Baby Shepherd is the “problem child” of the new interns.
Lucas was not behaving in an agreeable or likable manner during Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 3.
Meanwhile, Mer was back to get funding for her covert research, and Winston made a huge decision regarding his relationship with Maggie and his future.
Our Grey’s Anatomy Round Table convened to discuss what some feel was a very nostalgic hour.
Join Sara Trimble, Lucy Peel, and Haley Whitmire White as they unpack the hour.
What the heck are they doing with Lucas? What do you make of him being a jerk to everyone and now leaving?
Sara: I’m appalled at seeing Lucas’ behavior. I get he’s mad at Simone for her back-and-forth behavior. But that doesn’t mean he has the right to be a job-thieving jerk. He should have spoken up and given Yasuda credit for what was happening, especially after she declared them friends.
But it honestly didn’t surprise me, as their interaction early in the show and his careless behavior foreshadowed that something wrong would happen.
I’m also not shocked that he left the house. It might be best for him to get some space from everyone. I’ve said it before, but this class does not vibe as well as previous groups, like the OG crew. There’s no charisma, loyalty, or respect between any of them.
Some of them live together and hang out, but they don’t actually like each other. I hope Miranda Bailey can create a more cohesive relationship.
Lucy: Either they are setting him up for a big fall or a redemption arc. But either way, I don’t like it.
I was happy with how he stood up for himself with Simone last week, and I get that he’s hurt, but he shouldn’t be taking out on everyone around him, especially not Yasuda. It sucked what he did to her with compartment syndrome.
It’s not that different from when Blue stole a surgery from her last season when she was taking a nap, but this clearly hurt more.
Especially when she was doing so well and really nailed the diagnosis. I am not surprised he moved out; maybe he’ll move in with Amelia so she will have someone to talk to other than her cat.
Haley: Like I said last week, we have DONE THIS BEFORE. The impact of someone dramatically clearing out that very same bedroom and leaving without a goodbye was bigger the first time. But I get it; the writers are going for symmetry, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t kind of like it.
It’s very early-Alex-Karev for him to be a jerk to everyone because he’s trying to push them away. He’ll be back, though. They always come back.
How shocked are you by Nico’s big return? How do you feel about him finding happiness with someone who isn’t Levi?
Sara: Given that they hinted at a potential love interest for Levi last week, I’m not surprised that they brought Nico in for a quick visit.
Levi needed that closure to move on with his life and finally find something to settle down. Until now, he’s been hung up on the what-if of a potential future with Nico. Now, he can finally find his happily ever after.
I’m okay seeing Nico happy with someone else because it’s exactly what Levi needed to see to move on with his life.
Lucy: I am glad they talked, and Jo was totally on point with her little speech to Levi. Yes, it was hard for him, but it’s been years at this point, and I don’t recall Levi mentioning him recently, so it’s not like he’s been holding a torch for him.
I felt bad that he clearly expected that Nico would have talked about him, and that hurt. I am with Sara on this. Hopefully, he can let go of whatever has been holding him back now that it’s clear that he and Nico weren’t meant to be.
Haley: Nico coming back for one episode is extremely un-shocking.
Like Sara and Lucy said, it was about closure for Levi. Considering that I was hoping Nico would come back to be with Levi forever and ever, amen, it was apparently about closure for me, too. I’m sad they won’t be together, but I hope this opens the door for Levi to finally find happiness.
What’s your impression of Beltran? How do you feel about her and Amelia’s chemistry?
Sara: I could be reading things into something that’s not there, but I was picking up on some serious sexual undercurrents. If Amelia Shepherd hadn’t made such a bad first impression, things might have moved faster. But since she did what I would have done, there will be some vibes as Amelia tries to win her over.
I’ll hold out reservations on whether I like Beltran or not. She’s a bit bitchy and kinda reminds me of Arizona. I might have a girl crush, but it’s too early to tell.
Lucy: I had a lot of deja vu feelings here. My daughter, who has watched all 19 seasons in the last six months, thinks that Beltran is the new Eliza Minnick.
I hope not, but I can see why she’s sensing that. It feels like a story that’s been done over and over. A new attending is brash and rubs everyone the wrong way until there’s a detente with someone, and then they’re the new star.
There is definitely something there with Amelia, but I’m not sure what it is yet. I’d like to see Amelia stay single for a while. She lost both her sisters and needs a person or people, not a new love interest.
Haley: Hi, my name is Haley, and I have an enormous crush on Natalie Morales. I’ve loved her since Parks and Rec.
Going into this episode, I knew I would quickly fall for Dr. Beltran. I also have a giant crush on Amelia Shepherd. The chemistry between the two of them had me ready to pass out.
I hope Beltran is here for the long haul; I love her already. She’s not afraid to shake things up, she’s clearly brilliant and comes with a stellar reputation, and she’s already taking an interest in teaching one of the interns, which means she doesn’t look down on them like other attendings have in the past.
Was it time for Winston to finally let go of Maggie and move on?
Sara: I never enjoy shows where they have a character in a long-distance relationship, especially if they don’t find ways to keep the couple interacting on screen. Don’t just give me one character pretending to talk on the phone. I need to see the chemistry.
Since Maggie Pierce is off the show, I’m ready to see the relationship end so Winston can move on. The entire relationship was rocky, and it’s time for Winston to find a partner who appreciates him in all his amazingness.
Lucy: Winston needs to move on and get over it. I’m tired of him being pissed off about everything. He finally realized what he’d been doing when he took it out on his dying patient.
He needs to step back and remember how to be nice to people, and maybe he’ll be likable again. I’d like to see Winston help Bailey with the interns; perhaps he can find a compromise because he’s always been an excellent teacher.
Haley: If we have to let go of Maggie, it’s only fair that Winston does too. It’s time for him to move past the bitterness and anger and start living his life.
He needs to find friends (let’s dig deeper into the potential friendship with Amelia!) and maybe even start dating again. I understand why he’s been resistant to letting Maggie go, but it’s time.
What are your thoughts on Mer sneaking behind Catherine’s back and working with Teddy now?
Sara: I’m not sure I’ll ever be a Teddy Altman fan, and I wonder if she has ulterior motives for offering to help Meredith discretely.
It’s messed up that Catherine can control what Mer works on, so I totally get her decision to go behind her back. I’m interested to see how it plays out in future episodes and if Meredith will bring more people into her research.
Lucy: The more people that are in on the secret, the faster it will get back to Catherine, but at this point, I’d like to see Mer and Amelia succeed with this.
Teddy is so bored that she wants in on the intrigue, and she’s in a position to help out just enough to get them over the hump to show Catherine that there’s merit in what they are doing, and she should back them, screw the politics.
I hope they can get there before Catherine finds out. Truthfully, despite what Catherine said in the opener, Meredith’s name is so big that if there is something to their theory, Catherine will have to get on board.
Haley: Yawn. Is it bad that I don’t care about this storyline? Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the Alzheimer’s research that Meredith Grey and Amelia are doing, but I don’t care about all the sneaking and hiding from Catherine and, oops, now Teddy’s involved…boring.
What was your favorite moment, storyline, etc, from the episode?
Sara: I really enjoyed the episode’s ending when we saw Blue trying to pitch his skills. He worried Beltran didn’t respect him because he wasn’t Ivy league. It was awesome to see that it was actually because she sees potential in his ability to work in pediatrics.
Her potential desire to take Blue under her wing might be why I feel an Arizona/Alex partnership. We’ll have to see if there’s the same chemistry.
Lucy: Teddy and Meredith together was the highlight for me. Meredith using Teddy to escape from Catherine.
Then Teddy picked up on something between Catherine and Meredith and got Mer to spill the beans on the research. Her excitement was palpable, and Teddy had the time to be involved and the need to think about something other than PT.
Haley: Literally every moment Natalie Morales was on the screen. Swoon.
No, but seriously, I loved the introduction of this new character, who will be important in multiple ways.
For example, she’s the new peds attending; it looks like she’ll be Blue’s mentor, and (fingers crossed) she’s being set up as a love interest for Amelia. I’m excited to see where the writers take her!
Do you have any additional thoughts you’d like to share?
Sara: This week’s episode gave me nostalgic feelings of past characters, which I enjoyed. It made me like some characters more, like Yasuda and Blue. And hate others that I usually like. But at least I felt some emotion this week, unlike in previous episodes.
Lucy: I was yelling at the TV when Simone told Nate to tell her what he wanted to tell his wife. Why not record it or call her voicemail and leave it there? It was so dumb.
And sticking with that case, I always love how Grey’s gets you to care about patients. Sure, there are the long-term ones, and then we’re sad when they die. But we barely knew Nate, and while there was no question he was a goner, I still found myself caring about him.
Haley: Lucy, you’re so right — it’s 2024; why couldn’t Simone take a video or something of Nate that his wife could have cherished forever?
I loved the parallels we got to the original M.A.G.I.C. Lucas’s empty room was reminiscent of George’s; Yasuda and Millin doing tequila shots at Joe’s reminded me of Meredith and Cristina doing the same thing in their intern days.
Like Sara said, this episode had lots of nostalgia, and I really enjoyed that.
Over to you, Grey’s Anatomy Fanatics. Sound off below with all of your thoughts! Do you agree with our Round Table?
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC. You can stream the following day on Hulu.
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
