A sea of patients flood Grey Sloan Memorial after gunfire goes off at a parade. A blast from the past throws Maggie off her game on the same day that Meredith tries to talk to her about dating DeLuca. Owen and Amelia get some potentially life-altering news about Betty.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
"I Walk the Line" was written by Tameson Duffy and directed by Kevin McKidd
Jennifer Grey and Kyle Secor debut as Betty's parents here. Their introduction means this story is going in a new direction. That's a welcome change of pace because it has been very annoying and repetitive as of late. Betty just has an extreme tendency to struggle with her drug addiction and run away leaving Amelia and Owen worried about her. She has always returned to them. As such, it's different when her actual parents show up who haven't seen her in a year and a half. They don't know about Leo at all. As such, everything is changing for them. Amelia is willing to let them in while trying to explain how all of this happened in the first place. Of course, a lot of the focus is on Owen as well with his fears that he is about to lose custody of Leo. He's not wrong to think that. Moreover, he's actually right in saying that Leo needs to remain with him until all of this gets sorted out. He is his legal guardian according to the foster care system. And yet, all of this only seems to be stirring up more trouble and melodrama. That means that all of this will only be more heightened. However, it's still difficult to care because Owen is also expecting a baby with Teddy. As such, he won't be devastated by the news that a baby is once again being taken away from him. The show just wishes to console him by saying that a biological child is better than one from the system which is a little awkward and probably not what the show is hoping to do. This change is appreciated. However, it's still not doing a whole lot to liven up everything that has been going on in this corner of the show. Meanwhile, Meredith and Maggie's story is repetitive as well. The show has previously explored Meredith having feelings for someone that Maggie cares about. There was the whole tension with Riggs in the past. And now, Meredith worries how Maggie will react upon learning that she wants to date DeLuca. The show is just now coming to the realization that Meredith and DeLuca could be an exciting romantic pairing. It's unexpected but the last few episodes have made it seem intriguing and sexy. Meredith is doing the right thing. It's not a big deal at all. Maggie gives her blessing. But her overall story of having to deal with the mean girl from med school isn't all that great. It just features her complaining over and over again. She reaches out to Jo for help in possibly finding an innovative solution that can save her patients' life. And yet, she is still talking about the conventional way of doing things when Meredith enters the conversation. It's basically a story where Maggie talks a little too much about a subject that doesn't have much nuance or importance to it. Elsewhere, the show isn't being subtle at all when it comes to the case that Teddy and Koracick tackle here. They are perplexed by the relationship that three people have together. Koracick sees it as polyamorous but Teddy doesn't know what to believe. She eventually learns and accepts that the love of great friendship can last longer than romantic love. That's what she hopes to get back with Owen despite the damage done in the past. And finally, the show doesn't go all in on a story of condemning the numerous mass shootings that take place in this country. Instead, it presents a situation where a gun was accidentally fired at a public event and puts a teenager's life in peril. The doctors are able to save him. There is truly just that one brief moment where the father is saying that the laws need to change and people need to put more pressure on the subject because it has simply become way too commonplace. It's hard to disagree with that. But it's also not the show doing anything more than that either.
