Grey's Anatomy recap: Is Meredith leaving Grey Sloan?
The season 18 opening credits of Grey's Anatomy inform the viewing audience that we are about to watch a fictitious, post-pandemic storyline. Although the staff of Grey Sloan Memorial will no longer be wearing face masks or working in outdoor tents, the coronavirus is still ravaging the medical community in the real world. However, our Seattle friends will no longer be navigating those particular waters in the upcoming episodes.
Let's face it. These jokers have a lot to deal with without COVID weighing them down. Take Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), for example. She's a walking miracle who survived the unthinkable! And what does she have to show for it? A couple of gallbladder surgeries. At least that's what her mother points out to her in a very vivid dream.
Cut to Meredith in Minnesota of all places, meeting with the state's prize tumor guy, David Hamilton, played by the impeccable Peter Gallagher. Bailey and Richard are positive Meredith is jumping ship, just like the rest of the surgical team. Meredith assures her former mentors that she is only in town to see the research library Dr. Hamilton dedicates to her mother. The trip is innocent.
A jittery Bailey returns to a boardroom to continue conducting interviews to replace Tom, Avery, and Jo since she has switched to pediatrics, I assume. The candidates are a smattering of weirdos who either want too much money, don't do pro bono work, enjoy freezing people, or come from the world of reality TV. It's a big fat no from the hiring team.
Grey Sloan is feeling its lack of surgeons, particularly since it's the Seattle Phoenix Fair, where anything and everything can happen. I'm assuming Teddy and Owen didn't get the message because they chose to get married in a park this weekend. The kids, Owen's mom, and even his sister Megan are in town for the big event! And the oldest man in Seattle has agreed to marry them. Oh, happy day!
Unfortunately, the "undies bicycle race" barrels through the park at the exact same time as the ceremony. Some of the riders lose control. Teddy dashes for the children, Owen goes for his mother, Megan grabs her own kid, and that leaves Father Patrick as the one person left to be mowed over by scantily clad women on a tandem bike. The good news is that Father Patrick is with medical professionals. The bad news is that he had not yet pronounced them man and wife.
While Owen, Teddy, and Megan work to save Father Patrick, we learn that this poor older man is actually Father Christopher. You see, Owen forgot to call Father Patrick a month ago, and Father Christopher was the only one who could wed the happy couple on such short notice. Sadly, Father Christopher dies on the table, which sends Teddy into a bit of a funk. The priest dying on your big day does not a happy memory make. There's no good hashtag for that.
The married couple who slammed into Father Christopher isn't taking the news well, either. One lady has mild injuries. The other lady has a tethered spinal cord, which means Link has to call Amelia to join him for surgery.
You may recall that Link proposed to Amelia at Maggie and Winston's wedding with three different rings held by her three nieces and nephew. Amelia thinks this is big-time manipulation. Link wonders out loud if it was manipulation or the actual proposal itself? In a nutshell, these two are not seeing eye-to-eye.
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They put their differences aside to save the lady's life. Both listen as the wives explain that they were trying to do something fun to spice up their marriage. Link once again implores Amelia that he wants a life with her and Scout. She responds by declaring her love for him. So Link asks Amelia to marry him again. It was basic. No frills. Right there in the doctor's lounge.
She shakes her head yes, but answers no. Is Amelia the worst? I can't decide.
Link ends up in the car with Jo, who is having a nervous breakdown trying to be a single mother to Luna. Jo's awful hair should win some sort of Emmy award, as well as Schmidt's phoenix costume.
Back in the hospital, a potential plastics candidate is thrown into the deep end of the ER pool. Some kid blew off half his face with illegal fireworks, and Richard gives Dr. Lind full privileges to do her thing. With the help of Schmidt, she does, and Bailey offers her the job as Chief of Plastics, which she TURNS DOWN. Why? Because she thinks Grey Sloan residents are trash.
Bailey is ready to toss this woman to the curb, but Richard reminds her that the residents lost a year due to COVID. He promises to get them into shape. Dr. Lind says she'll think about it, and Bailey quips, "So, we're beggars now?"
Speaking of begging, let's get back to Minnesota. Dr. Hamilton waltzes Meredith up to a door that reads, "The Grey Center for Medical Research." Meredith is confused. Isn't her mother supposed to have a library named after her? Why yes, she is, dear reader. This is a medical research center for Meredith.
Peter Gallagher swooping in!
He wants Meredith to cure Parkinson's disease. Because he has the disease, and he only trusts Ellis Grey's daughter to head up the research. I did not see that coming.
Dr. Hamilton wines and dines Meredith at dinner, telling her all of the wonderful things she could be doing in Minnesota, but I am completely caught off guard by the dude sitting two tables over. Would you like to know why? It's Ben Covington! Scott Speedman! NICK! (True statement: I had to look his name up.)
I have never been happier in my life. Meredith meets Nick at her hotel bar. She begins by telling him she's dating someone, and my jaw hits the floor because she had a very flirty conversation with Hayes earlier in the episode. I don't know what to feel! But then she takes it back and says that she's not dating anyone. It seems "his son had a hard time with it."
Meredith tells Nick she will not be sleeping with him. Or inviting him to her room. Then they bond over both being miracles, and I swoon. I am all about this relationship and don't care if Meredith has to move to Minnesota to make it work. Let's do this!
Finally, Teddy and Owen do get married at the bar in honor of Father Christopher. Then, Megan gets ordained in the attending's lounge and compares them to rising phoenixes.
It makes sense. This relationship has been raised from 20-year ashes.
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