Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 23 Review: What I Did For Love
Jasmine Blu
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People do crazy and stupid things in the name of love.
No, on Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 23 we found it's not limited to romantic love either. They do crazy things in the name of love of their job, love of their friends and family, love of humanity, and love of doing what they feel is right.
Meredith broke down the science of love, but it doesn't make any more sense.
Jesse Williams took another spin in the director's chair for this hour, and it was eventful with plenty of reasons to get in your feelings. Something which stood out was the snappier dialogue; it was more than usual and fun.
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As the first part of another Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 crossover, both shows are finding their rhythm with embracing a crossover. It had a handful of characters from Station 19, but the center of it which connected both series was Chief Ripley.
It was a nice change to have someone different as the bridge between the two series other than Andy or even Warren, who we are more familiar with and we'd expect. However, for those of you who don't typically watch Station 19, I wonder: were you invested enough in Ripley's case to find out what happens to him?
Did the ending entice you to give Station 19 a spin afterward? I'm curious. Other than that, the crossovers are gradually improving from the first ones, even if they aren't yet at the same speed as the Chicago franchise.
Maggie: If you leave here, your heart could stop.
Ripley: If I stay here my heart could ...
Maggie: What were you about to say? You were about to say break, weren't you? That's so cheesy.
Ripley: I stopped myself.
It's always interesting how the Station 19 characters tend to shine better on Grey's Anatomy sometimes than they do on their series. This hour was no exception, although Ripley has always been a likable character regardless, he was vibrant and livelier than the norm.
Ripley and Maggie's interactions were a highlight of the hour as they both bonded over their inability to answer the people they love and their terrible habit of giving off the wrong signals. As expected, Maggie had not answered Jackson right off the bat about moving in.
She exited the conversation by using her sisters and the children as an excuse for why she needed time to "break the news" to them about moving in with Jackson. It was better than leaving a proposal unanswered for a late-night quest to buy all the milk in Seattle.
However, it was also rather ridiculous when she spent most nights at Jackson's before his offer. Meredith and Amelia would be fine. It's quintessentially Maggie.
Can you love me for who I am or are you always going to be disappointed with me when I'm me?
Maggie
I love how she knows herself, and she's not apologizing for who she is and how she has to process things. Jackson knows her too, so he can't spring things on her and expect immediate responses when she's the woman who has to make a pro-con list and weigh everything out.
She told him that and gave him the answer he was hoping to hear. Jackson reassuring her that he understands her process, and he'd get her the weights, and pens, and paper when she needs was sweet. However, he's too pushy with the camping though. Chill out, sir.
Maggie and Ripley bonding over their romantic mishaps was amusing. The poor guy was leaving the flower shop with a Levi approved bouquet and on his way to accept his secret girlfriend's proposal. He left her waiting at a diner for hours unaware that he was on his way to her but had fallen ill on the sidewalk.
Ripley's need to reach the woman he loves and tell her that he had not rejected her or stood her up was reasonable, but it should not have come at the expense of his health. He needs open-heart surgery, and God knows what else since his scans were scary enough to have Maggie rattled.
Andy was right when she made that quip about Maggie coming across as a scared flight attendant trying to assure everyone that everything is fine. What the heck did Ripley's scans say?
Since his girlfriend wasn't answering her or anyone else's phone calls, he pulled a vanishing act. He not only slipped out of the sight of Maggie and anyone working at the hospital, but he somehow managed to get past Andy, Sullivan, and Warren too.
Levi, bless his wee heart, was riding a temporary high from wheeling in a patient in dramatic fashion, and the high didn't stop when he found out it was Seattle's Fire Chief.
Levi: Oh no! Did I just out someone?
Sullivan: No.
Levi: Oh good. I'm kind of new at this, and my gaydar is uhh...
He was so giddy and dorky about it. He kept focusing on all the wrong details instead of the important stuff. Levi is too adorable for words, but also, he needs to mature a bit and focus.
He's head over heels for Nico, and he bounced back like a weeble wobble after Nico lashed out at him. He was right back in Nico's face trying to impress him and get his attention like an earnest puppy. The secondhand embarrassment was real.
I have adored Schmico all season, and it brought us a more confident and aware Levi. It didn't give us anything for Nico though.
We don't know anything about Nico nor do we know what his personality is generally supposed to be, so it's hard to tell if he's reeling from losing a patient and making a mistake or he's an ass.
Nico may be going through a difficult time, and it does suck that Link has to be the one to inform Levi and the audience of this, but he's using Levi as a punching bag, and it's reminiscent of high school. He gave the nerd the time of day before abruptly inundating him with a barrage of acerbic remarks.
I'm sorry I killed a guy and you're making it all about you.
Nico
Levi has real feelings for Nico, but I'm starting to think Nico may have viewed Levi as a past time.
Do you think DeLuca feels like a past time? Mer and Maggie have more similarities than most people care to admit, and when DeLuca told her he loved her, she bolted out of there in the second most awkward moment of the hour.
Everyone is noticing how happy Meredith is, which is cool, but it seems her primary focus is on being happy and not trying to put more thought into he relationship with DeLuca than needed. She's going at a pace of her own, and I respect it.
Sometimes it seems as though she volleys back and forth between being serious and having fun. If it confuses DeLuca, I can understand it. But DeLuca has hero worship of Meredith (almost as bad if not worse than Helm's) and sometimes it makes his feelings hard to distinguish too.
It's odd how she assumed he had a problem with her taking such extreme measures with Gabby to the point of committing insurance fraud.
Deluca: I was afraid if I opened my mouth the only thing that would come out is "I love you."
Mer: Oh, OK. Well, I'm glad we cleared that up.
For one, he's aware of his privilege as a white immigrant from a European country compared to any brown immigrant from South America. No one ever thinks twice about whether or not he "belongs" in America, and he's been there long enough where people assume he's American.
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But, he also saw how far Meredith went for Sam during Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 19. She arranged for Sam to find a job in Switzerland with Cristina instead of allowing her to get deported.
Meredith as a renegade is nothing new, and she does get passionate about these issues. However, I was shocked when she went as far as she did.
After raging over America's healthcare system where Luis made too much money for state insurance but not enough money to pay for the surgery despite his low-income job, she couldn't stand by and let Gabby suffer. She performed Gabby's surgery using Ellis' insurance coverage.
DeLuca: Luis doesn't qualify for State insurance because he makes too much money.
Meredith: Are you kidding me? Cleaning offices. So he makes too much for insurance and not enough for treatment. That's insane!
Has anyone kept a list of all the things Grey's doctors have done over the years which should've cost them their medical licenses, led to jail time, or the hospital being shut down for good?
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Everything with Gabby's case reminded me of something right out of The Resident right down to Meredith's questionable means of resolving it. I love how Richard flipped out and reprimanded her but also came up with a way to improve her plan.
He was annoyed with Meredith's soapbox antics, but even he didn't want to see Luis deported or Gabby landing in a cage somewhere with the rest of her family.
Meredith went rogue, and it worked in her favor, but Jo is a hot mess. Nothing good was going to come from her working on Gus' case. She's still roaming the halls like a zombie, for starters.
I knew when she answered the phone, the person on the other line was probably seeking RH blood not donating it. She never confirmed anything when she went searching for Alex. You never tell the family news like that if you aren't 100% certain what you're saying is the truth.
Richard: You could lose your children. They don't put your children in jail with you here Meredith.
Meredith: Unless you're seeking asylum.
She had a full-blown panic attack when she realized what she had done. Teddy and Warren both tried to help her out at different times. Teddy's scene was heartbreaking, but I love the pure sympathy she exuded.
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She raised flags with them, and Alex already doesn't know how to react to Jo either. The huge turning point was when Jo broke down sobbing with Gus' mother who barely had time to be upset about Jo's error before she was instinctively comforting Jo despite being confused as hell.
The incident became about Jo instead of Gus or his mother, and while doctors are human, it's unheard of to have such an emotional meltdown in the arms of a patient's mother. Holy crap!
Teddy and Warren both went to Bailey with their concerns, and poor Alex was with Bailey too. He doesn't know what to do. The cutest and sweetest moment was when Bailey dumped her pens out so he could smash her cup. Their relationship will always give a person the feels.
However, this love thing with TOTAL (thanks, Mrs. Alex O'Loughlin), is meh. It may be heading towards a conclusion since Owen has apologized (!!!) to Amelia for his terrible words. He's happy his therapist's "voodoo" worked, and he's ready to tell the woman whom he loves that he loves her and is willing to fight for her at any cost.
Tom: Hey, birth buddy.
Owen: I thought you were headed to Baltimore?
Tom: No, I decided to stay for the big show. Already picked out a playlist. I hope you like Enya.
Um, it's fantastic Owen is making progress in therapy; he sure as hell needed it, but he doesn't need to jump back into or even pursue a relationship right now. Why is this always a thing?
He may not realize it, but it's like he saw Teddy has been happy with Tom, and he figured out Amelia and Link are a thing, and now he's ready to blow something up since he thinks he's "fixed." Why can't he focus on Leo?
Who he was speaking about is unclear. He mentioned Germany fondly while talking to Teddy, and their baby is due soon. However, it seemed as though he and Amelia shared a moment when he apologized to her and brought up how she could spend time with Leo whenever she wanted.
Teddy mentioned Germany more than once though, and her reluctance to settle down in any of the previous apartments Tom found for her because they weren't like her place in Germany makes me think she's longing to return there.
Tom is devoted to her. He didn't go to Baltimore for a job if it meant missing the birth. He found the perfect apartment and rented it on her behalf.
He's committed to her, but Teddy's feelings remain a mystery.
I told you a while back that you were incapable of love, but I have been doing some therapy, and I realize that I think it was me I was talking about, not you. And I'm sorry I said that. It's not true. It's the opposite of true.
Owen
Meanwhile, Amelia and Link are sweet and having fun, but they aren't exactly serious about one another from what we have seen. Sometimes it feels like maybe Link may feel more than Amelia does, but it's hard to say.
It's too bad as both ladies are in great relationships right now regardless of the definition of them.
Over to you Grey's Fanatics. How awkward was Merluca's final scene? Did Meredith take things too far with Gabby? What on Earth are they going to do about Jo?
Are you tuning in for the second part to find out what happened to Ripley? Do you think Teddy plans on heading back to Germany? Hit the comments below 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.
