Grey’s Anatomy Review: Out of Nowhere (Season 14 Episode 8)
Forget natural disasters and freak accidents. Somehow a hacker taking over the computer systems is a whole lot more frightening.
On Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 8, “Out of Nowhere,” the season’s winter finale, a hacker shuts down everything in the hospital and demands a large ransom — exactly the amount Jackson donated for the surgical contest.
As horrifying as it is — monitors not working, no access to medical charts or blood, and so on, the episode manages to balance humor with the catastrophe in the way Grey’s Anatomy can do so well, and has especially done so well this season with the return of Krista Vernoff.
KEVIN MCKIDD, JESSICA CAPSHAW, SARAH DREW, STEFANIA SPAMPINATO
In fact, my favorite thing about this episode has got to be Richard schooling all the kiddos about how things were done before all of this technology was available in the first place.
Paper charts! Put his face in ice water! Use a newspaper to decide how much blood there is! (I mean really that last one is pretty fascinating).
The point is this is a problem we haven’t seen before, and it’s forcing the doctors to think about things differently. Yes, we’ve watched them in the field when the regular tools aren’t necessarily available, but for the hospital to longer function the way it should — it means re-thinking everything.
CHANDRA WILSON, JAMES PICKENS JR.
That’s why Meredith stops in her tracks with a surgery that relies so heavily on technology, and decides to open up the patient instead. She can trust her own hands, but she can’t trust the technology to do what it’s supposed to.
Unfortunately, even the blood bank is cut off, which means there’s only one other solution. Someone in the OR has to donate blood themselves.
Poor Glasses. He’s been through so much already and he’s only been here for a few episodes.
Meredith’s realization that that’s a possible solution is incredible though — I’m so happy to see her proving over and over again what a smart, talented doctor she is.
Meanwhile, Bailey wants to go for the simple solution to the problem and just pay the ransom, which they CAN do, since Jackson has the funds and is more than willing to give them over. But it’s more complicated than that. The FBI is trying to find the hacker, but if the hospital pays the ransom before that happens, it means the same thing could happen to hospitals all over the country.
JESSE WILLIAMS
They can either fix the problem that’s in front of them and potential cause more harm in the long run, or they can hold out. But as things go more and more awry, the risk to their patients is worse. #Greys
Oh, and Jackson and Maggie wind up on a helicopter with a patient, covered — and I mean really covered — in blood. It is, perhaps, one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen on Grey’s Anatomy.
Jackson and Maggie are obviously going to wind up together, and the slow set up as they realize the similarities and differences between them is almost endearing. It’s also kind of awkward, and it doesn’t feel entirely natural.
This terrifying situation, though, it’s got to be a catalyst for the two of them.
And finally, Jo finds out who was working with Alex’s patient, Frankie, and learns that if they give him the wrong drug — which they’re planning to do — he could bleed out (please don’t let this kid die!).
Jo races to tell Alex not to give the drug, but in the process? She runs into her ex-husband, who is clearly about to turn her world upside down. And the creepy smile he gives her? It’s unsettling, to say the least.
Other Thoughts:
- More humor comes from the fact that the little boy’s mom has a crush on Alex and has to put on lipstick before he comes in the room. It’s bittersweet, though, when the boy asks Alex to marry her if he dies.
- Meredith has little patience for reporters. Of course that’s the hardest part of winning the award, at least for her.
- One hopeful spot in the episode is the birth of the baby, thanks to help from Arizona and Carina — and to Arizona’s inspiring words. It’s a nice moment.
What did you think of this episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
You can also watch Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 8, “Out of Nowhere” online here.
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Grey’s Anatomy returns January 18th to ABC.
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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.
One thought on “Grey’s Anatomy Review: Out of Nowhere (Season 14 Episode 8)”
“The point is this is a problem we haven’t seen before, and it’s forcing the doctors to think about things differently.”
And yet they still all think the IT guy is some sort of monkey. Here’s a thought:
a) if the IT guy is responsible for keeping ALL of these critical systems up and running and people die without them maybe they’re more doctors than monkeys. And maybe insisting to promote this expired cliche could be avoided.
b) if a guy manages to take over almost every IT system in an organization maybe he’s more than just a “cheeto stained loser in his mother’s basement”.
This is what happens when you user writers that other shows rejected…
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