Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
After the long summer wait, Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 is finally here, and we’re picking up right where we left off.
After the shocking events of last season’s finale, several major characters were missing in this episode.
There’s tension between the doctors, several familiar faces make surprising returns, and a big announcement is finally made. Let’s dig deeper!
Joe’s secret finally comes to light
After finding out she was pregnant, Joe struggled with how to tell Link since they just decided to wait and have more kids.
Schmidt has a hard time keeping this news a secret throughout the episode, which is completely true to his character.
His awkwardness is why we fell in love with him when he first appeared on Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 1.
The friendship he developed with Joe over the years has blossomed into something very interesting. Their banter was always funny and they called each other’s crap.
But I digress. Jo tries several times to tell Link her news, but is always interrupted.
Does anyone else think it’s weird that Link didn’t figure it out right away?
Considering Schmidt’s many missteps and the fact that Link is a doctor who lives with Joe, you’d think he would have gotten the clue sooner.
However, once he finally figured it out, he reacted just like the golden retrievers we know and love.
Any nervousness on Joe’s part is a waste of energy. Of course Link is happy and excited!
We see how he doted on Amelia during her pregnancy, and my guess is that he became more sensitive from that point on, so Jo is one lucky woman.
That said, this is Grey’s Anatomy, so the chances of a completely healthy and uncomplicated pregnancy are slim.
Hopefully Joe and Link aren’t sad and we’ll get to see a bouncing baby in nine months.
Catherine’s recent attitude explained
If you’ve seen the promos for the premiere, you’ll know that we were treated to a scene where Bailey beats the living hell out of Katherine after a particularly rude insult.
While I’m disappointed this turned out to be a dream of Bailey’s, it makes sense.
Bailey would never resort to physical violence, so it’s pretty far-fetched for her character to do something like this. Still, Grey’s Anatomy can do anything at this point.
Katherine has been at war ever since Meredith and Amelia released their research to the public, but I have a feeling there’s something more going on with her.
It turned out that her cancer had progressed to breaking point and she refused treatment.
Oh, and she didn’t think the information was important enough to share with her husband or son.
This wasn’t the first time she’d kept a secret like this, and it wouldn’t be the last, but it was still very frustrating.
Both Jackson and Richard were so devoted to Catherine, and it was terrible to see her leave them in the dark again.
To make matters worse, she blackmails Meredith into keeping the secret.
Now, Meredith must deal with the burden of lying to one group of close friends or being responsible for another group’s job loss.
Historically, Catherine eventually comes to her senses and makes amends when appropriate, so I guess we’ll see if this season is an exception.
I do hope no one intends to kill her, though. As annoying as she is now, she’s still one of the best characters on Grey’s Anatomy.
Gray Sloan returns as a familiar face in Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1
We already know that Jason George plans to bring his character Ben Warren back to Grey’s Anatomy after Station 19 ends.
It’s not surprising to see him working in the clinic, but we’re glad he’s back in the hospital.
Jesse Williams’ appearance was also welcome. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him and it’s nice to know he’s still as diplomatic as ever.
But the biggest surprise comes from a Doctor we haven’t seen since Season 4: Sydney Heron!
We’ve heard rumors that Kali Rocha will be guest-starring this season, and we’re excited to see her reprise her role.
This group of interns react to Sidney’s cheerful demeanor in much the same way as the original group, so her scenes feel nostalgic.
All about interns
There’s a lot going on with this group, and it’s honestly a little hard to keep up.
blue
He starts off cold and distant, but the character development here is astounding. Blue opens up to Lucas about his ex-fiancée, and it’s nice to see his vulnerability.
He also discovered Lucas’ patient’s severed finger and returned it to his friend rather than keeping it for himself. This reminds me of Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 Episode 6, where Cristina is looking for a missing leg.
Alex found the leg, took credit for it, and participated in the operation. Is this the work of a lame shark? Yes. But the surgery was competitive, so no one was shocked.
Blue pointed the finger at Adams to show that he’s less interested in being a shark and more interested in building good relationships with people. Impressive.
The episode ends with Blue’s ex showing up and finding out why she destroyed his memory. Hopefully he’ll be able to cope with the situation without having a serious impact on his mental health.
Yasuda and Mil’s
We know Midori Francis will be leaving the show at some point this season, which makes it hard to get excited about her character’s development.
Yasuda and Yonebayashi have been kissing passionately since last season. Unfortunately we know nothing will come of it.
LGBTQ+ representation is severely lacking in this show, so that only adds to the disappointment.
adams and griffith
The on-again, off-again dynamic duo appears to be back together for the time being. Adams decided not to pursue a job in Chicago with Maggie.
Still, work was a battle for Adams. He feels like he’s useless and gets fired a lot, so we’ll see what happens with his career. Maybe they’ll finally address his undiagnosed ADHD?
Griffith confronts Bailey about trying to get her job back. Her bold move paid off, and Bailey took her words to heart. It’s always a treat to see junior doctors standing up to their superiors when they know they are right.
Is Richard really going to retire?
After some (frankly inappropriate) pushing from Winston, Webber ended up back in the operating room against his will.
He still doesn’t want to go through complicated procedures, and to be honest, I understand.
If you decided to retire twenty years ago and somehow found yourself still working, you’d be burned out, too.
I initially didn’t like Winston’s rude attitude towards Webber, but during the surgery he realized that Webber’s wealth of knowledge was an asset.
Asking for Richard’s help was a good move. Winston’s ego is often a problem, isn’t it? Thankfully, he usually realizes this and pulls back before it’s too late.
Unfortunately, and to my great disappointment, Dr. Beltran (played by Natalie Morales) was absent from this episode. So there’s no word on whether she and Winston are still dating.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 is full of bricks
Granted, there wasn’t much real action in the premiere. Sometimes, we need a good set to prepare ourselves for the drama ahead.
After this hour, I expect there will be intense storylines as the season progresses.
What was your favorite part of the premiere?
Let us know what you thought of the Grey’s Anatomy premiere in the comments!
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