Oh Ben sweetheart. What have you done?
It’s been a while since we were exposed to rebel residents, arrogant attendings and hierarchical hypocrisy at Grey Sloan Memorial. It isn’t a proper season if one of the doctors isn’t cutting LVADs, injecting HIV, slicing out brains or swapping patient files on clinical trials. The moral flexibility is part of the fun right?
Thursday night we were treated to a double header of Grey’s Anatomy where Dr Ben Warren, the rather dishy former anaesthetist turned surgical resident husband of Bailey, once again went rogue putting his own career and marriage at risk. “There’s a Fine, Fine Line”, written by Jen Klein, directed by Jeannot Szwarc and “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” written by Austin Guzman and directed by Chris Hayden, were not what one would consider a ‘made for each other’ couple but nevertheless together they presented us with enough quality to remind us of just how good Grey’s Anatomy is after over a decade.
The first half of the double, There’s a Fine, Fine Line was simply wonderful. Thrown into the deep end of the action from the very beginning the viewer was pulled through the episode with pace, tangible, thoughtful retrospective presentation and tense traumatic sound which built an atmosphere charged with impending tragedy. It was exhausting and thrilling. The punchline when it came, the elevator door opening, was completely unexpected yet utterly on point. It was elegant in its simplicity. Everyone played a part in creating a narrative that was worthy of seasons one, two and three never mind season twelve. If you suspend belief, as we often have to do in Grey’s, regarding the lack of nurses, internal phones, melodramatic lockdown procedures, it is hard to find fault. For an episode where Meredith is largely absent, existing only on the fringes, where the romantic dramas away from Ben and Bailey were pushed aside, where the story centred around one man’s reckless yet focussed articulated determination it was one of the best episodes, if not the best, of the season so far. For too long we’ve waited for a Bailey story worth Chandra Wilson’s talent…season six shooting would be my benchmark…and here we get Bailey AND Ben. Why did it take so long to make Jason George a series regular? The man is gold!
A child is lost in the hospital which prompts a complete hospital lockdown; a decision taken by Bailey but emotionally blackmailed into doing so by a panicked Alex. The decision proves to be a false alarm yet has profound consequences, tossing debris in all directions. In the short time that the doors were locked Dr Warren, assisted by a spooked ‘rabbit in headlights’ DeLuca, cuts Gretchen, who was bleeding heavily internally, open, in a hallway. And suddenly a bad situation turns worse.
Chandra Wilson injects fierce dynamism into her role as Chief with the unenviable task of investigating her husband, looking under every nook and cranny for the slimmest hope that Ben responded rationally. And she finds it until that moment at the end when the elevator doors opened. Jason George is finally allowed the space to open up his character and after five seasons sitting on the sidelines as guest and regular he’s given material he can sink his teeth into. Even DeLuca is allowed to get in on the medical action now he’s been kicked off Maggie’s whoopee service.
The episode flowed from present to past to present beautifully and subtly directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Szwarc is a Grey’s stalwart and often reserved for retrospective or alternative view point episodes requiring off structure presentation. Look at “Suicide is Painless” (Owen’s back story), in season six, “If/Then” (AU), in season seven, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” (Callie’s malpractice suit), season nine. My confidence going into the episode was not high, however. First seen in “I Feel the Earth Move”, an episode where I certainly didn’t feel the earth move it seems writing such a highly charged themed episode played to Jen Klein strengths and I look forward to further episodes from her.
At the end I felt exhausted, ready for a rest. And then there was…an enormous hernia of an episode.
I am not a fan of the double. I am a masochist for delayed viewing gratification. I don’t binge watch (unless it is past seasons of Grey’s when I can’t help myself). So while the fan girl in me wants to see what happens next as soon as possible, the regular standard me would rather wait until next week. Broadcasting these two particular episodes together was not for our viewing pleasure. It was for ratings shenanigans and it showed. Unlike last season’s two parter, “She’s Leaving home” where the two parts flowed together, were written by the same writer, directed by the same director, here we have two incompatible chapters that I didn’t need to read together.
The second part of the double, “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” returned us to business as usual format. Ben was brought before a panel to determine the facts of the case and to make a disciplinary recommendation.
Jason George was the very best of this episode. There was a Burke like presence in the room when he explains to Maggie, Meredith and Owen why he didn’t see the elevator open, almost channelled. His passion and single minded focus are both his strength and his undoing. The advisory panel redeemed him in the end, not enough to avoid sanction but enough to save his job. His behaviour at the end gave him away though. Where is the remorse. For Bailey there is a question hanging over Ben’s head. Was it hubris, an “astonishing error of judgement”? Or was it the rational measured behaviour of a committed surgeon?
But speaking of Bailey…where do I start with the hypocrisy? We have to suspend belief. We have to forget the sins of the past on Grey’s or we go mad. Cast your minds back to episode 10.23, “Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right” - Bailey feeling the full force of the law after injecting a child with her HIV clinical trial dose. She’s behaved unethically. She allows Stephanie to lie for her. Ben questions her decision but ultimately supports it. And who wrote the episode? Austin Guzman. Is this intended to be part of our current thought process or do we push it away? Then in the midst of disciplining her husband, Miranda Bailey, Chief of Surgery, ignores the DNR on the patient, ignores the patient’s family request. How do we rationalise this? It’s not enough that Amelia is okay with it in the end. It is, in it’s own way, reckless decision making. I can’t get my head around what to think about this.
Callie’s happy and in love. I don’t believe it but indeed it is so. Poor Penny, a season long plot device, deserving of a series regular position but ultimately doomed for New York. I want to believe in this couple but after efficiently helping Meredith and Amelia move forward Penny is lending her talents to unpicking more of Callie and Arizona.
Despite only a few episodes ago reminding herself of her spontaneous premature nature when it comes to love Callie abruptly decides that moving to New York is the best thing EVER! And Sofia has no choice in the matter, never mind Arizona. It’s poor. It’s difficult viewing and frankly it’s bad story telling. This is heading in the only direction it could. It’s a new Grey’s story. We have not had a custody battle in 12 seasons and though it started with Jackson and April, in the end they only opened the door for the real war over Sofia. This story is too dramatic and valuable not to tell and whether you want Callie and Arizona back together or not this is a logical progression of their life story and far too tempting for the writers to pass by. This is a drama show first and this drama is just beginning.
There were a few other annoying mini plot points in this smorgasbord which only served to leave me feeling unsatisfied.
It’s nice that the dad survived but rather annoying that he was miraculously cured.
Owen and his ‘witch hunt’ is becoming old and boring and does not reflect well on him especially when Riggs can give a good and believable account of himself to Maggie.
Meredith telling us all that we have to hate Riggs. I don’t and won’t.
April and Jackson shared a delicious moment but honestly I was looking forward to Mama Avery drama. Their custody battle had an edge to it that Callie and Arizona’s doesn’t.
Jo and Stephanie were irrelevant. Again.
Setting aside the fact that we will likely end the season with only one romantic relationship between the series regulars standing (Alex and Jo, though I guess anything can happen in the final few episodes) we are reminded again that couple conflict is drama. Happy couples are boring couples.
The evening started really well with a stunning and thrilling episode fuelled with edge of the seat tension and ended with frustration. Two hours of Grey’s should be a treat. Why doesn’t it feel like it was?
I’m ending with one of my favourite lines from the episodes. It’s not an all action dramatic speech, it doesn’t shift the world on its axis but it did appeal to the parent in me.
Arizona is annoyed at being challenged when the six year old goes missing. Her response…
“If someone is stealing babies you count all the babies.”
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