Grey's Anatomy : A Party for Meredith's Boyfriend Leads to a Possible Breakup — and an 'I Love You'
Liliane Lathan/ABC
This post contains spoilers from Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy.
The penultimate episode of season 18 of Grey's Anatomy brought with it ample helpings of joy, pain (sunshine, and rain). It was a dinner party, after all! That's how things go for the staff at Grey Sloan.
The big party was meant to welcome Meredith Grey's boyfriend, Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman), to Seattle. And Meredith's sister, Maggie (Kelly McCreary), was meant to be the host. But nothing went as planned.
Already running a bit late, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was leaving the hospital to head to the gathering in her home when an ambulance came in with a woman named Alice who had been attacked. "The attacker was using racial slurs and yelling at her to go back to where she's from," Meredith and her team were told.
As they operated on Alice, Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi) wondered: "Do you think we'll ever stop being seen as foreign?"
"Well, being wrongly blamed for COVID did not help," Dr. Michelle Lin (Lynn Chen) replied. "Also the Watsonville riots, Japanese-American internment, Vincent Chin."
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Bokhee (Kathy C An), the scrub nurse who has been on the show since its beginning in 2006 and rarely speaks, interrupted them. "We are Americans," she said. "Your face is American."
Despite a broken arm, facial fractures and damage to her spleen, Alice pulled through.
(If you've been attacked or have witnessed an attack, please contact your local authorities. You can also report your incident here. To learn more and to report crimes, go to: Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop the AAPI Hate, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, and Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.)
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Elsewhere in the hospital, Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) was receiving treatment for cancer, and her husband Richard Webber (James Pickins Jr.) insisted on keeping her company... and suggesting possible alternative treatments and trials.
After a conversation with the pregnant wife of another cancer patient, Richard realized his suggestions were only putting pressure on Catherine and making her feel alone.
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"If you're putting yourself through this for me, then don't," he declared. "If you want to stop, I'm going to support you."
"I don't want to stop my treatments, baby, no," Catherine responded. "I need to just be able be in the moment… and you are so serious all the time. Sometimes it makes me feel worse. Because any one of us can drop dead from a million different things."
"I still want to live. I still want to laugh," she concluded.
Desperate, Richard responded, "I can come up with a good joke if you give me a minute," and cracked her up.
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But back at Meredith's house, relationship drama was a-brewin'. (And, in quite a few cases, drinking brews.)
As they sipped their beverages of choice, Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) and Atticus "Link" Lincoln (Chris Carmack) discussed his relationship with Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), who told him she loved him in last week's episode.
When Teddy asked if those feelings were reciprocated, Link responded, "Sometimes. Maybe. A little. Should I tell her?"
"That you maybe have occasional small feelings?" Teddy asked. "No!"
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At the same time, Maggie's brother-in-law Wendell (Rome Flynn) turned up at the party unannounced and unwelcome, insisting people to whom he owes money are after him. He just needed some cash so he could skip town.
Winston (Anthony Hill) lost his cool and insisted that Wendell leave town immediately. And then disappeared until the end of the night.
Maggie, after a heart-to-heart with Nick, had her own chat with Wendell, and he finally felt. But in the final moments of the episode, Maggie and Winston realized they both gave him the money... and had been conned by the little bro yet again.
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Meanwhile, Kai (E.R. Fightmaster) was in town from Minnesota visiting Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) and witnessed Amelia in full mommy mode. Having already warned Amelia they had no interest in having children, they weren't ready for it.
"Your family and friends seem like good people," Kai said after Amelia joined them on the swingset after having to tend to her son Scout for most of the night.
"They are. You'll see. Once you get to know 'em," Amelia replied. "And I promise, Scout is not always this fussy."
"He became real to me tonight because I got to see what amazing parent you are to him — and to Meredith's kids. You're so much more than just an aunt," Kai continued. "I don't want kids though. I have things I want to do with my life, professionally and personally. If I had kids, all of that would have to come second. I don't want to do that. I am not going to change my mind, Amelia. Ever."
Amelia seemed shaken: "What does that mean? I thought this was going really well."
"Yeah, I did too," Kai said. "And I don't know. I just know I don't want to lead you on. Because I was once led on by someone who did not want what I did."
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Later, when the party has all but wrapped up — and still no sign of Meredith — Nick went outside to find a crestfallen Amelia still on the swing.
"You know everyone was vetting you tonight?" Amelia asked.
Nick admits he was clued in and wasn't surprised. "I don't blame them," he said. "Everybody loves Meredith."
"Yeah, we're going to miss her a lot," Amelia admitted.
"I know. Do you have any questions for me?"
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Amelia thought for a moment and said, "Meredith left once before. After my brother died. She just disappeared for a year. She was hundreds of miles away and I have never felt closer to her. I knew she left because she was drowning in grief and pain here, the same way that I was. I think you make her happy. And she deserves to be happy. Others would've been broken by a fraction of what she survived. I want her life to be full of love and joy. My only ask of you is just to want that too."
The episode concluded with Meredith finally arriving home from her difficult day at the hospital to find a dinner party for two still awake and set for her.
"I figured you had a tough case, probably didn't have a chance to eat, and I thought you might need some company," Nick said, giving her a big hug.
"I love you," Meredith responded.
As Nick said, "I love you too," they hugged and Meredith cried.
The season 18 finale of Grey's Anatomy — which is also the show's 400th episode! — airs Thursday, May 26 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.