'Grey's Anatomy' season 16 episode 1 review: Love is at stake in this emotional roller coaster of break-ups and make-ups
Contains spoilers for 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 1 'Nothing Left to Kling To'.
A lot is at stake at the Grey Sloan Hospital. The title of the first episode 'Nothing Left to Kling To' comes as a scare and as the plot thickens, it will make you feel the heebie-jeebies.
The episode begins with Jo Wilson Karev (Camilla Luddington) struggling with mental anxiety as she takes off her wedding ring and other accessories for a treatment session.
However, the big question is: What happens to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) after they get caught in a loop of insurance fraud?
"Meredith, Richard, and Alex must deal with the consequences after Bailey fires them from Grey Sloan for insurance fraud," the summary reads. Of course, they have to swallow the bitter pill but there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
At the hearing, the judge quizzes Mere, "You're a partial owner of Grey Sloan. So why commit insurance fraud? Why not just pay for the surgery or do it for free?"
She responds, "The little girl has cancer. She needs hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of time. And I didn't think her proud, father would accept charity from me. And I didn't think he should have to."
"The system should have protected them. And the system is broken." Her attorney pleads: "Your honor, she had three kids. Don't put her in jail."
With her clever and honest response, the trouble is soon lost to sight as Meredith undertakes community service instead of going behind the bars. But what happens to Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) who were both fired by Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) as they knew about the fraud?
Richard makes a fuss saying, "The person I mentored fired me without a word." To cope up, he applies for a job at Grey Sloan's rival hospital and goes on to convince Alex to follow his footsteps.
However, the latter is too busy handling marital woes. "Worried about your marriage? Give your wife a reason to come back home," Richard tells Alex. On the other hand, Richard's wife is dead set on getting his job at Grey Sloan back as she goes to Bailey and reprimands her.
The second big scare comes as Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) calls for Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) after he disappears in the foggy woods.
Is he alive? Yes, he is. "I'm here, Maggie," he calls back. But there is someone else stuck on a branch. Officers help rescue them and they are taken to the hospital. Their lives are saved, but how long will they survive?
The summary says, "After disappearing in the fog, Jackson helps a man in a dangerous situation, and his relationship with Maggie comes to a new crossroad." Fan predictions come true as the two end their relationship.
"You left me in a car on an unfamiliar road in the woods surrounded by fog and bears and wolves," Maggie complains but he simply flings a metaphor towards her. Not just that, Jackson acts like a total jackass as he is already flirting with new women after his break-up.
Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) struggle with the new turn after their baby Leo's birth. To complicate matters further, Tom visits her. "Don't blame Owen. This is my fault. You are such a wonderful man," Teddy tells Tom.
He confesses, "I'm funny, smart and kind when I wanna be, generous with my time and last long in bed. I am in love with you." But, it's quite clear that Teddy and Tom don't have a future, especially with the current scenario.
Owen tries his best to make things better for Teddy as he asks her to come to his place. Are the two going to move in together? Later, he comes to lend a helping hand. "I ordered room service and Leo is with my mom tonight," he announces and holds Teddy in his arms.
Meanwhile, Tom gets new responsibilities at the hospital that throw the doctors into a loop and is definitely going to make Owen jealous.
Jo and Alex try to explain to each other how they felt "fear" and "shame" due to which there was a communication gap. The suspenseful episode takes a tearjerking turn.
There is romance in the air and quite an unexpected proposal! Alex goes down on his knees for Jo and asks her to return to him. "I want you to be my wife," he tells her, and she says yes, but not without a warning. "I can't promise it won't happen again." But Alex is hell-bent on getting her back.
The episode has its share of funny moments too. Mere's kid asks if she can wear her community service uniform to school and later, a fellow parent from school catches her sweeping the streets.
One of her mates quizzes her while brooming the streets: "You really a doctor?" to which she responds: "I might be. It's still undecided."
There's also a big hint that Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) is pregnant, all's well between Andrew and Meredith but her license might be seized! Only time will tell where these twists in the tale go.
It's quite unbelievable how the makers manage to keep the story so lively and exhilarating despite it being the 16th season!
There's a reason 'Grey's Anatomy' qualifies as the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history and the first episode will take you over the moon, but not without a few disappointments.
The wondrous performances and snazzy editing in the episode deserve plaudits. Get a tub of popcorn and let your heart bleed!