Where to begin? Sometimes an episode of television lives up to the hype. This installment of Grey’s Anatomy, “All I Could Do Was Cry,” was a thing of melancholy beauty. Old wounds were reopened. New bonds were forged. Candles were lit. At the center of it all was a couple whose world was quietly shattering. Brilliantly acted by Sarah Drew (April) and Jesse Williams (Jackson), this story resonated deeply because it so realistically depicted the horrible, gut-wrenching emotions as this couple dealt with an impossible situation and an unthinkable loss.
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This Isn’t Fair!
My heart broke for April as she uttered those words. And she’s right. Nothing about her unborn son having type 2 osteogenesis imperfecta is fair. Or just. Or good. What kind of cruel joke is this that her baby would not only die shortly after birth, but also suffer in the womb? April was shaken to her core as she grappled with what to do and how to feel. How terrible for a woman of such profound faith to feel that God has let her down.
Show Up For Her! Please...
Meanwhile, Jackson was having God issues of his own. Always a man of science rather than of faith, he found himself in the chapel praying to the God in whom he proclaimed to not believe. Jackson begged, pleaded and finally demanded that God show up for April. Show up for the wife he loved. Show up for the mother who was losing her baby. Show up for the woman who has spent her whole life believing and obeying and trying to do what God wants her to do and become whom God wants her to be.
There’s Always a Way
Catherine Avery has always been a force of nature. Her relationship with her son has always been tempestuous and difficult. So I found it all the more fascinating that she, who always has something to say, was the one to say just the right thing. Calmly and soothingly, she reassured her son and his wife. Things would be okay. They would get through this. They didn’t need to terminate the pregnancy. They could choose a date in the near future to induce labor so April could give birth. They would be able to meet their son and hold him and love him and name him before he died. And this is exactly what they did.
They named their child Samuel Norbert Avery. It was explained that Norbert was for a favorite uncle of Jackson’s. I suspect that Samuel was a Biblical reference. In that story, a woman who longed for a child offered to give him back to God if he would only grant her the blessing of a baby. True to her word, when the woman was given a son, she named him Samuel (meaning God has heard) and gave him back to God, much as April ended up doing.
Elsewhere in the Hospital
Meanwhile, as the story of Baby Avery churned in the background and informed every other story, Amelia and Stephanie restored sight to a patient with a brain tumor. Callie, Maggie and Miranda saved the life of a woman who was accidentally shot by her husband and, unbeknownst to them both, was pregnant (!) and Richard dealt with the repercussions of seeing Catherine again after six silent months.
It fell upon Meredith to provide a little comic relief as she searched for a babysitter to watch the kids so she could visit Derek in D.C. Miranda turned her down because she and Ben had a romantic weekend planned. Mer turned down Alex when she discovered that Jo would be the one actually taking care of the children. But guess who came through in the end? That’s right. Maggie! Maggie who bakes and plays with blocks and was a certified babysitter in high school. Maggie, who considers Meredith her friend. Maggie, who acknowledges that Zola and Bailey are her niece and nephew. I am loving Maggie. Who’s with me?
I’m also loving Dr. Herman, who is proving to have both wit and heart. She demonstrated such kindness and compassion with April and Jackson. And I loved the scene between Alex and Owen, in which we discovered that while Cristina didn’t exactly watch Meredith’s kids, Cristina and OWEN did. In related news, anyone else notice that Cristina continues to be mentioned constantly?
Finally, Owen was picking up on vibes Amelia was giving off all day. Something had her all riled up. As he sat with her in the chapel, she confessed to him that “my baby lived 43 minutes,” whereupon he grabbed her hand and held it as they sat in silence. Was this simply a nice moment of support when she needed it? Or has something else begun?
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MEMORABLE QUOTES
“There’s only one set of feelings that matters here. And it’s not yours.” – Dr. Herman to Arizona
“I’ll just hold him until God takes him.” – April
“You know what I was gonna say…” – Miranda to God, since her prayers kept getting interrupted
“You can all just give them privacy. It’s all they’re gonna want.” – Amelia (on April and Jackson)
“Wilson is a hoodlum! I leave my kids with my Person. Cristina did it all the time.” – Meredith
“Cristina Yang watched your kids. I don’t buy that for a second.” – Alex
“Why didn’t she ask me? I’m a person!” – Maggie
“I hate last names as first names” – April
“Here I thought I’d won you over to the dark side.” Dr. Herman to Amelia
“You have lost somebody and you are hurting. But you will get through this. You can survive this. You are strong. It’s okay. You are going to be okay. I promise.” April to Wendy (and herself)
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC.
(image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
