Grey’s Anatomy Review: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Season 18 Episode 8)

I’m going to be thinking about that cliffhanger for a long time.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 8, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” pulls out all the stops for a solid winter finale. Sure, we’ve seen car crashes and various tragedies surrounding Seattle Grace Mercy Death Grey-Sloan Memorial, but that doesn’t stop this one from being powerful.

We’ve also never seen something quite like this, with doctors evaluating who should try to save their own lives and who should stay behind.

It happens when a donor heart becomes available for Farouk. Meghan’s been sitting by his bedside non-stop, and she’s in a bad way — Hayes notes it’s more dire than what he’s seen of the typical parent in this kind of situation. Owen, Teddy, and Hayes all go together to pick up the heart,  but on the way back, their driver has a stroke and runs off the road, leaving the car hanging on a cliff.

Because when does an organ transfer like this ever actually go smoothly?

They’re unable to call for help, of course, and the stakes are even higher because it’s not just their lives on the line. If Farouk doesn’t get the heart in time, then this is all for nothing. 

There really isn’t anything more heartbreaking and difficult to watch than three parents trying to evaluate who should be left behind. After Meredith’s conversation with Hayes, I’m almost surprised that it isn’t him who winds up in the most danger, perhaps seeing visions on a beach somewhere. Still, that conversation does function as a bit of foreshadowing.

Teddy manages to get out of the car with the heart and try to get back to the hospital. Hayes gets outs next, after a bit of arguing with Owen, who insists on trying last. 

I may never get over seeing that car tip over the cliff with Owen inside. 

The suspense is played just right, and again, Grey’s Anatomy is known, almost comically at this point, for too many tragedies and life-threatening scenarios that have nothing to do with the patients. But that doesn’t make this any less intriguing to watch, especially because it is done with such care and with a chance for the actors to really explore all of the emotions these characters are feeling. 

But that isn’t the only intense moment of the episode.

Richard is still quite proud of his new method of teaching residents, and it’s been going well, it seems. But that method is dependent on perfect timing, and on the residents not letting their own egos get in the way. 

Schmidt chooses not to wait for an attending during a surgery because he feels so confident, and of course, there’s a complication. The patient is a podcaster that Schmidt enjoys listening to, and the scene plays heavy on the parallel of the podcast playing in the background — the podcaster is describing a trip to see an incredible waterfall. That waterfall becomes a voiceover of the blood pouring like a waterfall out of his body.

It’s horrifying and unsettling, and the blame is ultimately not just on Schmidt.

I’m not sure what this is going to do Richard Webber. 

As upsetting as this all is to watch, it’s the kind of thing that makes this one of the better recent episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. That’s because we’re back to focusing on surgeries and on the fact that this is a teaching hospital. We’re watching doctors learn and fail, and figure out who they are in relation to their careers. 

Speaking of being back in the hospital, another thing that helps this episode in a big way is that Meredith and Amelia are back at Grey-Sloan, where they’re planning to perform this groundbreaking surgery on David Hamilton. 

Simply being back in their element makes the episode feel more cohesive and brings the energy up. Not to mention, we get to see Hamilton interact with Richard. 

What I enjoy about all of this most is Meredith and Amelia having the chance to work together. It’s a high-pressure situation that causes Meredith to vomit from nerves, and as they prepare to go do the surgery, it does kind of feel like Derek is with them — just Meredith spoke to Hayes about earlier. 

Surgery this soon for such a groundbreaking case would be too easy, though. They have to postpone because Hamilton has another health issue to deal with first, making the brain surgery impossible to do within the FDA’s window.

And a conversation between Hamilton and Meredith signals where a lot of this is likely headed.

This potential cure for Parkinson’s disease could open up a window for another cure: Alzheimer’s Disease. To have Meredith be able to work on something like that, and perhaps be the one to cure Alzheimer’s? That would be a truly satisfying way to end the entire series (not that we actually know when it will end). 

Even just the hint of that is a way to bring Meredith’s story full circle, and it’s reminiscent of work she did with Derek in the early days of the series. All of this, actually, feels reminiscent of those clinical trials, which is another reason why it’s so enjoyable to have Meredith and Amelia working together.

Other thoughts:

• Amelia and Kai finally have the romantic moment they’ve been leading up to all season, and of course, it happens right in front of Link as he’s about to try to reconcile with Amelia. The look on his face when he sees them kissing is so heartbreaking. 
• Also heartbreaking is watching Jo listen to Link tell her he loves her, though he’s really only saying what he wants to say to Amelia. She’s feeling something for him now that she hadn’t thought of before, but the timing is all wrong. It only makes me like the idea of Jo and Link together more.
• I’ve alluded to Meredith and Hayes’ conversation a couple of times, but it’s a really beautiful scene. Meredith is so vulnerable and joyful here as she admits what those moments on the beach were like, and she’s gained something spiritually from that. Of course, it’s a little confusing that she pinpoints this is a time where she thinks maybe there’s something more, seeing as how she’s seen ghosts from her past before — also while she was near death. But, it’s still a sweet scene.

Here’s a look at the promo video for the mid-season premiere. It’s worth noting this will be a crossover event with Station 19:

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 returns Thursday, February 24th to ABC.

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