Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 2 Review: Keep the Family Close

It was an understated hour of Grey’s Anatomy.

A lot of fun little tidbits happened during Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 2, but not enough to move the plot forward outside of the Simone and Lucas development.

But overall, the hour was purely just vibing as we coast into bigger storylines.

More than anything, we got to spend some quality time with the interns and revel in their fun antics that continue to capture the nostalgic feel of Grey’s from yesteryear.

The interns are genuinely a fun bunch to watch, and this hour allowed us to do so unimpeded for the most part.

We got to see Bailey in her true form as the mentor and leader of the interns.

But as the hour progressed, it was evident that sometimes, she had to adapt to a different herd of young doctors and the times.

My class didn’t screw up like yours did!

Helm

It generally sucked when Winston got direct with her during surgery. And every bone in my body wanted to fight the man for “speaking out of turn.”

But that’s because you don’t mess with Miranda Bailey nor the tradition of her running off some of her classic one-liners and whipping interns into shape in the way we’re most familiar.

However, with this group of interns, the series has gone out of the way to make them feel the closest to the originals while also showcasing how different they are when the approach to teaching them is different.

As frustrating as it was that Winston was so candid, he was right about the interns needing to experience being in the OR to learn anything in the first place.

Grey’s Anatomy’s Strangest but Real Medical Cases

It was one of the pitfalls of how they mentored previous classes, and it’s also a more realistic demand than ever.

We saw what happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where doctors, nurses, and first responders of all types had to step up quickly, sometimes getting expedited to the frontlines.

It’s not entirely out of the realm of becoming a norm in some cases, so it’s best to have interns who are adequately prepared to perform procedures and do things than not.

And despite how disastrous things were with Sam, it’s evident that this batch of interns is highly capable.

It was a great moment at the end of the hour when Bailey confided in Ben Warren, who damn near always wins as “Husband of the Year” in the Grey’s franchise.

He always knows the right things to say to her and how best to support Bailey, and he gets through to her in a way no one else can manage to do.

I can appreciate that she acknowledged how much she has changed, and of course, she has! She’s been at this for decades!

But it’s true that even with how she’s changed, it only means that these interns will get the best of her. It makes her more equipped to teach and guide them.

Yes, you’ve changed, but for the better.

Warren

If anything, it makes her better than ever at doing it, and because she carries with her the experience of her time as an intern and all the highs and lows of mentoring others, she knows how to guide these young docs through it all.

Miranda Bailey mentored some of the greatest medical minds. She better put some respect on her own name!

It’s sweet that she’s open to admitting when she’s in the wrong or needs to readjust, and we saw that with how reflective she was after watching Blue in action.

Of all the interns, Mika tends to be the one who routinely shines the best and most and comes across as the most capable and strongest out of the bunch.

She doesn’t typically allow her personal life to interfere with the job too much. She’s compassionate, intelligent, and filled to the brim with the potential for greatness.

But if anyone comes in a close second, it’s Kwan who can be a bit of a dark horse because sometimes the others get so caught up in his disposition, arrogance, and demeanor that they can’t see how skilled he is in various areas.

He can be an ass sometimes, but he does incredibly well with some patients and their loved ones when it matters the most.

He also heeded Bailey’s word about not prioritizing procedures over patients.

Lucas: Are you sure you want this?
Simone: I want to feel better. Is there a problem?
Lucas: I want his too. But maybe we should talk.

He took his empathy and compassion and directed that toward John Doe with all the cash and, even more importantly, the kid’s parents.

The way he talked them through everything that happened and offered to take them to see their son was incredibly touching.

The other interns had their standout moments, too.

Yasuda succeeded at making Teddy Altman cry, which was rather hilarious.

And she had a tough go of it playing the “go-between” with Teddy and Owen.

But her discretion was noted, and it helped in some ways. Offhand, the special bond she’s developed with Teddy is endearing, and it would be nice to see that dynamic explored more down the road.

Jules showed her hand with how deep her family issues run because she wasn’t interested in dealing with the crazy softball family.

But who knew putting them in their place was enough to earn her their MVP award?

Jules polishing it off and calling it her “baby” was so cute, and there isn’t an installment that passes by where she doesn’t feel similar to Izzie Stevens.

Unfortunately, the only interns who faced some struggles during this installment were Lumone, and that was due to their personal and professional relationships.

Lucas lost the bag of money after getting stuck on cash duty, which wasn’t the greatest.

And Simone spent the entire day reeling over offending a patient whom she told was HIV positive.

Simone is not in the best state, and I’m thrilled that she was honest with herself and Lucas at the end of the hour when it came to that.

Simone: I avoid hard truths. I avoid them when they’re staring me in the face. I ran from Baltimore. I ran from my wedding, and with everything with Sam, I ran from you. And I think it’s because I’m too scared to admit that right now is not a good time for us. I’m not sleeping; I’m slipping up. I’m hurting people. I’m hurting myself, and I need to put myself first. I need to put my career first.
Lucas: When haven’t you?

She wasn’t being fair to him by trying to initiate sex to “feel good.” He wanted to talk about their relationship and what they were doing, but she’s been avoiding the conversation and wanting to use him instead.

Everything Simone said about avoiding the tough conversations and runs was true.

And she needs to take a beat and focus on her career rather than jumping into another relationship. She’s clearly not in the best headspace for a healthy relationship right now or much of anything.

But Lucas was absolutely correct in calling her out as well. From his perspective, he’s been head over heels for her, and she hasn’t expressed an ounce of those same feelings.

Related: Station 19 Season 7 Episode 2 Review: Good Grief

It feels like Lucas loves Simone until it hurts, and Simone can’t figure out how to love Lucas without hurting him.

Right now, as much as I love this pairing, their chemistry, and everything else, they’re not ready for one another yet.

Lucas deserves to feel as if Simone loves him back in equal measure and can consider his feelings too, that she doesn’t take him and his affection for her for granted or use him for purely selfish gain.

Simone deserves to be in a better headspace, figure herself out, and take space to get right with herself before she goes after the guy she likes.

We should’ve known Lumone was too hot and couldn’t bask in it for too long.

It’s angst city, and that sucks.

But it’s all good times and happiness with Jolink, who appear to fall deeper in love with each other with each passing second they spend in the same vicinity.

The trio of Jo, Link, and Amelia working on the pregnant woman was shockingly great, and I’m here for any and all Jomelink content.

Jo: He told you about us?
Amelia: He didn’t have to. We’re already family anyway.

She easily could tell they were together, including an Amelink doughnut becoming a Jolink thing in a cute domestic moment.

While Amelia’s intentions were pure when she was giving Jo advice, it felt a bit weird because of Amelia’s past relationship with Link and the simple fact that Jo has literally known the man longer in the first place.

It’s been odd that they’ve had Amelia Shepherd playing the third wheel with her exes and their current partners for two installments in a row.

But this is also Grey’s Anatomy, where things are rather incestuous, and everyone is family in their own way.

It’s a sentiment Jo respected and seemed visibly affected by when Amelia said it.

And it translated over to Amelia latching onto Winston by the end of the hour. Despite their beef and the tension they’ve experienced in the past when she blamed him for Maggie leaving, she does see him as her family.

Her asking him to hang out with her and admitting that with everyone gone, he’s basically what she has left was endearing in that Amelia way.

And Winston rolling with the punches was cute, too.

Amelia: Winston. I have a cat.
Winston: Are you talking to me?
Amelia: I miss my family. I miss Meredith. I miss Maggie. I miss Kai. So I have a cat.

Overall, it was a rather understated hour, but one thing that did stand out within the case was the subtle work done to destigmatize HIV.

It’s difficult for a queer man, especially one of color, to face that prognosis and not see it as a death sentence or something that severely impacts how he’s able to live his life.

Dante’s denial over the matter was heartrending and yet all too real. It felt totally on brand that he would rather ignore the possibility of having it than face the fear of what having it means.

But that’s because there’s still so much ignorance around the disease, and its history is a painful one that still casts a shadow over people now.

Related: Grey’s Anatomy Round Table: Bailey Brings Back Her Five Rules

Fortunately, Levi was professional and supportive of this, being able to speak to Dante on multiple levels to help him accept it and realize that his life doesn’t stop because of this.

And Dante still managed to hit on Levi the entire time, which was precious.

Over to you, Grey’s Fanatics.

How did you feel about this hour? Are you enjoying the interns? What was your favorite moment? Sound off below!

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC. You can stream the following day on Hulu.

Edit Delete