Grey’s Anatomy Review: I’m Still Standing (Season 17 Episode 16)
Grey’s Anatomy feels a little bit more like itself on Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 16, “I’m Still Standing.”
The episode offers several time jumps over the course of a few weeks to move things forward and allow for a bit of hope and light that we haven’t seen much of this season.
Levi, for instance, is accepted into a COVID vaccine trial, which serves to offer that hopeful feeling and also to give us an idea of where we are in the time — the episode still taking place in a time that’s not totally current, though we’re getting there.
That vaccine trial introduces him to another doctor who isn’t shy about flirting with him, and over the course of time, it has Levi thinking about what he really wants.
ALEX LANDI
It’s a good way to show some growth for both him and Nico, and the final realization, where Nico is prepared with lit candles. And he has been for several nights. It’s sweet to watch, and it’s nice to see some positivity for both of them.
Meanwhile, Meredith is recovering at home, feeling a bit trapped by not being back to her old self yet, but also managing a sunny disposition.
She’s bouncing back well, though the dark and twisty Meredith we know and love isn’t so optimistic that she won’t have some of the long-term symptoms of the virus. And returning to work is barely on her radar.
It is, however, on Bailey’s. She needs Meredith back, and she offers her an opportunity that almost makes perfect sense. She wants Meredith to take over the residency program.
Isn’t Richard in charge of that? That’s a question we might ask too, and I’m not sure how I feel that they’d just move him aside in that way.
At the same time, Richard does seem to be everywhere lately and in charge of plenty. It’s really a glossy explanation so that Meredith can move into that space, which feels fitting for the series and her overall arc.
It’s also just enjoyable to see Meredith and Bailey having a conversation in this way. There were too many episodes with Meredith in that hospital/on the beach, and it’s a sigh of relief to have her back in her house, looking healthy and strong.
Maggie and Winston’s wedding planning is also a key part of the episode — and one that allows it to lean more on romance and lightheartedness. To a point, anyway.
The wedding planning is complicated because of the pandemic, and nothing can be perfect for Maggie, she realizes, because her mother can’t be there. I still wish we had a chance to know Winston a little more to allow us to be invested in them as a couple, but he does really seem like a good match for her.
What makes the hour feel most like the version Grey’s Anatomy we’re used to is seeing Amelia in her element. She discovers a way to communicate with a patient based on brain scans, all thanks to Link’s ability to play guitar.
It’s one of those magical medical moments that makes the drama so intriguing, and it’s also such a natural space for Amelia to be in.
CATERINA SCORSONE
There is a slight conflict in knowing that she and Link have different ideas about whether or not they’ll have another child. That all seems wildly familiar, if you ask me.
Though perhaps the best part of this is how well Owen is able to be a friend to her and offer good advice. Let’s hope she takes it eventually.
The saddest part of “I’m Still Standing” revolves around Jo. She’s been taking care of baby Luna for the course of several episodes now, and after meeting the baby’s legal guardian, a busy social worker, Jo feels confident that she should be her mother.
Everyone around her knows she should too. She even bonds with Link over the idea of being a parent.
But in another time jump, we learn her application was denied.
It’s easy to forget Jo’s complicated past, and this is yet another case of that past coming back to haunt her once again. No matter how suited she might be, she doesn’t pass the background check.
The way she curls up in her bed in tears is heartwrenching, and as much as it’s about Luna, it’s about everything else too. Alex’s absence is still going to be a part of her. DeLuca has died.
Now even Jackson has left. And to top things off, she’s ended up with one too many roommates, so she’s not even afforded the opportunity to cry alone. The weight of that is heavy, my friends.
—
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 9/8c on ABC.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.