I want to talk about the phone call. I want to dive right into the phone call, but I'll pace myself because someone did their due diligence by putting together this episode and remembering to throw that little twist in there at the end. One comment I received via Facebook regarding tonight's episode was a negative one. This person thought that the entire episode was "stupid" except for the implications of the phone call (which she did not find surprising), but I will refrain from launching into that tirade for now. Feel free to skim and/or jump to the end.
There was an earthquake that shocked Maggie, because she clearly didn't research moving to Seattle well enough. She briefly got stuck in an elevator with Ethan (Lance Gross), this beautiful specimen from Radiology, with hair waves you just want to swim in. Drown in? Brush. There was a semblance of a spark between the two, but it was uncomfortable and went nowhere.
Bailey suggested that Ben call his transitioning sister to check in and make sure she was okay post-earthquake. Ben all but threw up at her referring to his brother as his sister. She pushed a little more, but he snapped and informed her that it was none of her business. Then Bailey got that face. If you're a fan of the show, you know the face. Hair flip and she was gone.
Jackson invited Ben to join his Plastics Posse (STOP), which lead to a thinly veiled speech on accepting his SISTER's (deal with it) life changes. Ben called his sister, and apologized to Bailey. She accepted under the conditions that he make her dinner and engage in something possibly lewd later on. Romance and acceptance.
April went back to work, and was going a mile a minute. She's harboring rage. I hope that turns into a great plot point later.
Ginger Doc answered a call from a young girl named Ruby (Millie Bobby Brown), who was in the middle of nowhere with her mother who was in a bad way. Worse vacation ever? Ginger Doc and Lady Shepherd had to instruct her over the phone while the police tried to figure out where she was located. There were points were 50 doctors were all crowded around the phone - which was one speaker - fighting about the fact that what they just told Ruby to do could potentially paralyze her mother. You can't happily hit your next birthday knowing that you accidentally turned your parent into a vegetable. Speaker phone: EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU.
The mom's breathing was labored, then her lips were turning blue; the daughter was freaking out. Ginger Doc had her stab through her mom's chest and shove a straw in the hole. There was blood and panic. Now she wasn't breathing at all!
Not to worry though; there's no need to doubt your ability to keep your chest compression rhythm if you know the Bee Gee's classic "Staying Alive." Ha ha ha ha staying alive, staying alive. Push push push push staying alive. Okay, did anyone else thing it was sick to use a song called "Staying Alive" to help a blood soaked child aid her dying mother? Or maybe it was brilliant. Maybe it kept the goal in the front of her mind's eye. The mother lived. They were found and helicoptered over to the hospital. Ginger Doc and Ruby embraced. Our hearts melted.
Callie and Maggie had a 75 year old patient that could not stop having sex. She was living for it. She had a list of men she was ready to bed once her body healed from surgery.
Ethan asked Maggie out, but she foolishly rejected him, and then they stood around staring at each other for hours before he told her that she was in his office so she'd have to make the tension-breaking exit. Maggie later explained to Callie that she couldn't date Hottie Ethan because of some awkward "gap" between her and every other human on the planet. Callie told her that was crap, and that she should let him "wall up your wonderland" or "poke your hontas." Those were just the words Maggie needs to hear. She caught Ethan in an elevator (and so we meet again), and told him that she actually would like to grab a drink with him; maybe right then, maybe not, she had no idea. If they go out for coffee, I hope it's decaf, because she's all tensed up.
Meredith made a speech about how happy she and her invisible husband were. They were both following their bliss, and caring for their children (who's watching them? That nanny she left sitting in the lobby for hours that one episode?). Alex didn't seem to buy it, so her speech turned into her listing all of his failed semi-long term relationships. Alex did not respond by punching her in the throat.
Meredith was on a winning streak where she hadn't accidentally killed a patient in 89 days. Jo was so excited that she decided to stalk Meredith; waiting in the rafters like some beautiful, insensitive bat, for the moment where the streak ended. Let's just brush aside that the end of this no-hitter would mean that someone dropped dead.
Although Alex asked Jo not to mention the streak, she let it slip because, well, Jo. She pointed out to Meredith that the streak had started on November 14th, which turned out to be the day Derek left. She was thriving without him; shining bright like La Diamond.
I was already scrawling down in my notes how Meredith was the worst wife in the world. I was prepared to contact fictional divorce attorneys on Derek's behalf, because I was sick of her selfish shenanigans. I'll admit that I tend to jump to rash conclusions about people that only exist on my modestly sized television screen. I get lost in stories. I won't apologize for it. Meredith got me though. She admitted that although she was busy being the Sun in Seattle sans husband, she knew it was an accomplishment she wanted to share with him. So this is love.
And cue the phone call. Meredith called Derek and some woman answered. I was in the middle of fishing something out of my bag when I heard her ask who was on the other line; her voice initially so light and cheery. Even before her brow furrowed and she demanded to know who she was talking to, my head whipped up and I screamed, "WHO THE HELL IS ANSWERING HIS PHONE?" I was
that person. I have friends I've known for over a decade whose phones I wouldn't answer; the sheer intimacy of it all. That probably speaks more about my relationships than the potential affair brewing on screen.
Derek was pseudo married when he met and drunkenly hooked up with Meredith. You know the saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater" blah blah blah. Well there's was a special situation, Judges. Why don't you re-watch the first few seasons before you cast your stones.
I checked Grey's Facebook and people were going on about how terrible the episode was. One woman said that this was the final straw, and that there had been a steady decline for some time now. Another woman felt that Shonda Rhomes was juggling too many shows at once, and Grey's was suffering because of it. Somewhere on top of a mountain Shonda Rhimes is counting her money, drinking a mimosa, and laughing.
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Photo Credit: ABC
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