Grey’s Anatomy Review: Falling Slowly (Season 13 Episode 4)

I keep saying this, but Grey’s Anatomy feels a lot like the early seasons these days, and I love it. So much.

It actually feels lighter, which seems like a strange thing to say given all these characters have gone through. On Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 Episode 4, “Falling Slowly,” the focus continues to be on the doctors being doctors, their complicated love lives, or you know, how those two things intertwine.

For Meredith, that means pushing away a guy who has very real feelings for her, even though it’s clear the two of them should be together.

Riggs isn’t giving up on her, and it actually reminds me of the way Derek was when he was trying to pursue Meredith. She’s never been good at letting people in, and she’s going to find as many excuses as she can before she allows herself to be in another relationship.

First it’s Maggie, now it’s the job.

When Riggs and Meredith agree with each other on a case, but disagree with Owen, Meredith worries Riggs agrees with her only because of his feelings for her.

Riggs sets that straight in a moment that also reminds me of the early Meredith and Derek days. Remember when Meredith thought she was scrubbing in on that first surgery because she’d slept with Derek? But actually, he asked to scrub in because she deserved it, and told her she shouldn’t give up that opportunity just because of who was offering it to her?

The circumstances may be wildly different, but the similarity is that Meredith assumes things happen because of her relationships, rather than being confident in the fact that she deserved them, or in this case, that she was right about waiting when it came to this patient.

As much as her character has evolved over the years, I think this is a way of pointing out that she does still lack some confidence.

Meanwhile, Alex has a major win — and it’s one he doesn’t take credit for.

It’s good for Alex to be in the clinic for a number of reasons. I like it, first of all, because it lets us know that the clinic actually still exists. It was such an important part of the story many seasons ago, and it felt for a long time that it had been dropped completely. Now Alex is working there while he waits for his trial, which is complicated considering how the clinic was created in the first place.

It really seems like Izzie should come back soon, you guys. I’m just throwing that out there.

What’s most interesting about it, though, is that it’s an opportunity to continue to see Alex grow. He’s become such a skilled surgeon and he’s done so well, but now he has to go back and do the kinds of things he scoffed at as in intern.

The difference now is his attitude. He knows he has to do this, and he’s willing to work hard and do a job he must have assumed he’d never have to do again.

Because he’s still a good doctor, he manages to catch a rare illness and save a patient’s life in the process, because of course he does. The old Alex would have at least insisted on taking the credit for such a find, but now, he’s just concerned with saving the patient — and he knows that trying to take the credit isn’t the right thing to do right now.

Other Thoughts:

• What Jackson and April are dealing with is so beautifully normal and abnormal at the same time. They’re exhausted by a baby that keeps them up all night, but they aren’t living together as a couple. Even though they aren’t back together, I love that they’re going to keep living together and make their new arrangement work.
• Is Amelia going to get pregnant? The actress is pregnant in real life, but she stated recently she didn’t think Amelia’s story would take that route. Maybe things have changed?
• One of the sweetest moments, on that note, is Owen’s one single tear when he and Amelia decide to try and have children. That’s something he’s always wanted, and now it might just happen.

What did you think of this episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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