Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 8 Review: All Star

Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 8, “All Star,” continues with the theme of nostalgia that has surrounded Season 19 from the very beginning with the new interns repeating history.

Meredith, Maggie, and Amelia unconsciously knew what they were doing by allowing Simone, Mika, and Lucas to stay in the Grey home. Even though they hadn’t discussed it with each other, they were giving these new interns a place to belong.

As the episode begins with the three of them plus Jules and Blue fixing the house, bringing each other coffee, and choosing which room belongs to whom, they remind us of Izzie, Meredith, and George on their first days as roommates.

The similarities between the old and new interns don’t end with the Grey home. On the contrary, that is just the beginning of what is a constant callback to previous seasons.

From her very first introduction, Simone’s storyline has reminded viewers of young Meredith Grey. However, contrary to dark and twisted Grey, Griffith is a more positive person who has a lighter view on reality despite her struggles.

“All Star” shows us this while she is working on the Tank’s case. While he is terrified that things may go wrong (and they do), Griffith is there to remind him that things can work out. It’ll be interesting to see how she deals with this loss.

Simone, just like Meredith, fell for a Shepherd. And just like Meredith (and many other doctors) she falls into the Grey’s Anatomy stereotype of kissing in the elevator. Unlike her predecessor, she is the one hiding a secret partner from Lucas.

Griffith’s boyfriend or ex-boyfriend — the title is unclear — does not make an entrance as grand as Addison Montgomery’s, but he does shock Adams and us with him.

What will this mean for their personal and professional relationship?

“All Star” introduces us to the biggest case of the episode as soon as it starts by telling us Link will be operating on a football player. It is a high-profile case that has every doctor and the press with their eyes on Link and the outcome of the surgery.

Throughout the episode, Grey’s Anatomy gives us the feeling that everything will work out and the Tank will get the career he had always dreamed of. This comes to us through Griffith’s positivity as she shares her own story with the patient.

The hopeful energy comes through Bailey as she takes selfies with the Tank and tells him her husband had always been a huge fan. But also through the Tank’s mother who tells the doctors that her son’s strength comes from her.

So of course it is extremely sad to see that the outcome is the complete opposite of what we expect. Even though Link’s surgery is successful, a clot puts an end to the Tank’s life and career.

As a surgeon, Link does everything in his power to save his patient — including CPR for over two hours. However, he still feels guilty for losing the Tank.

A guilt that he tries to drown while drinking with Jo in their apartment and trying to kiss her. Their relationship has been teasing with romantic for a while now, but Jo puts an end to it on “All Star” because she knows he is sad and drunk.

Still, it is her who has been motivating him and supporting him throughout the episode because she believes in what he is capable of. Whether they cross the line again or not, this relationship is one of the most wholesome on the show.

Both Jo and Link are always rooting for each other’s well-being and giving support in times of need. As friends they work perfectly, but it’d be interesting to see if that translates to a romantic relationship.

Grey’s Anatomy is always reminding us that for every bad outcome there is a good one as well. While Blue and Simone are helping Link, Jules ends up working with Jo.

This case introduces a pregnant woman who comes to the hospital due to some spotting, but as the case goes on, Jules realizes there is more than meets the eye. That is when she talks to the patient and finds out she is terrified of being pregnant and dealing with post-partum depression again.

The storyline fits perfectly into the Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 advocacy for abortion that was introduced earlier on with Addison and Bailey. By setting up the clinic and providing tools and resources to pregnant women, they are allowing them to have a choice over their bodies.

The case Jules and Jo are working on is the perfect example of a woman choosing to have an abortion in order to stay alive and be the best version of herself for her children. She isn’t judged by the doctors. She is given the help that she needs to continue living.

This storyline gives Jules the opportunity to stand out from the rest of the interns in a way we hadn’t seen in previous episodes. Jo is the one to bring this up by highlighting how well she connected with the patient.

In the meantime, Teddy is fighting for a deserving offer as Chief of Surgery. If we are completely honest, she is the best choice among the doctors that are left on the show.

Altman has been around for a while and, as she herself said on Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 7, “I’ll Follow The Sun,” she trained Cristina Yang. What else does she need on her resume?

It brings a lighthearted side to the episode that Bailey is rooting for her and helping her with her demands. Bailey knows what the job means and knows what Teddy is capable of, so we know she only wants the best for her.

A smart move on Bailey’s end is to send Amelia in to negotiate with Richard as well and prove that what Altman is asking for is completely reasonable. The hospital needs her.

For the first time in a while, it feels like this storyline is purely about Teddy and not about Teddy and Owen. It will be interesting to see her navigate this new role.

The end of “All Star” prepares us for what is to come. The press is accusing Link of negligence and blaming him for the Tank’s death.

Upcoming episodes of Grey’s Anatomy will sure have to deal with this issue.

It will mean a tough time for Link who will surely have Jo’s support, but also for Teddy who has to face this scandal as Chief mere hours after her promotion.

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

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