Grey's Anatomy recap: So Meredith is staying in Seattle after all?
The entire staff at Grey Sloan Memorial is in a horrible mood. Everywhere you look, someone is complaining, arguing, or tossing medical equipment in a defiant act of frustration. The return of Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) was awe-inspiring. I applaud her for calling out everyone on the BS. I envy her doing it while looking like she stepped right out of season 3.
Addison has walked onto a sinking ship. With the residency program on probation, she wonders if she should take her groundbreaking transplanted uterus patient Tova to a more reputable hospital. The last embryo from Tova's deceased husband's sperm has been implanted, and now she's feeling pain. And by golly, Addison Freaking Montgomery will bring all the generations together in the OR to help this woman. Who cares if Richard (James Pickens Jr.) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) aren't speaking! Scrub in, good sir!
On the other hand, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) doesn't embrace her foul mood with the passion of Dr. Montgomery. What we have here is a good old-fashioned funk. Catherine (Debbie Allen) is on Bailey's back to make nice with the current residents. Instead of praising her students, Bailey invites Jordan (Greg Tarzan Davis), her best resident, to go back to Minnesota, where he came from. It's his only shot at survival if the residency program is pulled, and Bailey doesn't want that on her head.
As Catherine picks her jaw up off the floor, Bailey corners Jo (Camilla Luddington) and begs her to come back as a general surgeon attending. Jo discusses the pros and cons with both Link (Chris Carmack) and her new squeeze, Todd (Skylar Astin), over a few beers.
Todd thinks she can do both, which seems absurd. Link offers to help with Luna. Jo ogles Todd when he leaves to buy another round, and we see Link realize that a nice, normal guy might be what Jo needs in her life right now. Knowing Chris Carmack's and Skylar Astin's musical abilities, I hope this love triangle ends in a riff-off.
Back in the hospital, Winston (Anthony Hill) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary) have to mask their annoyance when Wendell (Rome Flynn) peddles a new heart monitor to a team of gathered doctors. It's super simple. All you have to do is slap a patch on your patient's arm, and all sorts of data will whiz straight to your phone. There's just one teeny, tiny problem.
When Maggie tries it out on an actual heart patient and Winston, the data comes back that both men are dead. Yup. The man sitting in the bed inhaling and exhaling in real life is a flatline on the monitor. Whoops. Winston quickly learns that Wendell purchased $10,000 worth of bogus heart monitors off the internet and expects Winston to either sell the trash patches or help him financially. What's he going to do?
That's the same question a random woman asks Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy (Kim Raver) as she rushes into the ER. Channeling her inner Luisa Madrigal, my girl manages to hoist her bloodied work colleague over one shoulder while simultaneously carrying his severed, bloody stump of an arm. Fingers are flailing. Nerve endings are dangling. Kudos to Luisa for getting him in the arms of capable surgeons before passing out.
It seems Colin chopped off his arm in a conveyer belt accident. Owen is up for the ten-hour surgery to reconnect the arm, but Colin proves to be too unstable to withstand the surgery. Unfortunately, his arm won't "live" without blood flow.
As Owen processes the idea of Colin losing a limb, he realizes that there is a chance to save the arm. It's something that he saw while serving in the military. He's going to recreate the circulatory system to keep the arm alive. Think of a milking machine, but replace the cow udders and milk with a severed arm and blood. Teddy is happy that the apparatus works, but she's not thrilled by Owen's cavalier attitude. The technique has not been approved for civilian use.
Owen couldn't care less, which further aggravates Teddy. Just that morning, Leo told his parents that he was not only a cowgirl in pink boots and hat but an actual girl. Owen doesn't see anything wrong with Leo's declaration. Teddy is concerned. She wants Leo to be happy, but there are a million ways to get this wrong. He's four years old. Can they just let Leo explore who he wants to be? Or does he need guidance? Can they be reckless like Owen is now?
Owen refuses to be Leo's first bully. He's not going to tell him that there's something wrong. If they disagree with their approach to raising their kid, they will go to therapy. Together. As parents. Leo does not need to be corrected right now. But they can do their research and prepare for whatever comes.
Teddy agrees. They hug. And we all witness a very healthy conversation between two people. What are the odds?
What's not healthy is the OR where Tova is being worked on by Richard, Meredith, Addison, Schmitt (Jake Borelli), and Bokhee (Bokhee An). The gang's all here, and Addison refuses to let Tova burn in the dumpster fire that is Grey Sloan. One complication after another arises, and the team, the people Richard trained, handle each hurdle. Remove a vein. Flush it out. Put it back. Blood flow is good! No leaks! Fetal heartbeat — undetected.
Addison is beside herself with grief. Especially when Catherine comes into the scrub room, raving about Meredith's lack of loyalty to the program that built her career. Addison shouts at the team to take a moment to honor Tova and her baby. P.S.: The adults at Grey Sloan need to start adulting. If the old way is broken, figure out a new way, even if it doesn't involve Meredith Grey.
Bailey jumps on that bandwagon. If Meredith can go away, so can Bailey. Of course, she's not going to quit, but she will take a few days of vacation. Let the chips fall where they may. She's no good to anyone if she doesn't confront her burnout.
And as for Meredith, she comes home to her knight in shining armor, who takes the difficult decision out of her hands by offering to move to Seattle instead of the other way around. He won't have Meredith resent him for uprooting her family.
This goes over like a slap at the Oscars. Meredith will NOT be told what to do. She has the right to leave. Everyone else has, so why can't she? How is she disloyal to those around her when she's given her heart and soul to Grey Sloan? This is her decision, and she's made it!
Nick (Scott Speedman) quickly pivots and claims he didn't mean for his Seattle visit to be a permanent one. He just wants to be here and help her fix the residency program. That's all. Then they can go wherever they want.
Might I suggest a spa? Or a lovely secluded beach? Perhaps Bailey isn't the only one who should be taking a vacation. PTO all around!
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