Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 16 Review: Caught Somewhere in Time
Jasmine Blu
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There is a lot to digest.
Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 16 gave us a bit of everything. There were humorous moments, heavy moments, breakdowns, romance, friendship, and family feels.
It also managed to be a case-heavy, character- heavy, and relationship- heavy hour. Shockingly, it was balanced well.
The cat is out of the Jaggie bag, and it was understated. I appreciate that it didn't turn into a massive blowout, and they approached it from a different angle. The fandom has been reactionary enough.
Jackson and Maggie were reckless with their smooching, and Catherine and Richard's facial expressions were priceless.
Obviously, Catherine was going to be the most vocal about this new development, and Richard was introspective. There was no way of knowing how he felt until he spoke about it.
Catherine's way of processing the news was unprofessional. It's understandable that she would be up in arms, but they were about to perform an important, groundbreaking surgery on a fellow doctor.
Of all the places on Earth for you to dip your wick, you choose Maggie.
Catherine
Michelle knew they weren't focused on her case, and that fell on Catherine. At any point, she could have postponed a discussion about it until later. Instead, she incessantly picked at it.
I was Team Richard the entire time. Yes, even when he played protective father and threatened Jackson if he hurt Maggie in the end.
What was weak, however, was Catherine's reasoning for why she was livid about this situation. Catherine wasn't pissed about the family connections which is BS, but I'll go with it.
Jackson, I want you to have love. I just don't want you to cost me mine.
Catherine
She was afraid that Jackson's new relationship would somehow cost her the relationship she has with Richard.
Forgive me, but I didn't follow the logic behind that. Catherine was afraid that if things didn't work out, she would have to choose her son, and Richard would choose Maggie, and it would affect their marriage.
Related: Grey's Anatomy Review: Old Scars, Future Hearts
Did that make any sense at all to any of you?
Catherine, while a meddlesome mother to Jackson, has never been the person who blindly supports her son to the ends of the Earth. She's practical and sides with the person she deems right.
She was super protective of Jackson when he and April were on the outs, but she also sided with April a great deal of time after their divorce. Her fear was baseless and made little sense.
If we're going to look at it from the perspective of a family dynamic, thousands of step-families figured out how to resolve family spats without parents siding with their biological kids. Maggie and Jackson aren't babies; they're adults.
That's where this family business gets irritating. I'm all for the belief that family isn't just DNA. One of my favorite shows is The Fosters.
I get that there is discomfort because Jaggie is comprised of step-siblings who aren't legally step-siblings having a romantic relationship, but it can't be reduced to that.
Catherine and Richard have only been married for what, two years, maybe? Richard didn't know about Maggie's existence until a few years ago.
Jackson and Maggie weren't raised together as siblings, and Richard isn't legally Maggie's father. Whether people realize it or not, it diminishes the importance of Maggie's real parents by implying that they are "less than" because they're adoptive parents.
Jackson and Maggie are adults with no blood relation whatsoever. They wouldn't have been considered siblings before a few years ago. What would have happened if they became an item before Richard and Catherine got together?
Catherine: I don't know why you're not more upset about this mess.
Richard: Oh, I'm plenty upset.
Catherine: Thank. You.
Richard: Not with them, Catherine, with you.
Catherine: What?
Richard: Nothing is ever good enough for your child.
While I think the show made things unnecessarily convoluted, the incest argument is baseless (and agitating), and the step-siblings angle is weak.
That being said, it's weird that the attempt to shut down that argument leaned heavily into a family dynamic point of contention for Catherine.
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Whatever. Anyway, Maggie and Jackson may be here to stay because he genuinely cares for her and said as much to both Catherine and Richard. This is the real deal for him. He wants it to last.
It was a needlessly long, complicated, and ridiculous journey bringing the two of them together, but now that they have, the show is committing to it. I guess fans will have to settle in because Jaggie will be here for a while. Sorry, I guess.
Now, let me move on to another 'ship with a strange argument. Owen and Amelia were having their no-strings sex, and their relationship has worked well.
Their issues were inevitably going to come up. Somehow, their baby dispute was left in the air with this question mark.
Related: Grey's Anatomy Round Table: Should Owen and Amelia Just End It?
Amelia blamed the tumor for her opposing stance, but she didn't make it clear if she was back on board with having a kid. Somehow, the conversation shifted to Teddy.
We know Kim Raver is returning, and that's awesome news because Teddy is an awesome character. In fact, count me in for being on board with the Owen and Teddy 'ship finally sailing.
Amelia: Wow. Our marriage didn't stand a chance.
Owen: What?
Amelia: Teddy. She's your tumor.
My issue with how Amelia brought Teddy up is the implication that men and women can't be friends.
Amelia made it seem like Teddy was the only reason none of Owen's relationships could ever work. That's a craptastic argument if I've ever heard one.
Teddy isn't the sole reason that none of Owen's relationships could work. There are a host of reasons for that, so why limit it to her?
It was another example of my not minding the end result (Owen headed to the airport to track down Teddy), but I positively loathed how we got there.
While I'm at it, it's no secret that I'm not a Jo fan, but I have been able to tolerate her and enjoy her friendship with Meredith this season.
However, the snide way she spoke about Marjorie's valiant effort to discover time travel reminded me of how loathsome, judgmental, and rude Jo can often be.
At least Marjorie's tragic case brought out the geeky side of Miranda again, and she inspired them. There is a fine line between genius and insanity, but Marjorie gave her ambitions her all, and that's respectable.
Don't let something your mother did in the past wipe out your chance to change the future.
Jo
She left enough of an impression on Jo to inspire her to light a fire under Meredith's arse. Where's your fight, Meredith? Ellis Grey's daughter cowers to no one!
The project is back on, Marie's threats be damned.
Speaking of sparks, Arizona was back after a brief hiatus. Little Sofia is an adorable young girl, and she may have the medical bug in her too.
Related: Kim Raver Returns to Grey's Anatomy!
Their scenes were positively sweet. I love how Arizona's case eventually tied into Amelia and Alex's study. Noah's bursts of laughter resulting from seizures were heartbreaking.
Sofia: Mommy?
Arizona: Hmm?
Sofia: Are you crying because Noah has a tumor?
Arizona: No, I'm crying because I'm lucky. I am so lucky to have a beautiful, smart, healthy little girl, and sometimes I get so busy that I forget how lucky that I am. You know what? How about tomorrow, I take the day off. You and I can go find an adventure, just the two of us.
How can you not root for Amelia and Alex's success when their patients are often tiny humans?!
It feels like Arizona's departure may tie into Sofia. Sofia is tired of being shipped back and forth from one side of the country to the other.
Arizona and Callie may never reconcile their romantic relationship, but Arizona may move to New York City to be closer to Callie for Sofia's benefit.
April's fate is still up in the air.
She's one of the other characters I typically can't tolerate, but there's no hiding how much I have appreciated her recent arc and Sarah Drew's performance.
April making the interns cry during their certification training was beyond enjoyable. It was a hoot until it took an ugly turn.
April having another breakdown and spiraling out was unbearable yet again, but it's also frustrating. No one is paying her any attention.
Jackson has noticed things, and he made a few attempts, but he's not in the position to get through to her anymore.
When did you decide that we're not friends anymore, that you couldn't talk to me? When did you decide that I'm not here for you?
Jackson
Arizona is April's best friend. She has picked up on a few things, but she hasn't confronted April about it at all. Why?
Owen is another one of April's closest friends. He saw her turning into a Drill Sergeant on the interns, and he has been around to notice some off behavior, but he hasn't said or done anything. Why?
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It isn't Meredith or Alex, or someone whose disconcerting behavior isn't too far off from their usual behavior. It's April!
It's baffling that no one else has noticed or taken the initiative to intervene. She's on the brink of being a liability to the hospital if her behavior continues, and nothing is being done about it. How?!
Don't get me started on DeLuca not doing more when she was having a full-blown meltdown in front of the others. At what point do you just, I don't know, cart the woman away?
Alright, Grey's Fanatics, let me hear your thoughts in the comments. I'll brace myself for you coming at me about Jaggie. Be gentle.
Don't forget, you can watch Grey's Anatomy online anytime, right here at 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.
