Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 Episode 5 Review: Can Jo Handle More Trauma?

Jo is faced with yet another trauma on Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 Episode 5, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” Her new friend Corrie is concerned that she might be having contractions, so Jo and Link pay her a visit before heading out to dinner. 

It quickly becomes clear that Corrie is in labor, then things take a turn when Jo discovers the umbilical cord isn’t in the correct place.

What follows is an intense, emotional situation as Jo insists the paramedics allow her to keep her hand on the baby and transfer them both in the ambulance.

Throughout all of this, Jo knows exactly what to do. She’s calm and firm, once again proving her skills and her ability to relate to patients.

She knows exactly what’s needed, and when Corrie falls unconscious and her uterus ruptures, Jo insists they stop the ambulance and perform a crash C-section, right there.  

Camilla Luddington’s performance throughout all these moments is stellar, and the whole thing shows the same kind of incredible character development we’ve seen in Meredith Grey.

It’s powerful to watch her muster the strength to handle the situation without letting her emotions get the best of her — and to handle it with such authority and calm. 

The suspense itself feels like classic Grey’s, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Corrie had already been through so much, and so had Jo. So for this story to have a happy ending is incredibly satisfying. 

More importantly, it also teaches Jo something about herself. She belongs in this job, and as she tells Richard, she’s perhaps a better doctor now because of what she went through instead of in spite of it. This, again, feels similar to the sort of long-term character development we got from Meredith Grey.

Thankfully, Richard is happy to have Jo back as soon as possible. She’s needed, since the hospital is preparing for an influx of patients due to another hospital’s closure. 

Jo’s life doesn’t look like it will go back to any kind of normal, though. Link has been hiding a pill addiction, and it looks like it’s about to cause some significant problems. 

It’s such good writing that Amelia would be the first one to notice the signs. Her own history with addiction means she recognizes it in a way others might not, and her own personal history with Link just adds to that. The fact that he’s the father of her child could complicate matters even further. 

Meanwhile, Blue’s father has come to visit him, and it’s the first time he’s seen him since his father left him and his mother years ago.

He comes with the news that he is dying. He has multiple myeloma, and his only hope is to find a bone marrow donor for a clinical trial.

This is immediately a red flag for the audience, but because he says he has “accepted it,” it almost feels like he’s telling the truth when he says he just wanted to see his son one more time while he had the chance.

Then, his emotional story to Blue about why he really left and all of his regret, is just enough to make Blue want to get tested to see if he can help his father. 

He even pushes back on Jules after she reveals that she overheard his father celebrating the fact that Blue offered to get tested before he even had the chance to ask. His real reason for visiting all along was because he wanted something from him. 

I’d actually have liked to see that tension go on a bit longer. This group of residents has been our core for quite some time now, and that’s a conflict that could have been explored further. 

That said, it’s satisfying that Blue figures out Jules was right pretty quickly. It would have been difficult to watch him go along with it without knowing the truth. 

Simone and Bryant’s working relationship is also central to this episode. What they went through together with the pregnancy scare has clearly had an influence on their relationship, and now, Simone has agreed to have Lucas move back into the house without mentioning it to Bryant first. 

That feels complicated for obvious reasons (including the fact that Lucas is right that it’s his aunt’s house), but then the fact that Simone is Bryant’s superior means new tension in the workplace. 

It’s the twist that makes things really interesting, though. Simone and Bryant have a patient who has the measles, and Bryant reveals he hasn’t been vaccinated because he has a genetic immunodeficiency.

This also means he has to stay away from the hospital for 28 days to see if he gets the measles. Not great timing since it’s hard to believe Simone really is so certain about Lucas. 

Finally, there’s some focus on Bailey and Ben’s relationship in this episode as well. It seems like it’s about basic jealousy when Ben meets Bailey’s study partner, but he reveals it’s more about wishing he could spend more time with her. 

Speaking of characters with long-term story arcs and character development, Bailey’s growth is incredible. The reminder of her past marriage and the details of why it failed come into play during her argument with Ben, but the honesty of that shows why their relationship is so much stronger.

Ben’s support and understanding are such a direct contrast to Tucker. And revisiting those details from nearly two decades prior shows a level of commitment to the character and the overall story of Grey’s Anatomy that truly shows why the series is still on the air. 

I just hope that’s the last we’ll see of any jealousy or relationship issues between Bailey and Ben for a while. Let’s leave them happy now, okay?

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

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