Grey’s Anatomy recap: Meredith takes a dip in the dating pool

Karev puts his new job as Chief on the line to help a patient, Maggie grows tired of keeping secrets, and Meredith starts dating again on Grey’s Anatomy, “Momma Knows Best.”

Things continue to go downhill for Maggie on Grey’s Anatomy. Not only is she reeling from Jackson’s sudden departure, but she’s also in possession of information that will undoubtedly blow up Amelia and Owen’s happy-ish home (more on that later).

Maggie’s frustrations are amplified when she treats a woman, Natalie, with a heart condition. Natalie’s husband, Evan, refuses to tell their son, Max, his mother is dying.

Max is a nervous kid, prone to hiding and running off when he gets scared or upset. Max appears to get his coping skills from his father who — in an effort to shield his son from any conceivable unpleasantness –demands Maggie not speak to Max about Natalie’s condition. This upsets Maggie who is frustrated Evan is denying Max the opportunity to say goodbye to his mom.

More from ABC

• Dancing with the Stars season 32 week 9 scorecard: Who went home on DWTS?
• Roger Howarth is leaving General Hospital (Cast exit explained)
• Taylor Swift won’t appear in special Dancing with the Stars episode
• ABC will start rolling out its midseason schedule January 2024 (Release dates and airtimes)
• Grey’s Anatomy season 20 officially has a premiere date (Everything to know)

It’s DeLuca who breaks the news, telling Max the story of how he and Carina’s mother died of a stroke. Carina asked DeLuca to come home, failing to inform him their mother was already gone. Carina explained she withheld the news until she could see her brother in person and hug him.

Max takes off, but to learn his fate, you’ll have to read a Station 19 recap because this episode is a TGIT crossover.

Maggie eventually breaks patient-doctor confidentiality and reveals to Meredith that Teddy is pregnant with Owen’s baby.

Meredith’s big date

Cece comes through for a reluctant Meredith who shows up at the hospital looking very date ready. Meredith’s expectations are pretty low, and she bets Alex she can ditch her date in 20 minutes.

But Meredith is pleasantly surprised when she meets John (Josh Radnor), a scruffy, funny and charming software engineer. Meredith and John commiserate on how tough it is to be married to their jobs and still find time for romantic relationships. John hasn’t had much luck when it comes to dating, telling Meredith there’s always “one thing” that turns out to be a dealbreaker.

In an unexpected twist, John and Meredith realize they’re supposed to be on dates with two other people, and those people are in the same restaurant and apparently hitting it off. Lunch turns into a walk, and that’s when John reveals he’s not a fan of either single mothers or kids. Nothing kills the mood more than a guy saying single mothers are “desperate.” Meredith bids adieu to John.

Karev steps up

Like many Chiefs before him, Alex is having a hard time adapting to being the boss. He and Qadri treat a college kid, Julius, who is brought in for smoke inhalation. Julius has a “bleb,” which could burst and kill him if left untreated.

Alex wants to perform surgery, but Julius refuses. He is aware of his bleb, but insurance won’t pay for it to be removed because it’s a pre-existing condition. Julius is also adamant that nobody contacts his mother who is working three jobs just to put him through school.

Alex goes to Webber for advice, and Webber complains that the only thing worse than watching Alex do his job is having to do it for him (Webber’s attitude is getting old). Webber explains that a big part of being Chief is being backed into corners and finding creative ways out. Alex decides he just wants out — period. He threatens to quit.

Webber doesn’t let Alex off the hook that easily. Webber may want the job, and he may know he can do it better, but he demands Alex give it his best shot, otherwise, Alex is a failure.

Alex takes Webber’s advice and finds a creative way for Julius to get the surgery he needs: Alex stabs Julius in the chest (it’s more subtle than it sounds). Qadri knows Alex did what NO OTHER DOCTOR IN THIS COUNTRY would do and says she’s going to report him.

Since Alex is the Chief, Qadri runs to Webber who isn’t thrilled to hear about Alex’s solution to his problem. Alex saves Julius, and his poor mother doesn’t go bust in the process. Webber sees the light, and Alex will spend at least another episode as Chief of Surgery.

Parenting 101

Amelia learns her commitment to looking after Betty is even tougher than she anticipated. The two argue when Amelia suspects Betty’s doing drugs. She drags Betty to Grey Sloan, so she can ambush the teen mom with a drug test.

Amelia can’t quite figure out her role in Betty’s life, wondering if she’s the girl’s friend, sponsor or something else altogether. Amelia reveals to Owen that she doesn’t have any idea how to discipline Betty since her own mother cut her way too much slack after the death of her and Derek’s father.

Amelia gets much-needed advice from Owen’s mom. She advises Amelia to get tough and stay tough. Amelia may not be Betty’s mother, but the girl needs one.

Betty confesses to smoking pot. Amelia puts Betty on lockdown, reminding her young ward that weed can be a gateway drug for junkies.

In other news in Grey’s Anatomy… 

There is something up with Carina and DeLuca’s father, but Carina’s not exactly being forthcoming with her brother.

Jo and Dr. Link have a past. He knows her as Brooke, and they have a very warm reunion. Could this spell trouble for the newlyweds?

Did Maggie do the right thing? Should she have told Owen or Amelia first? What could Carina be hiding? Have we seen the last of John? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC. Tune in to see what happens in the wake of Maggie’s revelation.