Grey’s Anatomy Review: Silent All These Years (Season 15 Episode 19)

This one is going down in Grey’s Anatomy history.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 15 Episode 19, “Silent All These Years,” explores rape and consent in one of the most powerful, important, and emotional episodes of the show’s run. 

It beautifully weaves together flashbacks to what Jo learned when she met her biological mother with the present, which has Jo treating a rape victim, Abby, played by Khalilah Joi.

What Jo learns when she meets her mother is the last thing she expected. It’s certainly a unique take on a storyline that’s not necessarily new. Jo sees her mother with her family, her house, all of these nice things, but after lashing out, her mother tells her the real story. Jo’s mother was raped, and nine months later, Jo was born.

Watching Jo process that information is heartbreaking in itself, and Camilla Luddington’s performance is astounding. She conveys these different emotions all in her eyes.

And the dynamic between Jo and her mother is so complex. It doesn’t end in the way you might expect such reveals to end on television. There’s so much going on beneath the surface for both characters.

Jo reveals something to her mother, too. It’s something she says she’s never told anyone. She tells her mother first of Paul, and then admits to having been pregnant with his child and having an abortion. And I swear, the more we keep digging into Jo’s character and learning more about her, the more she becomes one of my favorites on the show. 

It happened gradually, and it happened seamlessly, and now I’m just ready to see how what she’s learned is going to affect her.

Her coldness toward Alex is revealing (as are the previews for the next episode). It seems like she’s shutting down. But she’s anything but shut down when treating this patient.

This isn’t the first time the show has addressed rape. In fact, it was early in Season 1 when a rape victim was admitted into the hospital wearing a pair of shoes just like the ones Meredith had worn to work that same day. But the two episodes are entirely different. This one focuses intently on the patient.

There aren’t several other stories to focus on like there are in most episodes either. This story gets the attention it deserves in a way that’s about more than just the patient’s injuries. 

Abby is in pain and wants to be treated, but she doesn’t want to admit that she’s been raped. And she has no interest in letting the doctors do a rape kit. 

Teddy is adamant that the patient doesn’t have to reveal anything she doesn’t want to or consent to a rape kit if she doesn’t want to. But there’s also a ticking clock on this because Abby’s injuries are so severe that she needs surgery. 

Jo’s life experiences, including what she recently learned about her own family, shape how she handles this, though. Already, she was the type of doctor who would speak a little more freely whether she should or not — heck, it’s a common theme on Grey’s Anatomy for doctors to do this.

But here, especially with the way she’s able to connect with Abby, her case is undeniable.

Television that really matters has moments like this — moments that help the audience understand something they might not have otherwise understood. We get that every step of the way with Abby.

Her reasoning for wanting to just move on quickly and not tell anyone what happened gets at what we’ve heard. She doesn’t want to be judged for being raped because she wore a short skirt, had some drinks, and so on.

And she knows that the odds of the man who raped her being put to justice are slim. More likely, her own reputation would be ruined. She’s scared for her marriage, too. It’s a raw look at why women don’t come forward right away, if ever. 

Then, there is the actual rape kit, which Abby eventually agrees to. And this is where this episode sets itself apart. It shows, in great detail, the doctors administering the rape kit.

It’s graphic. It’s shocking. It’s painful to watch. It’s also incredibly eye-opening.

I had no idea what a rape kit really meant before seeing this. My guess is that most people don’t. 

After what this woman has just been through, she’s now being poked and prodded in ways that only highlight her trauma that much more. Speaking of incredible performances, Khalilah Joi is absolutely amazing at every moment. 

Once the rape kit is finished, she can have her surgery, but the thought of leaving that room when any man she sees has the man’s face who raped her is too much for her to handle.

What follows is one of the most beautiful scenes, and certainly the historic moment for Grey’s Anatomy. And it’s amazing for a show to have such a moment in its fifteenth season. 

The route to the OR is lined with women — every stretch of it. Both sides of the walls with friendly, female, supportive faces. This is what women should be for one another.

It’s uplifting and tearful, and it’s not something I imagine any viewer will easily forget. I certainly won’t. I’m grateful to have been able to watch a scene like this on television.

You are not alone. #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/QoDzqRbawr

— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) March 29, 2019

The show addresses rape and consent in different ways, and I think that only makes it all the more powerful. We get the current victim’s perspective.

We hear from her why she’s afraid to say anything and doesn’t want a rape kit. We see the effects of her trauma. We see her injuries. And this was rape from a stranger. 

Then we contrast that by hearing from Jo’s mother, who struggled with even calling what happened to her rape because of the fact that it was someone she knew and she was on a date.

But even Abby has moments where feels to blame for what happened to her.

There’s a third story happening, and it’s the one that feels hopeful. It actually frames the episode’s theme in a way that offers a past, present, and possible future. It revolves around Tucker.

Tucker has a new girlfriend, and Ben and Bailey realize they need to discuss consent with him, among other things. Ben volunteers to have the talk, and the way he explains it to Tucker is so honest and perfect.

And note that the choice here is to have a talk with a boy about respecting boundaries as opposed to a girl about how to keep herself from getting raped! Even better is that it’s Ben who talks with Tucker, and not Bailey.

The scene rounds out a perfect, powerful episode that’s worthy of awards. More than worthy.

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

 Follow us on Twitter! 

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

30 Memorable TV Moments from 2018