Spoiler alert! This story contains major spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy’s two-part Season 19 finale — “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Happily Ever After?” — that aired on May 18. Proceed with caution if you’re not caught up!
Grey’s Anatomy’s two-hour Season 19 finale was jam-packed with relationship drama, an ill-fated wedding and surgeons going rogue. But fans got what they really came for at the beginning of the second hour, when Ellen Pompeo appeared for the first time since stepping away as a season regular. It was a big episode for her character, as Meredith Grey made a life-altering decision (or two), but even that was nothing compared to the hilarity that ensued when Richard Webber, Catherine Fox, Miranda Bailey and others thought their plane was going down en route to Boston. First things first, though.
Meredith’s Actions Put Her Research Funding In Jeopardy
Upon her Seattle colleagues’ arrival in Massachusetts, Meredith revealed to them that basically everything we know about Alzheimer’s is wrong. She showed them supposed proof that she needed to change the entire direction of her research, nullifying basically all the work Derek Shepherd and every other doctor and scientist had ever done on the subject. Richard (James Pickens Jr.) warned her that she’d lose her funding and reputation if she divulged that information, but we all know Meredith plays by no one’s rules but her own, and she came clean to one of the top investors.
It was great to see Meredith in “mad scientist mode” again, rather than the calm and collected leader of Grey Sloan. If this is Boston Meredith, please give me more in Season 20! In addition to taking a huge risk regarding her funding, it also appears that she and Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) are back on! His perceived near-death experience earlier that day inspired the transplant surgeon to swallow his pride and tell her how he felt. And speaking of that flight …
That Turbulent Flight Was Hilarious, And It Set Up Big Stakes For Season 20
Grey’s Anatomy has had its trauma surrounding plane crashes, so nobody could blame the Seattle surgeons for being more than a little jumpy when Catherine’s private plane hit major turbulence. Catherine (Debbie Allen) was giddily eavesdropping on the argument between Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) — as Richard sold her out for “hitting the medical marijuana pretty hard” — when the plane started to shake violently. I immensely enjoyed seeing how each reacted, and I was not the only one, as fans hit up Twitter to comment on the classic scene:
amelia: “i can’t die.”webber: “i should’ve retired.”bailey: “oh hell no!”catherine: “hahahahahahaahah” I AM DYING 😂 #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/HvnOKesy4cMay 19, 2023
In a shocking move, Richard snatched his wife’s martini out of her hand, not worried about his sobriety if he was about to die, only to have Bailey (Chandra Wilson) knock it out of his hand before he could take a sip. Fans were impressed with Bailey’s fast reflexes, even in a state of emergency, with one tweeting:
Bailey swatting that drink out of Richard's hand like:#GreysAnatomy #greys pic.twitter.com/uiOR5vB83YMay 19, 2023
As funny as that scene was, it could mean huge things when Grey’s Anatomy returns for Season 20, as we later saw Richard decline going to an AA meeting with Amelia and ordering a vodka tonic at the bar. We did not, however, see whether or not he drank it, but I think we can expect to more of his ongoing battle with addiction, especially if Catherine’s cancer continues to get worse.
That’s a wrap on Season 19, and unfortunately we may have to wait longer than usual for Season 20 this fall. In the meantime, you can relive all of this season's episodes with a Hulu subscription, and check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows are starting soon.
