Grey's Anatomy premiere recap: Coping with COVID
ABC
The amount of content the Grey’s Anatomy showrunners stuffed into two hours proves that they made good use of their time during lockdown. The show begins with Meredith, symbolically standing at the ocean’s edge, comparing the pandemic to a title wave.
Everyone in the medical field is trying not to drown.
Grey Sloan is a completely different hospital with new protocols. It’s evident that fatigue has set in and the workers are weary. Face shields are a welcome sight since this is a television show, but the masks do showcase which cast members can act with their eyes.
Although the season ended somewhat abruptly in early spring, a handful of quick flashbacks help the viewers tie up a few loose storylines. The rest of the episode follows the staff one month into COVID.
Bailey
Miranda escorts Richard around the hospital to show him how things are done. Temperature checkpoints, outdoor patient tents, and COVID wards are new. Personal protection equipment is falling apart. No one is stepping foot in an O.R. And an ultraviolet machine that can disinfect an entire room is Bailey’s new BFF. Miranda is tired, but she’s still spunky and will tell you exactly where you can stick it if crossed.
Richard
The cobalt is out of his system, the hip is on the mend, and Richard is ready to get back to work. Annoyed by Bailey’s insistence that he read all about the new safety procedures, Richard is mortified when he discovers that the staff is disinfecting their masks and gloves with bleach. He finds some string and crafts a spiderweb in the UV room, hanging up all of the masks so they can be disinfected, too. Bailey deems him brilliant. Richard is back, people.
Avery
Back in the spring, Victoria shows up at Jackson’s house wearing nothing but a hot pink puffy coat. Sweet toddler Harriett can’t unsee that display of nudity. The moment freaks Victoria out, she blurts out that she’s not step-mom material, and ends it with Avery. It was odd, but let’s not pull too hard at that string.
Currently, Avery is trying to save the life of a kid who is burned on most of his body. The boy had snuck out of his house with a few friends to go to a party an hour earlier over on Station 19. Apparently, this kid’s car somehow caught on fire and his buddies ran off into the woods. They weren’t supposed to be together because of COVID. Especially Frankie, who just got a new kidney and is extremely immunocompromised. He’s in an O.R. with Cormac and Meredith.
The kids’ parents duke it out in the outdoor tent while waiting to hear updates on their children. One family is pro mask. The other isn’t as concerned. Punches are thrown, blood gushes, and Bailey ends up on the ground with a twisted ankle.
Jo scrubs in to help Avery and he flashes back to a major make-out sesh.
Excuse me?
Jo
Springtime Jo needs help getting over the hump. The hump is sex and she feels it’s time to “get it out of her system” so she can move on with her life. And she’d like to get it on with Avery because she trusts him completely. She doesn’t want to mess with randos because they could be murderers and no one has time for that right now.
It doesn’t take much arm-twisting for Avery to agree. Again, let’s not pull at that string.
Jo arrives at his place half past a bottle of vodka and congratulates Avery for being rich. Then she makes fun of him for playing Kenny G and wonders out loud if he likes soft pillow sex? One quick joke about his charcuterie board and it is on.
Jo laughs in his face. Then she cries in his mouth. A snotty nose was definitely involved. Present Jo is mortified by her meltdown and Jackson agrees to pretend it never happened. The question remains, will it happen again? And are we on board with this potential relationship?
DeLuca
Remember when DeLuca thought a girl was being sex trafficked? No one believed him, but he was right. Well, Erin was discarded by her captor after being deemed useless. The only one she trusts is DeLuca. Cops are called, parents are notified, and Erin is reunited with her sister.
You’d think that saving Richard’s life and helping Erin would help DeLuca’s behavior, but he’s still struggling. The intervention does not go well, due to the fact that DeLuca knows he is heading down the same manic path as his father. He doesn’t know what to do, so his sister suggests he trust the people who DO know what to do.
Current day DeLuca seems great. He’s getting rest. He’s going to therapy. And he clearly likes Meredith enough to give her the green light to start something back up or just be friends.
Meredith
Bless Meredith’s heart. Meredith tells families that their loved ones have died the majority of the episode. It’s heartbreaking to think that this storyline is currently happening all over the world. She’s stressed and tired and I don’t blame her one bit for taking out all of her frustrations on innocent boxes in the supply room. Do what you have to do.
Koracick
In true Koracick form, he carries a nine iron around with him so riffraff remains six feet away. Even though he’s still a jackwagon, Koracick is quite the celebrity today. His big, expensive order of PPE has been shipped and everyone rejoices in the parking lot by hugging boxes and digging into the cardboard. It’s like Christmas day for people who wear scrubs for a living.
Unfortunately, all of the boxes contain booties. That’s it. No masks. No shields. No gloves. Koracick just spent an enormous amount of money for shoe covers. He takes his anger out on the boxes using his nine iron. I understand his anger, but I’m not as empathic to his reaction as I was when Meredith punched her boxes.
Catherine
Catherine isn’t as understanding either. She demotes Koracick for spending the price of an economy car on booties. P.S.: She knows that a butt dial resulted in broadcasting his sexual escapades in someone else’s O.R. She suggests he leaves quietly. Then she offers Richard Koracick’s job and he accepts. Say hello to the new Chief of Chiefs. And in case you’re wondering, they made up and are together again. As they should be.
Teddy
Speaking of butt dials, flashback Teddy lies to Owen’s face when he asks if she has anything to share. How was she supposed to know that her love-making noises have been preserved in digital form on Owen’s phone from here to eternity? He rightly gets mad and she obviously begs him to stay with her. Especially now that they have Allison together.
Owen
Owen is a hard pass. He wants nothing to do with Teddy and can’t even fathom a reason as to why she would ever sleep with Koracick. ON THEIR WEDDING DAY. So much for love. Some things you can’t forgive.
Maggie
Maggie is still into her doctor friend Winston, who couldn’t be cuter.
Schmidt and Nico
Nico doesn’t want to be Schmidt’s boyfriend anymore, but he is willing to be his “stress relief.” Someone should call Jo. Nico might be a viable backup?
Amelia and Link
We watched Amelia and Link try and figure out a name for their newborn for a collective 20 minutes. Scout Derek Shepherd Lincoln is a mouthful, but I think the cute kid can pull it off.
Cormac
My favorite Irish doctor asks Meredith to help him in Frankie’s surgery and she gladly obliges. After saving his life, Cormac offers her a celebratory whiskey in his office. She declines and opts to go home. Minutes later he finds her passed out in the parking lot.
Unconscious Meredith is at the beach. Watching the same waves that were rolling in at the opening of the show. But this time, we hear someone shouting her name. She turns and it’s Derek. Actual Patrick Dempsey looking all sorts of handsome is walking along the shoreline alive as he can be.
Oh, how I’ve missed that face. I don’t care if it is a dream. I pick him and choose him and love him.
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