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Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 4 Review: This One’s For the Girls

Critic's Rating: 4 / 5.0
4

The episode title said it all, because as you’ll see from my Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 4 review, this one really was for the girls.

Unfortunately, the hour was packed with heartbreak, but we saw that coming.

There was very little levity since the episode centered around Mika’s sister’s diagnosis, but we did get to enjoy one or two bright spots.

Chloe and Mika wait for news.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Ben Warren, the Intern? Resident?

Warren is officially back in his scrubs, and his first shift went pretty horribly.

It was to be expected; first days are hard and he’s been out of the game for a long time.

I’m having a hard time figuring out exactly where he is in his residency, though.

He’s been grouped in with the M.A.G.Y.K. class of interns, but shouldn’t he have a year or so on them since he’d already completed his intern year before joining Station 19?

It’s possible that he’s being put through something of a refresher course, but it’s pretty confusing, especially since he seems totally outpaced by doctors who have far less experience than he does.

Still, it’s okay if he needs a little time to get comfortable in his new-old environment.

Ben in the sunlight.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Until recently, he was running into burning buildings, so if nothing else, he’s going to have to get used to consistently breathing fresh air at work.

The biggest issue facing Ben as he returned to his residency wasn’t his knowledge, age, or how long he’d been away.

Bailey may not have impacted his first shift back in a direct way, but she still overstepped, causing issues for someone else in the process.

I’m going to level with you — this next part is hard to write, because the last thing I ever want to do is criticize Miranda Bailey.

Jo and Ben work together.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Miranda Bailey and Her Abuse of Power

She had good intentions, hoping to make sure Ben was settling in okay, but Bailey’s attempts to monitor her husband turned sour.

It’s not just that she (unofficially) assigned Griffith to keep tabs on Ben, not worrying whether Simone already had patients to take care of.

It’s that Bailey has a history of using her power and influence to get interns and junior residents to do things for her, even if it compromises their education.

I can think of several examples without digging too deeply.

While in a childcare pinch during Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 Episode 20, Bailey asked Cristina to watch baby Tuck in the hospital for her to avoid missing her surgeries.

When she worried about the clinic being run poorly by interns, she undermined Callie (who was Chief Resident at the time) by asking Meredith to supervise them.

Mika runs into Jules.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

To prove a point while treating a racist patient, Bailey pulled Cristina off an important surgery, which led to a tense conversation about how that made Cristina feel.

That history in context with the latest episode is hard to ignore.

Griffith’s patient deteriorated, in part because she wasn’t there to monitor him, and Ndugu read her the riot act for it.

I’m not ignoring that Bailey stood up for Griffith and explained the situation to Ndugu; I’m glad she did that much.

But I do hope that Bailey takes more away from this situation than just what Winston said to her, which was focused on leaving Warren alone.

She needed to hear that too, but the bigger lesson here is that she needs to stop using her subordinates for personal reasons at the expense of their own careers.

Mika welcomes Chloe to Seattle.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Mika Deals With Family Tragedy on Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 4

Whew. Okay, now that my stomach hurts from admitting that Bailey is a flawed character, we can move on.

The current and most pressing storyline involves Mika and her little sister, who has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.

Naturally, Mika does what any sister who is also a doctor would do, and she dives into the research to find out exactly what it is and how she can save Chloe.

It didn’t go unnoticed that this week focused on preserving Chloe’s fertility before she starts treatments for the cancer.

We’ve seen this before, when Izzie and Alex created embryos during her cancer treatments, but this time there was no time for a lengthy IVF process.

(There wasn’t time for it that time, either, but we’re going to let that slide because it happened a hundred years ago.)

Chloe takes in her prognosis.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

I don’t know if the science currently exists to allow ovaries to be relocated in the body to preserve fertility during radiation treatments, but it’s an incredible concept.

Mika’s commitment to making sure Chloe had options in the future was heartwarming and proved that she didn’t just want to save her sister’s life; she wanted to ensure she’d have the life she wanted.

I really enjoyed Webber’s role in this episode, as he acted as more than just Chloe’s surgeon.

He supported Mika emotionally as well as professionally, reminding us of the warm, encouraging teacher and mentor he’s always been.

While he’s desperate to retire, he still has so much to offer.

The show could never be the same without him, so I’d really love to see him move into more of a mentor role for young surgeons trying to figure out their place.

Richard reviews Chloe's results.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Love Is In the Air

There were a few developments in the romance department this week.

First, James and Levi found themselves entangled in bed after a painfully nerdy Star Wars debate.

Their chemistry was off the charts, and Jake Borelli’s impending departure means that for the second time this season, I have to watch a queer ship sink.

James’s secrets may contribute to that if the wedding photo album Levi discovered means anything.

Mika, preoccupied with her sister, was sharper than necessary to Jules throughout the hour.

But that of course didn’t stop Jules from showing up for Mika and Chloe in every way she could.

Jules looks sympathetic.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

The heartbreak in both of their eyes was on full display as their feelings sat between them, untouched.

In better news (maybe), Jo and Link finally got a peek at what’s going on inside Jo’s uterus.

Surprise! It’s twins!

(Just kidding; I had a feeling. Remember what I said after Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 about pregnancy storylines being complicated?)

Teddy and Owen acknowledged that there had been some distance in their marriage, which could potentially contribute to the theories circulating about Owen’s relationship with his old friend from earlier this season.

And just to give us a little taste of classic Grey’s, Simone and Lucas shared a sweet moment and a kiss in a stairwell.

Mika asks Jo for help.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

A Few Random Thoughts About Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 4

  • I can’t believe they did a necrotizing fasciitis storyline just a week after Sydney Heron left the building. So rude.
  • Watching Teddy explain the realities of being a woman and the pressure to look perfect to Owen was so satisfying. He can take his judgement somewhere else.
  • Catherine’s biopsy was negative, and the episode only touched on it in passing. That was weird, right?
  • I love when they talk about how broke residents are, but then explain someone’s absence by saying they were away in Paris for two weeks. Checks out.
Chloe listens to Webber.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

All in all, it was a good (if heart-wrenching) episode.

I’m guessing we’ll find out more about how Mika’s exit will go as Chloe’s story progresses, and the same for Levi now that he’s learned more about James.

If you have theories about how they’ll be written out, I want to hear them!

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Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.

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Kate

Friday 18th of October 2024

I loved the Mika/Chloe/Jules storyline. I teared up when Jules held her hand during the surgery because she knew that Mika wished she could do that. I will miss Mika! I wish that helping her sister with finding surgeons and doing medical research reaffirmed Mika's decision to be a doctor, but I bet she takes a break.

I love Levi and James! Their argument was adorable, and then my spouse and I talked about the Kessel run and agreed that it would be better to be Kirk than Han Solo. However, that looked like a wedding album and leaving out the fact that you were once married, whether you're still married or not, is a big deal, especially since James already shared his family story.

Bailey - her leaning on an intern to do her dirty work is completely in character, and I guess we'll have to disagree on whether she has flaws or not, because I think she is often a bully and not in a good Bailey way. It's worth noting that since she is Ben's direct superior, she had every right to ask the doctors he assisted how he did. She didn't need to send a spy, and setting up someone to spy and tattle on their peer is terrible management.

I liked watching Ben in his storylines, and I think even if he needs a bit of catching up, he'll be excellent. He was an attending anesthesiologist before he was a surgical resident, so he has a lot of knowledge and skills. His downfall before wasn't lack of knowledge or skills; it was being reckless and resistant to Bailey's authority over him so maybe we will see more of that. That could be a good storyline.

Owen: there was a lot for Owen haters in this episode. First he mansplained Teddy's job for her, and it was fun to see her shoot him down. However, I kind of agreed with him about the woman with the butt job because what I saw was a pretty young blonde who just wanted more attention for her physical attributes. In my experience, pretty young blondes don't lack for that kind of attention, but whatever. Back to Owen - then he whined about how he and Teddy don't spend enough time together, and she had to turn her attention from her job to making him feel better. Duh. They have two big jobs and two little kids and probably a house. This is what he said he always wanted. It's a busy time of life. It reminded me that Owen always wants something he doesn't have. He and Cristina broke up because she didn't want kids, and then he dumped the next woman he dated because she did want kids and wanted to dial back her career to take care of them.

Cindy

Friday 18th of October 2024

@Kate, completely agree about Owen. While their disconnect may be/is valid, I rolled my eyes when he started talking about it. It just felt like typical Owen. “I don’t have all of you on my terms so there’s an issue” It felt like it stemmed from him being shut down by Teddy twice but then she validated his concerns.

Ben was and will be excellent. He just needs time. Blue and his taunts really did get annoying at some point.

The interns coming together to support Mika was the highlight of the episode for me.

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