That was lame.
I’m not just talking about April and Jackson sleeping together in the episode’s final moments, but the entire hour was a bit derivative and dull. Take the new McDreamy, Dr. Riggs, who is so hard to care for when the writers are clearly building him up to be Meredith’s future love interest. Giving these two a cute moment in the elevator is absolutely unacceptable, seeing as how that’s always been MerDer’s iconic spot. It would be forgiven if the tension between him and Owen was even intriguing, but after hinting at some drama in the previous episode I found myself disappointed that the show withheld any additional information this week. Whatever rift between these two is going to be dragged on for a multi-episode arc obviously before these two end up having drinks at Joe’s and becoming pals again, in true Grey’s fashion.
The Meredith/Penny drama is already exhausting and painful to watch as the writers continue to use every single ploy they can to make the new resident a likable doctor, which makes her less of an actual person and more of a plot device. I definitely find myself siding with Callie during her and Meredith’s little fights, but that’s a point I feel like I already made last week. Can we move on from this dreadful storyline already?
Amelia suddenly realizing she might have been racist was a wildly unexpected subplot, and at first I appreciated it for what it was: just a random C-subplot. Her talk with Stephanie was uncomfortable, but I loved it for its unpredictability. However, the show felt the need to drag this on for far too long. I could have lived without Amelia and Maggie’s “white privilege” speech out in the parking lot because I just felt like Amelia and Steph’s earlier talk was more than enough to get the message across without any exposition. No matter how necessary and powerful it was to bring these two sisters together into a conversation that’s awkward and uncomfortable for both parties, there was no need to drag it out that long. It wouldn’t be a Shonda Rhimes show if it didn’t tackle racism every now and then, but that entire scene felt like a Rowan Pope monologue. And that’s never a good thing.
I hope this season finds its way out of this weird stasis because it’s literally all over the place right now. An episode that heavily relies on the Derek-dying drama, tries to replace him with another McDreamy, tackles a sudden and weird racism plot while ending the hour on a Jackson/April reunion that no one asked for isn’t really a great episode.
Bits & Scalpels
– Bailey and Ben’s attempts at kicking Jackson out of the house: lame.
– Actually laughed at Dr. Riggs and Maggie’s awkward encounter in the lounge, especially as it ends with Maggie asking “who was that?”.
– Look, Owen’s nightmares are back! He’s even sleepwalking now too. How many episodes before he chokes Amelia? (Sorry, that was uncalled for.)
– My favorite part of the episode: Meredith and Owen’s moment near the ambulance as she asks him whether or not to hate Dr. Riggs.
– Nice callback to the season 10 finale when Meredith promises Cristina before she leaves that she’ll take care of Owen in her absence.
– Arizona and Richard meeting for drinks at the end was kind of funny despite being predictable.
– Seriously, Meredith and Dr. Riggs’ elevator scene is SO reminiscent of Meredith and Derek’s scenes, I found myself shaking my head repeatedly. It doesn’t help that Riggs looks a lot like Derek.
– At least no horrible covers this week! Thank goodness I actually liked the music this time.
– I’m actually optimistic that the fall finale will rectify this season with some mind-blowing drama. Fingers crossed.
Grey Banter
Owen: I don’t wanna talk.
Meredith: Okay, you don’t have to. But just tell me, do we hate him?
Owen: We hate him.
Meredith: Okay then we hate him.
Amelia: I’m worried that I offended Edwards. I need you to tell me.
Maggie: Why me? Because I’m your sister?
Amelia: Yes.
Maggie: Or because I’m your sista?
Must-Download Tunes
The Lakes by RHODES
Shoulda Known Better by Janet Jackson
Conclusion
A lackluster episode saved by Owen and Meredith’s little chat. This season has sadly been messy so far.
Chris Rating
C+
Perfectly stated. The ONLY thing I enjoyed was Meredith and Owen's chat! Can we develop the two some more together?
Oh, and Arizona and the Chief was a strange yet intriguing pairing for sure!