The staff deal with a boy, who literally has become a tree; a patient who vocalizes all his thoughts aloud, no matter how rude; and a lung cancer patient, who ends up having sex with Alex in Joe's restrooms. Meanwhile, the Nazi is back with a vengeance from recent events, Burke's mother catches Cristina offering a new hospital service, Callie covers for Meredith, Izzie starts baking out of grief and Derek and Addison find their marriage is over.
Addison and Alex treat an abandoned baby, George and Derek are sealed off from the rest of the hospital (possibly with plague), Izzie mourns for Denny, Meredith tries to choose between Derek and Finn, Callie and Cristina try to help Izzie, Bailey helps a distressed patient and many of the doctors have flashbacks from their past.
Season 2 Finale!!
Richard is determined to discover the guilty party, and punishes the interns by making them arrange a prom for his niece. Meanwhile, Callie presses George about his feelings, and Derek and Meredith have to make a decision about Doc.
Cristina gets assigned to a trauma all by herself. Izzie and George wait for Burke to arrive and help Denny get the heart, but they do not realize that Burke has been shot and has to undergo surgery. Meanwhile, the Chief's niece Camille has been admitted to the hospital.
The victims of a workplace shooting are admitted. Izzie puts her job on the line to ensure Denny gets a new heart, Callie makes an effort with Meredith, and Addison is suspicious of Derek.
TW: gun violence
Anger is in the air, as Derek is angry at Meredith for seeing McVet, Burke is angry at Cristina for falling asleep before he finished, Alex is still angry at She-Shepherd pulling him off surgery, Callie is angry at George for not defending her and the patients of a car crash are angry at the doctor responsible for the crash.
Burke has to operate on his idol, Eugene Foote, causing him to conflict his views between potentially killing his idol or risk letting Foote find somebody else. Bailey continues to be mommy-tracked, while Alex has to deal with a strict Catholic family where the mother wants a tubal ligation without her husband knowing. Meanwhile, a divorce attorney is reading Derek like a book about his marriage as Izzie grills George about his living arrangements.
In light of recent events, Bailey is being mommy-tracked, so she becomes Derek's intern to get some OR time. George discovers many secrets during the day, not least that Meredith has a sister, one of Addison's patients, and Callie is living in the hospital. Meredith begins knitting with Izzie, while the Chief and Cristina battle it out during a skills class.
Surgical fatalities occur in threes and sevens, at least that's the rumor on the surgical floor. With four fatalities in the morning alone, superstition rules the roost at Seattle Grace, so Addison jujus Meredith for good luck. Burke has George retrieve a scrub cap Cristina is holding hostage, Meredith and Bailey try to convince a friendly stalker to operate and Cristina is annoyed endlessly by her OCD patient while Richard's past arrives in Seattle Grace.
Cristina is left holding Bailey's baby when she is unable to get anyone else to get anyone to watch him, while Meredith confides in Derek, while Derek performs a risky surgery for a supposed inoperable aneurysm. A patient's husband gives Addison attention and George and Callie give each other their full attention while treating a stubborn hockey player.
The morning after the night before and the repercussions of George and Meredith unravel, while another doctor has eyes for George. Izzie reconnects with a special patient. And Although on maternity leave, Bailey still works when Addison asks her for a personal consult.
An unwanted figure appears at Seattle Grace, as Mark Sloan tries to do surgery on a boy with facial tumors, which Derek deems too risky. Izzie deals with a patient with spontaneous orgasms, while Meredith visits her father.
This episode we are deep diving into the limited Peacock docuseries Anatomy of Lies: the Elisabeth Finch Story.
TW: mentions of abortion, abuse, antisemitic attacks, suicide
Danger looms at Seattle Grace as the Code Black is in full effect. Derek refuses to vacate the OR as Tucker's head is still open on the table, endangering both their lives; Bailey refuses to push as she endangers her life and her baby's life and Meredith still has her hand in the body, with Cristina refusing to leave her. Away from the bombs, the stress gets to Richard, causing him to have a suspected heart attack.
Meredith has an overwhelming feeling she's going to die today - until Cristina forcibly kicks her out of bed. Bailey returns to deliver her baby as her husband ends up on Derek's operating table. Meredith's feelings prove true, as a bomb in a body cavity enters the ER.
Please excuse Kristen's audio. She was house-sitting in the house where echos were born.
Resources for this episode: https://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/media/in-the-news/9-organizations-working-save-black-mothers
The nurses' strike causes chaos in the hospital, as Meredith accidentally intubates a DNR patient, and then must let her die; Izzie treats a young pregnant patient with much more in common than the patient realizes. George joins the picket line, while the rest of the interns meet their new resident, the anti-Nazi, which Cristina immediately clashes with over her choice of medical care.
Meredith must choose between her dog and her roommates. Meanwhile, George deals with an elderly patient who has outstayed her welcome, Bailey's pregnancy has complications, Alex gets his exam results, and Richard has a strike on his hands.
TW: mentions of abortion
Corrections: The Rings of Power series is loosely based on the Silmarillion. The insurrection actually happened 1/6/21, not 2022 (whoops)
The Chief enforces the 80 hour work limit with an iron fist so Meredith has free-time, and so does Cristina, but she chooses to go to Twin Falls, Idaho with Bailey for a heart retrieval while the Chief asks Derek for a favor regarding Ellis Grey. George has a teenage intersex patient, Alex treats a man who has a bezoar and Izzie works on Denny Duquette.
TW: mentions of abortion, self harm, and JD Vance
Resources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16324-intersex
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/
Tis the season to be jolly, as Burke and Cristina's religious differences are highlighted when they treat a boy who is refusing a heart transplant, while Derek has little religious problems with his patients of mixed Jewish and Christian family beginning for Chrismukkah while he feels less than festive, while Alex has problems with his own faith in himself as the rest of the interns try to help him study for his exam.
A prisoner swallows razor blades to get out of solitary confinement, annoying Cristina in the process. While watching over the quintuplets, Addison teaches a lesson to Izzie using an old technique that Richard taught her long ago.