Holy hell, is Grey Sloan Memorial a depressing place to be these days. I know that’s like saying the sky is blue and the grass is green, but they really kicked things up a notch in “A Diagnosis.” Everyone is breaking up or getting diagnosed with a serious mental health issue or having to listen to Jo Karev say the words, “I would jump in front of a bear for you, Alex” with a straight face. Things are dire.
Let’s start with Andrew DeLuca because friends, this man is very unwell. He and Dr. Riley took Suzanne off of all her medication three days ago (she, too, is extremely unwell — like bleeding from the mouth unwell) and he hasn’t slept since. He isn’t eating. He barrels into a conversation between Meredith and Cormac and starts badgering Mer at hyperspeed about patients of hers from years ago. He needs answers! Now! This is not the Andrew DeLuca we know and love.
Or is it? Because you know who shares Meredith’s concern for what’s happening with Andrew? Lady DeLuca. Carina admits to Meredith that she’s been worried about her brother for a while. He’s the same age as their bipolar father was when he first started exhibiting symptoms. Meredith wants to believe it’s just that he’s too involved with this patient, but then Carina starts listing off examples of Andrew having super lows — remember when Bello had to leave or get deported and he became the sad man playing guitar on Meredith’s couch? — and extreme manic episodes. You know, like right now. Carina also tells Mer that a symptom of bipolar disorder is complete unawareness or disregard for consequences of your actions. Like, say, taking the blame for your girlfriend’s insurance fraud, going to prison, and throwing your entire career away. I would find it hard to believe that Grey’s had planned this since Sam’s departure in season 14, but still, it isn’t the worst retcon we’ve seen. Our DeLuca! By now, in season 16, I’m well aware that we, the dedicated Grey’s Anatomy audience, cannot have nice things, and yet still I somehow feel blindsided by this development. Now I am unwell!
Meredith takes these concerns under consideration and goes to see Bailey. They decide they need to take DeLuca off the case and put Meredith in charge. Bailey is the one to inform DeLuca of this change and it does not go well. He stops short of saying anything too damaging to his career, but when Bailey tells him that Meredith is going to put Suzanne back on her medication and negate anything he and Riley have done, boy does he get close.
He’s beside himself — and still hasn’t slept — when he goes to see Riley as she’s leaving. There’s no point in her staying if they’re not following her methods. But a miracle happens: DeLuca gets the results of one final test they had done on Suzanne before they lost control of their patient, and behold — a diagnosis! Suzanne’s white blood cells are eating her other blood cells, which sounds awful, but leads them to the conclusion that she is suffering from the very rare Still’s disease. All of her symptoms fit! But if they don’t give her a high dose of steroids immediately, her organs could start shutting down. So, DeLuca and Riley barge into Suzanne’s room while Meredith is in there, refuse to explain anything, there is so much yelling, and then DeLuca injects Suzanne with the steroids. Meredith is LIVID. If DeLuca’s wrong, Suzanne could die.
He’s not wrong. Suzanne immediately starts to get better. Still’s disease can’t be cured, but it can be managed. They saved her life. But that doesn’t change the fact that DeLuca was out of control. The two of them get into it in front of everyone. Meredith tells him that he could’ve taken a moment to tell her what he was going to do. He’s not in the right state of mind to be dealing with patients. And, friends, DeLuca goes off. All about how he was right and he pulled off this incredible diagnosis. You know, delusions of grandeur that sound just like DeLuca’s fetus-in-a-sac dad. And when Meredith points that out? DeLuca tells her he doesn’t need her. They’re over.
Listen, I’m very sad for DeLuca and what he’s about to go through, but I’m also very excited for us because we need — no, we deserve — that! drama!
Believe it or not, there is someone else in the hospital exhibiting some concerning symptoms that point to a much bigger problem. Webber just hasn’t been the same since he returned to Grey Sloan. Bailey gives him the gift of molding young interns into top-notch surgeons, but it does nothing for him. He barely pays attention to them in the skills lab and then he lets them go home early. Bailey finds him sitting alone outside and decides it’s time to have a real chat.
Webber explains that he just “doesn’t have it in [him].” This all feels like Catherine won and this is his punishment. Bailey is desperate, she just wants to know how she can help him. “Help me help you!” she doesn’t yell, but I do in my head. “I’m just tired. Bone tired,” he responds. When Bailey tells him that it sounds a lot like depression, he says he’ll be okay and walks off. Now, we all know that when a person who was just mulling life over on an empty bench says “I’ll be okay,” they only mean that like 12 percent of the time. Bailey is on to something, and it is going to be awful.
Hey! Who else in Seattle is ready to bum us out? Just close your eyes and spin around and you’ll find someone. How about Amelia Shepherd? She is spending the day in bed, spiraling. She won’t respond to any of Link’s texts, which is insanely rude considering that they live in the Accidental Death Capital of the World. She plans on hiding until she figures out what to do about her baby-daddy situation.
Thankfully, Maggie will not let this stand. She knows Amelia, and she knows she shouldn’t be allowed to sit in a room alone, hyperventilating until she throws up. Amelia needs to talk it out. Maggie tries to explain where Link might be coming from — that if she were him and knew Amelia and Owen’s history, she would want a paternity test too, because she’d be scared that this could reignite things with Owen. Maggie tries to see things from Amelia’s point of view, too, and knows that she must be overwhelmed by hormones and fear and just want to feel loved. You guys, you know how I feel about Amelia and even I was moved by this scene of sisterhood. I mean, the outcome of this storyline is still awful, but that scene is magic.
You see, Link finally comes by the house to find out where Amelia is. Maggie stalls, but eventually Amelia descends down the stairs and informs Link that she wants her son to be raised by people who love him no matter who he is. So, she’s not getting the test and she’s dumping Link. Here’s the thing: Of course Amelia deserves to be loved by someone unconditionally, and yes, she is definitely hormonal and scared, but Link’s right to immediately ask aloud if she’s ever going to tell Owen he might be the father. Owen stinks, but if that kid is his, he deserves to know! Anyway, I can’t believe we’re still talking about this whole mess.
The O.R. Board
• Ooowee, guys. There was an actual bear attack over on Station 19! While camping, a poor schmuck named Scott jumps in front of a bear to save his wife, Rachel, and they’re both brought to Grey Sloan. Jo learns that Rachel is cheating on Scott and was planning on telling him, but Scott dies from his injuries. Rachel is beside herself and so is Jo, apparently. She frantically calls Alex, who is still ignoring her, and demands that he call her back and tell her what’s going on. She doesn’t care what it is, she just needs to know the truth. Well, we all do, Josephine.
• Another person affected by this bear attack: Jackson! He was camping with the Station 19 crew when it happened and is Scott’s doctor, so this hits him hard. He shows up at Maggie’s door to finally apologize for straight-up just leaving her in the woods. He knows he should’ve done it a long time ago, but was too proud. Bless this bear! No offense, Scott.
• Friends, I hooted when Dr. Riley tried to ream out Meredith for being both DeLuca’s boss and girlfriend and how that makes things “muddy.” GIRL, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS SHOW? We live in the mud.
• Well, well, well, Cormac Hayes ALSO speaks Italian.
• Two couples bit the dust and another one is dangerously close: Nico doesn’t want Schmitt to meet his parents because, well, Nico hasn’t come out to them yet. After enduring Nico making a stink about not wanting to date someone who wasn’t out when they first met, Schmitt is angry.
• Yes, Cormac and Bailey reuniting Joey with his foster siblings for a pizza party made my heart melt, but can we get to the part where Bailey and Ben adopt this kid already? You know it’s coming!
• Okay, but seriously, what’s going on with Alex? After DeLuca’s huge blowup, Meredith texts her friend. She needs him. In response, Meredith gets the three dots of death and then no response at all.
• Intern Perez, you sweet, bumbling angel: “Good night, Chief Bailey! You’re an icon!”
