Paging Dr. Torres! Seriously, I broke my foot, where’s Calliope Torres when you need her? (This is my also apology for being late again this week. Damn this fifth metatarsal of mine.) OK, I’ve got some painkillers in me, (does anyone else see that unicorn hiding behind my desk?) so on with the episode.
Make up your mind already
It certainly feels like the residents have been getting the short end of the stick lately, doesn’t it? Jo is relegated to being Alex’s girlfriend more than a three-dimensional character herself. Stephanie doesn’t have much of a role outside of surgery, though I’m betting dollars to donuts this reduced role is because Jerrika Hinton scored the starring role in a new Shonda project, Toast.
Penny has had more of a storyline than the two combined but we still barely know her. Well this week, it’s time for the attendings to nominate a resident for the Preminger Research Grant. I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve heard of this prestigious grant, which takes one lucky resident away from the hospital for a year to study at the Preminger Center. Thank you to Maggie, who informs us about the grant while trying to stop her sisters from killing each other over some open cabinets. (Granted, this is super annoying, Amelia. Who leaves the cupboards open? Are you a poltergeist?)
As Jo and Steph send in their perfectly crafted applications, Penny, who didn’t realize she was even eligible, decides not to throw her hat in the ring. I mean, she’s finally getting settled in at the hospital, and Meredith and Amelia no longer want to destroy her. Plus there’s Callie.
Speaking of which, Callie is totally supportive of Penny applying for the grant. She’s also pretty darn happy when Penny decides not to apply and stay in Seattle with her.
Since Penny has been on Amelia’s rotation for a couple weeks now, Steph is more than thrilled to be joining the two for some surgery and face-time before the Preminger nominations. Their patient is professional guitarist Kyle Diaz (guest star Wilmer Valderrama), who has MS and developed a hand tremor that threatens to derail his upcoming concert tour. Kyle immediately takes a shine to Steph, and flirts up a storm with her. Amelia plans to operate on Kyle’s brain while he’s awake to locate and treat the source of the tremor. Now that deserves a round of applause. Steph is less than pleased to find out that Penny will actually be the one assisting Amelia. Instead, she’ll be monitoring Kyle.
Steph gets a chance to vent her frustrations to a very chipper Jo and manages to insult Penny within earshot. Oops. Wine and Netflix night is going to be uncomfortable. When Steph finally gets Amelia alone, she brings up the grant nomination. Amelia makes it pretty clear that she’s in Steph’s corner, without officially saying it, because confidential. Steph is pleased as punch. Penny, on the other hand, sounds off about Steph to Callie. Callie has Penny practice her confrontation speech to Steph, and she’s more than a little turned on to see her lady get all assertive.
It’s time for Kyle’s surgery, and he keeps up the flirting with Steph until his speech begins to slur and his face slackens. He has a minor hemorrhage that Amelia fixes like a champ while Steph talks him through his fear. Afterward, he’s able to play beautifully.
Steph apologizes to Penny for earlier, but when Jo arrives to tell them that Penny applied without any of them knowing, Steph changes her tune. Penny ended up getting the accolades she thought were hers, and she’s pissed. Pissed enough to confront Amelia, who lets her know she is crossing a line.
It should come as no surprise that Penny wins. Callie does her best to be supportive, but you can tell she’s bummed. So what does this mean for Calliopenny? Will this take Penny away from Grey Sloan? Open a door for Calzona? Who really knows.
Steph checks in a Kyle and opens up about how she feels like Penny pulled one over on her. He shares his experience of losing friends when he became successful, because he didn’t realize it was a competition until too late. They flirt a little more and he falls asleep while Steph sits down for the night to observe him.
Family Fraud
April and Jackson’s divorce and baby revelation is taking a toll on more than just them. Catherine and Richard are at each other’s throats over Catherine’s plan to have Jackson sue his ex for fraud and full custody, which is pretty intense even for a protective momma. She needles Jackson about hiring the best lawyer they can, which he’s pretty hesitant to do at the moment.
Speaking of mommas, April’s emergency room patient is a 14-year-old with stomach pains and a baby on the way. The teenager, Jenny, is six months along and has not had any prenatal care yet, as she’s been hiding the pregnancy from her very intense mom. When said mother shows up, Jenny freaks out and makes April promise not to tell her about the pregnancy. April complies.
Jenny’s mom is there because she tracked her phone, which makes me really glad that cell phones really weren’t a thing yet when I was a teenager. When Arizona shows up to consult, April steers the conversation away from any pregnancy talk until she can get Arizona alone and fill her in.
Things are mighty awkward between Arizona and April, but Arizona is concerned that Jenny’s mother doesn’t know about the pregnancy. However, when Ben asks what the obligations are to the patient, Arizona makes it very clear that they can’t go against Jenny’s wishes. She sure learned her lesson, huh? To make matters more complicated, Jenny has a massive splenic aneurysm. If they operate, there’s no way to hide the pregnancy. Jenny decides to wait it out, rather than have the surgery, which is a terrible idea. April can’t believe that Arizona doesn’t agree that they should tell Jenny’s mom about the baby.
Richard schedules Catherine to join him on a bowel surgery, so they can talk. Because yes, important conversations should always happen whilst cutting into someone’s colon. As they scrub in, Catherine goes off about the potential lawsuit and April walks by in time to hear the damning details. Catherine reminds Richard that Jackson isn’t his child and to butt out, but wrong is wrong.
April, who has had about as much as she can take today, decides to go against Jenny’s (and Arizona’s) wishes and tells her mother about the pregnancy. It turns out that she too got pregnant very young, and Jenny has always felt like she was the worst thing that ever happened to her mom. Her mom freaks and like clockwork, Jenny’s aneurysm bursts and she has to be rushed to surgery.
We learn a little more about why Catherine is so protective of Jackson in this episode too. Jackson’s father tried to take him away from Catherine when Jackson was young, and Catherine is worried the same thing will happen to her son as a father. Richard is kind but tells Catherine that April and Jackson aren’t Catherine and her ex. She’s projecting, and it’s not doing anyone any good.
April beats herself up about her decision, and Arizona tells her estranged friend that she understands what it feels like to do something you think is right but turns out to be wrong. April doesn’t think it’s the same as their situation, but in a way it is. When Jenny and her mother are reunited after surgery, Jenny’s mom steps up and supports her daughter 100%, much to April and Arizona’s relief.
Back at Meredith’s house, Amelia and Meredith tells poor Maggie not to be so worried about them. They are going to fight. Amelia is going to be a slob. But they will always figure it out. They are family. Yay!
In Averyland, Catherine admits to her son that she needs to let go a little and let Jackson do what he needs to do. Jackson assures her that he has asserted his power, not to worry.
April is a total mess, and with no one to confide in, she decides to bury the hatchet with Arizona. April really needs a friend right now and spills about the potential lawsuit. Arizona is all ears, and their friendship is back on track.
So in a big surprise move, April serves Jackson with a lawsuit before he can do the same…except that wasn’t his plan. April doesn’t know this until she arrives home and finds a crib and a note waiting for her.
Have a heart
Were you thinking to yourself, “Hey, self, I’d really love some more of Owen and Riggs having the same argument they’ve been having since the beginning of the season?” Well if so, you are in luck! Owen, Meredith, and Maggie get a call that a heart is available at a nearby hospital, so they head over there to pick it up. Riggs subs in for Maggie at the last minute so that she can avoid DeLuca, and he’s late which pisses Owen off.
They get stuck in traffic, so diffuse the growing tense situation, Meredith tries to talk about who Owen recommends for the grant. She also lets Owen know about Amelia moving back in, and talk turns to her alcoholism. Hearing this, Riggs perks up. He admits that he bought Amelia a couple drinks a few months back and had no idea. Of course, this makes Owen Hulk out, and Meredith has to stop him from decking Riggs again.
By the time they get to their destination, the heart is no longer viable. Owen is furious. When they get back to Grey Sloan, Riggs refuses to have the same fight with Owen and leaves. Owen also drops some major news on Meredith about Riggs. Riggs wasn’t actually there when his sister’s chopper left because he was busy cheating on her. She was planning to leave Riggs. Also, Riggs is a big fat liar. Bad Riggs.
When Owen gets Riggs alone, they fight like two dogs over a bag of Snausages. Owen confronts Riggs about being a lying liar, and for once, Riggs doesn’t have a defense for himself.
So a lot happened here. What are your thoughts on “I Wear the Face?”
