They pulled out all the stops and all the emotions with this.
From everyone getting some screentime, everything taking place at the hospital, multiple enthralling storylines, and excellent use of parallel filming and flashbacks, Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 15 was just a really good, classic feeling installment.
It had tension, humor, drama, shock, and a strong sense of family and community.
The accreditation analysis added so much tension to the hour amid the natural chaos that ensued while Bailey was trying her damndest to put Grey Sloan’s best foot forward.
Everything was out of her control in every way, though. She had missing residents, Webber scheduled for a fitness assessment, Nick doing some insane transplant, and everyone allowing their messy personal lives to spill into their answers.
Bailey:The residents are always enthusiastic when they get to work with Dr. Grey.
Accreditation Lady: Seems like a rare thing these days.
It was a fun way to have some outsiders come into this space and point a spotlight on how truly bizarre this hospital and its inhabitants are. We’re used to the chaos, but from the outside looking in, there’s plenty there to raise a few brows.
Maggie and Winston taking offense to the notion that it’s questionable that an attending married her student led to a laugh or two. And Owen and Teddy stumbling through Owen’s study, hoping not to expose Owen’s illegal behavior, was also entertaining.
The errant comment about how little time Mer spends at the hospital to the point where the residents actually get to work with her, serving as a treat, was downright hilarious.
But out of everyone, Jo took the cake, mentioning her husband leaving her and having a nervous breakdown, but following that with a fierce, confident stance on her switching over to OB.
The whole thing was stressful for Bailey, so it’s no wonder that with so much going on at once, it pushed her to have a heart attack.
Of course, because this is Grey’s Anatomy, we’re supposed to believe that the idea of Mer leaving her was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And because this is Grey’s Anatomy, a noticeable pattern is that the series will bend over backward to avoid Mer (and Amelia) looking like “bad guys” and will vilify other characters (Bailey and Link) to do it; we got quite a Bailey tirade.
It didn’t seem like Bailey was speaking from a lucid place, but once she heard about Mer’s offer, she took it back to the archives, unleashing a vitriolic dragging of Meredith from her intern days in Grey’s Anatomy Season 1.
And it served as a way for Mer to stand up for herself and, weirdly, defend Nick, who got dragged into the ordeal, further solidifying the pairing as a unit.
They both wanted to give Mer some way of asserting her relationship’s validity against the naysayers still holding on to Derek or whomever else, and they used Bailey as a mouthpiece for it.
And after dragging on the “will Mer take the offer or not” storyline, they opted to use Bailey’s ire to justify Mer’s choice to leave under the guise of “you can’t stay at the hospital you interned at because people will always see you that way.”
Except, we all know that everyone at that hospital behaves as if the sun shines out of Meredith Grey’s ass, and the majority of the people remaining have never known her as an intern.
Essentially, they used Bailey to soften the blow, allowing Meredith to hide behind Bailey’s outburst as her push to relocate rather than her making the decision and standing in regardless of the backlash she may face from other characters or the fandom.
The tactic was transparent, especially since Bailey’s heart attack was barely a blip on the radar in this installment after leading to the desired result, and she was back on her feet seconds later.
The news spreads like wildfire now that Webber, Bailey, and Maggie know about the offer. If she spoke to her kids about it, you would think that she’d have at least discussed matters with her sisters. It was bound to come out eventually.
And now we have a decision. Mer wants to move to Minnesota. No, she doesn’t owe anyone anything, but it’s natural for it to sting, and it does suck that she’d be jumping ship when they’re in the thick of it.
Mer: I am, I’m ready to, I”m ready to start over. I’m definitely ready. I’m going to take that offer.
Nick: Really?
Mer: Yes, really.
But Mer seems happy with Nick, so there’s that. They shared more intimate moments that have rounded them out as a couple. And they continue to work well together.
Nick’s transplant surgery was fascinating; using a pig kidney on a braindead donor patient to test some potentially groundbreaking transplant procedure was cool.
And he’s a great mentor, too. He did well with the residents, and he’s always excellent with patients’ families. Honestly, those are the moments when Nick shines the most and stands out on his own rather than solely Mer’s love interest.
He’s quite enjoyable in that context, and the world of transplant medicine remains fascinating.
Hamilton and Kai interacting with Webber– those were great moments, too. The focus on all the testing was intriguing, and Hamilton and Webber had a friendly rapport before he found out Hamilton was poaching Grey.
And Webber was killing it with those tests. But that call from Levi changed everything, and Webber wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t drop everything and walk out to attend to a student and someone for whom he cared.
It was not a surprise that Levi’s mother said all the terrible things about GSM. She’s an overprotective mama bear, and she saw her son a shell of himself in her basement. You can’t even fault her for wanting to do something in some ways.
It’ll be wild when she comes to and realizes that she’s in the hospital that she was bashing and the man she holds responsible for not teaching her son properly talked him through a procedure to save her.
Her fall down the stairs was terrifying, and so were those moments when Levi desperately tried to save her as the paramedics took their sweet time.
But my goodness, the most emotional scene was Levi breaking down outside the ambulance and Webber comforting him. Jake freaking Borelli is all up in his bag with these performances.
It’s been a damn strong season for him. If for no other reason, this heartrending arc of his keeps you glued to the screen because of his damn performances. The kid gives you chills, you guys.
And it carried over to when he discussed how important Webber is to him and how much he’s learned from GSM and the program. It was excellent work all around.
This program raised you, I raised you, taught you all that you know!
Bailey
Webber’s speech to the accreditation board was also an emotional scene and a highlight because of the scene interspersed with others and all of those flashbacks from earlier seasons.
If we didn’t already know the series got renewed, that trip down memory lane like that would have given off final season vibes. Those flashback scenes were so beautifully nostalgic and fit perfectly with the sequence. It was stellar editing and work.
The heart of the hospital and the family they fostered shined through all the chaos. The accreditation ladies could feel the love in that hospital and how successful they were.
However, they still placed the program on probation, which was the most realistic solution they could’ve had. You can’t handwave GSM’s issues right now, and we can’t sunshine and rainbow our way through things either.
There still may be a possibility that the program won’t survive, which feels natural. Sometimes pure intentions aren’t enough.
And if they’re losing Mer and who knows who else, that leaves GSM and their teaching hospital in a precarious position.
Other thoughts:
- If that was Bailey’s first time meeting Nick, then who gave him privileges at GSM and who approved him performing pig kidney transplants there?
- So much of this would’ve been easier if they just immersed Nick into the GSM world sooner. He fits in well, and it’s nice to see him interacting with other people.
- Kai also fits into GSM so well, and they have such a cool, laidback vibe, and they’re enjoyable to watch now that we know more about them. Kai’s less rigid.
- Does this mean Levi is officially back? Hopefully so!
- Link and I laughed at the same time because it was funny until it became needlessly weird, antagonistic, and acrimonious with Link, Amelia, and Kai.
- Can we PLEASE stop with this? And can they go back to giving Link a personality beyond the bitter ex? He’s so much better than that, and it’s still foul AF that they’re doing this to his character, and for what?
- Helm got some more good content. Jaicy Elliot is so underrated, but she kills it.
- No, but really, those freaking flashbacks!!!
Over to you, Grey’s Fanatics!
Were you surprised by Meredith’s decision? What did you think of the hour? Hit the comments below!
You can watch Grey’s Anatomy online here via TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.