Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 6 Review: Whistlin' Past the Graveyard
Jasmine Blu
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It was a fun, low-key hour.
While not much progressed on a storyline front on Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 6, they settled for a Halloween-themed hour filled with humor, treats, and a couple of tricks.
It was a simple hour, and if you happened to not see it because of getting your spooky fun on, well, you weren't missing out on much.
Operation Free Meredith Grey was in full effect. No worries, she was in and out of jail faster than a person could blink. Just Meredith Grey things.
For all the time Meredith spent skirting around punishment and community service, they fast-forward through her jail stint.
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It's almost too bad. Orange is the new Grey would've been pure entertainment. Like Jackson, I also can envision Meredith shivving someone, or maybe it's Ellen Pompeo I'm thinking about. I can definitely see that.
Either way, the chance to show off would've left a girl engaged. Mer, bless her heart, remained a privileged mess in jail.
She was caught up in how it was her release date, and from behind bars, she was still trying to think of creative ways to get the guard to acquiesce and cut her some slack.
She played the "mom card" like most of the women she was in jail with weren't mothers themselves.
Nothing was more important than getting to her herd of munchkins in time for trick or treating in a neighborhood where folks probably hand out full-sized candy bars.
Those neighborhoods were the best.
She was using her best "I want to speak to the manager" voice and everything. Inquiring minds would like to know if this arc was deliberate in its intentions of showcasing Meredith's privilege, or if it was a bordering on tone-deaf oversight?
Anyway, Meredith's cellmate shut it down for her and gave our girl some perspective. She reminded Meredith that there are people in that same jail dealing with real problems.
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The series intended to showcase the flaws of the healthcare system, but it placed a spotlight on the justice system too.
Meredith used her powers for good, and she bailed her cellmate out. The poor woman's story was awful.
She was a working mom trying to make ends meet, and a series of unfortunate events and an overzealous officer is how she landed in jail.
One couldn't help but sympathize with her. After spending time with her, it was one of those delightful treats when Meredith bailed the woman out of jail.
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She had already been in there long enough, and she faced another month of sitting in there while her kids were in foster care because of her inability to afford bail.
It was the last Meredith could do after irritating the woman to pieces. Mer understood the need to see her children.
And she was able to make it home in time for trick or treating and other Halloween festivities.
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While she was away at community service camp, her sisters were holding down the fort along with DeLuca. As someone who used to enjoy the Maggie and DeLuca pairing, it was quite the experience having the two of them co-parent children together with Meredith away.
We could have had it all, MaLuca fans.
Anyway, domesticated DeLuca was doing his best.
The last time we had a hot guy being domestic in the Sisterhood Sanctuary, it was Jackson. Some of us are disappointed in him, so the sacredness of the Sisterhood Sanctuary has been tainted.
DeLuca had a lot to live up to, and he was no Uncle Alex. Unfortunately, we didn't get some classic Alex moments with the sisters and the kids. They used to be the absolute best.
Deluca: Hey, you need some help with that?
Zola: Don't! You're not my dad.
Zola was not feeling DeLuca, and we learned the root of her sudden (or is it initial?) irritation with DeLuca was because of his attempt to fix her fairy wings.
Derek was the only one to fix them. The last time anyone adjusted them on her, it was her father. DeLuca, who is already dating her mother and sometimes living with them, touching her wings was a step too far.
It's an understandable reaction. It's only surprising it never came before this. Zola is the one who remembers Derek best, too.
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DeLuca once explained he was great with kids, and from what we have seen, he is. But Jackson was there to give him some advice anyway.
He's not their father, and he's not trying to be, but it felt like the first time he thought about what it means to date someone with kids.
He jumped into taking more responsibility for them, and he had to do it without Meredith being there. It makes a world a difference when he has to deal with them on his own.
Jackson showed off his kid skills with Mary Rose.
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It's awful for a young child to miss out on standard childhood fun. Her inability to withstand the sun meant she missed out on most of the usual kid activities.
Halloween was a saving grace for her, but she ended up in the hospital with third-degree burns and her favorite doctor at another hospital.
She forgot to put on her protection gear when she was trying to save her new pet cat. Jackson was good with her, and he got the truth out of her and ensured she wouldn't repeat the same mistake without ratting her out to her moms.
Everyone was trying to juggle children and how best to handle them. Levi's quest to find the perfect costume for the Halloween parade he had to throw together last minute was cute.
He can be a bit, bitchy, for lack of a better word, but he had a blast in the end, and Nico showed up too. His mother may be having a hard time with him being out, but he's rolling with it.
How's Grey handling lockup? I mean she's great handling a scalpel, but I can't picture her wielding a shiv. Actually, I can.
Jackson
He was a cute sunflower, too. It wasn't as perfect as the costumes Owen's mother made, but it worked well in a pinch.
Teddy's ongoing arc of being insecure about motherhood is limiting. She's a new mom, so it comes with the territory. It's also a relatable thing for many people.
It's a near-constant arc for her, though, and sometimes you want more than this for her.
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Nothing about Owen bringing costumes to her for the kids gave off the impression he expected Teddy to duplicate what his mother does.
Teddy isn't the most traditionally maternal type, and it's OK. She's the only one putting this pressure on herself.
Owen doesn't expect her to be anything more than what she is. Owen has embraced and fully anticipated being the more nurturing parent between the two of them.
The man damn near jumped at the chance to stay with the babies more while Teddy was itching to get back to work. They're the genderswapped roles type of parents, and they know this.
Teddy: You were so quiet that I forgot you were -- I'm so sorry.
Tom: Don't be. And you are not inept, except in your choice of baby daddies. Don't let ginger beard or his mom make you feel otherwise.
At least, Owen knows this, and Teddy is still trying to catch a clue. It speaks to the constant battle of what it means to be feminine and maternal in our modern times.
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Working moms feel the guilt that they aren't doing enough. Teddy loves Allison to pieces, but she always feels like she's failing or a bad mom because of motherhood not being the only thing that fulfills her.
She needs to cut herself slack and take the advice of the man who loves her and didn't treat her like crap when he had to sit there in silence and listen to her go on about her happy new life with her family without him.
It seems like the near irrational hatred of Tom hasn't subsided in any way. However, he was there for Bailey and unexpectedly confided in her.
Our likable Tom was back and spilling his guts about why he didn't like Halloween. He even apologized when Bailey pointed out he was being a grinch and ruining things for others.
I used to like Halloween, but my son, David, he loved it. His mom didn't, so every year, he and I put together his costume and went trick or treating. It was our thing. One year he was, um, he was really excited about being Luke Skywalker, so we were making this stormtrooper belt. We got it out of the trash compactor. He never got the chance to wear it. He died two weeks before Halloween
Tom
It used to be his favorite holiday with his son, and his kid died two weeks before they were supposed to go trick or treating with the cool costume they put together themselves.
It was gutwrenching when he spoke about it and got choked up. Then, it was amusing when Bailey was trying not to cry, and Tom had to comfort her and tell people to stop staring at her.
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For the sake of us Tom fans, let's blame the ping-pong character assassination and change of behavior on the anniversary of his son's death hitting him like a ton of bricks.
Grey Sloan was tame on Halloween, but Pac-North was far from it.
Jo: Seriously? You can't pretend to be scared?
Alex: Nothing is scarier than my own life.
The hospital is a disaster, but it's adorable how Webber and Alex are trying to pull it together anyway.
They have a bunch of people working there who are human disasters, incompetent, or a hot mess, but they are committed to this.
Jo, looking stunning as a corpse bride, tagging along on her day off was amusing. Jolex is hitting their stride as a couple.
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Alex barely reacts to the outrageous crap that happens at that hospital. How does the new wing get built on a burial ground?
Eddie: I'm not a doctor, but I think that's a skull. That's another one, and that's a lot more. You want us to keep working?
Alex: You know, I'm going to need a moment.
Who comes up with that? How do you adjust to it?
The staff was convinced the hospital was haunted after that, and Richard was working like overtime to get the board to give them more funding.
Thankfully, the board, like us, appreciated how cool as a cucumber Alex was under pressure and approved of their funding.
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Alex's way of celebrating was renewing his vows with Jo at the courthouse wearing vampire fangs. I mean, you know what? Good for them.
It was cute, and a reminder that the last time they got married there was skeletons involved too. Their weddings are unconventional, but so are they.
Jo joking about being pregnant had a girl ready to throw something. It would've been on-brand with how this season has played out, but she isn't pregnant.
It sucks for those Jolex fans who have been craving a baby for seasons now. It doesn't seem like either of them want kids, though.
Meanwhile, the cutest of all couples had to meet up with Link's parents, and man, they're a self-involved pair.
Amelia was worried she wouldn't leave the best impression, and her opening with them was cringeworthy at best, but they loved her.
She was the perfect supportive partner to Link when he didn't react well to his parents getting remarried.
His frustration was understandable, especially when he ran down how much they hated each other over the years.
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All of these moments that should have been about him were about their hatred of one another.
Link: You two put me through hell with your divorce. You used me like a pawn. You made me a go-between. You made me pick sides. I spent Christmas days on an airplane so I could have breakfast with you and dinner with you. I double-majored in college, so you could go to separate graduation ceremonies. It took me years to learn how to manage parents. You two could barely sit through a lunch without tearing each other apart, and now you're getting back together? I don't even know what to say!
Amelia: I think they just want you to say you're happy.
Link: No. No, no. They don't get to tell me what to say. They gave up that right when they sat me down and told me that our family was a painful lie. Which, together or not, we will never do to our kid. Oh yeah, you're going to be grandparents. I need some air.
Amelia: Surprise!
The Christmas thing was terrible. What kid wants to spend most of Christmas on an airplane trying to accommodate both parents?
The double major/two graduations thing, however, was pure insanity.
But for some reason, his parents thought the best time to tell him they were getting remarried was on the anniversary of HIS cancer remission.
Come on! And he was prepared to tell them about his baby. They stole his thunder and "out surprised" him.
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Anytime Amelia and Link are together and their families are involved, it plays out like a rom-com, and it's the best.
Once again, Amelink stole the hour. They're stealing the season. They're stealing our hearts!
Amelink over everything!
OK, Grey's Fanatics. Over to you!
Would you have liked more spooktacular goodness for your Grey's Halloween? Did you know Kelly McCreary's (Maggie) husband Pete Chatmon directed the hour?
Hit the comments with your thoughts.
You can watch Grey's Anatomy online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
