Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

After an eventful episode, we’re unpacking all our feelings about Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 3.

The hour was packed with patients that were interesting enough to capture my attention and intensely emotional storylines for main characters.

In retrospect, it’s kind of hard to believe they fit so much into just one episode.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 3: Memorable Patients

When I speculated about what was to come in the Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 3 spoilers post, I never imagined that this installment would be so heavy.

For starters, the patients we met tonight had complicated stories.

One woman refused to sign a DNR (because she was waiting for her ex-husband to die first — what an icon).

While Schmitt and Jules tried to convince the patient to forego resuscitation attempts, all I could think about was how inappropriate they were being.

The poor woman was aware of the risks of CPR given her age, and she wanted the extraordinary measures anyway. The doctors should have left her alone.

Another patient was a pregnant surrogate for her brother and his husband who had an inoperable brain tumor. Thankfully, Amelia was able to save her and the baby, because it had the potential to be a truly devastating case.

The other patient of the hour was undergoing a kidney transplant performed by Nick, who dragged Richard into the O.R. to help.

I know Marsh was just following orders from Meredith to distract Richard, but I’m going to need the men on this show to stop forcing that man to operate.

Let. Richard. Retire.

The kidney patient (played by 30 Rock‘s Jack McBrayer) had to forego general anesthesia, which meant he was awake, open, and exposed through the entire surgery.

For some reason, Nick and the interns (Griffith and Adams) thought it was okay to dismiss the patient’s anxiety during the procedure.

Anxiety around having surgery is totally normal, and if I had to be awake for something as intense as a kidney transplant, I would be a complete wreck.

Catherine’s Health Nosedives on Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 3

I’m going to need Nick to take some sensitivity training courses and learn to take his patients’ mental health a little more seriously.

While we’re talking about this episode’s patients, we can’t forget about Catherine.

Meredith and Bailey hoped to do a quick liver biopsy (with what looked suspiciously like a piercing gun from Claire’s), but this is Grey’s Anatomy, so things went sideways.

While Catherine tried to bleed out on the table, Meredith made the call to bring Richard in on Catherine’s big secret.

I was pretty shocked at the end of the hour when Richard approached Meredith with anger about the whole situation.

First, she did just save Catherine’s life, so a little gratitude is probably in order.

But more importantly, she was following Catherine’s orders to keep quiet. Actually, she was being blackmailed to do so.

Even if she wasn’t, HIPAA is a thing, so Meredith’s hands were legally tied.

But after everything they’ve been through, Richard is furious that Meredith didn’t tell him what was going on with his wife.

I truly can’t decide if Meredith had a moral obligation to fill Richard in, but she certainly had a legal one to protect her patient’s privacy.

Now that Catherine has her wits about her, at least she’s showing some gratitude.

Bailey officially has her job back, which means (sadly) we’ve seen the last of Sydney Heron — at least for the time being.

Sydney Heron Makes Her Exit (Again), but Not Before Reading Ben for Filth

Before she packed her bags, Sydney made sure to hire Ben back to Grey Sloan’s residency program.

It’ll be great to have him back at Grey Sloan. Hopefully that means we’ll also get to see a few other familiar faces from Station 19.

I’m glad to see Ben, but I have to say it was nice to see Sydney call him out. It’s time someone held him to flame for the midlife crises he has every five to seven business years.

In his interview with Heron, Ben bragged about his job history as an anesthesiologist, and then a surgical resident, and then a firefighter.

But Sydney pointed out that his constant need for change was a concern, and she’s absolutely right.

When we consider Ben’s time as a resident, it’s clear he lives for excitement. Remember when he was cutting people open with clipboards and performing C-sections in hallways?

His time as a firefighter only proved that he loves a good adrenaline rush.

I’d like to say he’s grown a lot in the past decade. Time will tell whether he can relax enough to do his job without coloring outside the lines too much.

A Heartbreaking Revelation for Yasuda

Early in the episode we were gifted with a Mika/Jules moment that rivaled their elevator kiss from Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 2.

But the romance came to a screeching halt when the episode ended with their breakup after Mika learned her sister has cancer.

I’m going to miss the elevator make out sessions, sure. But I can’t blame Mika at all for needing Jules’s friendship more right now.

While their breakup does feel like a loss for a lot of LGBTQ+ fans, I’m hopeful that we’ll see other queer relationships (like Amelia and Beltran!) blossom this season.

Grey’s Anatomy’s Sailing Ships

As for other couples on the show, things are looking brighter.

Griffith and Adams hit a nepotism-related hitch, but quickly moved past it.

They’re officially official, and they’re as cute as can be.

Meredith and Nick seem to be doing well, but I can’t help but notice that their relationship still feels as one-sided as ever.

I don’t actually care, though, because Nick feels like such a character of convenience to me. He’s literally there to provide companionship to Meredith while she rids the world of Alzheimer’s and saves lives.

But, whatever, I’m glad they’re happy.

A Trip Down Memory Lane on Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 3

The episode gave us several parallels to the days of Grey’s Anatomy past.

Kwan is so very similar to Karev, whose character seemed shallow at first but grew into a complex and brilliant person (at least until his Grey’s Anatomy exit, but I digress).

Yasuda’s preference for keeping her distance from patients’ families was reminiscent of a young Cristina Yang.

Right down to having to repeat his intern year, Adams is a dead ringer for George O’Malley.

Amelia was presented with a stack of impossible cases and patients who are hoping for miracles. It brings to mind the mission her late brother took on years ago.

This season is shaping up to be a lovely mix of new stories and nostalgic throwbacks, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

Your Turn!

That’s all I’ve got for now, but I want to hear your thoughts!

Let me know in the comments how you felt about the episodes.

Who are your favorite characters at the moment, and who are you missing the most from the old cast?

Tune in next Thursday at 10/9c for a new episode on ABC.

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