Grey’s Anatomy Review: Flowers Grow Out of My Grave (Season 15 Episode 6)

The Day of the Dead means remembering lost loved ones on Grey’s Anatomy Season 15 Episode 6, “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave.” If you expected to need tissues for this one, I’m betting you weren’t disappointed.

Before we get into that tribute, though, there are a lot of other stories to unpack from this episode. Meredith gets news about Thatcher, Teddy tries to tell Owen she’s pregnant, and Levi has sexual awakening — all stories that work together to make for a really powerful episode in my book.

Meredith

There’s related news that has Meredith thinking about those she’s lost, though, and it’s that her father is dying. Richard pulls her aside and tells her Thatcher doesn’t have long to live and that he’s in hospice, and Meredith’s reaction is exactly within her character and not unexpected.

It’s also addressed that he’s been absent for so long — we haven’t seen the guy in several seasons. Meredith expresses some bitterness about that on top of the relationship, or lack thereof, she had with him from childhood.

A reason Grey’s Anatomy is able to keep moving forward and remain good television is because of these kinds of stories. Meredith is continually facing new challenges in realistic ways and growing from them.

In addition to dealing with the news of her father, she’s also still actively trying to date thanks to her matchmaker. She does “scare off” the date she has on this episode, but that doesn’t mean other men aren’t interested.

Thanks to some encouragement from Jo, Link directly asks Meredith out, who swiftly turns him down. DeLuca is also vying for her attention, and you know what? I love this dynamic.

Meredith is just out there being amazing, and she has two men who are fully captivated by her. Even though she’s dating, she’s being very picky about who she’ll open to. It’s a spin on romance we haven’t seen on the show, and it feels very real for her character.

Link

Meanwhile, we get a chance to see more of Link and his interactions with patients, which is an absolute pleasure. Link just brings such a great new energy to the show.

He’s a skilled doctor, he’s direct with patients, and he doesn’t mind being a little silly when he has to — as evidenced by his willingness to just start hacking at his own hair to make a child laugh and feel better about knowing he’ll lose his own.

In the midst of this, we also learn that Link once had the same form of cancer as his young patient, explaining why he wanted to become this kind of doctor.

Meredith becomes directly involved in this too and seems amused when she heads to Alex and Jo’s place at the end of the episode so she can have some company. Link is there, getting his hair fixed by Jo, who obviously doesn’t know what she’s going.

Meredith takes over as Jo and Alex look on, commenting that yes, the two of them would be cute together. I love that this is also paired with showing more of Alex and Meredith’s friendship.

Teddy / Owen / Amelia

Betty goes missing on this episode, leaving Amelia and Owen in a panic, and interrupting Teddy’s chance to tell Owen her news. Teddy instead spends the day helping them look for her, but her help has an air of desperation to it.

It’s not just that she wants to find the missing girl — of course, that’s part of the desperation — but there’s also an urgency to help Owen based on the guilt and confusion she’s clearly feeling. She sees that what Owen and Amelia have with their sudden new family is special to him, and she’s hesitant to change things for him.

By the end of the episode, Teddy chooses to leave rather than tell Owen she’s pregnant, making this one of the world’s most frustrating storylines. Owen has got to find out soon.

Levi and Nico

In classic Grey’s Anatomy fashion, the tension that’s developed between Levi and Nico finally comes to a head in an elevator, where the two share a passionate kiss that turns into disappointment only moments later. Levi uses the analogy of working on Ortho for the first time, and realizing that’s what feels right compared to other fields.

What follows is something we’ve seen before. No matter how interested Nico clearly is in Levi, what he’s not interested in is helping him come out.

If you’ll recall, Arizona rejected Callie early on for a similar reason. It’s really heartbreaking to watch this moment for Levi, but it’s just the first step in an important realization for him, and that’s beautiful to see.

The Tribute

This is the moment that makes this episode truly remarkable. The setup is that a patient and her family are celebrating the Day of the Dead, which also gives an opportunity to explain the holiday. It’s a day that lost loved ones can return, and they can be guided with things like old photos and marigold flowers.

Meredith is giving her own marigolds in a meaningful gesture. She’s already thinking about her father dying and considering the other losses she’s suffered. With the flower in her hair, she walks through the hospital and is visited — in whatever ways you’d like to interpret it — by those she’s lost.

George, Lexie, her mother, her dog(!), Derek, Mark — in a sweet way that’s as though they’re just all there to say hi. It’s such an interesting way to comment on these deaths, too. Grey’s Anatomy has killed off an almost comical number of characters of the years, but the show has referenced how strange that seems in its own way.

Cristina eventually dubbed the hospital Seattle Grace Mercy Death, but here, to celebrate a holiday that’s all about remembering those people, it’s really special.

The show also makes use of music, as Grey’s so often expertly does. A new version of “Chasing Cars” — now a classic Grey’s Anatomy song — plays as she walks down the hall. But this version is in spanish. Cue the tears, if you weren’t already crying.

Stray thoughts and notes:

• It’s not every character that’s died who returns on this episode. Showrunner Krista Vernoff explained the choices in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, noting the focus on Meredith’s perspective. It’s not about every single character that’s died, but about the ones that would be most likely to return to Meredith in this way.
• If you’re interested in knowing more about how this story was developed, the footage that was used from the characters who returned, and so on, those things are also explained in that interview also. It’s well worth the read.
• Jackson is working on making up for lost time with Maggie, and that includes the thoughtful gesture of bringing her three lunches to choose from while she’s busy working. It’s incredibly thoughtful and sweet.
• Alex has really come into his own as chief, and the fact that he tells Bailey and Jo no to that liver is powerful. Granted, they go against him, and for the better, but I’m still proud of Alex for taking such a stand.
• I’m very worried about Bailey. She’s not coping well with Ben’s new career, and I’m concerned it’s going to affect her even more than we’ve already seen.
• Jake Borelli, who plays Levi on the show, shared an Instagram post sharing why working on this episode was so special to him. See that here.

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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