Grey’s Anatomy – Leave It Inside

By starrymag | May 11, 2017

By: Krista Ann Freego

The episode opens with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) walking down the hallway with the tumor that Derek (Patrick Dempsey) drew on the wall for her when she was in bed recovering from giving her father part of her liver. Meredith knocks on Amelia’s (Caterina Scorsone) door and offers her the drawing of the tumor because it was her brother’s and she thought she would want it.  As is later deduced by both of the sisters, Meredith is trying to move forward with Riggs (Martin Henderson) and can’t do that with a shrine to Derek still in her bedroom.  I, for one, had major emotions when I saw the picture of the tumor. I remembered when he drew it for her. I remembered as they tried to figure out together how he was going to get rid of the tumor and still make it so the patient survived and could still walk. I remember when they moved into their dream house and brought the picture of the tumor with them and how clearly when she moved back into her old house, again she brought the picture of the tumor with her. They say a picture says a thousand words. In the terms of Derek’s tumor drawing, they were right.

The first hospital scene is with Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk) are all going over the residents and evaluating them. After all the drama that lead up to this moment, it was nice to see the three of them working together though the tension still lingered. Minnick voiced her concern that Ben Warren (Jason George) was playing it safe and that he was spending less time operating in the OR, which meant that he was taking the safe approach in his cases. “He lays back, no risks,” Minnick notes.

Next, we are sadly reminded that Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti) is still in love with Jo (Camilla Luddington). This is highly unfortunate as Jo has not given any indication that she has any feelings other than friendship for Andrew. We all know that the only reason Andrew dropped the charges against Alex (Justin Chambers) was because Jo asked him to so that she could try to keep a secret her past and the fact that she is still married to her abuser. Since then we have seen Andrew worship her from afar, but have yet to see him confront her and ask her to answer the question, that apparently, everyone (accept Andrew) already knows the answer to “does Jo have feelings for Andrew.” Even Edwards (Jerrika Hinton) tries to cushion the blow for him and tells him to move on.

Edwards: You like her.

Andrew: Nope. I’m not doing this.

Edwards: No. Hey come on stop. You’re a good guy. You want to let that go. Okay, you made a grand gesture and she still hasn’t said anything to you yet, has she? So. Just do yourself a favor, that is all I am saying.

This unfortunate heartbreak in the making is set aside and we are provided with some Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Minnick interaction, which has been sorely lacking for the last few weeks. Minnick paiged Arizona. Arizona thought it was for a medical reason, but Minnick admits it was to make plans for that night, naked plans.

Arizona: Hey someone paiged me.

Minnick: That was me. I need your help. Very urgent.

Arizona: Great. Where are we headed.

Minnick: My place or yours tonight. The minute we are off of work. I don’t care if you have other plans. They’re canceled. I have plans of my own.

Arizona: So you paiged me for a dinner date?

Minnick: I mean sure we can eat, too. My plans are more, naked plans.

Arizona: Oh, okay.

Minnick: To be clear, I mean sex.

Arizona: Yeah, yeah, no. I got that.

Minnick: But you’re hesitating. I came on too strong. You’re not ready. You’re weirded out.

This sexy turned awkward conversation is now interrupted with our first medical case of the show.

Then, before we know the little boys name, we are shifted to Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Andrew with our second medical case for the show. It is a woman complaining of pain after a fall. How did she fall? “Well, I was having the best sex of my life. No third best. So, then I had to pee and it was dark and I trying to find the bathroom. I found the front door instead and walked right out into the stairwell and…two flights.”  She broke her arm in two places and has free fluid in one of her upper quadrants, but none of that distracts her from inquiring if Andrew is single. And all of that in only the first six minutes.  Thank goodness it’s Thursday!

Meredith has decided that she is going to have Riggs over to her house, but first wants to check with Maggie (Kelly McCreary) to see if it is okay. And thus follows a well-intentioned highly awkward conversation that no one really leaves feeling good.

While Meredith and Kepner are doing their patient’s scan they discover that she has a very large heart tumor. It’s a large heart tumor that she was already very aware of and deems inoperable. But much like all doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, Meredith, Maggie and Kepner seem not to know the meaning of inoperable and do their best to convince her (who has completely embraced the lifestyle of live to the fullest today because you are most certainly dying tomorrow) to let hope back into her life and surgeons back into her heart.

Back to our first medical case, the little boy. He is asked who his parents are and lies and then goes into a seizure.

Webber has decided he is going to look in on Warren and see if what Minnick says is true. Jackson (Jesse Williams) has the case of a 27-year-old male with a crushed hand. Webber asks Ben what his recommendation is, do they amputate or do they try and salvage the hand. Warren hems and haws and then finally recommends amputation (a/k/a the safe way out). Jackson recommends trying to save the hand because it is a 27-year-old male and he would want his hand. Suspicion confirmed.

Maggie approaches Amelia and fills her in on the news that Meredith plans to bring Riggs to the house tonight. Amelia then pieces everything together and correctly deduces that the reason Meredith offered Amelia the tumor is because she is trying to move on and move forward with Riggs, but she can’t do that with constant reminders of Derek everywhere. The two sisters decide that no matter how they may feel about Riggs they have to support this relationship and do everything they can to help Meredith move on with her life. It is a very sweet moment and truly the relationships between these sisters, for me, has been one of the best parts of this season.

After much work on fall patient’s case it appears that there is such a thing in Grey Sloan Memorial as an inoperable tumor and she unfortunately has it. There is nothing that can be done for her. It turns out to be false hope and she has to do what she surmised in the beginning of the episode she would have to do. She ends up having to make Meredith and Kepner and Maggie feel better about not being able to fix her and get rid of her tumor.

The little boy needs brain surgery in order to live. His parents, especially his father, refuses to let him have the surgery stating that if he dies it is “God’s will.” As can be expected, Alex does not take this well and once again defies a directive from a parent in order to advocate for his patient. This time he has help, Edwards. Edwards even goes so far as to tell the father that he is stupid and weak and that she was doing his job as a parent when she gave him the surgery without the father’s consent. And if that didn’t endanger her Rockstar future enough, she topped it off by throwing a computer tablet near his head. So pretty much sound decisions all around in the pediatrics department this episode.

Due in large part to her shot-putting skills, Edwards is suspended. Andrew blatantly confesses his feelings to Jo again and is met with Jo’s response, “I know what you are going to say and the second that you say it…” We see pained expressions and silence as the audience can audibly hear Andrew’s heart breaking.

It turns out that the little boy’s mother has been the one that keeps driving her son to the hospital.  It is clear that the mother is scared of the father and I get the impression (as does Alex) that the father is physically violent with the mother. Alex is seen making a call to his attorney (one can only assume he is calling his attorney) to see if he can help the mother protect herself and her little boy.

Clearly my favorite part of this episode all have to do with Arizona (I admit I have a bias. I am but human). But Arizona parts aside, my favorite part of the episode was the duo of Meredith and Kepner who we really don’t get to see play off each other that much. After this episode that is a shame because they compliment each other so well and are so entertaining to watch. In tonight’s scenario, their patient wants Meredith and Kepner to tell her one night stand (who is waiting downstairs to see her) that she is dead. Meredith is pro telling him she is dead and Kepner (the voice of reason) is against it. The debate these two have over the decision is priceless and I, frankly, could watch it on a continuous loop. To all of those who make gifs, please make one of that scene.  Meredith is about to tell him she is dead when Kepner interrupts her and states that “she has had a hell of a day and is just not really up for visitors right now.”  They conclude their duo moment by Kepner telling Meredith that “you are a dark, dark person.”

Best Elevator Scene All Season:

Arizona: I can’t get together tonight.

Minnick: Okay. No big deal.

Arizona: I have a patient who is in labor and a baby with CDH and I’m going to be here all night. I’m so sorry.

Minnick: Of course. I understand. It’s just that I was looking forward to it is all.

Arizona: I look for you. All day. When I, um, turn a corner or pass by one of the scan rooms, getting on an elevator. I hope that maybe I’ll just catch a glimpse of you and when I see you. Every time it makes me catch my breath, just a little. And my heart speeds up and my palms sweat. Seeing you, talking to you and touching you, it’s all I can think about.

Minnick: It is?

Arizona: I can’t wait for our naked plans, but one more night of anticipation doesn’t have to be the worst thing.

 

Meredith ends up cancelling her plans with Riggs. Once she hangs up the phone she goes over to her post-it note marriage, looks at it longingly with memories and sadness and puts it out of sight in a drawer. Thankfully, the next day Meredith leaves the hospital with Riggs (Martin Henderson) and Meredith initiates handholding.

Tune in next week to see what happens with Alex, Edwards and the little boy with an abusive father. Before I sign off, I will leave you with this one wish. I wish that everyone has someone that thinks about them and looks for them, like Arizona does for Minnick and may we all reject fuzzy socks tonight.