Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 1 Review: Only the Strong Survive

Say what you will about the bad luck that Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital (once called Seattle Grace Mercy Death by Cristina Yang) and its doctors have, but Grey’s Anatomy knows how to captivate an audience with a traumatic event.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 1, “Only the Strong Survive,” proves that yet again. It’s a fast-paced, suspenseful episode that perfectly balances individual character moments with the chaos that surrounds them, all while bringing in a new group of interns and making connections to the long-running story of this hospital. 

We pick up shortly where we left off at the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 21, with a shocking explosion that left us wondering what doctors left inside could have possibly made it out alive.

The premiere reveals who is okay pretty quickly. As Ben rushes into the hospital, past firefighters trying to block him, he searches desperately for Bailey, whom he finds without too long a wait. If you were wondering about Lucas, who wasn’t featured in the promo for the episode, he also shows up early on.

Richard has a cut on his head, and Teddy and Owen are quick to direct others as they deal with the crisis. In the chaos, while just about every character seems to have survived the blast, two are quickly revealed to be in immediate danger.

Link’s life is in danger:

The focus is on Link, whose crush injuries are severe and who could probably only survive with a miracle. Thankfully, he’s surrounded by doctors who have pulled off miracles before. 

Most of the tension in the episode is about saving him, and as he struggles to survive, it’s clear the devastating effect his death would have — maybe more so than most other characters on the show. He and Jo have only just gotten married, and they’re about to have twin baby girls.

Jo’s lost too much in her life already, and especially after Alex leaving, to have Link die on her now would be emotional torture. 

But this episode also reminds us of the connection Link shares with Amelia. They already have a child together, Scout, but it’s more than just that.

They still have a bond as well, and as the plot of Grey’s Anatomy has moved well past their relationship, it’s been easy to forget about that relationship — until now. 

When Amelia learns about Link she desperately tries to be a part of the team saving him, the way she breaks down is visceral. Caterina Scorsone always plays these kinds of emotional notes incredibly well, and this is yet another powerful, gutwrenching performance from her.

She tells Winston she doesn’t want Scout growing up without a dad the way she did — and that her father dying when she was a child was a defining moment in her own life. Add to that, Amelia feels directly responsible for the explosion since it was her patient’s mother who caused it.

Thankfully, Link pulls through, despite several touch-and-go moments, and thanks largely to Ben and Owen insisting that he not be sent to another hospital. And as Bailey points out to Jo, because he also fought desperately to stay alive.

The casualty is Monica Beltran:

Meanwhile, trapped in the OR with a pediatric patient on the table, Monica Beltran talks Jules through doing a surgery on her own.

She can tell she likely has a crushed pelvis and is pinned to the while, but she’s so focused on walking Jules through saving their patient — and inspiring her as a doctor — that she seems like she could be okay.

Really, though, she knows she’s going to die, and she’s just trying to hang on long enough to help Jules save that little boy.

It’s a shame, because Natalie Morales was bringing great energy to the show, and her character had so much potential. It felt like her story was just getting started. 

Jules stays with her until they’re saved, and the trauma will no doubt have a lasting effect on her. This group of interns has officially had their share of life-altering experiences — it’s almost an initiation. 

Meredith breaks into the clinic and rallies the new interns:

That’s true for the brand new group arriving to work at the hospital as well. After breaking into the clinic because security wouldn’t allow her back into the hospital, Meredith takes the new group of interns under her wing for a crash course in saving lives and working under extraordinary circumstances.

Breaking in like that and solving the problem is exactly the kind of thing Meredith would do, and it’s satisfying to see how it all plays out. It’s also a relief to finally see her in her element again, even if it’s not exactly an OR, she’s still back to doing what she does best. 

Considering the kinds of high-stakes, traumatic experiences she’s been through since the early days of the show, how she reacts here is a perfect culmination of who she has become.

All of those experiences, all the way back to ferry boat crashes and bombs in bodies, have shaped who Meredith Grey is now as a leader and a teacher.

An intern becomes a patient:

Amongst the new interns is Dani Spencer, who sustained an abdominal injury after being somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. Meredith rallies the others to help save her, and by the end of the episode, she assures Dani that she’s a step ahead now in her intern year, because she’s found a way to stand out.

It’s not until the end that Dani asks Meredith her name, and is surprised/in awe that she’s been talking to Meredith Grey. 

Now, the look on Dani’s face as she reacts to that news could simply go back to the fact that Meredith’s name is literally on the building (it’s Lexi’s, actually, but not really the point). Meredith Grey is a legend now, even more so than Ellis Grey ever was.

A moment like that tells a full-circle story for Meredith on its own.

However, it’s possible the look on her face is even more significant. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this intern has some surprising connection to Meredith — I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. That’s all pure speculation, of course, and it could simply be the awe of Meredith Grey’s legendary status.

“We’re gonna rebuild.”

The episode ends with Meredith and Richard looking out over the devastation to the OR floor.

Prior to the blast, Meredith had told Richard she wanted to come back on occasion and get back into the OR, whenever she was able. She realized she wanted to be back at Grey-Sloan in whatever way she could be. 

Now, Richard worries that since there’s no chance of her getting back into a proper OR here any time soon, she might not want to return so often after all. Instead, though, she assures him she’ll be available to help with whatever he needs. 

Richard: What are we going to do here?

Meredith: What we always do. We’re gonna rebuild. 

Other thoughts:

• Though Link survives, Beltran’s death is a devastating blow to Amelia. Any death because of this explosion would be, because she feels guilty, but she was developing such a strong connection to Beltran as well. 
• Simone tells Lucas that she slept with someone else, putting their relationship in jeopardy again. And amidst the chaos and suspense in this episode, there’s also the classic Grey’s trope of an intern sleeping with their soon-to-be boss once again. I’ll be curious to see how that plays out moving forward.
• Teddy, thankfully, sees reason and gives Ben his job back after his smart moves in helping save Link. Thank goodness.
• This is also a turning point for Teddy, and at the end of the episode, it’s confirmed that she and Owen are splitting up — at least for now. I’m just glad that’s not something that the episode spends too much time focusing on.
• I kind of hate the episode title for this premiere, given that one person survives while another one dies. 

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Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.

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