Grey’s Anatomy Recap: Cue the Montage

As a long-time viewer of Grey’s Anatomy, I must say that this week’s episode was a rollercoaster of emotions. The passing of Chloe has left an indelible mark on all of us, and my heart goes out to Midori Francis who portrayed her beautifully.

Absolutely, during Thursday night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, we bid farewell to beloved character Levi Schmitt, who is known for his kind nature and nerdy charm. It was almost a given that the topic of Schmitt’s time as a clumsy intern in surgery would come up, and he was often referred to as “Glasses” due to his glasses-wearing habit. To my surprise, the heartwarming compilation of Schmitt’s significant moments turned out to be even more sentimental than I had anticipated.

For quite some time, we’ve been aware that Jake Borelli, who has portrayed Schmitt since 2017, is parting ways with the show. This week marks his last appearance as Schmitt journeys to San Antonio for a pediatric clinical trial and a taste of Tex-Mex cuisine – an experience for him, somehow, for the first time. Consequently, this episode, titled “If You Leave,” was heavily steeped in nostalgia, not only symbolizing Schmitt’s departure but also paying tribute to Mika Yasuda, another character leaving the series this season following a brief run. (This is a heart-wrenching moment for all of us who eagerly await our weekly dose of Midori Francis, and we extend our most sincere condolences during this challenging time.) The show, “Grey’s Anatomy,” has always been defined by such poignant moments, even though the more emotional scenes might have been too much for early Meredith, causing her to implode. However, I found myself cherishing every moment of it, just as Mika would fish out an old, forgotten doughnut from the trash.

Just like any compelling medical drama, Grey’s always manages to keep us on edge with dramatic previews. We all know the drill: over-the-top teasers that leave us guessing. This week, however, the preview had me genuinely concerned about Mika’s fate, as she was shown being brought in from a car crash with blood in her mouth. To make someone believe instantly that someone has sustained a severe, potentially fatal injury, just show their teeth stained with cherry-red corn syrup. It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. (Why do I, someone who’s medically anxious, find myself hooked on a surgical drama? That’s a question better left for my therapist; it’s not a topic I’m comfortable discussing myself.) Mika’s younger sister, Chloe, also seems to be in a critical condition due to the accident. She was, after all, on her way home from her first chemotherapy session.

Throughout much of the episode, it feels like Mika’s well-being hangs in the balance, with each friend coping differently amidst their heartache. As someone who has encountered similar situations with women injured severely in car accidents, Blue remains steadfast by Mika’s side, vowing to handle her laundry for life if she pulls through. Adams and Griffith find themselves vacillating between drawing near for comfort and stepping back, creating a delicate dance of emotional support. (I must admit, the moment when Adams retched into a biohazard bin was undeniably relatable.) Jules, still unacknowledged as Mika’s partner by most, expresses her frustration as if this crisis were unfolding solely for her – a reaction that seems justified given our current circumstances.

Mika and Chloe have sustained severe injuries; Chloe is facing the possibility of amputation, while Mika’s liver injury is so grave that Bailey had to intervene amidst the surgeons in the operating room, rushing to his treadmill desk for an innovative, groundbreaking, life-preserving solution. Essentially, they took out Mika’s still-intact spleen and redirected its blood vessels to aid the remaining small, viable portion of her liver in healing. Fingers crossed it works!

There’s something very perfect about the fact that while all of this is happening, Schmitt is just … wandering the hospital thinking about how he’s gonna miss his boyfriend while they try out long-distance. Hot Hospital Chaplain James might have ice-cream hair, but despite this questionable grooming choice, he’s a total cutie who loves Star Wars and Trek as much as Schmitt. More importantly, he somehow makes quoting Bible verses in bed seem kinda kinky. It’s very understandable that Schmitt would be worried about losing all of this bliss, but man is it funny to cut between his relationship malaise and the actually perilous drama happening just a few wings away. That’s Schmitt for you, though — he’s just a sweet, sweet boy who skips through life with an open, completely oblivious heart (and, sometimes, hilariously absurd timing).

Moving on to the heart-wrenching narrative, let’s revisit the troubling situation unfolding. The accumulated tension compels Jules to disclose her secret trysts with Mika throughout the hospital halls to Griffith. However, even in this distressing scenario, there exists a faint but undeniable glimmer of truth – their clandestine affection. Regrettably, the story takes a turn for the worse when Chloe, recovering from surgery, experiences an elevated potassium level and collapses. After 40 minutes of resuscitation efforts, it falls upon Adams, who had vowed to care for Chloe during surgery, to declare her time of death. This heart-rending event is likely to haunt us in the future. When Mika regains consciousness, Bailey stands by her side, bearing the burden of delivering the devastating news – Chloe has passed away. Even after 21 seasons, the image of Chandra Wilson comforting Midori and tenderly wiping her tears remains as poignant today as it was then. This is the essence of timeless television!

However, Grey’s isn’t solely about the heart-wrenching, melancholic moments. It’s a combination of these somber scenes and the lighthearted, earnest moments that make it unique. Just as every complex character like Meredith needs a compassionate counterpart such as O’Malley, this series delights in juxtaposing gut-wrenching catastrophes with heartwarming, almost naively sincere scenes. This is exactly why Schmitt, who receives a touching farewell montage before leaving, is significant – but not before Jo reminds him of the incident where he accidentally dropped his glasses into a patient’s abdomen. The episode’s best dialogue occurs later when she tells him, “Getting drunk and sleeping with you was the best mistake I ever made. Will you be my babies’ godfather?” His reply mirrors my thoughts: “Are those two things supposed to be related?

Essentially, the seemingly unrelated remark serves as an introduction to the main idea of the episode: “The world can be harsh, inhabited by tough individuals,” Jo tells Schmitt. “Yet, you carry a large, open heart.” Perhaps we should all do the same, don’t you agree? This is why the charming Chaplain James made the decision to take a chance (or perhaps he said “frick it”) and relocate to San Antonio after only a few months of dating and a prayer. If there’s one lesson Grey Sloan consistently teaches us, it’s that life is too brief and unpredictable to let fear control us.

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• I swear to God, I’m doing my best — my very best — to not let my resentment of one Dr. Owen Hunt overtake these recaps, but now that we’ve made it safely to the postscript, may I just say: I AM SO SICK OF THIS MAN!!! How the hell does he get from Teddy immediately telling him about an unwanted kiss from a colleague to accusing her of “letting” them do so? Where does he get off? Do they bottle this kind of audacity and sell it in stores, or is that delulu something you’ve gotta be born with? Good on him for realizing when a colleague’s life was on the line that his perspective might’ve been a little shot, I guess, but this nonsense still earned my biggest eyeroll of the week.

It seems that this fresh group of interns has brought a touch of Grey’s Anatomy’s original charm back, but this week, I found myself recalling just how much the show’s early seasons and their unexpected turns have affected me. For instance, when all the interns were performing CPR on Chloe, didn’t it cross everyone else’s mind that Mika might somehow perish while they were preoccupied? I thought for sure there was a hint of things to come! The tragedies experienced by team MAGIC continue to cast a shadow over me.

• What do we think the exit plan is for Mika now? Will this terrible loss make it impossible for her to set foot in Grey Sloan again? Will she somehow also land a job in San Antonio? Whatever happens, I’m rooting for her and Jules until the end of time.

2024-11-15 19:54

Grey’s Anatomy Recap: Cue the Montage

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