Grey’s Anatomy Review: Hotter Than Hell (Season 18 Episode 3)

Addison Montgomery’s return to Seattle is even better than expected.

On Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 3, “Hotter Than Hell,” Addison arrives to Seattle Grace to operate on a patient for a clinical trial. While she’s there, she’s also working with the residents to get them back to the level where they should be. 

Addison’s presence brings a fierce energy back to the series already. Having her character back in the midst, even temporarily, is a really positive shift. It’s also just a lot of fun to hear the residents make guesses about how she and Meredith will respond to each other and what kinds of things happened years ago. 

It allows for mentions of Derek in a new way and reminds us of how complicated those relationships were in the early seasons, but what’s even better than that is seeing — and knowing — that Addison and Meredith have a genuine respect for one another.

Even in the early days, there was generally an attitude of respect between these two women, and when Addison says “get me Meredith Grey” to help her with surgery, it’s a really satisfying moment. 

The residents are all a bit surprised about how professional, I think, the two women are with one another. Helm is a bit much in her defensiveness of Meredith, but it’s not outside what we’d expect from her character, either. 

In true Grey’s fashion, after the surgery, the women are alone in the elevator, and that’s when Addison breaks down. Because a whole lot has happened since she left Seattle, and even more since the end of Private Practice.

Addison hasn’t been seen since Derek died, so it only makes sense that we should get to see her deal with those emotions now. 

The hospital does feel different without Derek there too — for the viewers as well. With any key character exit, the dynamics change, and we’ve seen that time and again on Grey’s Anatomy.

But what’s really enjoyable is seeing these returns — and I mean the ones that are real within the life of the show. Teddy has been back for a while now, but the same sort of rule applies. Addison sees the hospital through a different lens because she remembers it the way it used to be and has been gone for so many years. 

It seems obvious that Meredith would invite Addison over to meet Derek’s children, but it’s also a gesture that’s filled with so much grace. When Addison does arrive, it’s much more emotional than I think anyone could have been prepared for.

Kate Walsh’s talents don’t go unnoticed here — she conveys all of those conflicted emotions at once. The sadness, the joy, and a bit of disbelief, because an awful lot of time has passed. 

Addison and Amelia’s reunion is an emotional one too, and it’s nice to see them all connected. I’m looking forward to finding out what’s been happening with Addison since Private Practice ended, but I also hope we get some reminders from her time on that series as well as from the early days of Grey’s.

Another interesting dynamic that I’m guessing we’ll see more of is between Addison and Jo. Addison has no idea who Jo is, and assumes she’s just another resident — not one who was a surgical attending, or hey, who was Alex Karev’s wife. 

To be back in the position of resident is already clearly a little difficult for Jo as it is, but having Addison back really raises those stakes. I’m excited, and I hope we can expect Addison to stick around for a while.

Other thoughts:

• Meredith finally tells Richard that she’ll be splitting her time between Seattle and Minnesota. For now, it feels like the right call.
• There’s something happening with Amelia and the other doctor in Minnesota, right? We all caught that? 
• Speaking of which, it is surprising how much Amelia seems to have moved on from Link already. Maybe it’s just because we haven’t seen as much of them together over the past couple of episodes.
• The air-conditioning going out is the kind of conflict that we’d see in the early days of Grey’s Anatomy too. It’s not too dire, but just difficult enough to cause problems for the course of the hour. And it produces some fun moments.
• Teddy as the ambassador of fun! You know what? I like that for her, and she does a good job with it by the end. Even if it is creepy that they all have snow cones in the morgue. 

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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