While Simone and Lucas’ hot potential romance got thwarted with Trey’s arrival on Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 9, other possible romances are starting to blossom.
Mika and Helm and Levi and Carlos piqued interest at an intern house party, while Teddy and Owen and Ben and Bailey faced turbulence at a dinner party.
Join Meaghan Frey, Joshua Johnson, and Jasmine Blu as they discuss it all.
On a scale of 1-10, how tired are you of Teddy and Owen’s bicker fest? Do you find their constant arguing amusing?
Meaghan: 100. Something has to give on this storyline. They either need to agree to move on and stop fighting or walk away from each other because what they’re doing right now isn’t healthy for either of them.
Joshua: The limit does not exist. I don’t care about either of them anymore. Teddy is already complaining about a job she campaigned for, and Owen is already weaponizing it against her while also forgetting how difficult it is. This plot is tiresome, and I don’t care how it resolves. I just want it done.
Jasmine: I’m right there with you both. Joshua, you’re a MOOD because I’m so sick and tired of Teddy and Owen, and I’m not invested in what they do anymore. I want them to put an end to this whole thing. They’ve exhausted everything they can out of this storyline. Enough.
Were you surprised that Ben resents Bailey for working? What are your thoughts on this?
Meaghan: It felt like yet another case of a couple’s struggles coming out of nowhere that has been a hallmark of these past seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.
I understand Ben wanting the best upbringing possible for Prue, but Bailey has worked too hard for her career to walk away before she is ready. Plus, we know Bailey has had mental health struggles for years now, and although her job contributed to that, she has found a balance that works for her.
Being a stay-at-home mom can be isolating, and that might make things worse for her. I don’t see Ben volunteering to step back from his career.
Joshua: I’m torn on this one.
Again, I’m tired of couple drama, particularly when the couple experiencing drama has experienced nothing but drama for thirteen years.
That said, I understand where Ben is coming from. Ben and Bailey and their family have gone through a lot of changes the past couple of years (I’m assuming more than what we’ve seen on Grey’s since I don’t watch Station 19), and when the dust settled, they found themselves in a new landscape.
What struck me the most about Ben and Bailey’s new drama is that Ben said, “I’m working on it.” This makes sense to me!
Ben had a feeling, and he shared it when Bailey asked him about it. He could identify the feeling, explain where it came from, and recognize that it’s something he must work on (wow, Joshua, once in therapy, always in therapy).
I understand that the news surprised Bailey, but sometimes that’s how things are in relationships. This drama is already handled better than Teddy and Owen; it depends on where it goes.
I found it ironic that Ben was resentful of all the changes, considering all the times he’s made life-altering changes without discussing it with Bailey.
Jasmine: I watch Station 19, so what it feels like to me is that Ben is pissed that he had to agree to take a step back from some of the dangerous aspects of his job for them to keep Prue over Dean’s parents. And because he had to sacrifice something he loves, he resents Bailey because she gets to continue her job. And that’s a Ben problem, not a Ben and Bailey problem.
I can understand Joshua’s point about healthy communication and growth. But the whole thing made me roll my eyes.
How do you feel about the direction they’ve taken Maggie as a wife and attending?
Meaghan: I hate it. I haven’t been Maggie’s biggest fan over the years, but her character has actually become insufferable.
It would be one thing if they were having difficulties because of the power dynamics in their professional relationship. They were stuck at an impasse because neither wanted to make a change, but they were not.
Winston is more than willing to make a change to help save their marriage, and I’m tired of Maggie acting like it’s the end of the world.
Joshua: I used to love Maggie. Used to.
In the past couple of years, they’ve turned her into a stick in the mud. Unrigid, unable to bend without breaking, unable to move to compromise in any aspect of her life.
She’s going whole Ellis, and I wonder if that’s the point of the plot. It’s the only thing that would keep me interested, that sort of generational behavior being revisited upon someone who didn’t get to experience it firsthand like Meredith did.
Jasmine: I’m at a loss, honestly. Did Kelly McCreary piss off the writers or something? It may be an intentional storyline meant to reveal how Maggie is Ellis’ child through and through, but they could’ve kept all this in the drafts.
Maggie is so freaking insufferable these days that I can’t even defend her because I’m sick of her too.
Simone is re-engaged to her fiancé. React.
Meaghan: This is a terrible idea — another man’s hands were in her pants while he was professing his love for her — but it’s a mistake Simone needs to make.
By jumping back into their engagement, Simone will realize how much she has grown since coming to Grey Sloan and that it’s time to move on from her past. It will give her closure on that chapter of her life that she always needed but never got.
Joshua: So many wrong choices, but I get it. It’s fear; it’s fear of change; it’s fear of something new.
I feel like Simone’s fiance showing up was enough to plant a seed of doubt–did she make the right choice leaving? Should she have gotten mad? Should she have stayed quiet and tried harder?
The problem with trying to restart your life with something new is that if you bring any part of your old life with you that you left behind, you’ll never get to change.
Jasmine: Boy, were they, Meaghan! No way in hell I could’ve walked away from that scorching hot moment with Lucas, who worships her and gotten re-engaged to who already reads is a self-important, unsupportive narcissist who resorts to love-bombing.
Fine. I guess this has to happen so that Simone can get closure, or whatever, and she’s falling into the comfort of the familiar over the fear of the unknown. It’s part of her process, and she needs this to grow.
But this is such a bad idea all around. I won’t even pretend that I wasn’t pissed off that my darling girl got her head all out of whack and fell so easily into her past with Trey — and hurt my sweet Lucas. Oof.
What are your predictions for Simone and Lucas’ relationship moving forward now?
Meaghan: I’d like to think they are both mature enough to stop things now that she is back with her fiance, but we all know that will not happen. Her inability to walk away from her connection with Lucas is going to be what helps her realize her relationship with her fiance is done.
Joshua: Listen, that scene in Simone’s bedroom was one of the best love triangle scenes I’ve seen on this show and has completely changed my mind about wanting Lucas and Simone together.
Everything Lucas said about Simone melted my heart, and the kiss was amazing.
What I loved most was the staging–Simone’s back literally against the closed door keeping Trey out, while on her side of the door, the future was wide open for her to follow. It will take some time, but I see them ending up together.
Jasmine: Yes, Joshua! Welcome aboard to Lumone train!
I love everything you said about the scene because you’re right. It was so deliciously good, and I’m genuinely enjoying the chemistry between Terho and Floyd.
Yeah, they can’t stay away from each other. They’re roommates, work together, and have this connection that goes beyond the physical and sexual attraction they have for one another.
I love that Lucas is both more mature than anyone gives him credit for because he handled the situation and Simone’s conflict gracefully and didn’t appear to subscribe to all that toxic masculine bullcrap, but he knows his worth, too.
I’m invested in these two and their love story, and I know they’re about to take us on a ride with it, so I’ll have to hunker down and enjoy the highs and lows of it.
Are you shipping Mika and Helm? Levi and Carlos?
Meaghan: I love both of these pairs!
Mika and Helm have such a carefree relationship that is so rare for Grey’s Anatomy. With so many couples on rocky ground right now, we desperately need them.
Obviously, we have yet to see much of Levi and Carlos, but Levi needs some fun after the mess that was Schmico, so I’m rooting for them.
Joshua: Yes, and yes. I echo everything Meaghan said, especially the part about Carlos seeming fun and Levi needing that after all he’s gone through the last couple of seasons.
Jasmine: Here for both of these pairings. I’m enjoying that they’re doing something with Helm for a change, and I love the vibes between her and Mika. It’s just good vibes through and through with them, and I’m ready for it.
Carlos is sweet and hot and already has more personality than Nico, so let’s do this. It feels like they have a shot at delivering something fun and with substance with these two, and I want it.
What was your favorite moment from The episode?
Meaghan: The party in general. I love all the great throwbacks to Grey’s Anatomy’s early seasons we have been getting this season, and this was another perfect one.
It’s also nice to see more interns out of the hospital setting. We didn’t get enough of that with the recent intern classes, which made it hard to connect with them.
Joshua: The party, for sure. Honestly, any plotline involving the interns.
I find my mind straying when scenes cut back to the attendings. The only ones I care about are Amelia and Jo. Every time the interns are on, I’m riveted.
Specifically, I loved the moment Helm got confirmation that Mika dates women.
As soon as she said that, I made sure to pay attention to when the camera swung around so I could catch the look on Helm’s face, and it was perfect — the exact kind of smile a queer person gets when they get confirmation that the person they have a crush on is also queer.
Finally, I loved Mika, Lucas, and Helm dancing it out. I’m a fickle viewer, and I realized that I think Mika would make a great Person for Lucas.
Jasmine: Literally, any and everything with the interns is my jam.
I spent most of the episode wanting them to return to the party or checking in with Blue and Jules. They’ve hit the jackpot with this brood of interns and this reboot within the series, and it’s showing because my level of investment in these newbies has exceeded that of the veterans.
I was into Simone and Lucas’ hot session behind that door while Trey groveled. And the dance-it-out scene was great. I a LOVING the fact that Mika is emerging as Lucas’ person, and I’m enjoying all the subtle moments that we get to see the different dynamics developing among them.
Mika and Lucas have that great, platonic, “person” dynamic, which is becoming one of my favorite things. It feels like Simone and Blue/Kwan can also have that. I’m still trying to get a read on the other characters, though.
Is there anything else you’d like to address?
Meaghan: They’re doing great with the slow burn between Link and Jo.
One of the main complaints fans had about them when the series first introduced the storyline was that it came out of nowhere. They’ve fixed that by slowing things down and letting the romantic and sexual tension between them simmer.
Joshua: I enjoyed Blue’s story in this episode. He’s the intern we know the least about, and this peek into his past explains a lot about who he is and why he is the way he is.
I also loved that his plot allowed Jules to shine as well, as a doctor (when she was talking to the patient’s wife) and as a friend, when her first thought was to follow Blue after he stormed away from Maggie.
At this point, the interns are full-on carrying the show, and I have zero complaints about it.
Jasmine: The interns really are carrying this season right now, and I’m not mad about it one bit.
But, yes, Blue is the character I initially felt I connected with the least.
However, subtly, in such a short time, they’re doing a great job of adding more layers to him and showing that he has more depth, and it’s becoming a character I’m thoroughly enjoying.
Harry Shum’s performance is criminally underrated. I’m already connecting to the type of doctor he clearly wants to be, and he’s on a promising path.
Over to you, Grey’s Fanatics. Do you agree with our round table? Do you disagree? Sound off below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
