Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 Review: If Walls Could Talk

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

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Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 has finally arrived after an excruciating summer-long wait, and we’re picking right back up where we left off.

Several major characters were missing from the episode following the shocking events of last season’s finale.

There was tension between doctors, a couple of familiar faces made surprising returns, and a big announcement finally made its way out. Let’s dig in!

Jo’s Secret Finally Comes Out

After finding out she was pregnant, Jo struggled with how to tell Link since they had just decided to wait before having more children.

Schmitt had a hard time keeping the news to himself throughout the episode, and it was totally on-brand for his character.

His clumsiness is why we fell in love with him during his first appearance in Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 1.

The friendship he’s developed with Jo over the years has blossomed into something really fun to watch. Their banter is always entertaining, and they call each other on their crap.

But I digress. Jo tried to tell Link her news a couple of times but kept getting interrupted.

Does anyone else think it’s strange that Link didn’t figure it out right away?

Between Schmitt’s multiple slip-ups and the fact that Link is a doctor who lives with Jo, you’d think he’d have gotten a clue earlier.

Once he finally did figure it out, though, he reacted like the golden retriever we know and love.

Any nervousness on Jo’s part was wasted energy. Of course, Link is happy and excited!

We saw how he doted on Amelia during her pregnancy, and my guess is that he’s only gotten more sensitive since then, so Jo is a lucky woman.

That said, this is Grey’s Anatomy, so the odds of having a completely healthy and uncomplicated pregnancy are slim.

Here’s hoping Jo and Link are spared any heartbreak and we get to meet a bouncing baby in nine months.

Catherine’s Recent Attitude is Explained

If you saw the promo for the premiere, you know that we were baited with a scene showing Bailey slapping the living hell out of Catherine after a particularly offensive insult.

As disappointed as I am that it turned out to have been a dream Bailey was having, it makes sense.

Bailey would never have resorted to physical violence, so it would have been pretty far-fetched for her character to do something like that. Still, Grey’s Anatomy could pull off anything at this point.

Catherine has been on the warpath since Meredith and Amelia released their research to the public, but I had a feeling there was more going on with her.

Turns out, her cancer has progressed to a critical point, and she’s refusing treatment.

Oh, and she’s also decided this information is not important enough to share with her husband or son.

It’s not the first time she’s kept a secret like this, and it won’t be the last, but it’s still extremely frustrating.

Jackson and Richard are both so dedicated to Catherine, and it sucks to see that she is leaving them in the dark once again.

It’s even worse that she’s blackmailing Meredith to keep her secret.

Now, Meredith has to deal with the weight of lying to one group of close friends or being responsible for another group’s job losses.

Historically, Catherine has eventually come to her senses and made amends where appropriate, so I guess we’ll see if this season is an exception.

I do hope there are no plans to kill her off, though. As annoying as she’s being right now, she’s still one of Grey’s Anatomy’s best characters.

Familiar Faces Return to Grey Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1

We already knew that Jason George was planning to bring his character, Ben Warren, back to Grey’s Anatomy after Station 19 ended.

It was no surprise to see him working in the clinic, but we’re glad to have him back at the hospital.

Jesse Williams’s appearance was also welcome. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him, and it’s good to know he’s still as diplomatic as ever.

But the biggest surprise came in the form of a doctor we haven’t seen since Season 4: Sydney Heron!

We’d heard rumors that Kali Rocha would be guest-starring this season, and we were thrilled to see her reprise her role.

This crop of interns reacted to Sydney’s cheerful demeanor in roughly the same way the original group did, so her scenes felt nostalgic.

All About the Interns

There is a lot going on with this crowd, and it’s honestly a little hard to keep up.

Blue

He started off cold and distant, but the character development here is astounding. Blue opened up to Lucas about his ex-fiancee, and it was so nice to see his vulnerability.

He also found Lucas’s patient’s severed finger and returned it to his friend instead of taking credit for it himself. It reminded me of Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 Episode 6, when Cristina was searching for a missing leg.

Alex found the leg, took credit for it, and got to scrub in on the surgery. Was it a crappy shark thing to do? Yes. But surgery is competitive, so no one was shocked.

Blue taking the finger to Adams showed that he’s less interested in being a shark and more interested in developing good relationships with people. It’s impressive.

The episode ends with Blue’s ex showing up to find out why she has broken memories of him. Hopefully, he’s able to navigate that situation without a serious impact on his mental health.

Yasuda and Millin

We know that Midori Francis will leave the show at some point this season, which makes it hard to get excited about developments involving her character.

Yasuda and Millin shared a passionate sapphic kiss that had been building up since last season. Too bad we know nothing will come of it.

The LGBTQ+ representation on this show is seriously lacking, so this just adds to the disappointment.

Adams and Griffith

This on-again, off-again dynamic duo seems to be back together for the moment. Adams has decided not to pursue the job in Chicago with Maggie.

Still, work is a struggle for Adams. He feels useless and often dismissed, so we’ll see what happens with his career. Maybe they’ll finally address his undiagnosed ADHD?

Griffith confronted Bailey about fighting to get her job back. Her bold move paid off, and Bailey took her words to heart. It’s always a treat seeing junior doctors stand up to their superiors when they know it’s right.

Is Richard Actually Going to Retire?

After some (frankly inappropriate) pushing from Winston, Webber ended up back in the O.R. against his wishes.

He still doesn’t want to do complicated procedures, and honestly, I get it.

If you’d decided to retire twenty years ago and somehow still found yourself at work, you’d be burned out, too.

I didn’t like how rude Winston was to Webber initially, but during surgery, he realized that Webber’s wealth of knowledge was an asset.

Asking for Richard’s help was a good move. Winston’s ego is an issue pretty often, isn’t it? Thankfully, he usually realizes it and backtracks before it’s too late.

Unfortunately, and to my great disappointment, Dr. Beltran (played by Natalie Morales) was absent from the episode. So there’s no word on whether she and Winston are still hooking up.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1 is Full of Building Blocks

Granted, there wasn’t a ton of real action during the premiere. Sometimes, we need a good setup episode to prepare us for the drama ahead.

After this hour, I’m expecting intense storylines to follow as the season progresses.

What was your favorite part of the premiere, and do you have any theories about what comes next?

Let us know your thoughts about the Grey’s Anatomy premiere in the comments!

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