Grey’s Anatomy Review: Every Day is a Holiday (With You) (Season 18 Episode 6)

There’s just something special about a good holiday episode on Grey’s Anatomy.

It’s Thanksgiving on Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 6, “Every Day is a Holiday (With You),” and for the most part, it’s a solid and enjoyable hour that even includes a classic turkey mishap.

For better or worse, Meredith isn’t spending Thanksgiving with her family this year. A snowstorm causes her flight to be delayed, which means there’s no chance of getting home in time. 

That’s brushed off just a little too easily, especially considering how much time Meredith was away from her children while she was in a coma/on a beach.

Yes, she’s saddened by it, but it feels like we needed one more beat to let her acknowledge that separation — and on the kids’ end, too. Instead, it’s played for some humor as Amelia is now on her own with the kids, unsure of how to really cook a turkey. 

It does offer an excuse for Link to stick around, and all of those events remind me a little of the first Thanksgiving episode we ever had on Grey’s Anatomy. It reminds me of just how much has happened in that kitchen, and how many people have been a part of that household over the last 18 years. There’s such a history there now that it’s only fitting for the turkey prep to go wrong. 

It does seem odd for Maggie and Winston to not be a part of it, and for it to not be a bigger gathering to begin with. Though because it’s just Amelia and Link and the kids, it offers that chance for Amelia and Link to reconnect. 

It’s a deeply satisfying moment, but it also feels like it could be more of a moment of closure than anything else. Still, it’s hard not to keep rooting for them.

Meanwhile, Meredith is stuck in her hotel room, on the phone with Nick who was heading on his own trip out of town. He stays on the phone with her to keep her company, but what she doesn’t know, is that he’s turned around to go be with her instead. 

This is the stuff of classic romance, to have him show up at her door to surprise her, and all through a snowstorm.

They wind up having a romantic dinner and spending time talking — the deep conversation between these two is a type of connection I don’t think we’ve seen for Meredith, maybe ever? Not at this level, anyway.

Then they have a proper love scene, one that hits a bit different than others we’ve seen recently. It’s a little steamier and a little more serious — and it feels like a pivotal moment for Meredith. She and Nick do have good chemistry, and they give us plenty to root for.

Back at the hospital, there’s still room to celebrate Thanksgiving amidst a few difficult cases. It’s always fun to see Richard at his most eager, doing what he does best. He’s disappointed at a slow E.R. at first, and then when an opportunity for surgery presents itself, he’s right in the thick of it — it’s tradition. 

It also adds a lighthearted tone to what could be too somber of an episode. While the doctors focus on a pregnant patient who has been afraid to ask for help and is consumed by the duties of motherhood, Megan’s son Farouk takes a turn for the worse. 

Megan has been a welcome addition this season, though I almost wish we had a little more time with her and Farouk before hitting this emotional moment. More time with them would make it more impactful. That said, the emotion that overcomes her, just in her facial expressions, is certainly overwhelming.

This has also made for a nice connection in the hospital between Megan, Owen, Teddy, and Hayes. They’ve become an interesting group to watch together, and quite frankly, this conflict provides something new for Owen and Teddy aside from their own internal relationship drama, and that’s a welcome change.

Farouk’s health scare isn’t the only emotional turn on this episode. The veteran Owen had gotten to know recently, Noah, has also taken a turn. 

And this is one he won’t recover from. 

That acceptance is heartbreaking, especially when it comes to Noah’s son. This is already hitting Owen hard, and if we’re talking about stellar performances, Kevin McKidd knocks it out of the part. It’s subtle, but he really shows all of the conflicted feelings Owen is grappling with lately. 

What makes this episode extra special, though, is the evolving sort found family theme. It really hearkens back to Meredith’s kitchen again, and the way we see the doctors come together when it matters most. 

Thanks in part to Schmidt’s mom showing up with the makings of a good Thanksgiving dinner — where she bonds with Nico in a really endearing way — plus the pie a patient arrived with just as she was ushered into the E.R., the doctors working the Thanksgiving shift are able to come together and have a celebratory meal. 

It’s Richard who leads that and brings them all together, partly to cheer up Bailey. While I’m frustrated that a key part of Bailey’s story right now is taking place on Station 19 rather than Grey’s Anatomy, there’s enough context to understand why she’s upset.

I do, however, take issue with this. She’s a Grey’s Anatomy character first and foremost, and it should be the case that we can know her story without watching a separate series. 

But I digress. Because that gathering at the end is the epitome of what Grey’s Anatomy is. They all come together with joy, sharing what they’re thankful for. It’s a proper, cheerful, and grateful tone for an episode like this, and it allows it to end on just the right note. 

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

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