Now, that's what I'm talking about.
Shonda memo to writers 1: Get back to sex (and love) and scalpels.
Shonda memo to writers 2: Be funny.
Shonda memo to writers 3: Remember the early days.
Shonda memo to writers 4: Make sure Jo is whining again.
There is a new old flavour going on at Grey Sloan Memorial. In a ping back to early Grey's we were reminded what this show is all about - sex and scalpels - that life through the surgical corridors is not about the happy domesticity, it's about the excitement and the edge. And it's funny. Old Time Rock and Roll, written by Austin Guzman, directed by Nicole Rubio was all about the old times but rooted in these new times. It was damn funny and well put together. You might think this was a filler style episode after all it didn't progress major story lines too much (with the exception perhaps of the cliffhanger) but then that's because we are still building the major stories because this is the new world.
The Scalpels - Stephanie commands a powerful arc this week which has raised her up as a character worth noticing. Being Amelia's men-tee and general 'go to' person has elevated her to favourite when tasked with a deeply unpleasant yet important protocol. We forget that there was a year time jump so Stephanie (and Jo) are further ahead. One can assume that during this time Stephanie has indeed spent a lot of surgeries with Amelia. In her discomfort at treating a patient in that cruel to be kind way we discovered a fascinating truth about Stephanie. A window on her past was finally opened. She's ruthless for a reason, but she's also justifyably cautious. Of course it's not enough to have a good story, it must be executed well and indeed it was. With the help of a brilliant brain surgery patient Stephanie was able to reach out to viewers in a way her character has not been able to previously. It hasn't come without cost. This simple yet enormous fact has driven a wedge between Stephanie and Jo. Were they ever besties in the style of Meredith and Cristina or Callie and Mark? Probably not but it's clear that trust has been splintered. But do we care? Frankly I hope it's the end of Jo, but then I'm sounding like a broken record these days. Imagining it was her right to tell Amelia the 'truth' about Stephanie has magnified an unpleasantness in her character. Or am I being harsh? Probably. In Grey's there are never any bad guys, only flawed good guys so I'm in no doubt that this will blow over. In the meantime we will get treated to more Jo whining. See memo 4 above.
The Sex (and the Love) - Firstly, Maggie and the dude. In a scene reminiscent of the very first episode of Grey's (see memo 3 above) Maggie is getting it good and proper from Errol Flynn the intern. And she certainly enjoyed it, and again and again. I'm not sure I understand her paranoia or her rambling but it appears that she's a rather lost soul at the moment. Not really knowing where this has come from (or maybe I just wasn't paying attention) I'm going to enjoy this little story arc for what it is, or what I think it is, a bit of fun. And it was funny. I'm enjoying the devil may care romantic attitude of the sisters at the moment. But this links us neatly to Meredith whose vagina has retired and whose orgasm train fails to stop. Or something like that. She's not interested in sex (at the moment). I imagine running General Surgery, three kids and two sisters takes up a fair amount of time. The nod to Derek screwing Meredith in the CT scanning room was nostalgic for all of us and I particularly liked the pause while she took herself back. Gabby, the horny octogenarian, (along with her nonagenarian boyfriend Abe), lying listening to this chat reminds us, Meredith, Maggie (and Arizona) what this episode is all about. The prospect of love never dies, that no matter how old you are or what life has thrown at you there is more love in this world. Meredith's not ready for it ("I've had that great amazing love"). Maggie's not sure what she wants of it. April doesn't want a different love she wants the one she's married to. Arizona realises that she will love again. And speaking of Arizona and April - those two have created their own funny little world in the supply closet. Dr Sweetheart's breakdown was just a little too much twee for me but that was more than made up by her faux sympathetic observation to April "this is about me, this isn't about you".
The most interesting and notable element of Arizona's breakdown and clumsy attempt at being the 'cool' ex-wife is that we were led to believe that if a show down were to happen it would be the love triangle of Arizona, Callie and her new woman Penny. In reality this episode was all about letting that go, establishing that Arizona really is 'cool' with the new girlfriend despite her awkwardness. We know this not because she spent any time with Penny of course but because we were treated to a rare early season and I must say effective cliff hanger. The Penny on Callie's arm turned out to be the face that Meredith will remember for the rest of her life, the person who changed Meredith's life forever, the Penny that is a part of Meredith's life now, her words, her face. This is the moment the season changes. The nature of Derek's death was deeply unsatisfying for viewers (well this one anyway). Alone with his thoughts he narrated his death knowing that sub standard care would lead to his end. Amelia the sister was on the edge of this. Amelia the neurosurgeon was confounded by this. And now we get to see it played out. The fact that Penny is Callie's new girlfriend makes the story even sweeter and deliciously complicated. I hope that this intriguing storyline runs for a while. It has potential. But remember people, as I mentioned above, there are never any bad guys in Greys, only flawed good guys. Regardless of whether Penny stays or not, she will be redeemed.
Old Time Rock and Roll rocked and rolled for me. It had the best of the funnies mixed in with strong patient stories creating a darker humorous episode. Lots of focus remains on the ladies, the lady place and the trains that run through them which though very funny should, rightly and hopefully drift to the background now the main feature of this season has started. The dialogue was effective and the contrast between light and dark was showcased nicely through Meredith, her vagina monologue seamlessly moved into the bereavement monologue. The writing worked. The episode had a different atmosphere as if the director needed new unseen angles and the editing during the build up to Penny arriving and Callie's introduction slammed us back at Derek's bedside. I look forward to next week, though probably a lot more than Meredith. Dinner is being served and Meredith's pain will be the biggest thing in that dining room.
%2B(1).jpeg)
