Grey’s Anatomy Review: Love of My Life (Season 16 Episode 19)

My heart is broken for Richard Webber.

On Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 Episode 19, “Love of My Life,” Maggie, Teddy, Hayes, and Richard attend a medical conference, where Richard will be presenting his PATH Pen.

It seems like a lighthearted episode at first, and it focuses quite a bit on the past. It feels, in a lot of ways, like a filler episode, or at least an episode that’s there to set up stories that are to come later. 

For Maggie, she runs into an old colleague who confesses he always had a crush on her, and they fall fast for one another — so fast, in fact, that her former colleague asks her to move for him, or to let him move to Seattle to be with her. This isn’t the kind of thing Maggie does.

She tells him she’s the kind of person who needs spreadsheets and plans. But maybe this could be a good thing for her, and watching her with this guy winds up giving us some of the most enjoyable scenes we’ve seen from Maggie in quite some time. 

Teddy also runs into someone from her past, and we’re treated to flashbacks that offer some surprising history for Teddy. It turns out, Allison is named for a woman she used to be in love with. But that was an affair, and Allison died in 9/11. 

I think it’s interesting and wonderful to see this backstory for Teddy in such a seamless way, and to show a part of her life that we never knew existed.

But somehow the flashbacks feel odd to me. It’s not a device Grey’s Anatomy uses often, and in this case, I’m not sure how warranted it is. Maybe that’s because hers isn’t the only flashback, but yet, not everyone gets one. The only other person with flashbacks is Hayes. 

There is a purpose. It addresses the complication Teddy is dealing with now. She loves Owen, but she also loves Tom, much like Allison loved her as well as her friend. There’s a lesson in maturity there, also, as Teddy’s friend is willing to forgive her after all of these years. 

As I mentioned, Hayes also gets flashbacks, and these feel even more odd and out of place. We get a look at how he lost his wife, and it’s tied to a medical device. The flashbacks are emotional and give us a chance to learn a little more about Hayes, but it’s all very disjointed being paired with Teddy’s flashbacks, Maggie’s blossoming love story, and what’s going on with Richard.

And what’s going on with Richard is horrifying. 

It does feel strange the way Catherine shows up to his room early in the episode, and it feels strange how easily they fall back into one another’s arms. There’s something off about Catherine, too, which should be a clue. Still, I didn’t see this coming. 

Richard prepares his speech, and we finally see that Catherine was never in the room. When he gets up to give his presentation, we really see the effects. It’s incredibly unsettling to watch as he starts spouting off about a cure for cancer with smiley faces and scribbles for slides. 

Maggie and Hayes finally get him off the stage and an ambulance is called. 

Whatever this winds up being, and however this turns out in the end, it’s already a punch to the gut. Richard has been through so much already, and to have him step away from surgery is bad enough. Now his reputation is tarnished. 

Maybe he’ll be okay and get a Grey’s Anatomy style miracle for what ails him, but seeing Richard Webber in this state is upsetting, and it feels like a great disservice to his character. 

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 9/8c on ABC.

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