Grey's Anatomy 16x02 "Back in the Saddle" Episode Review
Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.
The latest episode had a ton of set-up for the rest of the season. Meredith’s trial will come in three months time, likely a mid-season finale build-up, Alex and Richard are having an amazing time at Pac-North, Jo is transitioning from fellowship to Attending General, Link and Amelia are expecting a baby, Maggie and Jackson… and Owen and Tom are not liking each other very much. Miranda Bailey is on the lookout for the new Meredith and Alex, a competition of sorts that pit DeLuca and Helm against each other.
Alex and Richard are my favorite part of Season 16. This is a potential Grey’s spin-off idea to be honest masked as a sub-plot. The concept of going to the bottom-level hospital to improve its ranking is so refreshing. Richard and Alex’s character dynamic is a highlight of this episode. Also, Alex trying to convince Jo to work at Pac-North was entertaining in putting her in the middle between him and Bailey. This lead to Jo taking a stand on the Attending General Surgeon position.
Meredith is being Meredith and checking out her work crew during community service, getting all them the help they need without waiting a long time for an appointment or appointments. Then after saving her community work crew supervisor by identifying a treatable cancer that wasn’t taken care of sooner, Meredith decides to publish an article on the people slipping through the cracks. She’s supposed to lay low until after the trial, but she doesn’t think she can wait that long. Loving Meredith Grey so much. She’s not a intern anymore.
Amelia and Link deal with the pregnancy news separately after she delivers the news… well, until the end of the episode. Amelia and Maggie have their sisterly talk about the pregnancy and what to do, while Link expresses his feelings to best friend Jo about the idea of him being a father, the cancer gene, and respecting Amelia’s decision. They get together at the end of the episode, Amelia and Link, and she shares what happened to Christopher, the son she lost in Private Practice, and they agree to meet their baby after hearing Link’s heartfelt words.
Maggie and Jackson are done. The whole Instagram #Freedom thing was silly. The writers have to improve Maggie’s character somehow. She’s not holding up well in comparison to everyone else’s major storylines. Owen also needs work, but paddle accident on Tom’s balls was super amazing. Tom Koracick can deliver his lines, and incredible acting on the “deep-fried” balls made me feel bad for him. Yes, Tom’s an obnoxious jerk, but I ship him and Teddy so much. I don’t think Owen will last with Teddy, who was not in this episode.
Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren had their classic bedroom heart-to-heart about firing Meredith, Alex, and Richard that lead to Miranda getting back into the action. She will recreate Alex Karev and Meredith Grey because she was the one who taught them very well, she can do it again! This lead to DeLuca and Helm being pitted against each other for surgeries, and DeLuca crossing a line called “Meredith Grey”. The storylines are fresh and getting ready to flourish into something amazing.
Overall, Season 16 is fun and refreshing. Grey’s Anatomy is not slowing down and actually dishing out fresh groundwork, but maybe the Ellen Pompeo is? 16 seasons is a long time to run a television series, and I can see this show keep going for a few more seasons. We shall see what goes down by the end of this season.