'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 11 Review: Amelia-Link-Owen's baby arc is the only drawback of this episode
Some relationships are flourishing. Some have been reignited. Others are at crossroads.
In the latest episode of 'Grey's Anatomy', titled 'Hard Pill To Swallow', the doctors of Grey-Sloane Memorial struggle to go about their day while dealing with own dilemmas. It's a Herculean task, as Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) race against time to find out what exactly is wrong with a cheery patient, Atticus Link (Chris Carmack) and Jo Karev save a man who gets a fishbone stuck in his throat, only to see him get dumped by an angry fiancee.
And Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) loses her engagement ring and searches everywhere for it, and is terrified Owen Hunt (Keven McKidd) will be upset with her. Yet, the most touching part of the episode is when Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) convinces a broken and defeated Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) to return to work.
'Grey's Anatomy' is known for its emotional quotient, sometimes excessively. Yet this episode did not overplay the tears and drama, and the most dramatic moments were delivered quietly, and still managing a good kick in the feels. It was all about healing and forgiving oneself. Bailey is slowly coming to terms with her miscarriage, and hats off to Wilson for showing pain and sadness in every movement.
But she's a doctor, and she has lives to save. Personal life must recede to the background at the risk of her own mental peace. Wilson captures a woman's pain of miscarriage in every word she utters, and the quiet chokes speak to themselves. Bailey has done all she can to heal herself, which includes lying on bed and crying. But that's never enough. Healing is a slow process and Tom Koracick tries to provide some relief, by explaining what he and his late wife did when she suffered a miscarriage.
While Bailey tries to start the process of healing, Maggie is still shaken after Saby's death. She feels that she has paid a harsh price for her arrogance, and for believing that she is the best cardiothoracic surgeon. In a moment of beautiful tenderness, Richard explains that she is human. She can make mistakes. And he feels equally responsible for Saby's death because he had sent Maggie into the operation room despite knowing that family cannot operate on family. How do you recover from a grievous mistake? You forgive yourself. With pancakes and some fatherly love, Richard brings Maggie back from the precipice. However, his relationship with Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) is not so hunky-dory.
Meanwhile, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Link find themselves at crossroads. This story arc is contrived and wholly unnecessary because it just means digging up the Owen-Amelia sordid tale again and I don't think I am ready for that congealed mess again. Amelia's finally found happiness, can we not let her be? Let Owen continue his bland love story with Teddy, and start the family he always wanted. True, for a person who has stuck on with 'Grey's Anatomy' for 15 years, one can't help but remember the times Owen was a powerful force to reckon with in the series, keeping his chemistry with Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) aside. His tale with Teddy seems rather tasteless and adds nothing to the story, practically.
What's up with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)? The good thing is, she is determined to fix things with DeLuca, despite the presence of the dashing and crabby Irish doctor. Enough love triangles, let Meredith be with DeLuca, she needs some happiness in her life considering her best friend Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) has walked right out of the show.
'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC on Thursdays.