Notes on 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 21 Episode 1: "If Walls Could Talk"
On Grey's Anatomy's longevity, returning characters (Sydney Heron! Jackson Avery! Ben Warren!), and what may be next this season
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“On average, a healthy person can hold their breath for up to a minute. After that, carbon dioxide in your blood starts to dramatically rise. Eventually, a reflex is triggered. And if you resist the urge to let it all out, you pass out, and you don’t know all the damage you could have caused.” - Meredith Grey
Grey’s Anatomy is back for its landmark 21st season, which seems the perfect time to indulge in my long-standing wish to write about this show.
I haven’t missed an episode of TV’s longest-running medical drama since Derek Shephard died on Grey’s Anatomy Season 11 Episode 11, “How to Save a Life,” in April 2015. In high school, I devoured every season on Netflix — until Mark Sloan died on Grey’s Anatomy Season 9 Episode 2, “Remember the Time,” in October 2012. After that, on the heels of that plane crash, I stepped back.
In the meantime, I watched the California-set spinoff series Private Practice, led by Kate Walsh as Addison Montgomery. I fell in love with those characters (Amelia! Charlotte! Cooper! Violet! Jake! I can and will go on!) and the storytelling.
So, based on knowing Amelia Shepherd moved to Seattle full-time and hearing rumblings (I don’t even remember how) that something devastating may happen, I caught up on the three seasons I missed and tuned in on that April night. Just like I had so many times before, I cried my eyes out as another Grey’s Anatomy character died. Since then, I haven’t missed an episode.
Grey’s Anatomy made me an admirer of Shonda Rhimes’s work. I’ve taken her MasterClass a handful of times. I try to read and watch all the Shondaland things. I like how her dialogue is stylized. I like that she moves character-first through story. I like how she’s changed the face of TV — the faces on TV. I like how she champions stories that we should see more often on TV (The first time I saw a rape kit administered to a character on TV was on Private Practice).
So, I want to write about Grey’s Anatomy. I want to continue writing “Notes on” TV episodes. If you’ve read any of my posts about My Lady Jane, you know these posts are my chaotic, handwritten notes transformed into coherent thoughts.
Here are my notes on Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 1, “If Walls Could Talk!”