After taking an extended break that kept the show off the air for the last three weeks, Grey’s Anatomy returned with its penultimate episode of the season — an episode that promised to bring back a familiar face from Station 19 while also setting up for another unforgettable season finale!
As the episode opens, the writers set up the episode’s key storylines, and it’s clear that the penultimate episode of the season is going to be quite an eventful one.
We get an update on Owen’s mom and learn that she’s doing better and progressing nicely through rehab. As he helps Teddy with her necklace, Teddy informs him that her mentor, Margot, is in town from Paris and they’re going to meet up. She notes they haven’t seen each other in years and mentions how you know how it is with old friends in always being able to pick up where they left off, which he comments that he definitely does as he gives her a look that tells us he’s still not over her.
After Teddy heads out, Owen is called in to help treat a man who is brought in after a part of an art exhibit fell off and pierced him in the chest. He begs them not to break the sculpture when removing it. He orders a scan to get a better picture of the injury as he tells them about his late wife, who loved the art piece that fell on him.
Bailey is still awaiting word from the IRB, and Richard accepts her apology again. She knows this caused a huge headache for him, as he notes that her exemplary record should speak for itself. After she steps away from the conversation, Blue approaches her and is spiraling. Bailey has continued to shield him from the IRB, but Blue isn’t sure who might have seen him give the experimental treatment as he questions whether a nurse might have, and Bailey tells him to lay low.
Meredith makes her return to Grey Sloan and drops in for a quick hello, which gives her the chance to meet Toni. She finds that Amelia is spiraling about being on a break, and Meredith finds out that Amelia is applying for another grant with the Fox Foundation. Amelia explains that she's trying to think of other approaches as they wait to see where their current research goes as Meredith encourages her to be patient and reminds her to stay focused on the mice for the time being. Meredith steps away and bumps into Bailey at the Fox Foundation Med Student Innovator Competition, as it seems both have been roped into judging.
Back at Grey Sloan, Station 19’s Maya Bishop is brought into the ED after being injured in a three-alarm fire and is in need of urgent treatment after injuring her leg and suffering severe burns. As Richard and Jules tend to her probie, Ben is part of the team working to tend to Maya’s injuries. He asks about calling Carina, but Maya doesn’t want to worry her as she’s out of the country in Italy visiting family with their kids. Maya needs surgery immediately to work on her leg before addressing the burns, which is when Ben suggests he debride the burns as they operate on her leg.
Elsewhere, Teddy and Margot meet up for coffee as Margot mentions hearing about her groundbreaking procedure, noting she’s been keeping up with her star pupil. She then breaks the news that she’s leading the charge on a new incubator and wants Teddy to lead the program. Teddy is caught by surprise as Margot encourages her to jump at this chance to lead her peers in pushing the boundaries of medicine. Margot gives Teddy time to think, and we have to wonder if this could be how the show writes Teddy out of the series.
Following the conversation, Teddy bumps into Owen, who asks how Margot likes Paris and encourages her to go visit, not knowing about the offer. Teddy finds Jo studying for her CREOG exam, and she admits that she’s not sure if she wants to be an OB anymore. Teddy encourages her to give herself time to acclimate as she points out that you’re allowed to change your mind. She assures Jo she needs to choose what is best for her, but Jo feels guilty throwing away all this time only to end up in the same place. Teddy reminds Jo she’s come so far and that she owes it to herself to give herself options as she helps her study for the exam.
At the Fox Foundation Med Student Innovator Competition, Meredith can’t help but notice how overly critical Bailey is being of all of the students. Between judging, Bailey mentions how the students think research is about impressing their teachers, as Meredith mentions how her research has hit a wall. Bailey confesses she’s exhausted. She used to be like the students, wanting to change the world. Now she wonders how to encourage the next generation when it feels insurmountable. They sneak out to get a drink and talk as Bailey tells Meredith about being under investigation with the IRB. She assures Meredith she’s not too worried, as Meredith admits that they’re still waiting for funding for her research as they return to judging.
After Lincoln repairs her broken bone, Amelia steps in to work on the nerve damage while Ben works on Maya’s burns. Meanwhile, Jules continues to treat the probie, and he begins to struggle to breathe with wheezing in his lungs, but they're able to stabilize him, and he's later discharged.
Elsewhere, Owen and Winston head into the OR to work on removing the art piece with help from Simone and Adams. He begins crashing, and they try to remove the art piece, but it won’t budge. They have no choice but to break the glass in order to remove it. He’s bleeding from the heart as they race to repair the holes.
Meredith and Amelia return to speaking with a promising young student who admits the toughest part is believing in herself. Bailey apologizes and notes she hopes she didn’t shake her as the young woman thanks her, as she wants to learn and be pushed to be the best she can be. The conversation leaves them both with a hope that the future of medicine is in good hands after all.
Back at Grey Sloan, Richard gets an urgent call from the IRB. After getting off the phone, he pulls Blue aside and makes it clear that he knew it was Blue who injected the treatment this entire time, not Bailey. He instructs Blue to tell him everything that happened, starting from the beginning.
Elsewhere, Amelia and Toni bump into each other in the elevator as Toni admits she’s been avoiding her. Toni explains she’s trying to make a clear-headed decision, but when she’s Amelia, she’s not clear-headed. Following the conversation, Toni comes in and confronts Ben about being too close and still working on debriding the burns. He assures her that he’s using his various skills to monitor things and make sure Maya gets the best treatment possible. To his surprise, Toni steps in to help him finish debriding the burns rather than scolding him further for ignoring her previous instructions.
Owen and Winston were able to repair the tear in the man’s heart, and the man pulls through. As they’re talking, Owen asks about his wife. He reveals that his wife is still alive; she’s just in assisted living, and her memory is failing fast. He asks Owen if he knows how hard it is to miss someone who is still here, which resonates with Owen as he’s clearly thinking about Teddy.
Teddy's exit storyline is hinted at as one. doctor's career at Grey's comes to an end
Owen goes to see Teddy and says he has something to tell her, but before he can get his comments out Teddy cuts him off. She tells him about Margot’s offer to run the incubator in Paris as she admits that she knows she’s made a lot of big decisions lately, but she can’t stop thinking about the job. She notes that she thought it was worth a conversation, but his frustrations grow as he quips that it sounds like she’s already made her mind up and now he has to be the villain. He tells her to do whatever she wants, like she always does, as he storms away.
As Maya comes to, Ben admits that he called Carina and that her probie has been discharged. Maya thanks Ben for having her back as he steps away to let her rest. Ben bumps into Toni on his way out, and she admits to him that he did everything to put his patient’s needs first. She underestimated him and offers him a plastics fellowship on the spot and has him start immediately.
Bailey goes to see Richard, who has gotten the IRB report. She begins to go on a tangent about how she knows they work in a system where you can be forced out for one mistake, but that’s not conducive to learning. That’s when Richard cuts her off and reveals that he knows it was Blue and that she lied to his face. He benches her from surgery as he then reveals that Blue has been fired.
As the episode comes to a close, word comes in that there has been a bridge collapse, and Teddy begins preparing the staff for the influx of patients about to arrive. That's when she checks her phone and sees a voicemail from Owen. He begins by apologizing for storming off the night before; it was just that he had something he wanted to say, and her news threw him. He asks to speak with her when he gets in as he mentions traffic on the bridge is awful, but his message is cut off as we hear the sound of car horns and crashing before the line goes dead.
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