Many of the questions fans were given as cliffhangers in the winter Grey's Anatomy finale received only cursory attention this week as the show returned. Denzel Washington's nuanced direction of the spring premiere was all about the bombastic patient attack on Meredith and her initial recovery while in the hospital. I remain conflicted on the method of moving the plot along employed by Grey's writers - crisis followed by a rushed collection of highlights which moves time forward without much examination of that process - at least this time there was enough room around the edges so that we got some minimal teasers of potential stories for the other characters.
Owen Hunt's limited appearance this week showed him in doctor mode. Initially we saw him step up with his fellow surgeons to assess the patients Meredith, Alex, and Maggie brought in from a traffic accident they'd encountered on their way to work. Just a short time into the assessment process, a patient assaulted Meredith in the aftermath of a seizure. We soon saw Owen efficiently evaluating Meredith's injuries and working to save her life along with pretty much every other regular cast member except Amelia who cowered in the corner.
Owen Hunt's limited appearance this week showed him in doctor mode. Initially we saw him step up with his fellow surgeons to assess the patients Meredith, Alex, and Maggie brought in from a traffic accident they'd encountered on their way to work. Just a short time into the assessment process, a patient assaulted Meredith in the aftermath of a seizure. We soon saw Owen efficiently evaluating Meredith's injuries and working to save her life along with pretty much every other regular cast member except Amelia who cowered in the corner.
Later on we gained brief insight into Owen's personal story as Amelia loitered outside Meredith's room while Owen and Stephanie evaluated her progress. As Meredith gestured to the window, seemingly pointing at Amelia, Owen hesitated before saying 'I don't know,' and then exiting the room. Meredith turned to Stephanie who briefly explained that Owen had been working a lot of nights and that he and Amelia seemed to not be talking to each other. We were left to assume that these sometimes daters were currently off-again.
Elsewhere in the hospital: Meredith mentored Penny who was the first surgeon to find her post-attack; Richard counseled Meredith on forgiveness; Arizona helped prepare Meredith for a fraught reunion with her kids at the hospital; Jackson served April with divorce papers; Bailey advised Meredith the patient who attacked her had asked to apologize to her; the patient and his family met with Meredith who reached out to shake his hand after his apology; Amelia eventually regained sobriety and showed off her 30-day chip to Meredith; and Alex went home to Jo at Meredith's urging.
A brief author's note in addition: For the sake of my own sanity, I left out my disbelief that we didn't hear at least mention of Cristina's visit to her best friend's bedside following the brutal attack that left Meredith's life in danger. I suppose that backs up the show's seeming intent to leave behind the previously heavily weighted concept of 'personhood' which used to shore up / cause friction in relationships on this show. Will we see that play out after Meredith's assertion of being able to have more than one person, maybe even a whole village, as she speechified to in this episode? That remains to be seen in the rest of Season 12.
Elsewhere in the hospital: Meredith mentored Penny who was the first surgeon to find her post-attack; Richard counseled Meredith on forgiveness; Arizona helped prepare Meredith for a fraught reunion with her kids at the hospital; Jackson served April with divorce papers; Bailey advised Meredith the patient who attacked her had asked to apologize to her; the patient and his family met with Meredith who reached out to shake his hand after his apology; Amelia eventually regained sobriety and showed off her 30-day chip to Meredith; and Alex went home to Jo at Meredith's urging.
A brief author's note in addition: For the sake of my own sanity, I left out my disbelief that we didn't hear at least mention of Cristina's visit to her best friend's bedside following the brutal attack that left Meredith's life in danger. I suppose that backs up the show's seeming intent to leave behind the previously heavily weighted concept of 'personhood' which used to shore up / cause friction in relationships on this show. Will we see that play out after Meredith's assertion of being able to have more than one person, maybe even a whole village, as she speechified to in this episode? That remains to be seen in the rest of Season 12.
