They slowed things down for us and focused on the sister trio.

We also got a better insight into characters like Kai and Nick during Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 12. But what does our round table think about the hour?

Join Jasmin Pettie, Joshua Johnson, and Meaghan Frey as they discuss it.

Do you enjoy it when they slow things down like this and focus on a few characters outside the hospital?

Jasmin: It depends on the characters. If they're focusing on characters I love or find super interesting, I'm all for it. If they focus on characters, I don't care for or storylines I don't find interesting, then I find these kinds of episodes boring.

This episode was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the dual storylines of Maggie reading the letter Zola found from Ellis and Winston looking after the kids and talking to Zola about her birth mother.

I didn't hate Amelia and Kai's storyline, but I didn't find it particularly compelling either. I hated Meredith and Nick's storyline because their scenes always feel forced to me, and it made both of them come off as irresponsible and bad parents.

Joshua: Yes and no. As Jasmin said, it depends on the characters. Usually, I would be all for an episode that focuses on the three sisters, but also, as Jasmin noted, this episode was a mixed bag for me.

The only story that I found interesting and compelling was Maggie's because I think that even though Ellis has been dead for 15 years, I still think her story is one of the most interesting stories on the show, and I'm always excited to get more Ellis back story and characterization, especially as it relates to Maggie.

Amelia and Kai's storyline wasn't not interesting, but their story didn't really compel me until after all the sex happened. Meredith and Nick's story? Meh. It wasn't about Meredith and Nick, it was about Nick's niece, and I just didn't care.

Meaghan: I definitely agree with Joshua and Jasmin that it tends to be a mixed bag when they do these types of episodes.

As Jasmin said, it can be successful when it is characters that the individual viewer cares about, but if it is a character that they aren't a fan of, then that viewer will end up not liking a large chunk of the episode; similar to how Jasmin felt about Nick and Meredith.

I really enjoyed this episode as I was interested in seeing development in all of these storylines.

Discuss your thoughts on Maggie's fever-dream time with Ellis after reading that letter.

Jasmin: I thought it was interesting. Maggie being sick and having a fever dream was a useful framing device to explore her complicated relationship with her birth mother.

It reminded me of the temper tantrums Maggie threw when she first showed up in Seattle and was mad that Meredith didn't want her around and that she wasn't responding the way Maggie wanted her to because she and Meredith had very different upbringings.

She's come a long way since then, and this episode clarifies how Meredith shielded her from Ellis.

I think a part of Maggie didn't want to believe Meredith about how awful Ellis really was and naively believed that Meredith was over exaggerating. But as she says to Winston in this episode, Meredith was right. Ellis was every bit as cold as Meredith always said she was. I'm glad she got closure with that part of herself.

Joshua: I loved every second of this story. I don't think the show has ever really explored how Maggie feels about Ellis giving her up for adoption; obviously, she's bound to have feelings, but they've never come into the forefront before.

The bulk of Maggie's adoption story is told vis-a-vis Richard and how the two of them relate. That's perfectly natural since Richard is alive and right there!

Like Jasmin said, framing the letter with a fever dream so that we could "see" Maggie and Ellis interact was wonderful.

To begin with, I thought Kelly McCreary owned this episode, acting-wise. All of her feelings and emotions were right there on the surface, easy for us to see. McCreary's getting the opportunity to act opposite Kate Burton, who comes from acting royalty and is a nuanced actor herself, was beautiful.

I loved that even though Maggie is an adult, she still naturally has curiosity and feelings of resentment about being put up for adoption. Letting her start to sort those out in a fever dream--and then ultimately with her sisters--was a great way to explore this topic.

My favorite specific moment was when Ellis said she was proud of her decision to give Maggie up for adoption, and then Maggie woke up shouting in fear and anger.

It very much seemed like she was having a recurring nightmare where her birth mother tells her she's glad she gave Maggie up for adoption, and that feeling only comes from good story-telling and good acting.

Finally, I loved the moment when it seemed as though Winston were reaching out to stroke Maggie's head, and it was her mother. I instantly got emotional--it was the perfect amount of Diane to happen at that moment.

What I especially liked was toward the end, when Zola spoke with Winston about her adopted mother and her feelings about being adopted.

It was a moment where a lot of things clicked, like Zola and Maggie being more alike than they realize; Zola perhaps seeing Maggie as a representation of herself, a Black girl being put up for adoption, and what it must feel like for Zola to live in an adopted family.

I especially liked when she referred to Meredith as her hero. I will always love the connection that Meredith and Zola have.

Meaghan: Maggie and Ellis is an aspect that I didn't think they could ever expand on, given that Ellis is dead, but the way they weaved Kate Burton into the story using the letter and Maggie's fever dream was perfect.

Maggie always had this big question mark when it came to Ellis, and while it was easy to just have to take what Meredith told her about Ellis at face value, this allowed her to see for herself who Ellis was.

Both Kate and Kelly killed it with their scenes throughout the episode. Kate has this effortless ability to step right back into Ellis whenever she's back on the series, which is no easy feat given Ellis is one of the most complex characters in Grey's history.

Kelly perfectly portrayed the hurt, anger, and frustration that Maggie was going through.

I, too, was a huge fan of the Zola aspect of the arc, as well. Zola continues to mature into this wonderful, insightful young woman. It is only natural that she would start to be curious about her birth mother. I can only hope they continue to explore this storyline rather than have it just be a one-off mention.

I think it would be a great journey for Zola and Meredith to go on together, and Maggie could be there as support, seeing as she understands what Zola is going through. Let's be real; it would just be great to see Meredith have to parent at all at this point.

What are your thoughts on Amelia's romantic arc with Kai? Did you enjoy gaining more insight into them?

Jasmin: As I said before, I didn't hate Amelia and Kai's storyline, but I didn't find it particularly compelling either. While I enjoyed the bar scenes and thought the scene where Amelia introduced herself to Kai's plants was funny, I don't find their relationship particularly engaging.

I also really hate the TV trope of 'I don't want children or want to be a parent, but I am knowingly dating someone who has kids that we saw with the two of them. I just find it so nonsensical and ridiculous.

A smart person does not get involved with someone if they know they have kids and they don't want any.

Joshua: Basically everything Jasmin said. What I fully loved and appreciated about this story was the moment when they were sitting on the couch, and Kai asked Amelia why she always reverted to self-deprecation.

First, a moment crossed Caterina Scorsone's face, as though that question were too scary to answer, and Kai recognized that and encouraged Amelia to curl up with them, facing away, so it might feel less vulnerable.

What really sold the moment for me was what Amelia said, and it rang true for myself: "I guess it's kind of become my shield of armor. Protection. From fully loving every part of me, because if I do, then I deserve a love that does the same."

It was a wonderful little therapy moment that I needed to hear from myself, but also something that I think that everybody needs to hear: we accept the love that we think we deserve, and the second we fully love ourselves, we have to accept that we deserve to be loved by people who love every part of us.

The second we fully accept that we are rockstars, then we have to accept that we deserve to be valued for everything that we are. I miss these moments from Grey's Anatomy lately; the application of the story to our own lives.

Meaghan: Kai and Amelia have grown leaps and bounds on me over the past few episodes. Something I've talked about in a past roundtable is how my frustration over the dissolution of AmeLink has held me back from fully being able to enjoy Kai and Amelia.

The further they separate the two from that mess, the more I can see the beauty of their relationship. This episode helped Kai come into their own for me. Watching Kai come alive on stage was so incredible to see, not to mention the steamy sex scene to the song's bass right after.

One of my biggest complaints about Kai thus far has been that the portrayal of them has felt very wooden, and I attributed a lot of that to ER Fightmaster's performance.

However, now -- although it could just be ER settling into the role more -- I feel like that was purposeful. It feels like they put up a wall of awkward stand-offish professionalism until they fully let someone in, and now that they are letting Amelia in, we see those walls come down.

Something that I appreciate about Kai is their ability to see Amelia for who she truly is, in some ways better than I think anyone else has been able to. It's easy to write off Amelia's self-deprecation as a quirky personality trait, but Kai can see through that. For the first time, I can honestly say I'm excited to see where Amelia and Kai go as a couple.

Do you think there will be a conflict between Amelia and Kai since she's adamant about how important motherhood is to her, and they don't want or have an interest in children?

Jasmin: I think there will be, but honestly, I can't bring myself to care either way. This relationship isn't really grabbing me, so I don't really care how it plays out.

Joshua: Yes, but see Jasmin's answer.

I love Amelia's exploration of her queer identity. I appreciate that it's happening naturally and isn't a big "HEY, AMELIA IS EXPLORING HER QUEERNESS EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION TO THIS IT'S A SPOTLIGHT MOMENT, IT'S A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE."

But also, I don't always enjoy ER Fightmaster as an actor, and also they want different things. I know from experience what it's like to be in a relationship where one person wants kids, and the other doesn't, and it doesn't end well.

Meaghan: While I do agree that it seems bizarre that Kai would get into a relationship with someone who has a kid if they don't want kids, I don't think it's necessarily a deal-breaker.

I think in a traditional relationship, it could be, but I don't see Amelia and Kai being a very traditional relationship.

For one, we know that Amelia doesn't want to get married again, so I just don't see them settling down in a house with a white picket fence and becoming a nuclear family.

Just because you don't want to parent your own children doesn't mean you don't love kids who are part of your life.

I, for one, am not sure if I want kids of my own, but that doesn't stop me from loving spending time with my nieces and nephew. Perhaps Kai sees it as they would take on more of that kind of role in Scout's life rather than becoming a parent to him.

How much did you enjoy the backstory on Nick and meeting his niece? Do you think he blew things out of proportion?

Jasmin: Not at all. As I said before, the whole storyline made both Nick and Meredith come off like terrible parents. I've disliked Nick since his re-introduction this season, and that's not going to change.

Nick came off as controlling and cruel in this episode. While I agree with his concerns about Charlotte wanting to drop out of school, he went about talking to her about the completely wrong way. He blew things way out of proportion and came off as a total control freak.

He was way out of line with his comment to Meredith about how she didn't understand because her mother was a famous surgeon. He clearly doesn't know her well at all.

Joshua: I just...truly don't care. I care about Meredith, so I care about Meredith and Nick's relationship, but I don't care about Charlotte or Silver. To quote Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

Meaghan: I personally love any time we get more of Nick's backstory.

Unlike the others in the roundtable, I am a big fan of him and have been since his first appearance, and my only real complaint has been that they haven't done much to build his character outside of his relationship with Meredith this season.

I personally didn't see his behavior as cruel and controlling but more out of concern. I think his reaction was how most parental figures would have to their child dropping out of school. Was it over the top? Yes, but it was his initial reaction.

I think it would be a much different discussion if this was six months down the line, and he still was acting like this towards Charlotte, but he literally just found out.

At the end of the day, he just wants the best for her. Also, can anyone blame him for not wanting her to run off with Silver? I'd be concerned too.

Nick confessed that he loves Mer at the end of their romantic time together. React.

Jasmin: Barf is my reaction. They've only known each other for a few weeks, and he's already dropping the L-word? If I was Meredith, I'd run for the hills! He's getting way too clingy, way too fast.

Joshua: Okay, and?

Meaghan: I think it's been much longer than a few weeks? Time is always super wonky on Grey's Anatomy. Sometimes months go by in one episode and between episodes; sometimes, it is just a matter of days.

However, they started seeing each other right when Meredith started working on the trial, and for them to have perfected the procedure and completed the first surgery, I would think it has been at least a few months.

There is no way they developed an entire procedure and implemented it in just a few weeks' time, so it definitely doesn't feel too soon for me.

I really loved this moment between them. However, I do need something to give in their relationship. They can't just keep existing outside of Meredith's world and the world of Grey Sloan.

I think until Nick is brought into that world on a more permanent basis, fans will always have issues with them as a couple.

What was your favorite moment, arc, and character from the hour?

Jasmin: If I had to pick, I'd say all of Charlotte's boyfriend Silver's comments throughout the episode. His one-liners cracked me up!

Joshua: The aforementioned moment with Amelia admitting that if she fully loved herself, she deserves someone who loves her the same way. It just rang true.

Meaghan: Kai and Amelia shined during this episode, but I've got to go with the Ellis and Maggie scenes. Kelly and Kate acted their butts off and absolutely killed their scenes together!

Is there anything else you'd love to discuss?

Jasmin: I would have liked more explanation and follow-up on where Ellis' letter came from and why Meredith didn't give it to Maggie sooner. I kept expecting more follow up at the end of the episode from all of the storylines, and they just didn't deliver, which was disappointing.

I feel like the writing so far this season has been very lazy and haphazard, and it would be nice if they would course-correct on that.

Joshua: I chalked that up to Meredith not realizing the letter existed. It seemed like the box was in a place where people don't go very often. As I said, I personally welcome any chance we get to hear more backstory on Ellis.

Meaghan: I agree with Joshua. I think Mer tends to avoid all things, Ellis, as a coping mechanism, so it's likely that she hasn't gone into that box before.

Can we please give a shout-out to Winston for being the best brother-in-law on the planet?

Not many men would be fine parenting their sister in laws kids for days at a time so she can go get some in the woods. He's a real trooper!

It's your turn, Grey's Fanatics. Sound off below with your thoughts on the hour!

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC.

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.