Grey`s Anatomy - Good Shepard - Review: "Only a Human, Not A Shepard" +POLL

This year we are blessed with 25 episodes of Grey`s Anatomy. When this was proposed to Krista Vernoff she decided for the extra one episode to be a standalone outing featuring Amelia as the only main cast member. The Shepard family reunion featured the last to be introduced Shepard Sister, Kathleen (played by the one and only Amy Acker). Let`s dig into the Shepard centric dinner party of hell.

The Julie Wong written outing was snarky, well-paced, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Not much was known about Amelia`s past, except that she was a mess. Kathleen and Nancy used every single opening to remind her of that though. The sisterly dynamic was on a not so passive but very aggressive peak.

It was interesting to see how the sisters work with each other as we never saw Amelia with any of them. We haven`t seen a Shepard sister, Liz donated a nerve to Derek back in season 9. When Amy Acker was cast as Kathleen I thought she would get a bit more focus. Getting such a terrific actress for the role made me expect a bit more focus on her. The writers focusing on Amelia`s story was a better choice though, that doesn`t mean Amy didn`t deliver as Kathleen. She was snarky, self-indulgent and living her perfect life along Nancy.

Amelia presenting Link as Owen was a funny plot twist and created space for a bunch of laughs and light moments within the hour. The writing complimented the relationship between Link and Amelia and finally gave Chris Cormack screentime with proper material he could finally work with and shine with. Chris`Link was passionate and so into Amelia. My initial hesitation for this pairing finally went out the window as they explored the pairing outside of the occasional hookup. Link playing along with the charade just so Amelia would get the respect from the sisters she deserved was really sweet. Showed how big as a person he really is. His defense when the whole dinner party blew into their faces was so well executed, all those words and the way Chris executed them were impeccable. It was sad though that despite all of that Nancy and Kathleen could only see the bad. This story and Amelia`s interaction with her family felt really relatable. The labels family gives to you can be rougher than anything a social group can do to you and more so if you don`t feel understand and heard. Amelia went a long way from the mess she was before. She evolved from that person she was and the damages she inflicted to all of those she loves. Every addict is responsible for his actions and I don´t say Amelia is avoiding who she was and what she did. She stands to all her actions but rose above them and now does the only thing she can do be the best version of herself she can be. And that was beautifully expressed during her scenes with Carolyn.

I wasn`t sure if Mama Bear Shepard knew Owen when she appeared that one time during season 5. And as Carolyn mentioned that she met him I remembered that beautiful scene they shared talking about PTSD. I was surprised we`ve met such a chipper Carolyn during that messy dinner party, she was very gloomy during that one episode stint. Things did turn around swiftly as Carolyn sought out Amelia for that one on one. What a scene!!! The acting marathon between Catherine and Tyne was just heartbreaking. As the tears emerged in their eyes I just couldn`t keep it together. So beautifully honest and raw from both actresses as they infused the written words with life and love.

What are your thoughts on the latest Shepard reunion? Did you miss Derek? I kinda did. Share your thoughts in the comment section down below and don`t forget to vote in the poll down below.