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“Grey’s Anatomy” recap (12.22): Torres v Robbins

Oh man. This episode was a one-two punch in the gut. We’ve watched countless characters die and leave the show, but this episode carried just as much emotional weight. Callie vs. Arizona. What the hell, right? Two co-parents who had made it through so much to get where they are, having to pit their friends against each other and face each other in court. Just thinking about it now makes my stomach hurt. But I have a recap to write, so I’m going to cram my feels down deep inside where they can turn to dust. Just a daily ritual.

Mommy vs. Mommy

Grey’s kicks off with a montage of all the big and wonderful, awful and tragic moments in the Calzona relationship. I’ve been fighting my Calzona feelings for a long time now, and this did not help. Over the phone with their lawyers, Callie and Arizona make a last ditch effort to settle this custody issue without going to court. Callie has more people standing on her side, which makes me a little sad for Arizona, but Arizona refuses to back down. Neither side is budging, so it’s up to a judge to decide their fate.

The morning of the court date, Callie drops Sofia off at Meredith’s where Maggie and Amelia will be looking after her. Sofia is unaware that her life is about to change, but when Callie hugs her a little too long and too tight, she can sense that something is amiss.

Back at the hospital, Arizona’s 14-year-old pregnant patient, Jenny, is back. She’s fallen on some broken dishes and done a number on her pregnant belly. Because Arizona is due in court, she leaves Jenny and her now very supportive mom in Alex and April’s hands. There’s an OB on call, and he can step in in case of an emergency.

Outside of the courthouse, Richard meets Arizona with a freshly ground and brewed cup of coffee. I bet Richard makes a hell of a cup of Joe. He’s really the only one there in Arizona’s corner, but their friendship has been one of the most touching and worthwhile storylines this season. In a pinch, I’d want Richard in my corner too. They are distracted by the click-click-click of high heels, as Callie, her lawyer, and Penny walk by and into the courthouse.

When court is in session, the judge announces that the character witnesses will be questioned by each side. The judge points out that the only side that truly matters is Sofia’s, so prepare to have your hearts ripped out.

First up is Owen, speaking on Callie’s behalf. It’s all well and good. Nothing spectacular, but solid. Kind of like Owen himself. Next is DeLuca, who’s there because he lives with Arizona and Sofia. He explains what a happy home Arizona makes for Sofia, and how her happiness has, in turn, changed his feelings about kids. Sweet. But let’s be honest, the only testimony we care about right now is Penny’s. At first, Penny is cool as a cucumber when Arizona’s lawyer starts lobbing questions her way. However, the pressure starts to get to her, and she slips up on some important questions. When she doesn’t know what Sofia was wearing that morning, it all starts to unravel. Arizona’s lawyer tries to prove that Penny doesn’t really know Sofia other than what lines she rehearsed, and it works. Penny’s testimony is a dud.

Things aren’t so great over at Grey Sloan either, when Alex and April discover that amniotic fluid is leaking from Jenny’s perforated uterus. Dr. Russo, the OB on call, suggests a plasma patch, which Alex knows isn’t the best option but agrees to it anyway since Arizona isn’t available.

Bailey is up next in court, and she’s not fond of Callie’s lawyer one bit. She takes offense to the lawyer’s suggestions that because Arizona has more emergency cases, that she’s not as dedicated a mother. Holding a woman’s success against her is not how to play ball with Bailey.

Arizona arrives back at the hospital to check on Jenny and try and shake off the unpleasantness of the day. Alex asks if she should be there, and she tells him that she should be at home with Sofia, so can he hurry up and get the files she needs to she can leave. I love tough as nails Arizona.

Back at Callie’s, Meredith and Callie try to drink their troubles away in Callie’s bed. (I miss Cristina.) Callie begins to really doubt what she’s doing, and Meredith lets her in on a little secret. Mark used to call her when he had baby questions because Callie and Arizona had is so together that he was embarrassed to be the clueless parent. All it does is make Callie think of how Mark would hate this whole fiasco. Callie tells Meredith that she fought her feelings for Penny. She never wanted to love her, but she does. Now her whole life is upside down because of it.

The next morning, Arizona drops a very upset Sofia off at Meredith’s. Little ones are very good at figuring out that there’s something wrong, and Sofia is no exception. She tells Arizona that she hates her and runs off. Knowing that this could be the last time she has custody of Sofia, must have been like a million hot daggers in the gut.

It’s Meredith’s turn on the stand, and she vouches that her pal Callie is a great mom. On cross, Arizona’s lawyer points out that Sofia and Callie’s whole support system is in Seattle, and suddenly Mer’s testimony dips in Arizona’s favor. When Richard takes the stand, he comes out strong for Arizona. Callie’s lawyer uses their trivia nights to paint Arizona in an unflattering light. She then points out that Arizona asked Callie to switch nights with her 34 times, trying to prove that she’s not a dedicated mother. Of course, we don’t see that times that Callie did the same, but it doesn’t look good for Arizona. Arizona is pretty pissed too. Her lawyer advises her to simply take the stand and tell the truth. After that, the chips will land where they may.

Callie is first up, and her testimony is a heart-breaker. She explains how Sofia was born on a day when she almost died and led a musical episode. Callie stayed alive, she tells the court, for Sofia. There’s no doubt that Callie is dedicated to her daughter.

Jenny’s baby is in distress, so Dr. Russo decides to deliver even though her child isn’t old enough to have a fighting chance. Alex tries to change his mind, but Russo tells him that his mind is made up. Jenny’s mother approaches Alex and April, and Alex makes the decision to reach out to Arizona, even though she’s in court.

Speaking of that, Arizona gets her chance in court. Callie’s lawyer tries to paint Arizona as a reluctant parental figure. Any doubt Arizona may have had about children was erased when she made the decision to be with Callie and be a parent to Sofia. The fact that because Arizona is not a biological parent to Sofia, is made to feel less than, which is something that countless non-bio parents have had to go through. Love needs no biological connection. “I chose to be Sofia’s mother, it did not fall into my lap,” she tells the court. Arizona’s phone starts ringing, and she tells the judge that she has to take it. In an excruciating decision, Arizona has to cut her testimony short in order to rush into surgery. She knows that this might be the nail in her coffin, but what kind of doctor, what kind of person would she be, if she knowingly let a child die if she could save it. She tells the judge that no matter what, and no matter who is granted custody, Sofia will be safe and loved. She can take some comfort in that, even if she loses.

Arizona rushes to the hospital, just as Russo is delivering Jenny’s baby via C-Section. She scrubs in, but Russo won’t stop, so she has to politely kick him out. She puts Jenny under and puts her baby back in to gestate. I’m sorry, but fetal surgery is amazing, and I wish Dr. Hermann were still around to bask in the glow of her protege.

Arizona goes back to court after surgery, and while sitting outside, Callie sits beside her. She tells her ex that she knows Arizona is a good mother. Arizona isn’t exactly feeling warm and fuzzy, however, and the accusations about her tossed around in court, still sting like hell. Before Callie can apologize, Penny comes to tell them that the judge is ready to rule.

So, how does this all end? In a bit of a surprise, it’s Arizona who is granted full custody of Sofia. Nothing feels like a win, though, as three lives are torn apart, and Callie sobs uncontrollably in Meredith’s arms. When Penny tries to comfort her, Callie pulls away. Well, who saw that coming?

None of this was easy. It’s not easy for these characters and it’s not easy for us viewers. Grey’s Anatomy has never shied away from the issues that cut deep, and this does indeed cut to the bone. Callie and Arizona have gone through so much together, is this how it ends? I sincerely hope not, because I’m feeling all torn to pieces from having two of my favorite characters pitted against each other like this.

In other news, Stephanie’s regrets

It doesn’t take long for Jo to razz Steph about her less than kind way of dumping Kyle. A dear John letter? How retro. Steph reiterates she chose medicine over her relationship and seems fine with her decision. For now.

Jo, Ben and Steph head across the street for drinks to chat about the Calzona case and other hospital gossip. Steph, more than a little drunk, admits she may have made a mistake in breaking up with Kyle. She takes out her phone to call him, but she is discouraged by her friends. Well, actually Jo just takes her phone away. Good call. Not too far away in a secluded booth, April and Jackson calmly and kindly make agreements about custody and holidays. They don’t ever want to end up in a situation like Callie and Arizona, and this new direction in their relationship is pretty lovely.

Things get pretty complicated when Steph notices Kyle’s name on the ER board. She rushes to his room where he is sweating and shivering and possibly suffering from meningitis. Steph’s horrified, wanting to reach out and comfort Kyle, but he wants nothing to do with her.

Here are our favorite #GreysGays tweets (which was super hard because there were so many great ones) from this week’s episode.

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