Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 4 Review: With a Little Help From My Friends
Jasmine Blu
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Was that the end of Addison's return? Why can't we keep her forever?!
Addison's visit continued on Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 4, and it did not disappoint when Addison spent most of her time with Amelia giving us that sweet sisterly goodness and Private Practice reunion that we all deserved.
We also saw the residents perform solo surgeries in a revolutionary teaching method that may improve things, much to Bailey's displeasure.
The focus on the residents is reminiscent of the old days, and Webber's passion for teaching is always a bonus. His idea of making the group of them team up and perform lap-choles was unprecedented, but it served them well, Webber throwing them into the deep end.
If you think about it, it was a decent way of maximizing the surgeries done, giving them the experience they needed beyond repeated field lab work. It prompted the residents to learn better habits, including reaching out for help when necessary.
Unsurprisingly, Levi was the one who shone best, so much so that he got to perform another surgery along with Reza. The storylines with the residents are excellent overall, but they could still benefit from more focus on them individually.
And that's why Levi succeeding as the resident on top was underwhelming. We know enough about Levi now. Is it too much to ask that we spend time with any of the others?
One of the residents (one whose name is Mabel, not that we've heard the show use it enough to grasp that otherwise) did Amelia's superwoman pose. That was adorable, but we know nothing about how Amelia inspires her, nor can we pinpoint when she worked with the woman.
Helm was excited, but she cut a vein, and the patient nearly bled out, which prompted Bailey to take over. You hated to see that happen when Bailey could've used the time to teach Helm something instead of shoving her aside. It felt symbolic of how often Helm receives that treatment as a character especially compared to Levi.
Bailey: I take it back.
Mer: What?
Bailey: You can't go to Minnesota. This man has lost his damn mind.
Bailey at least made up for it later with a pep talk, and these are the moments when Helm shows how compelling a character she can be when they remember she's there and they don't have her exclusively obsessing over Meredith.
The passion Webber, Mer, and Catherine expressed over the program was amusing. Hopefully, we'll stick to some of these stories and flesh out the residents more.
Meanwhile, Jo is shining bright as an OB resident. The blond hair, pink scrubs, and exhausted mom shtick -- it suits her. It's probably Jo's most enjoyable storyline in years.
She's found her calling in OB, and she works nicely with Carina, who was a fantastic mentor for Jo. She got to be hands-on, and motherhood has helped with Jo's bedside manner and empathy when treating her patients.
Jo was excellent with Nikki. But bloody hell, Nikki's situation was wild!
How do you date a person for a month and not tell them that you're pregnant with someone else's child? Nikki kept expressing shock and outrage that her boyfriend didn't see that she was pregnant, but it's reasonable that he thought she was plus-sized.
And it's a hell of a lot to expect someone to stick by you during the labor and delivery of a child they didn't know you were having. Nikki kept trying to make her boyfriend out as the bad guy, but he wasn't.
The maneuver Jo had to perform to get the baby out was enough to make you cross your legs, but at least Nikki had a healthy baby, and Jo had a successful day at work.
Let's just give her a minute to cry.
Addison
Jo working with Carina was refreshing, but it's still odd that she never got to assist Addison in all of her time there.
But that's nothing worth complaining about since we got all the Amelia and Addie action. Amelia needed Addison there to give her advice and talk things through with her. As much as the Grey's Anatomy sisterhood with Amelia, Mer, and Maggie is a delight, it's not comparable to Addison and Amelia's bond.
Finally, we have a better idea of where Amelia's head is with the situation with Link. It still feels contrived that they tore these two apart for no good reason other than "drama," but at least there's some semblance of sensibility with where things are now.
Amelia struggled with her addiction during the pandemic. She and Link fell into domesticity, and while he loved it, she felt trapped.
It's too bad Amelia couldn't correctly voice this sentiment before all of this. Maybe Link and the audience would've understood her position in all of its beautifully messy glory if she had.
Amelia's darkness and complexity often challenge the notion of perfect womanhood. Her conversations with Addison, who has done the same, dug into that.
They gave voice to things that many people, particularly women, probably experienced during the bleak times of quarantine and the pandemic. These are sentiments we're not supposed to say out loud, you know?
Amelia felt awful that she didn't find happiness surrounded by Link and the kids, and all she wanted to do was use. She didn't find satisfaction with the online meetings either, so she was in a fraught state for months.
I went really dark, Amelia. Dark, dark thoughts. I went to bed thinking about not waking up, and that really comforted me.
Addison
Addison admitted that she was in a dark place, too, despite how happy she was with her husband and son. She spoke of drinking too much wine, going for long drives to get away, and dark borderline suicidal ideation thoughts of not wanting to wake up again.
The two women's commiseration over these things while desperately trying to help Tovah were the best scenes of the hour.
No one else could get these things out of Amelia, and now that we know where she stands, as heartbreaking as it is, you can't fault her for letting Link go rather than continue hurting him. She still needs to communicate better.
And after figuring out things with Tova, all Addison wanted to do was go home to her family. Kate Walsh has rocked this guest-starring role. Again, in the ideal world, we'd keep her forever.
Surprisingly, Owen and Winston also had some of the most entertaining scenes of the hour. The two of them work well together, and to be honest, the men are holding it down with the friendships this season.
Winston and Owen are a kickass duo, and they've developed a friendship too. It's funny; Owen has stepped it up as the leading man of this series when you think about it.
His dedication to the veterans makes your heart swell, and this ongoing case is a refreshing turn of events than the one-off ones that the series often does.
On top of his pulmonary fibrosis, Roy's cancer made for a bleak prognosis, and it was evident he wouldn't be making it out of the hour alive despite his best intentions. All he wanted was to make it to Congress the next month to advocate for his fellow veterans.
The shocking moment was when he revealed that he was the reason his men got exposure to those burning pits. Roy's death prompted Noah to lash out at Owen again, and it's another setback for him.
Owen is actively trying to do good and help, but it's challenging to earn Noah's trust. He'll have his work cut out attempting to get through to Noah again, but I hope he doesn't give up. I'm thoroughly invested in this storyline, and Owen, as well as McKidd, shines in it.
At least he could grab a drink with Hayes at the end of the hour to distract himself. And they may have more of those in the future if the potential sparks between Megan and Hayes lead to something.
Is anyone else picking up on that?
It's fine. I have a little cancer. I spent my entire career, my entire life, fighting. I want the surgery.
Roy
It's heartbreaking that Farouk has endocarditis after everything else he's endured. He and Megan can never catch a break. But we can trust that he's in the best hands with Hayes.
Hayes shtick seems to be radiating certified DILF energy and bonding with women over single fatherhood and raising kids. It wouldn't be surprising if he and Megan developed a flirtation while working together and dealing with Farouk. Their kids can also play together too.
And we already know that he needs someone to spend time with now that Meredith is devoting her time to Minnesota and a specific hot transplant doctor.
In one scene, the chemistry between Nick and Mer crackled with the promise of more.
If Mer gets Nick, then it's only fair that McWidow finds some companionship with Megan, even if that does mean Megan is two for two with sharing a man with Meredith. What is Grey's without their incestuous romantic entanglements?
Over to you, Grey's Fanatics.
How perfect were those Addison and Amelia scenes? Are you enjoying the focus on the residents? Do you think Megan and Hayes will become something? HIt the comments below!
You can watch Grey's Anatomy online via TV Fanatic until the series returns on November 11 with a Station 19 crossover!
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.
