Is a party really a party without a pooper? The question was rhetorical in Thursday’s Grey’s Anatomy as the residents’ blowout at Mer’s house included in the festivities — cue the sad trombone — Simone’s estranged fiancé, Trey. Did she admit to him that, at this point, he was yesterday’s news and Lucas, tomorrow’s? Read on, and we’ll discuss not only that turning point but how Blue and Jules spent their fateful evening at Grey Sloan and whether the talk was anything but small when Teddy and Owen had a double date with Bailey and Ben.
‘TEAM SKYWALKER’ | As “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” began, Mika was decorating for the blowout at the interns’ residence while, upstairs, Simone and Trey were having it out over his lack of support during her last job. Still having it out, in fact. (They’d been at it, it seemed, since he arrived.) Overhearing the fight, Mika reassured Lucas that he still had a shot with Simone. It had not been lost on Yasuda that “you two were seconds away from boning last night.” When Simone and Trey finally talked for a moment rather than yelled, he asked if he’d waited too long to come after her and try to make things right. Dodging the question, she said that she just wanted to have fun at the party… but was soon admitting that she’d missed him, too, and kissing him. (Hurry, Lucas. Hurry.)
As the bash got underway, Taryn encouraged Levi to get laid. But it looked more and more like she might get lucky instead. (Hi, Mika!) By and by, Trey lost more ground with Simone by dissing the new friends that she considered “my people” and dissing Grey Sloan’s residency program. She was still steamed over that when Lucas pleaded his case, telling her how perfect she was in a lovely, heartfelt way. Simone was so moved that clothes were coming off before the commercial break. “Baby, I’m sorry for what I said,” Trey pleaded from the other side of the door. “I’ll be better.” Aw, damn. The unwitting c–k-block worked. “If you love him,” Lucas advised as he re-dressed, “you should fight for him.” Did she love him? Her non-answer was answer enough for the obviously better choice. To add insult to injury, she wanted to check behind the door to see that Trey was gone before leaving the bedroom. “Now you can say you’re sorry,” Lucas huffed. Damn — so close!
Downstairs, as Trey stole away Simone, Mika took Taryn to see the hole in the roof. Outside, Levi was approached by a traveling nurse named Carlos. Flirtatious from the get-go, he’d even brought his own drinks. “I work way too hard to drink whatever surgical interns can afford.” Later, Simone admitted that she’d spent so many nights waiting for Trey to show up on her doorstep. “What changed?” he asked. “Nothing,” she said. (Ugh! Simone!) In response, Trey got down on one knee and re-proposed to her as a devastated Lucas looked on. (Go get some of Carlos’ better beer, man.)
‘I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP MORE WINE’ | At Owen and Teddy’s, she was chagrinned to learn as Ben and Bailey were on their way over that Allison had bitten Pru again. When Altman and Hunt’s guests arrived, the tension was thick. “She’s exhausted after one day of doing the job that we did for years,” Owen cracked to Bailey. Eventually, conversation skirted the biting issue… but Teddy quickly steered it away. “Can you help me in the kitchen?” Teddy asked. “Can’t,” Owen cracked. “Don’t have a license.” Over dinner, as Bailey asked if Teddy had looked over the resumés for a new chief of trauma, Owen was shocked to learn that his wife wasn’t hiring an interim chief but a permanent one. “This is a business decision,” she said, “so deal with it.” When the couple launched into a performance of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Bailey hollered at them to get help — and told Ben to get the pie she’d brought.
‘DON’T KILL ANYONE’ | Hearing about the Ivor Lewis procedure for which Blue would be scrubbing in with Maggie the following morning, Jules got herself added to the O.R. — if she wasn’t tired after her overnight shift. But long before surgery could begin on patient Natalia, she suffered a grand mal seizure, and Amelia discovered that she needed a different procedure, urgently and immedlately. When Blue and Jules brought Natalia and husband Elliot the consent form, Kwan asked how deep in debt the couple was. Hearing how bad off they were, Blue suggested that they divorce — Natalia might qualify for more insurance, and it might protect what few assets they have from the medical bills that were piling up. Hearing this, Maggie chewed out Blue. Before, the patient’s brain was bleeding. “Now her brain is bleeding, and she’s arguing with her husband.” Alone with Elliot, Jules advised him that if he loved his wife enough to marry her, he could love her enough to divorce her. Not only did Elliot agree to the tactic, he and Natalia had the most romantic, heartbreaking “breakup” ceremony ever. (If there had even been any before.) Since Maggie uninvited Blue from the surgery, despite the fact that his idea had been brilliant, only Jules was in the O.R. when Amelia operated. (Knock wood, it looked like Natalia might make it… at least through this first procedure.)
‘MY ANXIETY HOVERS AROUND AN EIGHT WHEN I’M NOT IN LABOR’ | In other developments, Amelia made plans for a visit from Kai. (Boy, has that relationship been moved to the back of the back burner.) After Amelia dropped Scout with Link, who had been egged by some Tank fans, he and Jo tended to a pregnant woman whose wife was N/A as she went into labor. As the episode drew to a close, Bailey, alone with Ben, called him on the resentment she’d been sensing from him. What was it about? They’d been doing so well before she went back to work, he confessed. But she was prioritizing their family, she argued. To be continued… Rather than let Lucas grieve what could have been, Mika pumped up a jam and got him dancing with her and Taryn while, outside, Levi made out with Carlos. Catching Blue bringing Elliot breakfast, Maggie barked at him anew, prompting him to explain what his family had been through when his mother was dying. Off that interaction, Maggie asked Richard how he knew that his and Catherine’s rough patch was only a patch. There had still been love underneath it all, he said, adding that he was sure that his daughter and Winston would work through their issues. As Jo marveled at how wonderful Link had been all night and pondered how Amelia had given him up, his babymama said that he hadn’t been right for her… but maybe he was right for Jo.
So, what did you think of the episode? Are you missing Mer? On a scale of “Not at all” to “OMG, so much,” how much? And how frustrated were you that Simone walked out on Lucas?