Grey’s Anatomy Review: All Tomorrow’s Parties / The Center Won’t Hold (Season 17 Episodes 1 and 2)

Though the two-hour Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 premiere largely focuses on the current health crisis, it still manages to offer romance, lighthearted moments, and an emotional surprise that no one could have seen coming.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 1, “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” picks up in April 2020, with the doctors facing brand new challenges because of the pandemic.

It’s a lot to process, and it’s really quite raw. Seeing that reflected on television is almost as difficult as it is cathartic — there’s a comfort in seeing fictional characters we know and love deal with all of it head on. 

It also works well that Richard had been out of commission because of health concerns we learned about last season. He’s better now and ready to get back to work, but Grey-Sloan looks much different these days. We have the chance to see the hospital through his eyes as Bailey explains the new protocols. It’s the perfect way to give the audience some insight naturally.

And the details are all very specific, from the use of PPE and temperature checks to the families of patients having to wait outside in a tent instead of inside the hospital. 

Of course, there’s an emotional layer there for the doctors as well. They’re handling it all pretty well, as we’d expect, but a PPE delivery that only includes booties and not the desperately-needed masks causes Koracick to completely lose his cool, and later, the death of a patient causes Meredith to lose hers.

Tensions are high, and that’s not even counting what’s been going on with the doctors’ personal lives outside of the crisis.

Though the premiere picks up in April, it uses flashbacks to address where we left off at the end of the last season, which was cut short when filming had to be shut down. All of those questions manage to get some sort of resolution.

DeLuca’s patient that he had been sure was a victim of human trafficking returns, and it’s confirmed DeLuca was correct. He also agrees to get the help he needs in an emotional breakdown after an intervention. That doesn’t mean that’s solved. It’s obvious this is just a start, but it does feel hopeful for him. 

The Teddy and Owen bit is frustrating, though I’m not sure I could see it all playing out any other way. Owen gives Teddy the chance to tell him the truth about Koracick, and when she doesn’t, he plays her the voicemail.

It certainly doesn’t feel like they could come back from it, though Teddy does make a case for herself. Let’s just hope that however this goes, the final resolution happens quickly.

Granted, COVID also has Owen thinking about his will and about his two children. What would happen to Leo? The fact that Owen questions whether Teddy would take care of him, or if she should instead consider Amelia and Link, is really telling and heartbreaking. 

We do at least see one reconciliation, and that’s between Richard and Catherine. It’s hard-fought, while also maybe being a little too quick on Richard’s part to forgive.

But there’s also this feeling of being grateful for the life you have that plays in their favor — not to mention wise words from Jackson, who’s developed a relationship with Richard that is truly wonderful to watch.

Speaking of Jackson, on the somewhat lighter side of things, he finds himself in an awkward situation with Jo. I don’t know how much I really buy Jo approaching Jackson for a “sex favor” like this, mainly because there’s not much context leading up to it.

I could see it had we been given more time to watch her consider such an idea, but this is all too rushed. The result is still endearing. Jackson and Jo have two very different ideas about how such a night should start, but it only ends in tears. It’s funny and heartbreaking all at once, and I’d be interested in seeing those two interact more often.

Alright, I’ve saved the biggest moment for last. At the end of the episode, Dr. Hayes finds Meredith collapsed in the parking lot. Cut to her unconscious mind, we return to the beach scene we saw at the beginning of the premiere, which at this point, most of us had already forgotten about. 

On this quiet beach, Meredith hears a familiar voice calling her name. She looks down the beach and sees Derek Shepherd smiling at her.

Before we try to read into it to much, it’s worth noting what a monumental and happy surprise it is for Patrick Dempsey to be there. To see him again, and not as edited footage but to know that’s the actor returning to the series, feels like a gift to the fans.

That’s intended, by the way, according to an interview with Deadline that you can read here. 

It’s a powerful moment, and the scenery is symbolic and serene. The question is, what does this mean? That will determine how we can really feel about seeing him on our screens again.

This isn’t the first time Grey’s Anatomy has revisited characters that had passed away. It was done well on Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 Episode 5, “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave,” which used edited footage to allow Meredith to see many long-gone characters. (A reminder, too, of how many have been killed off of this show.)

It was also done when Izzie was sick and began seeing Denny Duquette — a path I don’t think many would want to see Meredith going down. 

We’ll have to see how it plays out. From the looks of the preview, Meredith’s health scare will be significant on the next episode, and we’ll also get to see a little more of Derek Shepherd. I don’t know about you, but I really do appreciate that gift.

Other thoughts:

• Amelia and Link are about as adorable as parents as we could have expected. Bonus points for the fact that they’re taking care of Meredith’s kids on top of the brand new baby, but they still manage to be extremely fun to watch.
• Another treat in this episode is seeing Bones alum T.J. Thyne, who plays one of the dads waiting outside the hospital. 
• Richard’s solution for sanitizing all of those masks feels so inspiring. I love that he’s the character that gets that win — and that he gets an appropriate promotion at the end of the premiere.

What did you think of the Grey’s Anatomy season premiere? 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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