Grey’s Anatomy Review: You Can Look (But You’d Better Not Touch) (Season 13 Episode 10)

Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 Episode 10 takes a unique approach to its mid-season premiere, which is both wonderful and disappointing at the same time.

“You Can Look (But You’d Better Not Touch)” is yet another bottle episode, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The timing, however, while it’s clearly a way to consider a potential future for Alex, doesn’t seem ideal.

The mid-season finale left us with a cliffhanger: Alex making the choice to take that plea bargain. What we didn’t know, was whether or not he actually went through with it.

So to not even see Alex when we return from hiatus feels cheap somehow. It also makes the storyline lose some momentum, despite the fact that Jo and Arizona do find out he planned to take that plea bargain.

The episode itself, though, is pretty incredible. It’s something different, which in and of itself speaks to the fact that Grey’s Anatomy is still, 13 seasons in, a powerful drama.

Bailey, Arizona, and Jo head to a maximum security prison to see a 16-year-old pregnant patient, Emily, who doesn’t seem so dangerous at first, but quickly shows she’s not someone to be taken lightly. But the episode goes beyond any fear that the doctors might have of being in a prison, and in fact, we don’t even learn what the patient did to get herself where she is.

We can see her violent side, but we also feel compassion for her pretty quickly. A pregnant woman restrained with handcuffs while she’s being examined is hard to take, and watching her go through labor while in handcuffs is worse.

Bailey is appalled at the way patients are being treated, but the prison’s doctor gives her a lesson quick.

The prison conditions are the real problem.

The doctors can’t be handing out gauze and protein shakes to patients liberally. And sanitary products? Those are sparse too.

If you’ve seen Orange is the New Black, you’ve already seen this a bit. I applaud Grey’s Anatomy for taking a step in showing just one aspect of the problems in our prison system as well.

The arrival of Emily’s mother is where things really get emotional. Emily has been asking for her mother all along, and she’s grateful that her child will be able to grow up the way she did — with an awesome swing-set in the backyard and the chance to do cartwheels on the beach.

She also believes she’ll still get to see her baby even after her mother adopts her.

That’s not the case, though. Emily’s mother doesn’t want to see her at all, and won’t go in the room to be with her while she’s in labor.

It makes me think that whatever Emily did to get herself put in prison was somehow related to her mother. All I know is this — I’ve given birth, and it was important to me to have my mother there to hold my hand. I can’t imagine it happening any differently, and I realize I’m lucky that was the case for me. So for Emily’s mother to be right there, but to refuse to go in, it’s something that I can’t fathom.

Arizona calls her out on that, too, which is one of my favorite moments from the episode.

Arizona: If this one makes a mistake, will you leave her too?

One thing I’m reminded of is the death row patient from Grey’s Anatomy Season 5. Meredith finds herself feeling sympathy for this man, just as we see here with the way Bailey, Arizona, and Jo can’t help but feel sympathy for Emily. Bailey even sets her fear aside and holds Emily’s hand to be there for her when her own mother isn’t. And Jo holds her and comforts her as though the two have something in common.

Quite frankly, it seems there are hints that’s the case, beginning with the way Jo defends the patient early in the episode. I’m actually starting to become more eager to learn about Jo’s history.

Everything does come back full circle to Alex, with Bailey finally sharing the news that he was planning to take a plea bargain. She says that Alex came to see her and told her he was going to go to the DA and take the plea bargain.

Bailey, Jo, and Arizona leave the prison, heading back home just as Alex might be preparing to go to prison himself.

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

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

Grey’s Anatomy airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!