Grey's Anatomy Recap: Stephanie Steps Up and Meredith Moves On – Cosmopolitan.com

All I could think about during last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy is how it will feel to watch the series if the Affordable Care Act is fully repealed. To be very clear: I know there are far worse consequences of the bill than its impact on TGIT programming. Thousands will sicken and die. I could easily be one of them. All I'm trying to do is illuminate the lens through which I was watching the episode. And to be even clearer: The repeal isn't set in stone yet. Keep calling, keep writing, get louder.

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To be fair, Grey's has always shied away from delving too deeply into the financial lives of its patients (they've been all too eager to dig into the financial health of the hospital though). We don't see patients frantically paging through bills once they've been discharged or calling their insurance companies to get procedures cleared. But it bears mentioning that the show's two most memorable episodes about financial hardship for patients both aired during the Bush administration: Joe the bartender's inability to pay for his expensive brain surgery and Ryan, the young boy who "trick or treated" for doctors and nurses to staff a pro bono surgery to give him ears. (Sidebar: That little boy grew into Dylan Minnette, who played Clay in 13 Reasons Why. What is time!?!?)

As the Affordable Care Act was rolled out, Grey's wove subtle references to it into its storytelling. At least one character talked about Obamacare specifically, and others mentioned finally being able to afford health care, or getting ongoing health issues checked out now that they were insured. So if Grey's wants to continue acknowledging America's health-care landscape next season, what would that even look like? Arizona performing a fetal surgery only to have to immediately stop because the baby's reached its lifetime limit already? Owen turning patients away from the emergency room? Doctors playing fast and loose with diagnoses so as to not document pre-existing conditions on patients' charts? SHOULD BE PRETTY FUN TO WATCH.

Anyway, it's not a great reflection on last night's episode that I had plenty of time in which to obsess over how the series might reflect our political climate a year from now, but here we are. I cannot get past my case of "She doesn't even go here!" when it comes to Eliza, and I'm frustrated that she continues to be used as a plot device rather than a person. She kisses Arizona! She meddles with residents! Who is she? GREAT QUESTION, NO ONE KNOWS.

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It's especially frustrating when she decides that Ben doesn't take enough risks as a surgeon. This is a dude who literally did a C-section on a kitchen table and who was ballsy enough to take point in a room full of squabbling surgeons, like, three episodes ago, so I'm not sure what more he's supposed to be doing. One-handed surgery? Blindfolded, perhaps? He's always been confident, so this feels more like the writers trying to back-door justify why he hasn't necessarily had much to do this season.

Eliza's meddling doesn't stop there. ("Meddling" is probably unfair, because she literally is just doing her job, but she's doing a very, very, very, very, very confusing/irritating version of it.) She places herself squarely in the middle of a case of Alex and Stephanie's as they try to care for a young boy with a brain tumor whose parents are declining medical help for religious reasons. Alex is back to being his "Karev, Defender of Tiny Humans" self in a pretty awesome way, but Eliza gets right into the thick of it, telling him that he of all people should be "following the letter of the law" right now. Dude, ONLY MEREDITH CAN TALK TO ALEX THAT WAY. Or possibly Bailey. Alex and Stephanie play fast and loose to treat the child without his parents' consent. They save his life, but Stephanie loses her surgical privileges after chucking an iPad at the father's head. It is incredibly satisfying to watch.

In the middle of all of that business, Eliza tells Arizona that she has "naked plans" for her later, which is maybe the least sexy way I've ever heard a person invite someone to hook up. I'm all for Arizona getting hers! Just don't call it that. Arizona has a patient and can't make their sex date, so she and Eliza flirt and sexy tease each other in an elevator. Sorry, Eliza, but you have to earn elevator sexcapades. They do wind up having sex at the end of the episode and it's fine, whatever, sure, but it's just another moment that cements Eliza's status as a plot device, not a person.

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Also, Maggie attempts a heart surgery that's basically impossible (and ultimately fails) to help her cope with her feelings about Meredith and Riggs? Or something?

This week, the early stage of Meredith's relationship with Riggs continues to be almost unbearably drawn out, but I was too worried about losing my health insurance and maybe dying to be too annoyed by it. Congratulations, everyone! We did it! Meredith starts putting pieces of her relationship with Derek aside to make room, literally and figuratively, for Riggs. She takes down the diagram of a spinal tumor that Derek once drew on her walls; she puts the Post-it note vows in a drawer.

It's an important moment in Meredith's healing process, and giving the tumor drawing to Amelia might mend the resentment she has toward Meredith for not calling her to Derek's deathbed to say good-bye. (Amelia hasn't brought it up in a while, but you know it's still been festering.) But goddamnit, it still hurts to see her tuck away reminders of her past with Derek. As time has gone on, I don't miss Derek as, essentially, Meredith's manic pixie dream boy. But the tumor picture and the Post-it vows show how fun it was to watch them when they were when truly a couple, working alongside one another. I miss that. Riggs and Meredith finally leave the hospital hand-in-hand at the end of the episode, so I'll say what I have been saying in at least six recaps this season: I guess they're finally going to really go for it now!

Also, Deluca tries to profess his love for Jo and I'd love to tell you more about that, but the second it started happening, I fell into a deep, deep sleep. WAKE ME UP WHEN SHE HAS A CONVERSATION WITH ALEX.

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Grey's Anatomy Recap: Stephanie Steps Up and Meredith Moves On - Cosmopolitan.com