ABC's Grey's Anatomy - Episode 15.14 "I Want a New Drug"
While Meredith breaks a hospital record, the rest of the doctors are sent scrambling in the wake of a massive overdose within the community. Jackson wants to take a reluctant Maggie camping. Levi and Nico's relationship continues to develop.
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 Want a New Drug" was written by Zoanne Clack and directed by Jeannot Szwarc
It's actually surprising that Betty/Brittany survives everything that happens to her here. It's become clear that this story for Owen and Amelia is coming to a close. One aspect of their family is leaving them completely. They still have all of the melodrama with Teddy and the impending baby. However, Betty/Brittany's parents have arrived to take Leo. As such, it would be unlike the show to have them leave without getting some clarity as to what happened to their daughter. She gets caught up in a massive overdose. The emergency room is overwhelmed with patients who have overdosed on a drug laced with something. Betty/Brittany actually appears to be the worst even though she seems fine when she first arrives. She just mixed her drugs with meth and thus needed a surgery from Teddy in order to survive. She does that though. Teddy was willing to accept all responsibility if this little family unit for Owen and Amelia fell apart too. She was selfless in that way because she knew Amelia would need her sisters to cope. Amelia is challenged throughout this day as well. It's a day that makes her question her own sobriety. It also makes her yearn for an escape from this kind of tragedy as well. Link is complaining about how hopeless all of this feels. The doctors may not be doing any good because the patients are essentially doing this to themselves. In that moment, there is a spark of connection between Amelia and Link. It should be fascinating to see what the audience should read into that moment. It could be Amelia desiring for his exit strategy. Or it could hint that things between Amelia and Owen are doomed now that it's just the two of them again. Owen chose her. Teddy is fine with that as well because she loves Owen as a friend and needs him to fulfill that role in her life even though they are having a baby together. But again, everything comes to as happy a conclusion as it could have given the circumstances. It brings Betty/Brittany's story to a close even though she will still have to make that choice to live despite everything tragic that occurs here. Amelia is painfully aware of how agonizing that can be too. The story with Betty/Brittany is really the plot point that culminates every meaningful thing the show is trying to do here as well. It wants to make it abundantly clear that opioid addiction is ravaging communities and infecting a wide array of people. Some people are going to have understanding reactions to it. Others will be forced to make hard choices. Many of the doctors have had their lives touched by addiction in some way. It shades the way that Amelia, Richard and Alex respond to the various patients at the hospital. The show doesn't overly hit the audience over the head with that. Well, it does a little bit when it comes to Alex and Jo. But that still feels very relevant. Meanwhile, Meredith is off in her own little surgery where she is seemingly breaking a record for the longest surgery every performed at the hospital. The show absolutely makes that feel like a big deal. But again, it feels very tangential to everything else that is going on. She doesn't really know just what's going on in the hospital with all of the overdoses. Maggie does come to her afterwards to say that Amelia will need their support. But the happy outcome means that Meredith can rest instead. That mostly just produces a cute moment where DeLuca cares for her so she's not just randomly sleeping in a hallway.
