'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 2 review: Back in the saddle with another baby on board
This review contains spoilers for 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 2 — 'Back in the Saddle'.
If the first episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' thrust much pressure on the couples of the show, the second one cools it off. Titled 'Back in the Saddle', the 44-minute episode does put relationship woes in perspective. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) reads out a text message about how her license hearing has been scheduled for three months later to Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), but the spotlight is on Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack) this time around.
In a heart-to-heart talk with Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), Amelia confesses how she wishes she could just send a text message instead of breaking it face-to-face. Wondering what she might have to say, she jokes, "Remember how careful we were? Not careful enough, Daddy." Even in a disorderly situation, Caterina is a bundle of joy to watch! In the very next moment, she tells Maggie how Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) posted a sunset photo last night with the caption: "#Freedom!" and calls it "ewww."
The couple's relationship seems to have truly gone for a toss and there might not be any easier way for them to get "back in the saddle!" Well, at least the other couples are looking at the sunny side of life — especially with Jo Wilson Karev (Camilla Luddington) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) getting back to work with a clean slate from their past troubles.
The biggest twist to the episode comes in when Amelia blatantly blurts out that she is pregnant with his baby! Amelia confesses to Link why she has been scared of giving birth. He also confesses how he is in two minds about the kind of father he would be and the two wrap up the emotional conversation as Amelia walks out.
Drowning herself into a box of desserts, Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) tells her husband how she has no joy. "The best people I know are working elsewhere." When her husband cheers her up and orders her to "go back in there and take your joy back", she actually storms into the hospital with a headful of new plans.
Meredith seems to be on a new mission. A woman at her community service asks her for medical guidance. "Are you a doctor? Can you take a look at it?" When Meredith gives her professional opinion, she snaps back, "So, are you gonna give it to me or not?" At that moment, Meredith gets Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) to steal from Grey-Sloan. Can you believe it? Well, the woman does have guts and she truly knows how to get her way around what she wants. Soon, too many people barge in for her help. When the supervisor comes to clear up the chaos, Mere points out the lump in her throat and tells her it needs immediate attention as it could be a cancer scare.
In a funny episode, Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), Owen and Link are all stuck in the same elevator when Tom tries to pull Owen's leg. "Is this weird for you?" When the latter tries to answer back, he retorts by showing off his superiority. "A funny way to talk to your boss. Practice kneeling down." The Grey Sloan doctors operate on a man who crashed into Maggie's car as Owen, back from paternity leave, struggles with Tom's new position.
This episode delivers 😉 #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/Dj1nc4oFvS
— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) September 30, 2019
The scene shifts to Alex and Richard Webber and Alex, who have taken up new roles at Pacific Northwest General. Even with the former's complaints about the messy rules and facilities, Alex is unperturbed and dead set to do the job he has been assigned. A man interrupts Alex's call to inform him: "The guy sitting there is dead." The problems in Pac North are big and someone needs to address them. Richard is clearly taking more time to adjust as he tells Alex, "I spent more time at Grey-Sloan than my own home. It's where I first got known by the name Dr. Webber. No Karev, I want to work at my own hospital." But, in a later scene, Alex brings a new beacon of hope for Richard when he tells him: "Doctor Webber, I did not want to work here as well. I have a legacy at Grey Sloan. The culture. We can change that. There is a new plan here. Help me prove Bailey wrong."
Jo is back at Grey Sloan and Bailey is surprised that she comes back. She wonders why Jo didn't join Karev's new endeavor. However, Jo wins her way back when she smartly makes Bailey give her a new position by manipulating her with her husband's offer, and that scene is a delight to watch!
During a surgery, Owen accidentally injures Tom and later comes to apologize to Tom but there's a strong hint that their rivalry may turn out into something more serious. "Feel free to reach out to my attorney," Tom tells him and asks him to "shut the door on his way out."
Meredith and Andrew have been going strong despite all the hurdles in their lives. When he meets Meredith, she tells him, "No matter how much I try to lay low, I keep coming across more people who need help because of the same 'insurance' crap." Andrew seems to be quite supportive of Mere's wish to "publish." But, you may as well wonder when is he not supportive? His "perfect boyfriend" image does get a tad bit boring at times. Doesn't it?
In the end, Link asks Amelia if he said the wrong thing. The two confess each other's fears and Amelia tells him, "You and I, we are gonna make an amazing kid and I kinda want to meet him," to which he responds, "I think I want to meet him too." That seems to be an official affirmation of another baby for the show, and fans might have a difficult time deciding whether they're happy or sad about it.
"The more we go through something, the more we can handle it if it happens again," the narrator's lines will ring in your ears long after you finish watching the episode. With a mishmash of rib-ticklers and emotional moments, the second one makes for a good watch but there might be more to look forward to in the third one — especially as there's a hint there could be a glimpse of Schmico's gay relationship!
Missed the review of the first episode? Read it here: 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 1 — 'Nothing Left to Kling To'.