Grey’s Anatomy Review: Good Shepherd (Season 15 Episode 21)

I’ve been a fan of Amelia Shepherd for a long time. I cared deeply for her story on Private Practice, and when she made the jump to Grey’s Anatomy after its spinoff ended, I was over the moon. She’s a character who, particularly if you’ve watched both shows, has grown and evolved in some incredibly powerful ways.

So having an Amelia-centric episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and one that brings her back to her family in this way could easily be a miss. There’s so much to unpack in such a short amount of time.

But Grey’s Anatomy Season 15 Episode 21, “Good Shepherd,” (how about that episode title?) absolutely does her character justice. It also sets up what I’m now hoping will be an important new relationship moving forward.

What starts out as a trip to New York for Amelia and Link to help a patient is complicated quickly by Amelia’s run-in with her sister, Nancy. It’s a heck of a coincidence, but the interaction between the two sisters speaks volumes immediately. It’s referenced later, but Amelia reverts back to a younger and more insecure version of herself as soon as she sees her older sister.

But to make matters worse, she introduces Link as her husband, Owen. 

I do have some trouble with the logistics of this. In a world of social media, it’s a bit far-fetched that Amelia’s sister wouldn’t at least know what Owen looked like.

Then, when the world’s most awkward family dinner — and that’s saying a lot for this show — includes another sister, it feels even less plausible that neither sister would know what he looked like.

The sisters are horrible, which is interesting because you might imagine Amelia had been exaggerating in her descriptions of them. Not so. It’s also the first time we’ve met Kathleen, played by Amy Acker, and my goodness, does Acker embrace the fourth sister’s judgemental nature. 

But Amelia’s background is also incredibly significant. I honestly can’t imagine watching this without having gotten to know Amelia on Private Practice first.

We can reference her history over and over on Grey’s, but having seen some of it — and some of the darkest parts, on the show’s spinoff first is what makes her character so rich to begin with. It also makes the way the sisters treat her at least seem halfway understandable. I’m not sticking up for them, by any stretch, but it does at least connect some dots.

All that said, Amelia has moved on. She has grown, and learned, and overcome, and survived a brain tumor. She’s become a mom, she’s experienced heartbreak again, and she’s lost her brother. 

What this episode does is show the woman she’s become contrasted with her sisters’ views of her. That’s a powerful image, especially when she sticks up for herself. 

And what a smart move to have Link be the one there with her as opposed to Owen himself or any of the other surgeons at Grey-Sloan. Because Link is new. He’s only recently begun to get to know Amelia, and he only knows the woman she is now. He has a fresh perspective that even we as the audience don’t have, and seeing her through his eyes is really significant.

Then the way he sticks up for her is something else altogether. It’s endearing and it’s so clearly genuine. At this point, I wouldn’t mind one bit if their relationship became serious. 

I already liked the energy that Link brought to the cast as a whole. I also, for a while there, was rooting for him and Meredith, at least on some level, because I liked the way his personality brought out something different in her.

What I like more, is what he brings out in Amelia. With him, we see a side to her that I don’t think we’ve ever seen — on either show. It’s smart writing and the actors make it all a joy to watch. 

Caterina Scorsone is remarkable through the entire episode, though, which comes as no surprise. She’s given a lot of great stuff to work with, and her performance is powerful. One of the best moments for that is also the most difficult. It does feel like a little bit of a stretch, but her sit-down with her mother is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. 

And, having Carolyn return is not only a nice surprise, but it also fills in some gaps. This season has repeatedly done a good job with referring back to older storylines and answering questions that have just been sort of hanging there. 

Back in Seattle, we get a parallel that brings closure to all of this. Amelia comes home and sits down with Meredith and Maggie — her two sisters, who aren’t actually biological at all. But they are more her sisters than the other two in so many ways. In both cases, it’s a dining room table.

In New York, it was stiff, it was serious, and it was judgemental. Back in Seattle, it is cozy, it is warm, and it’s open. Amelia’s reaction to them is so comfortable and honest, which is also a direct contrast. With her found family, she’s able to be herself.  

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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