When you’ve got a large, sprawling cast, you’re bound to produce uneven episodes every now and then. Hold Back The River is a particularly unbalanced installment.
Nerve-wracking Surgery
I’ll be honest: I got teary-eyed when the team discovered their cutting-edge radio-wave surgery had worked and Noah had been cured. Believe it or not, I was actually on the edge of my seat throughout the operation, so here’s hoping Noah is done for now and there aren’t any side effects. This is Grey’s Anatomy after all so you never truly know if a patient will survive (or die a slow-death to a heart-wrenching soundtrack).
Chemo Crazy
We’ve all heard the stories: a psycho doctor purposely misdiagnoses patients with cancer and pumps them full of chemo for profit. It’s such a despicable, heinous act, and that makes Owen’s attack of the doctor at the end all the more satisfying. I kind of wish the show went there and had our favorite trauma surgeon inject the sleazeball, but we all know Grey’s isn’t that dark (maybe if the show were on cable?) The subplot is nonetheless an effective one, particularly with Arizona’s cancer scare which I almost believed (seeing as how Jessica Capshaw is leaving the show at the end of the season). Thank God that wasn’t the case though – watching Arizona suffer through chemotherapy would be far too depressing.
Junkies Anonymous
Richard’s sponsor Ollie was a welcome nod to the show’s past, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the character. I guess after 14 years, it’s hard for minor characters to really leave an impression. The subplot did produce one heart-warming moment though: Richard bringing Amelia in for a meeting with Ollie. It’s always great when the show mixes it up, and we haven’t seen Amelia and Richard together in a long time. More please!
Bits & Scalpels
– I love that Grey’s keeps going back to that superhero pose. #Continuity.
– Andrew lives in the on-call room. Yeah that’s not creepy at all.
– I want a spy spinoff with Arizona and Hunt globe-trotting and chasing baddies undercover.
– How fake was the green-screen with the Chief sitting in the park? Did love Maggie’s speech about her mom though.
– Bailey and Ben’s sex-plot was hardly gripping television. But hey, Chandra Wilson is always fun to watch.
– Meredith barely got any screen-time this week. This is becoming a habit and one I don’t encourage. At least her rock-star mice are showing progress without the polymer. So is Marie Cerone gone for good?
– Alex attacking Tom was a bit much no?
– I really don’t like Jackson. He’s constantly rolling his eyes whenever April has something to say (and I don’t even like April)! Thankfully, her downward spiral is done with after week’s masterpiece.
– Laugh-out-loud moment: Meredith telling Jo and Hellmouth to stop celebrating. I died.
– Let’s be clear: the cliffhanger with April telling Maggie about jumping Jackson was far from suspenseful. In fact, it was just dull.
Grey Banter
April: Koracick.
Tom: April. Please, we had sex. Call me Dr. Koracick.
Owen: If I ever hear you use the word “cure” and “promise” when speaking with a cancer patient, your medical career will be – as short as you are.
Andrew: I’m in between places, that’s all. I was staying with Dr. Robbins, and then she started sleeping with my sister. So then I moved in with Dr. Hunt, but then he started sleeping with my sister.
Arizona: (about Owen’s Yelp reviews) You get three and a half stars.
Owen: What?
Arizona: Same as my dry cleaner.
Owen: Wow.
Must-Download Tunes
Good Morning by Max Frost
Broken by Patrick Wilson
Love Vendetta by Arrow Benjamin
Conclusion
Some powerful moments mixed with some forgettable subplots make for an okay hour of Grey’s Anatomy.
Seriously how cool was Arizona and Owen’s subplot? I didn’t realize I’m gonna miss Arizona until this episode and I really actually teared up when she cried “I have breast cancer?” I hope this was just a red-herring because if this magically comes back somehow by the finale and they kill her off, I will be pissed.
And only reason I remembered Richard’s sponsor is because of the Previously On scenes in the opening haha. She was never that memorable anyway.
DeLuca saying how both his roommates Arizona and Owen slept with his sister cracked me up! DeLuca is growing on me!