Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 6 Ends With Dark Twists For Jo & Richard

“Grey’s Anatomy” closed out 2025 with a bummer of a breakup, a devastating diagnosis, a dramatic first kiss and a beloved character in the middle of a potentially life-threatening surgery. Just another week at Grey Sloan.

The midseason finale began with Jo experiencing shortness of breath, taking all the necessary precautions to make sure her babies are healthy. She wasn’t thrilled that Link called the head of cardiothoracic surgery to her room for a simple EKG, but she was ultimately glad to have Ben and Winston by her side; she confessed to being a lot more concerned than she was letting on, for Link’s sake.

Unfortunately, Jo’s concerns had only just begun. Her EKG showed that she has peripartum cardiomyopathy, which means her heart muscle is weakening. Medication was the first course of action, followed by a pump to help her heart if that wasn’t successful. If all else failed, the doctors would have to deliver her babies seven weeks early.

Jo was rushed into surgery when the medication didn’t take effect, with Link assuring his new wife that Winston has performed this procedure “hundreds of times.” And he was right, but he didn’t know that further complications would require Winston to perform a C-section, something he hasn’t done in years.

The episode ended with Winston cutting into Jo, beginning what will hopefully be remembered in the future as a scary-but-successful delivery. This couple has been through enough.

Of course, Jo and Link weren’t the only characters whose lives changed dramatically this week. Read on for a breakdown of the midseason finale’s other surprises, then grade the episode and drop a comment with your hopes for the show’s return on Thursday, Jan. 8 (10/9c).

Bailey and Richard spent the hour butting heads at every conceivable turn. First, Bailey took issue with him canceling her seminar without consulting her, and that tension carried over into a later surgery. She was ready to call the time of death on the victim of an accident, but Richard made her team keep going, telling Bailey, “Not everyone wants to give up.” Ouch!

Despite another hiccup or two, Bailey was able to keep the man alive, but her celebratory mood didn’t last for long. When Bailey dropped by Richard’s office to give him the good news, he responded with some news of his own — and it’s very, very bad.

“I have cancer,” he confessed to a slack-jawed Bailey. He didn’t specify which type of cancer he has, but based on the prostate cancer PSA that aired after the episode, we’re pretty confident about that diagnosis.

It’s strike two for Owen and Nora.

The episode began with Teddy and the girls dropping by Owen’s trailer, only to find him in bed with Nora. “Who are you? Where are your clothes?” Owen’s daughters asked, and both were totally fair questions. Teddy wanted to forget the awkward incident ever happened, but after spending some time with the boyfriend of a cyclist undergoing surgery after a bus crash, she was inspired to let the whole thing roll off her back. Sure, their situation is complicated, but they’re only human, and Owen and Nora have her blessing.

Too bad Nora isn’t as confident in the future of their relationship. Her very specific medical conditions will require her to keep in close contact with Teddy for the foreseeable future, creating a unique problem for the couple. “You’re trying to divorce yourself from her, but I’m getting more entangled,” Nora explained to Owen, throwing in this bit of hope at the end: “We found ourselves together a second time. Maybe we’ll get a third.”

Simone and Wes found themselves working together to treat a non-verbal autistic boy with a head wound, presenting Wes with an opportunity to redeem himself in her eyes. Wes’ ability to connect with the patient and make him comfortable enough to enter the hospital for treatment genuinely impressed Simone, revealing a new side of Wes that she hadn’t been allowing herself to see.

Or maybe Wes exactly who Simone thought he was. After paying him a single compliment, he jumped straight to asking her out for drinks. And when she turned him down, he reminded her that they were alone in a supply closet. Hint, hint. She considered going at it right then and there, like so many “Grey” couples have before her, but she ultimately refused.

And just like that, Simone and Jules’ no-sex pact remains intact. For now.

Kwan made considerable headway with Dr. Mohanty this week, though not the way you probably expected. She agreed to let him in on a plastics surgery if he could properly place a difficult patient’s wound vac, for which he enlisted Lucas and Dr. Spencer’s assistance.

For their own reasons, Kwan and Lucas both gave up on the patient, leaving him alone with Dr. Spencer, who later begged Lucas to help her complete what Kwan didn’t. She gave a big speech about how doctors should always help someone when they can, and even though Lucas snapped at her under pressure, he eventually praised her efforts to Dr. Mohanty, earning her a spot in the coveted surgery as well.

But back to Kwan and Dr. Mohanty: They found themselves alone in an elevator at the end of the hour, and boy did things get porny. He said he’ll do anything to get what he wants, referring to surgeries, and she replied, “Is that… all you want?” He slammed his hand down on the sex button without thinking twice, instantly stopping the elevator to sneak a kiss with his plastics queen.

And because we weren’t sure where else to address this, we’ll mention it here: Jaicy Elliot made her first Season 22 appearance as Dr. Taryn Helm, having returned from an all-work-and-no-play trip to the South of France. She was last seen in Season 21, Episode 17.

There wasn’t anything especially memorable about Helm’s low-key comeback, but it was fun to see her giving Kwan some sass and having an awkward exchange with Jules. And Owen was certainly glad to have her back to scrub in for one of this week’s more touch-and-go procedures.