Grey’s Anatomy Review: With a Little Help From My Friends (Season 18 Episode 4)

Let’s just state the obvious to get it out of the way, shall we? Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 4 “With a Little Help From My Friends,” woefully underuses the duo that is Dr. Addison Montgomery and Dr. Amelia Shepherd. 

We have Kate Walsh for two episodes. Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 3, “Hotter Than Hell,” introduces the reason she’s back and gives us the perfect amount of nostalgia. 

What I want from this follow-up is an intimate look at Amelia and Addison fighting for Tova’s dream and having a celebratory dinner with Meredith because of their eventual success.

What I actually get is too many scenes of interns I still barely care about doing surgeries.

Also, Roy is a nice enough guy. But it is horrible to meet him just to watch him die. 

Plenty of characters die on Grey’s Anatomy. But why should we have to watch it happen on an episode where we should be sharing heartbreak and glasses of wine with Addison and Amelia?

Their scenes are the best of the episode but even so…the script is too dialogue-heavy all around. 

On “Hotter Than Hell” we see Addison grieving Derek.

On this episode, Addison’s just telling us updates on her life.

We don’t have to hear her tell us she felt out of control during the pandemic and almost left her husband and checked into rehab if we just see her a little bit more uncertain about Tova’s case. At the very least, it would make her revelations more impactful. 

Addison’s purpose is to be a sounding board for Amelia to explain to us why she left her relationship with Linc. In that way, she’s effective. 

I’m not emotionally invested in them at all as a couple, so everything Amelia is saying makes sense. If she forced herself to marry a man who had fundamentally different life goals than she does, she would be miserable.

So, let’s take Addison’s lead and be proud of little Shepherd for her very grown-up choice. 

While we are on the topic of adulthood, let’s talk about Jo. 

The storyline is just comic relief, but I am loving the scenes we get to see her as a single mother. I’m getting more and more confused about why the episode does not focus on motherhood the more I type. 

The intern surgeries and Roy’s plot are such a waste of screentime when we could focus more on female bonding. 

A saving grace of the interns and the “Webber” method plot is Dr. Bailey’s speech to Dr. Helm. 

Miranda has always been a tried and true mentor at her core, so watching her assure Taryn that she’s right where she needs to be even though she made a mistake is vintage Grey’s Anatomy.

Grey’s Anatomy is at its best when it finds its roots again, even if the seasons are climbing so high it’s hard to tell where the roots are. 

That said, Nick Marsh is the reason why this episode’s rating is as high as it is. Even a minute of watching Nick and Meredith barely speak and then smile about each other gives me chills. 

It hasn’t deserved my chills in a very long time and I wish they were in response to an Addison moment, but at least they happened.

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Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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