Season 11 of Grey's Anatomy ended with an episode that sewed up some pieces of the previous frenetic episodes while also leaving us wondering, sort of, about what might happen in the next season. Amidst it all was Meredith - grieving but stepping back into her life - who was connected to almost everyone else's stories this week.
This time around, the surgical team mobilized to extract a patient from the wreckage of his car. Unable to leave that patient to bleed out in the field, April had brought him to the hospital inside his crushed car so as to bring him closer to the medical resources that might save his life. Owen stepped in to utilize his trauma surgeon skills which he'd clearly enjoyed doing since stepping down as Chief of Surgery. He worked alongside Meredith, Ben, April, Maggie, and Jackson to problem solve how to get the patient safely to an operating room and to repair his crush injuries. Once that operation started, Owen was cleared for the personal side of his story to be addressed in typical halting finale fashion.
After updating Amelia on her patient's fiancee's surgery being underway, he received an update from Amelia about Meredith's plan to maybe sell her house. As they discussed the impact of this situation on their housing situations, they awkwardly stumbled their way through talking about their patients or maybe talking about the friendship and maybe more that they had this season. Of course, Owen was unaware Amelia had already discussed her intent to not date coworkers anymore while in the OR with Callie and Arizona who had readily agreed with her decision.
More muddying of the possibilities for Owen with Amelia occurred later in the episode during Richard and Catherine's wedding reception at Meredith and Derek's house. Stepping into a room to gather his coat, Owen encountered Amelia sitting with Meredith's old phone, unable to make herself press play on Derek's final voicemail message to his family. Owen sat down next to her and reached over for the phone before the scene shifted to Derek standing on the deck of his beloved Seattle ferry boat. By the end of the episode we saw Owen mingling at the reception while Amelia joined Meredith and Maggie on the deck. The bittersweet moment for these sisters ended with Meredith saying they had to 'dance it out' - the tried and true way of dealing with life that she and Cristina long ago perfected. Another way of reminding us of the circular nature of life, how everything is connected, and that no matter how many challenges we face, that life always finds a way to
start back up again.
Elsewhere in the hospital: April decided going back to field work was her true calling while Jackson said he couldn't wait anymore for her to be a participant in their life together; Maggie faced her parents' divorce; Alex and Jo solidified another step toward their future together; Bailey set her sights on the Chief of Surgery position and determinedly faced news she'd compete with an outside candidate; Richard and Catherine married after all and the surgeons celebrated along with them; the stage was set for Meredith and her kids to move back into her mother's old house; the engaged patients from last week's episode both survived complex surgeries to round out the season with some surgical successes; Stephanie continued to learn what it was to supervise interns; and we said another sad farewell to Derek Shepherd
This time around, the surgical team mobilized to extract a patient from the wreckage of his car. Unable to leave that patient to bleed out in the field, April had brought him to the hospital inside his crushed car so as to bring him closer to the medical resources that might save his life. Owen stepped in to utilize his trauma surgeon skills which he'd clearly enjoyed doing since stepping down as Chief of Surgery. He worked alongside Meredith, Ben, April, Maggie, and Jackson to problem solve how to get the patient safely to an operating room and to repair his crush injuries. Once that operation started, Owen was cleared for the personal side of his story to be addressed in typical halting finale fashion.
After updating Amelia on her patient's fiancee's surgery being underway, he received an update from Amelia about Meredith's plan to maybe sell her house. As they discussed the impact of this situation on their housing situations, they awkwardly stumbled their way through talking about their patients or maybe talking about the friendship and maybe more that they had this season. Of course, Owen was unaware Amelia had already discussed her intent to not date coworkers anymore while in the OR with Callie and Arizona who had readily agreed with her decision.
More muddying of the possibilities for Owen with Amelia occurred later in the episode during Richard and Catherine's wedding reception at Meredith and Derek's house. Stepping into a room to gather his coat, Owen encountered Amelia sitting with Meredith's old phone, unable to make herself press play on Derek's final voicemail message to his family. Owen sat down next to her and reached over for the phone before the scene shifted to Derek standing on the deck of his beloved Seattle ferry boat. By the end of the episode we saw Owen mingling at the reception while Amelia joined Meredith and Maggie on the deck. The bittersweet moment for these sisters ended with Meredith saying they had to 'dance it out' - the tried and true way of dealing with life that she and Cristina long ago perfected. Another way of reminding us of the circular nature of life, how everything is connected, and that no matter how many challenges we face, that life always finds a way to
start back up again.
Elsewhere in the hospital: April decided going back to field work was her true calling while Jackson said he couldn't wait anymore for her to be a participant in their life together; Maggie faced her parents' divorce; Alex and Jo solidified another step toward their future together; Bailey set her sights on the Chief of Surgery position and determinedly faced news she'd compete with an outside candidate; Richard and Catherine married after all and the surgeons celebrated along with them; the stage was set for Meredith and her kids to move back into her mother's old house; the engaged patients from last week's episode both survived complex surgeries to round out the season with some surgical successes; Stephanie continued to learn what it was to supervise interns; and we said another sad farewell to Derek Shepherd
