The words practically slap me in the face as they come from Griffith’s mouth: “Have you registered to vote?†Vote? Vote?! We’re doing this? Of course we are. Grey’s Anatomy loves a topical moment, and Tim Walz is on Kimmel tonight, so naturally this show is going to remind me of our current real-life hell. The shocking thing is not that Grey’s is doing a get-out-the-vote D-plot — it’s that Kwan apparently never votes.
This week, everyone’s trying to understand one another a little better. Griffith is trying to get to the bottom of Kwan’s civic apathy. Owen and Teddy’s marriage is flatlining, so they’re defibrillating in couples therapy. Ndugu keeps insisting on performing even the smallest procedures on a pneumonia patient named Gary, which makes Ben think Ndugu doesn’t trust him as (technically) a fourth-year resident. And Beltran seems very preoccupied with making sure that Amelia knows she’s not taken. Hmm …Â
The voting stuff is simple enough to answer: Kwan’s horrible experience with the insurance system has apparently left him jaded. (Remember, he’s got mountains of medical debt because of the bills his chronically ill mother accumulated before her death.) Kwan’s pain resurfaces when a member of the Grey Sloan custodial staff, Zayne, collapses in front of him.
It turns out, Zayne’s curable sickle-cell anemia killed his hip bone, even as insurance denied him treatment. For a moment, Griffith convinces Kwan to fight for his patient. At first, their rant against the medical system in Webber’s doorway feels righteous. Then, as he reveals the stuffed suits in his office, it feels like an unfortunate blunder. And then, when one of said suits decides to help Zayne get a grant to cover his treatment, it feels like a miracle. Too bad he still can’t afford to take the time off work or be away from his special needs son anyway.
“The system still sucks,†Kwan mumbles. “Yeah,†Griffith shoots back. “If only there were something we could do about it.â€
And, scene! Go vote, people! That’s all the time this is gonna get here — we’ve got chests to explode and helicopters to crash.
Let’s start with the chest, which belongs to another patient who facilitates an important discussion — this time, between Teddy and Owen. I realize that this might just be my deep, very long standing hatred for Owen talking, but has this marriage ever been fun? Much like the reference to voting, the portrait of a marriage that’s crumbling under the weight of busy work schedules and a dunderheaded husband who thinks he can lecture his wife on how to operate in her literal specialty feels a little too close to real life for me to bear.
Phew! Basically, the fire has gone out for Teddy and Owen, so they’re doing couples therapy, and he really hates the idea of scheduling sex. Never mind that the energy between them is deader than Kwan’s faith in the system. We simply hate the idea of getting our needs met in a timely fashion! Their patient, Mr. Wheeler, needs his heart drained according to Teddy, but Owen doesn’t want to “jump into a new procedure†just yet. It’s some sort of dumb metaphor, and honestly, who cares, because where does he get off telling Teddy — TEDDY, the cardio god and former head of cardio — when to drain a chest?!?!?
Flames! Flames on the side of my face!
In the end, Teddy was, of course, right, and poor Mr. Wheeler’s chest explodes all over them and on his wife. Honestly, that’s the grossest thing this show has put in front of my face in a while. They’re packing it all in before Halloween, aren’t they? The good news? It wasn’t his heart that exploded — just that big well of fluid that Teddy wanted to drain. As much as I do not think that any man’s chest should become collateral damage in a couples’ quarrel, how amazing would it be to just once have that undeniable of an “I told you so†in the palm of your hands?
Because surgeons are dirty little freaks, the bloodbath gives Owen and Teddy their first good laugh in probably months. Finally, they’ve reconnected. Owen bravely offers to try out scheduled sex, and all is right in the world — for now.
Another couple on the rocks? Schmitt and James, whose wedding album Schmitt found last week after they hooked up. Oops … Schmitt and Lucas have plenty of time to talk about this apparent cheating scandal as they fly in a chopper to pick up a little girl named Ofelia who fell off a tractor, but Schmitt is too terrified of flying to gossip too much. Of course, this is Grey’s, so once they’ve got the girl and her mangled leg in the air, a horrible storm immediately disrupts their flight home. Schmitt and Lucas work on her leg in midair, using an IV tube to repair her femoral artery, which tells us that Schmitt will probably specialize in peds after all. His quick thinking is enough to convince Beltran, who calls a contact who’s running a clinical trial and could use the help. And so, Schmitt’s exit has started to take shape.
Schmitt’s week keeps getting better as he finds out that James isn’t a lying cheat; his husband actually died four years ago. We can work with that!
The one I’m really feeling for right now is Jo, who’s got twins on the way and a partner whose anxiety is driving her up a wall. They’re bickering, she’s locking him out of the car, and he’s snapping in the OR. As so often happens with stress, no one’s being their best self right now. Whatever happens, I think they’ll figure it out, but it might take a while for them to regain equilibrium — even with the great Carina DeLuca tending to Jo offscreen.
And then, there’s Ben, whose return to Grey Sloan continues to be a minefield of insecurities. Two weeks ago, he was huffing at Sydney Heron for (understandably) questioning his commitment to the job given his historic lack of, well, commitment. Last week, he did a great job of defusing the situation when Kwan got bitter about his connection with Bailey and the presumed nepo treatment that comes with it. But this week, we were back to the insecurities, as Ben went off on Ndugu in the OR for underestimating his talents.
It turns out, this patient from last week needs a lung removed. Because he has no family, Winston feels personally responsible for giving this case his all and never letting Gary feel alone. That’s why he’s doing even the minor surgery work. It’s absurdly sweet, and Ben’s stress only highlights how much he knows he still needs to prove now that he’s back (again). But, hey — at least he’s able to patch things up by giving Ndugu some company at Joe’s. We love a little healthy male bonding. Let’s hope it helps Ben remember that even as a fourth-year resident, he’s still got a lot to learn.
The OR Board
• Let’s cut to the chase: when are Beltran and Shepherd going to hook up? The chemistry is popping, Shepherd just helped Beltran through an anxiety attack, and Beltran is seizing every possible opportunity to advertise that she’s single. Let’s! Get! To it!
• Did anyone else do a belly laugh when Simone came home to Lucas cooking dinner and he told her he’s had “an extremely long dayâ€? No kidding — and he still managed to make a nice tomato sauce? That man’s a keeper! Let’s just hope the preview for our next episode is exaggerating the trouble ahead for them as he leaves her hanging on an “I love you.â€
• We’ve got a Sophia Bush sighting in the preview, folks! Grey’s could use a new trauma surgeon, and finally, she’ll show up in our next episode on November 7. (Remember, we’re off next week for Halloween.) Until then, folks, stay spooky.