Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 6 Review: Thunderstruck

In the words of Meredith Grey herself: Seriously? Seriously?!

Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 6, “Thunderstruck,” — the Fall Finale — uses unnecessary shock value by having Meredith’s iconic home go up in flames.

I call this unnecessary because Meredith already has her way out. We know Ellen Pompeo is leaving Grey’s Anatomy, and we know the way Meredith is being written out is positive, and ultimately the perfect way for her character to exit, if she has to. (I’d say it’s time to wrap this thing up with her leaving, too, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

The fact is that Meredith’s character has been through more than enough, and it’s over-the-top to seal the deal by having her lose that home once and for all.

I can only imagine how much more meaningful it could be for that home to continue to house doctors from Grey-Sloan Memorial. Lucas is representative of a new generation here, and it feels like a missed opportunity to rob this new group of the same found family aspect that the home brought in the past.

Sure, I may be getting ahead of myself. The home may have repairs and may live on. But if it does, that only makes the fire more pointless — more trauma and shock value just for the sake of shock value. 

The one nice moment from all of this is seeing the post-it note vows again. It’s the one thing Maggie is able to grab before she and Winston get the kids out of the house. It’s sad, though, if you think about the other parts of that house that contain so many memories, and really, so many elements of the series overall. 

Of course, this is all just the end of the episode, and there’s plenty else to discuss. The episode actually opens with Meredith approaching her exit, sending an email about her move. That seems pretty inappropriate, not only for the character, but for the show.

The promo for the next episode, when the show returns in February, does reveal that Meredith will get a solid send-off, but this is big enough that it deserves more attention. An email doesn’t cut it.

Instead, it really becomes about Richard Webber soliciting a replacement for Meredith and wondering what will happen with Nick. Bailey has no interest, and the one person who wants to step up — Owen — can’t do it because of his suspended medical license. 

There’s also a case that is close to Meredith’s heart, along with many of the other doctors. One patient of the week is a famous writer who has written a series of children’s books that mean quite a lot to several people in the hospital.

It winds up being an endearing case, and one that does involve the interns in an interesting way.

Lucas is turning out to be one of the more interesting interns, not only because of the Shepherd connection, but because he’s an underdog. That just puts more pressure on him.

Thankfully, Amelia finally squashes the rumors about her relationship with Lucas and forces him to tell the truth, ending what was becoming an increasingly awkward storyline.

There’s a romance brewing with Lucas and Griffith, which is really enjoyable to watch. You can see the chemistry between the two, and everything about it is reminiscent of the early days of Grey’s.

The other interns are in the pit, working with victims of lightning strikes. One thing I’ll say I enjoy here is the focus on medicine again. I love seeing the interns learning on their feet, making mistakes, and letting that be the core of the story.

The dynamic between Jules and Kwan is a fun one to watch, especially since we’re finally seeing Kwan start to open up a bit. Yasuda has a bit of a vulnerable moment too, where she ends up fawning over Teddy and gaining some confidence because of it. Those moments are all pretty fantastic.

Other thoughts:

• Maggie and Winston’s troubles feel really forced right now. I’m not sure I buy the conflict, and I honestly think it would be more enjoyable to just see them work together and be a happy couple.
• Jo is overwhelmed, understandably. But online shopping when she could be helping the patients in the ER? And the way she talks to Levi? It’s all really bothersome.
• You really have to feel sorry for Nick. This man moved to Seattle to work at Grey-Sloan for Meredith, then shortly after, she decides to leave without even a discussion. It makes sense he’d be upset.
• I love that Bailey has named the new clinic after her mother.
• It makes sense for Teddy to apply to be chief, but really, I’d like to see things come even more full circle and have Richard back in that role.

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 23rd on ABC.

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