  

my series finale prediction:  So we all know that doctors are tater tots and can't figure out birth control, so considering Meredith's past...she will get pregnant.  She will have a traumatically sad abortion....but WAIT!!!  Two months later she still feels pregnant.  She finds out it was really twins...and she's still pregnant with the other twin.  SURPRISE!  The twin has some tropical worm disease that's NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE EVER!  The baby dies, but in an ultrasound there is a THIRD BABY!  TRIPLETS!  She delivers her full term triplet on a helicopter on her way to a MUST SEE TELEVISION EVENT!  Seattle is being hit by an asteroid!  Meredith poops out her baby and then performs the first successful head reattachment on Dr. Riggs.   Meanwhile, during her roadside bad ass surgery, she still looks at Riggs like he's a piece of dead fish.  Riggs is the only survivor.  Riggs wakes up and sees his not-dead fiance.  She rode in on the asteroid.  She's the angel of death, but she still has the hots for Riggs.  Riggs dumps Meredith, who doesn't give a shit.   The last scene is Meredith having Dead Derick sex.  Mere realizes she has brain cancer and goes to live with Izzie so she can eat a million cupcakes.  The children are never mentioned again.   Everyone else is dead from the asteroid.  

The show is a JOKE.  Go rewatch season 1 & 2.  It's sad.  

[lorbeer]

On 17.04.2017 at 2:33 PM, Crazy Bird Lady said:

To be fair, Molly treated Mer like trash -- even after Mer donated her a kidney.

Eeem... did I miss it? I remember only episodes where Mer donates her kidney to their father... so I guess she doesn't have an extra kidney to give it up. Am I right?

The last time I remeber Molly sees Meredith was in 2nd or 3rd season when Molly was pregnant. Later she was only mentioned... and maybe apperaed on episoded with Molly's & Lexie's mother's funeral

[Mrs. DuRona]

22 hours ago, lorbeer said:

On 4/17/2017 at 8:33 AM, Crazy Bird Lady said:

To be fair, Molly treated Mer like trash -- even after Mer donated her a kidney.

Eeem... did I miss it? I remember only episodes where Mer donates her kidney to their father... so I guess she doesn't have an extra kidney to give it up. Am I right?

It was her liver (or part of it) that she donated to her father.  I don't recall her donating a kidney to her sister.  If she had, I feel like it wouldn't have been as big of a deal that she donated her liver.  

Wasn't it Izzy who had to donate something to her daughter, but her daughter's parents didn't want her to know?  Maybe that was the kidney donation?

Edited April 25, 2017 by Mrs. DuRona

[lorbeer]

On 25.04.2017 at 7:35 PM, Mrs. DuRona said:

It was her liver (or part of it) that she donated to her father.  I don't recall her donating a kidney to her sister.  If she had, I feel like it wouldn't have been as big of a deal that she donated her liver.  

Wasn't it Izzy who had to donate something to her daughter, but her daughter's parents didn't want her to know?  Maybe that was the kidney donation?

Oh right it was the liver not kidney...  Izzy was going to donate bone marrow. Her daughter had leukemia.

[Barlowe]

Finally catching up to this episode. I didn’t care about anything aspect of this epsiode but it was ludicrous that Meredith wouldn’t have paid for first class. Riggs maybe could’ve gotten away with paying for economy but there’s no way as rich and comfortable as she is that Meredith would cheap out on a ticket

[awaken]

This was a completely outlandish and wildly unrealistic episode, but at least I was entertained!  Utterly ridiculous that Meredith would demand a pilot land a plane when it wasn't safe, or that she demand Riggs stop doing CPR on an arresting person to assist her.  And every time doctors need to do a crazy procedure with little equipment, in the field, it's always drilling the holes in the head to drain the pressure, or an amputation.  It's expected at this point and not even surprising.

Meredith treats Riggs terribly.  I don't see why he'd keep after her.  She uses him for sex and then is mean and rejects him or cancels on him.