Grey’s Anatomy Review: Staring at the End (Season 11 Episode 13)

Oh, how I want Amelia to succeed with this tumor! On Grey’s Anatomy, “Staring at the End,” Amelia works out her plan for removing Dr. Herman’s tumor.

In the process, she’s offering a master class where she shares those plans. She could quite possibly go down in history for this one.

Amelia is among my favorite characters, so I was glad to see her shine this week. She’s struggling to get beyond her brother’s shadow, but you have to wonder, should she have called Derek? Practically, the answer is probably yes. But I get why she didn’t, and it makes me want her to succeed that much more.

Of course, I also want her to succeed because it means saving Dr. Herman’s life. This is a character who we’ve gotten to know pretty well, and I’d love it if she’d stick around for a while. She and Arizona have also grown close through this process, which, rightfully, has Callie worried. It’s even Callie who asks the brazen question in Amelia’s last lecture of whether she plans on calling Derek. It’s not jealousy — not exactly. What’s at play here is that Callie is worried about Arizona losing a close friend who seems to be making her happy.

Meanwhile, Herman proves to be a difficult patient, in some ways working against Amelia. The radiation scenes with the mask do a pretty good job of explaining why, though. It’s completely unnerving to watch her put that thing on and get her treatment.

In between treatments and scans, Herman is racing to save as many patients as possible while teaching Arizona has much as she can. That doesn’t leave any room to add more patients to the list, even with Bailey begging on someone’s behalf. Arizona tries to change that, and Herman puts her in her place in a bad way. Because here’s the thing, if she takes on that patient, they have to take a current one off their list.

It’s the kind of grey area that Grey’s Anatomy does so very well. There are no easy answers, especially when it comes of the kinds of things these doctors deal with.

Herman feels like she’s racing a clock, and she’s clearly putting up some boundaries to make that easier. When of the babies dies (completely devastating scene), she tells Arizona to stop crying and then adds another card to the list. It’s Bailey’s patient.

Then, in true Grey’s Anatomy fashion (really, kids, we saw this one coming), that patient needs emergency surgery just as Herman is about to go under the knife. Arizona is on her own, but not before a brief, touching moment with Herman before the surgery ends.

For the most part, “Staring at the End” is a really good episode. The focus on Amelia is nice, and this case is an interesting way to keep Derek in the conversation without actually having him there. Geena Davis as Dr. Herman is brilliant, especially in this episode as she continues to teach Arizona — and to raise some complex questions.

I have to admit, though, I hated the fact that her character narrated this episode. I pretty much hate it when anybody but Meredith narrates, but if it’s going to be someone else, it should be a main character. (I didn’t like when Maggie narrated earlier this season, either.) Having a guest star or new character narrate just feels like we are straying too far somehow, and it feels falls. Having Arizona or Amelia narrate would have worked better.

Other thoughts:

• I hate that Amelia pushes Owen away. Can we not play games with these two? Can’t one relationship just be easy?
• Stephanie hasn’t been among my favorite characters, but she shines in this episode when she tells off Amelia. It might be one of my favorite scenes.

What did you think of “Staring at the End”? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.