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Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 5 Review: You Make My Heart Explode

Critic's Rating: 3 / 5.0
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I hate to say it, but Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 5 did not, in fact, make my heart explode.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the episode, and it works fine as filler content for a show that just won’t stop.

Despite the potential for massive shakeups, which were hinted at in the promo, the hour was just sort of lackluster.

Lead photo for Grey's Anatomy Season 21 Episode 5 Review. Lucas, Simone, Blue, and Jules head into the hospital.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Yearning for the Grey’s Anatomy of Yesteryear

You can call me a lot of things, but a Grey’s Anatomy hater is not one of them.

That isn’t going to stop me from calling out wasted potential when I see it, though.

Let me put it this way: if this were, say, 2010, this episode would have gone very, very differently.

Interns politely asking permission to bend rules and treat underinsured patients? Forget it.

In the old days, the interns would have just taken matters into their own hands, gone rogue, and figured out a way to get their patient treated.

Do I need to remind you about the time Meredith completed actual insurance fraud and went to jail because she couldn’t bear to turn a patient away?

Beltran smiles.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

If this was Grey’s Anatomy Season 8, the Monica/Amelia scene in the vestibule would have ended with a steamy kiss, with Amelia saying something along the lines of, “Well, I had to do something to get you to stop freaking out.”

To be fair, it goes both ways.

Back in my day, Jo’s ultrasound (which she attended alone after kicking Link out of the room) would have taken a dark turn which would have been revealed with a breakdown in the hospital parking lot.

I’m glad the JoLink twins are okay, truly — I’ll never be able to bring myself to enjoy drama centered around pregnancy.

But in general, there were a lot of setups for potentially groundbreaking reveals that just kind of … fizzled out.

Wasted Potential in Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 5

Take the Levi/James angst, for instance.

Levi talks to James.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

There was a lot going on throughout the episode, obviously, but at points at the beginning, middle, and end, Levi was ruminating on the scandal of finding James’s wedding album.

If you remember from Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 4, that’s actually all that happened.

James and Levi slept together, and then Levi found an album of wedding photos in a drawer, starring Grey Sloan’s new chaplain himself.

He assumed the worst, obviously, and honestly, so did I!

This is Grey’s Anatomy, after all. At this point, we could just change the name of Murphy’s Law to Grey’s Law.

But after all the drama and buildup, it turns out that James is just a widower who is ready to move on.

Bailey and Warren chat in the hall.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Boring.

Teddy and Owen have spent the last couple of episodes bickering and struggling with marital problems, only to end the hour with a little chuckle and a quip about how “we’ll be fine; we always are.”

Boring 2, Electric Boogaloo.

Amelia walked in on Winston “returning” a nightie to Monica (which wasn’t even hers, awkwardly enough, so Winston’s certainly keeping a full calendar).

Remember when Amelia asked Monica out and she said she just wasn’t ready for anything because of her divorce? We could have gotten a jealous, angsty argument about that, but instead, Amelia was mature and adult about it.

BORING.

Teddy smiles.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

There were a few tense scenes, including the helicopter ride back to Seattle as Levi and Lucas transported an injured pediatric patient.

Heavy turbulence and terrible weather made it a bumpy ride, which didn’t make things easy for two doctors who were trying to prevent a child from bleeding out.

But there was no crash. Just a nice, safe, emergency landing and a smooth ambulance ride back to the hospital.

Fine, I’m not going to say it again. But you know I’m right.

Blurred Lines Between Fiction and Reality

A decidedly not boring element of the episode came in the form of a patient named Mr. Johnson, who also happened to be a custodial worker at the hospital.

Unfortunately, his story wasn’t boring because it was far too close to reality.

Warren talks to Blue in the locker room.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

The guy works in a hospital and still can’t afford the medical care he needs because of the nightmare that is privatized insurance.

While the case did inspire Blue to register to vote, it was a grim reminder that the American healthcare system is broken and people are crushed under it every day.

There’s nothing boring about that, but it’s not exactly a fun thought, either.

One moment got my attention enough that I sat up and audibly gasped: Teddy and Owen were in the middle of treating a patient when his chest exploded, spraying blood everywhere.

He was fine (no amount of explaining is going to make me understand exactly how he was fine, so I’m sorry to the medical consultants on the show).

Dare I say it? Boring.

Warren standing in front of a window.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Bits and Bobs

  • Simone and Lucas are giving me butterflies. They’re just so cute.
  • Ben realizing Winston needed a friend was so sweet. I loved seeing him playfully tell Bailey she wasn’t invited to go with them (after she declined the non-invitation).
  • Jo mentioned that DeLuca didn’t see any concerns on her ultrasound. So … not only are the babies okay, but we know DeLuca is at the hospital! Maybe we’ll get a glimpse of Carina soon?
  • Even though I knew they’d be writing Levi out soon, I’m going to be heartbroken if they send that poor boy to Texas. Stop sending characters I love to Texas, ABC. (Looking at you, 9-1-1.)
  • We finally got clarity on where Ben is in his residency! He’s coming back in as a fourth year, so he does have some seniority over the interns.
  • Amelia may not have felt entitled to an explanation, but Monica sure wanted her to know that her fling with Winston was meaningless. I’m so invested in this ship.
Flirty chats between Lucas and Simone.
(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

All in all, it was a fine filler, but I do hope to see more action as the season progresses.

What were your thoughts on the episode? Let’s chat in the comments.

There’s a short hiatus, but the next installment will air on November 7. Sophia Bush will make her first appearance on the show, so don’t miss it!

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

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Kate

Monday 28th of October 2024

Totally agree with everything you said. The next day I was trying to remember things that had happened during the episode, and it was a struggle. I did remember that James' wedding album was a nothing burger so I guess that's something.

However, the hospital worker with the crappy health insurance: This is an example of how GA can't think an idea through to a conclusion. GA is big on problems that they think are too big to have anyone besides "the system" to blame. That's not the case here. The point was that the insurance was private, as in the employer decided what it would be and what it would cost and what it would pay - well, doesn't that make this particular problem Catherine's fault? The show is quite clear that Catherine runs the foundation that owns the hospital, and she can make any decision she likes, fire/hire anyone she wants to, etc. Obviously the board, which appears to be controlled by Catherine, made a decision about the employee health insurance, and it was one that favored the organization's finances at the expense of the individual. In the old days, if an intern could put a face on a problem, they often weren't shy about confronting that person and demanding change. Maybe GA should follow up on Catherine's role in this particular problem.

Sage

Friday 25th of October 2024

I agree with everything but I do also think Monica and Amelia is just queerbaiting or at the least, a corner they can stick Amelia in for 45 seconds an episode, since she has nothing else going on. If they were going there it would be more advanced by now into its second season.

It was a very boring episode. A very boring season actually. Nothing shocking happens. And every storyline is a repeat of a storyline they did last season. I guess twins is new but baby storylines are not. And they are still the most boring no matter how many babies come out.

I can’t for the life of me understand why on S21 they are playing it so safe. After this long you have nothing left to lose so why not throw everything at these characters?

Are people really enjoying the bounce from patient to patient with about 3-4 doctors standing in each room just staring at the guest stars? Even the guest actor characters don’t die anymore.

Haley

Friday 25th of October 2024

@Sage, I agree with a lot of this! I even wrote an article about how the writers have nothing to lose a few weeks ago.

I still think we’re in for a slow burn with Monica and Amelia. There’s a sense of longing there. She (Natalie Morales) did technically join last season, but it was a short season and she wasn’t in all of them. She’s also been absent a lot this season. Realistically, there haven’t been many scenes between the two of them, and when they’re together, it’s charged.

With two queer characters exiting the show this season, it makes sense to me that the writers would want to “replace” that representation in a way so that they aren’t accused of just bombing all the queer relationships on the show.

But I also don’t think they’d do anything very big there until those characters have left so that we don’t lose interest in the storylines that already exist (Jules and Mika, Levi and James).

Obviously these are just speculations, but I’m still holding onto the Amelia/Monica ship for now!

Jasmine Blu

Friday 25th of October 2024

Bwahahaaha. Honestly, same thoughts, no notes. It really was boring as hell. Every storyline I thought would go somewhere or have a little jolt did nothing.

Kate

Monday 28th of October 2024

@Jasmine Blu, is there a way to up vote comments here? Because I would absolutely up vote your comment.

Haley

Friday 25th of October 2024

@Jasmine Blu, right?! It was like watching someone repeatedly light a stick of dynamite, bracing for the explosion, and then the flame going out right before it happened.

Clara

Friday 25th of October 2024

Imagine riding so hard for something that is clearly queerbait, and very obviously got friendzoned but shitting on the actual queer relationship just bc the actor is leaving down the line. Like girl... that's why we can't have nice things.

Haley

Friday 25th of October 2024

@Clara,

I definitely didn’t shit on any actual queer relationship, at least not intentionally! Where did you get that impression? I personally don’t think Amelia and Monica are queerbait. I think they’re being written as a slow burn because it has the potential to be something big, and Monica isn’t ready for that coming off a divorce. As for Levi and James, I kind of get the feeling that James might be willing to follow Levi wherever he goes. They’re falling for each other quickly, and we already know James has moved around a ton and enjoys doing so. I’m sorry if any jokes I made about the episode came off as shitting on their relationship, because it definitely wasn’t my intention. I thought I made it clear that I love Levi and want him to leave on a happy note.

Melli

Friday 25th of October 2024

What ship? Amelia and Monica friendzoned each other in that last scene. I cant believe you even give this bait attention.

Haley

Friday 25th of October 2024

@Melli,

It’s interesting how differently people can interpret a scene, isn’t it? I didn’t see it as a friendzoning, but as Amelia letting Monica off the hook and telling her she isn’t upset that she hooked up with Winston after telling Amelia she wasn’t ready to date. To me, Monica sees Amelia as a potential love interest with whom she could have something real, and Winston was just someone who understood what she was going through and was down for a hookup.

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