Has it really been four months since we were last at Grey Sloan Seattle Grace Mercy West Cathoterian Hospital? I finally took down my mini shrine to McDreamy, which replaced my Slexie memorial, and began to accept that Callie and Arizona will be dating other people. Huh, I guess maybe it is time. Shonda has promised that this season will be lighter in tone, but you wouldn’t know if based on this intense (and excellent) premiere. While everyone played an important role, the real stars of this episode were Callie, Maggie and Bailey, so I’m going to focus on them. I’m going to try some new things with this season of recaps, like making them more streamlined and focused on Callie and Arizona when at all possible.
As Meredith says in her voiceover, we are about to find that everything has changed on Grey’s Anatomy, so let’s get this show on the road.
Callie, Maggie and how to punch a homophobe
Two girls are rushed in after being hit by a train, and the docs spring into action. Only one of the girls, Jess, is conscious when they arrive, and she explains to Callie that she got her foot stuck in the tracks and a girl she didn’t know, tried to push her out of the way. The camera zooms in on a heart drawn with pen on her arm, so obviously this is going to have some significance. The other girl is all kinds of messed up, and needs major surgery to put her back together. She manages to regain consciousness for a moment to ask for her mom. It’s just heartbreaking. It’s also the moment that Callie notices the matching heart tattoo on her arm.
That’s right-these are baby lesbians, which all of Twitter called the moment we say the first heart. Callie rushes in to Jess’s room, where Alex and Maggie are working on her. Callie sits down, and with tremendous tenderness and kindness, asks her about the other girl. Jess confesses that her name is Aliyah, and they stood in front of the train on purpose. They wanted to be together, “dead or alive.” Grey’s Anatomy often strikes a chord, but this particular storyline reaches right into your heart and holds on tight.
Callie tells Jess that she is bisexual, and seeing this successful, smart, beautiful doctor being okay with herself, brings a smile to Jess’s face. She asks Jess if she likes Aliyah, and Jess tells her that she loves her. Young love is so often brushed aside as immature or fleeting, but these two girls were ready to face death for the chance to be together. It’s as real to them as anything in the universe. Jess tells Callie that they didn’t want to die but they saw it as the only way they could stay together. Callie assures her that is not the case, but Jess’s parents were about to send her to a gay conversion therapy camp, and Jess was terrified that they would change her feelings for Aliyah. Even Alex steps in on this, telling Jess that those camps don’t work, but Callie understands the damaging effects these camps have on young people’s spirits. Jess begs them not to call her parents.
Aliyah’s father arrives at the same time as Jess’s parents, and when they find out that their daughters were together, Jess’s mom angrily tells him to keep his daughter away from Jess. Welp. This lady is a serious asshole, but this is a part of the world we still live in. Just because we have rights and parades, doesn’t mean that countless queer and trans kids don’t face this on a daily basis. I’m glad Grey’s is going there, because it’s something we can’t push to the back of our minds.
As Callie, Alex and Maggie prep Jess for surgery, she tells them about the box of notes from Aliyah that she treasured. They made Jess feel better when the kids at school bullied them too hard. One day her mother found it and burn all the notes in the fireplace. I, too, had a box of notes (still do), and my heart clenched at the thought of all those beautiful words being turned to ash. Just then, some intern comes in to tell them that Jess’s parents want to see her. Callie denies the request, saying she’s in prep and they will have to wait until after surgery.
The docs go out to brief Jess’s parents on her injuries, but once her mother starts screaming at the father for warning Jess about the camp, Callie can’t take it anymore. She gives them hell and tells them that conversion camps are dangerous and awful. Not surprisingly, Jess’s mom doesn’t take too kindly to this and threatens Callie. Callie walks off to help Jess, knowing that this woman is beyond reasoning with.
In surgery, Maggie can’t believe that Jess’s mom is such a bully, and simply doesn’t understand the mentality. Callie turns to Alex for an explanation, since she says he’s a bully. Turns out that Callie was kind of a bruiser back in the day too, after being bullied herself. Maggie admits that she was horribly bullied and humiliated when she was young. She tells them bullies bully because they can, and truer words were never spoken.
After surgery, the docs are confronted by Jess’s mom because Callie called Child Services. Callie made the call, but since Maggie is the easier target, the mother goes after her. Years of repressed feeling over being bullied bubble up in Maggie and as she is threatened and berated, she hauls off and punches Jess’s mom. Holy cats!
Maggie can’t believe that this even happened, but she’s suddenly the hero of the hospital for punching that homophobe in the face. Now I do not condone punching people just because they are intolerant, awful people, but I can’t pretend that I don’t understand why people think Maggie is the shit right now. It even gives us a little high five action from Callie and Arizona.
Maggie knows she’s in deep shit and has to apologize to Jess’s mother to try and do some damage control.
Alex fills Jess’s father in on Jess’s condition and the father asks when Jess will be released since they are going ahead with the camp as soon as she’s better. He doesn’t seem on board with it, but he’s also being bullied by Jess’s mom. They overhear Meredith telling Aliyah’s dad that they won’t know the extent of the damage until she wakes up, if she wakes up. This pulls at Jess’s dad, and he sits down with the shaken father. They bond over raising teenage girls, and share photos. Aliyah’s dad shows a picture of the two girls together, and didn’t realize it was Jess in the picture. The girls have been together for a year, and they are happy. This affects Jess’s dad deeply.
Maggie attempts to apologize to Jess’s mom, but the mother is so angry that she threatens to ruin Maggie’s career and call the police. That’s when Jess’s dad stands up for Maggie, his daughter and himself. He threatens to leave and take Jess with him if she doesn’t stop with the ex-gay camp nonsense. Their child chose to attempt suicide rather than be sent away, and it’s time to stop with the judgement and fear. It’s time to love their daughter for who she is. Jess witnesses her father’s revelation and smiles.
In other amazing news, Aliyah is alive and conscious. Her father tells her that he’s there for her and Jess is ok too. He then presents her with a note from Jess, who gave him permission to read it to her. “Dear my beautiful Aliyah,” he reads. He decides he likes this Jess already. It’s such an amazing moment.
Later at the Jolex loft, Alex explains that he was heavy as a kid and got teased a lot, so he worked hard to lose the weight but gained a hard shell to protect himself. It explains so much about who Alex is, and Jo is grateful for trusting her with this side of him.
I was so touched and I know that so many others were too. We got to see a side of Callie that has been too often hidden behind frustration and anger, and a side of Maggie we had no idea even existed.
Bailey rises to the occasion
With Bailey as Richard’s choice for the next Chief, she is pretty sure she’s got this in the bag. That’s until Dr. Chasing Amy comes in. Well actually her name is Dr. Tracey McConnell (guest star Joey Lauren Adams) and she’s the head of cardio at Johns Hopkins, and Catherine Avery’s choice for chief. She’s there to get a tour of the hospital and Bailey isn’t pleased. She decides to tag along and check out her competition.
Bailey has to admit that this doctor is hella impressive. Catherine tries to convince Richard that Dr. Chasing Amy will push this hospital, and that perhaps Bailey is too comfortable. Bailey starts to lose confidence in herself when she watches Dr. Chasing Amy step in during Aliyah’s thoracic surgery and take command like a pro.
Bailey is so defeated that she basically throws in the towel, but her husband Ben isn’t about to let that happen. He gives her an epic pep talk and Bailey gets her mojo back. She calls the board into the OR and gives them all the reasons why she’s the right choice for chief, while actually performing surgery. This hospital is her heart, and there’s no better candidate than Miranda Bailey. It works and Bailey is named the new Chief, and I get goosebumps just writing that statement.
Arizona needs a roomie
Since Arizona and Callie sold the house, Arizona had to get a new place, but apparently even doctors have trouble paying rent. Arizona explains that it’s because parents can’t often afford her rates so she does a lot of pro bono work, which doesn’t exactly pay the bills. She puts up an adorable little sign looking for a roommate, and is disheartened when she finds that no one has taken a tab. She stalks Stephanie for the rest of the day to find out why no one wants to live with her. Steph tries to change the subject and avoid her, but after being threatened with months of overnight NICU shifts, she gives Arizona a does of the truth: People see her as a legend, but also someone who sleeps with interns and gets them fired. Arizona says it only happened that one time, but it damaged her rep and people even whisper that she’s faking only having one leg. Arizona is appalled, but sometimes you need to know what you are up against. Eventually, that intern who pretended to be a resident that one time, and looks creepily like a baby Mark Sloan, takes a tab and it looks like Arizona has found herself a roomie.
Keep the sledgehammers away from Meredith and Amelia
So basically, things aren’t so peaceful at Meredith’s new/old house. She lives with Maggie and Amelia now, and she and Amelia keep butting heads. Meredith is used to living with Derek, who knew her inside and out, and all this uncertainty and the way Amelia folds towels is driving her nuts. When Amelia takes a sledgehammer to a wall (which was discussed over tequila the night before) Meredith loses it. Maggie, sick of being in the middle, forces the women to talk it out. Meredith may not like Amelia, but she loves her and they are sisters for life. The three women knock down the wall and the symbolism of new life and breaking down barriers isn’t lost.
Also…
Jackson and April are still on the outs. April arrives home from another tour and Jackson’s been trying to avoid her. They run into each other in the on-call room, and April asks if they can talk the next day. Jackson simply tells her goodnight. Oh, Amelia and Owen are back on, sort of. So that happened too.
The #GreysGays were back in action big time last night and you had a lot of feelings about this episode.
“You might be immortal.” Fact. #Greys #GreysGays #GreyDelay
– Valerie Anne (@PunkyStarshine) September 25, 2015
“Everything the light touches is yours.” BEST LINE OF ANY EPISODE OF TV EVER. #GreysAnatomy #GreysGays
– Kitty (@SmartLittleLiar) September 25, 2015
Hands down the best season premiere!!! #GreysAnatomy #GreysGays
– Heda Shan (@ShanLaShawn) September 25, 2015
No he didn’t go Lion King on her.. LOL #Greys #GreysGays
– B (@dcharmingone69) September 25, 2015
Slow clap for this entire episode. This message. This music. These performances. #GreysAnatomy #GreysGays
– Nic (@njnic23) September 25, 2015
And it’s a P!NK cover. Lesbian day complete. #greysgays
– Dulcie Holtz (@DulcieHoltz) September 25, 2015
In the 1st 5mins of #GreysAnatomy I’ve gasped, jumped, almost puked & cried. @shondarhimes is at it again!! #GreysGays
– Annette Miller (@trihardannette) September 25, 2015
Arizona should’ve kept Leah’s number. Maybe she needs a roommate. #greysgays #GreysAnatomy
– Jennifer (@JenKasper81) September 25, 2015
The gayest thing Callie ever did was give boxing advice. #GreysGays
– Marcie (@geosooner) September 25, 2015
Pierce punched a homophobe and is now my hero. Praise Pierce. #GreysAnatomy #GreysGays
– The Other Nic (@CloneNic) September 25, 2015
“Do you like her? I love her”. Ok. Goodbye. I’m dead. Bye. #GreysAnatomy #GreysGays
– Audrey (@pamplemoussee76) September 25, 2015
Oh god, say goodbye to the #GreysGays crew. RIP all of us. #GreysAnatomy
– The Other Nic (@CloneNic) September 25, 2015
Shouldn’t it be time for this woman to be an intern? I’m just saying… #greysgays #hotparamedics pic.twitter.com/4Ed7UmLdM7
– Dulcie Holtz (@DulcieHoltz) September 25, 2015
My pants just flew off. @JoeyLaurenAdams just showed up. My gay is really that strong for her. #GreysGays
– Elizabeth D-V (@324_B21) September 25, 2015
