'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 7 Review: Love, loss and longing take over this family-centric chapter that will leave you teary-eyed
This review contains spoilers for 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 7 'Papa Don't Preach'
Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. The new 'Grey's Anatomy' episode begins with the same sentiment as Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) shares a joyful moment with Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) while capturing their baby's little moments on his phone.
Only if families were that sorted all the time. Clearly, that is not the case. Families are complicated and dysfunctional, but when there's trouble, they are the only ones standing beside you, aren't they?
Titled 'Papa Don't Preach', episode seven delves deep into the bond of blood. Before you sit down to watch the hour-long episode, make sure you have a box of tissues ready. At Grey-Sloan Hospital, Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) is surprised to see someone just like her.
"Does that woman look like me?" she wonders and her mind is blown when she finds out the young woman and the older man are, in fact, "family". Meet Sabrina aka Sabi, her cousin and Richard's brother Chris. There's a real sister connection in the cast too as Sabrina is played by Kelly's real-life sister, Crystal McCreary.
Family ties
Maggie drives the two to meet Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) at PacNorth where they bond over his "drinking habits" and "bureaucratic troubles." Once they reach, Sabi flings out a three-week-old scan of a massive biatrial myxoma.
Maggie takes a look at it and says, "This might be the biggest heart tumor I have ever seen..." The two talk about past relationships and crossword puzzles. As Maggie quizzes her about classical music and whistling, it turns out they have more in common than they thought.
Sabi finds out she has to be in surgery immediately. Maggie assures her she will be in charge. "You're in luck. This happens to be my specialty. I'm the best." Maggie is overconfident about treating her but Sabi is skeptical as she is a part of the family.
Maggie still reasons with Chris and Sabi saying they have known each other for only two hours. Later, when there's an emergency, Maggie, ultimately, has to take charge.
Baby blues
Amelia breaks her pregnancy news to Owen: "Link and I are having a baby. Yay for all the babies!" Before he can say a word, there's an emergency. His new patient is a young mother named Cassidy, who is reluctant to have another baby and wants it terminated.
Owen is taken aback and even questions if she "threw herself off the stairs" to abort the baby. His personal feelings come in the way of his professional life and he is adamant to not let his patient go for abortion.
However, Amelia realizes it and confronts him. A barge of emotions flows out of Owen's heart. "You put me through the pain that you didn't want to have a baby. That pain ended our marriage. But now it's clear, you just didn't want a baby with me," he blames her.
Amelia explains how she was not even ready when she found out she was pregnant but taking care of Betty and Leo with him helped her embrace parenthood, and for that, she’s grateful to him.
Owen finally cools down and the two exes share a heartwarming moment, joking about how there should be a "big family book" for their kids.
At a loss for words
While waiting for Sabi, both Richard and Chris are nervous. Gemma sees Richard and asks what's bothering him. As she consoles him, Catherine spots them together.
Richard tries to explain there is nothing between them, but women know better, and Catherine gives a solid punch to Gemma later when they meet. During the surgery, Maggie gets into panic mode when nothing seems to be working right for her patient.
Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Catherine, Richard, and Chris reminisce about old times. Isn't it heartwarming when you look back at the incidents unfolded over time and laugh about the times when you were actually sad? That's what a family really is.
Back at the surgery, Maggies loses control and keeps trying to save Sabi even though she is "brain-dead". She bursts into a tub full of tears and breaks down after which Alex helps her gather her strength: "You tried to do all the right things but you lost a patient."
She wails with all her might but picks herself back and walks down to tell the others.
Death can break you, and towards the final sequence, Maggie's emotional turmoil speaks volumes about how doctors deal with it almost every day in their lives.
Meredith's voice echoes in her mind. "This is not your loss. This is not your pain. Don't make it about you. And if there's no silver lining, don't make one. Your job is not to make bad news into good." The heartbreaking end will shake and stir your soul.
And then, the final words will echo through your ears: "You're just another person, alone, falling into the dark." With a roller coaster of intense sentiments and feelings, the episode is the best of the season and will make you cry your eyes out while reliving the memories of loved ones you've lost.
