Grey's Anatomy Round Table: Let's Talk About "The Talk"!

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It was a bittersweet, powerful, poignant hour of Grey's Anatomy, and fans can't stop talking about it.

Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 10 tragically and beautifully tackled unconscious bias. Jo's emotional arc ended in triumph, and a ghost from her past and a devastating case had April on a downward spiral.

Join TV Fanatics Stacy Glanzman, Paul Dailly, and Jasmine Blu as they discuss a powerful hour of Grey's Anatomy! 

Jo's domestic abuse arc has come to an end. Do you like the final result or would you have preferred justice served in court?

Stacy: I'm certainly not upset he's dead. He deserved what he got, and the end result was very satisfying. My only qualm is that most domestic violence situations are not going to end that way, and showing a long court battle would have been more realistic.

Paul: It felt rushed. I thought for sure this arc would go on for weeks, so I expected more from it. I agree with Stacy about not all domestic violence situations ending that way.

Jasmine: I agree with the others. I'm not losing any sleep over him being dead, but I did expect the arc to be longer. I think that's why I expected more from Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 9.

Killer Smile - Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 9

The hour tackled unconscious and racial bias. How would you grade the show's execution of the topic and why?

Stacy: I'd give it an A. I thought their execution in tackling such an important and timely issue was very well done. It was very hard to watch, and that was the point. I think they definitely got their message across.

I loved Jackson standing up to those cops and speaking his mind. I hope they carry his words with them when they do their jobs from now.

Paul: I'd give it an A. It was a delicate topic for sure, and I felt like it was handled very well. It was horrifying to watch how the whole story unfolded, but it drove home the point that this is very present in this day and age.

The cops were horrid and seemed intent on saving one of their own, despite that cop firing first without thinking about it.

Jasmine: Same as the others, an A. I love that the emphasis was on "bias" instead of "racist," which typically makes others defensive and causes the message to be lost. Jesse Williams, in particular, really stood out with this, but so did the talk with Tuck.

Jackson is Stumped - Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 10

Matthew returned unexpectedly, and just when it appeared he had found his happily ever after, matters took a tragic turn. Will Matthew ever forgive April?

Stacy: I definitely was not expecting Matthew to return out of the blue like that. Losing his wife was devastating, and now he has an infant to raise all by himself. It's going to be tough for him for awhile, but I'm not sure if he really blames April. He's hurting big time right now, but I think with time, he'll be able to accept it wasn't her fault.

Paul: Yeah, they certainly kept it all under wraps. I do think he will forgive her, but it's going to take time. He was hurting and it's going to take time for him to adjust to being a single father when this was supposed to be his family adding another person.

Jasmine: I didn't see the Matthew appearance coming. I'm surprised they pulled off that surprise! I'm not sure he ever will. He was happily married and still appeared to resent her for the past. I think he'll never forgiver her simply because she's once again tied into another one of the worst days of his life.

Jackson recounted his experiences as a youth, unbeknownst to April. Do you feel Jackson shielded April from racial experiences while they were together?

Stacy: I don't think he consciously shielded her from it. He made a comment about how it didn't come up until it did. I think we all have experiences in our past that we aren't exactly hiding, but don't necessarily openly talk about either.

Paul: I was on the fence about this. It seemed like such an integral part of his past, and it didn't really make sense for April not to be made aware of it.

Jasmine: I liked that moment and the way Jackson told his story, but I thought it was unusual. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how race never came up in their relationship.

On one hand, it's awesome because it shouldn't be the primary focus, nor should it matter, but on the other, it's unrealistic that it never really has. Their issues were most often related to lifestyle and class level: Atheist versus Christian and upper-class prep kid versus a middle-class farm girl.

I don't know, I think it's something that inevitably comes up in an interracial relationship. April is often naive, but here, she was in a way I found odd for someone who was married to a biracial man.

They have a kid together, I would have expected it to come up in some way before this. April's faith is a fundamental component of her character.

What are your thoughts on April's crisis of faith? Can she bounce back?

Stacy: I think her crisis of faith is very realistic, and it's not the first time she's experienced one. She did when she and Jackson first got together too. This one was obviously bigger, and she's in a really bad place right now, but she'll bounce back.

April has been through a lot in her life. She's lost her job, failed the boards, spent time in a war zone, lost her baby...she hasn't reached Meredith's level of tragedy, but she's had her fair share. She has supportive people in her life who love and care about her, and a baby she needs to be there for, so I think she'll persevere.

For someone who used to really dislike April, I am truly looking forward to watching this arc. She's come a long way as a character.

Paul: I thought it was a great showcase of her faith when the day just kept getting worse. I believe she will bounce back, but it's not going to be the case of it happening overnight.

Jasmine: LOL, Stacy, I don't think anyone has reached Meredith levels of hardship. Sheesh! I completely agree with you. I am not usually an April fan, but I loved her in this episode, and I like this arc for her and look forward to seeing where it goes.

It's not a topic that is explored very often, so I find it refreshing. April may have a long journey, but she'll bounce back.

Which scene or quote affected you the most?

Stacy: Everything about the boy's storyline, but especially Bailey and Ben giving Tucker "the talk." It sucks that we live in a world where a conversation like that is necessary. Tucker's facial expressions through the whole thing really got to me. It was like he was losing a little bit of his innocence right before our eyes.

Paul: I totally agree with Stacy on this one. It was difficult for Tucker to hear just how bad the world is, and my heart broke for him as the expression left his face.

Jasmine: Yes, the talk was very powerful and well done. But to switch it up, pretty much every scene with Jackson, and that final scene of April in the shower with that vacant look and that voiceover. And just for fun, I loved Maggie, the science geek, impressing the boys with her experiment.

Do you agree with our Grey's Anatomy roundtable? Do you disagree? Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below! In case you missed this incredible hour, 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.

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