Oh Alex, you put us through the ringer and finally we can breathe a sigh of relief. No jail. We are half way through season thirteen folks, with the confirmed prospect of a season fourteen, how are you liking it so far?
“None of Your Business” written by Andy Reaser and directed by Geary McLeod, took us to mid season proper with a horrific razor wire medical nightmare, a demon, frankly unhinged Bailey and finally put us out of our misery regarding Alex. It was a good episode if I can put aside my frustrations over the residents programme. Credit where credit is due, there was a lot going on in this episode yet strangely it didn’t feel crowded and overdone. Instead…it was nicely done.
But let’s start with Bailey… I shall say it again…where is the board? What role does it play in this organisation because on appearances it seems they have zero influence on the running of the hospital. Arizona, Jackson, Meredith - STEP UP! What does Bailey think she’s doing? For what, is she banging this drum about Minnick? Set up by Catherine to pull out her inner dragon Bailey has just become awful. A parody of even her worst moments in seasons past. Perhaps she is driven by insecurities about her ability to do the job as chief, perhaps she’s feeling bullied, perhaps she’s trying to demonstrate a power she already has by virtue of her role? Whatever it is she needs to stop it now. Okay…accepting that it’s happening still, let’s get on with how the surgeons are dealing with it. Eliza Minnick is frozen out of Meredith’s surgery (well everyone’s surgery really) so Meredith gets suspended. Or to quote Edwards - “Bailey took out Grey. Winter is coming” - what a great line! It’s faintly ridiculous suspending Grey, as Richard pointed out, but it’s also always enjoyable when Meredith gets slapped down. The rest of the Attendings are not very organised in their protest and I suspect this will be their undoing. Though with the amount of standing around the Attendings are doing (watching razor wire anyone?) one cannot be surprised that Bailey has sent Minnick striding in to shake them all up a bit. And we know that Arizona is particularly conflicted. How long will it be before we see a steamed up on call room with her name written on it? The writers continue to place her in the thick of it, both expanding her character’s position in the show and also preparing the way for antagonism when her ‘relationship’ (and I use that word VERY loosely) with Minnick is discovered.
Catherine arrives in town to greet a supremely naive Richard. She’s messing with April’s mind to the point that April switches sides. Oh sweetheart, that’s not going to help you. Don’t you remember being chief resident? I think that Richard finally sees through Catherine’s charade but will he have the wool pulled over his eyes by her?
If I forget the unprofessional positioning of this story arc I admit that I’m enjoying the fact that the Attendings are being pulled down. It’s fun to watch!
Mixed in with all this shenanigans Maggie’s mother turns up to consult with the ‘famous’ Jackson Avery about having work done. We were not fooled. Other motives persuaded Diane to jet over from Hawaii leading to a diagnosis of an aggressive form of breast cancer. Unresolved issues erupted to prevent Diane from telling Maggie. Will Jackson be able to keep his mouth shut? I suspect not. Nor personally would I want him to however unprofessional. A family member showing up usually indicates medical drama and this one proves promising.
And now to Alex. It turns out that Andrew is the hero of the hour; a self confessed ‘good guy’. Well we shall all have our interpretations about whether he really is a good guy or whether he just has a massive crush on Jo. I was hoping for a court room drama, for Jo to take the stand and tell us about her childhood (again) and her real name and about her husband. And for said husband to push his way into court and beat his chest as Alex and Andrew ‘took him out’. I guess it was never going to happen. After a very long absence from the OR Alex will be back operating on little kids now and getting all caught up in the Minnick affair. Possibly even giving Arizona some sage advice on that score. Who am I kidding, he more than anyone would tell her to go for it.
We must all be reassured now that one thing remains the same, consistent, never wavering…Wilson is still whining and wallowing in self pity. I know there will be a lot of Jolex fans out there who hate what I say about Jo Wilson but I say this not out of hate for her but for the crappy way the writers write her. She’s supposed to be this strong, gutsy, kid who broke through all the barriers life could throw at her and achieved a dream. All I see is a weak whiney self-pitying muppet. Alex is the strong, gutsy kid. He has rage and impulsiveness but he also has a massive heart and bucket loads of compassion. I alluded to it last week but I was all puff and nonsense, I don’t see him with Meredith but I sure as hell don’t see him with Jo.
In other news Owen is still pining after Amelia. It’s difficult to comment on this story knowing as we do why Caterina Scorsone is taking a back seat at the moment. There are dozens of ways that the writers could explain Amelia’s absence without this recycled drama but we now have to see it through. I feel for Owen. The best thing to come out of this story arc so far though is a thawing between him and Nathan. I love a good bromance.
“None of Your Business” was a lot of fun, with a lot going on and great use of the ensemble cast. And while I miss the Dereks and the Marks I am really enjoying the fact that women are driving these stories.
