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They say love knows no bounds. I don’t know about that. I feel like I’ve seen the bounds and pushed them a couple of times. Love definitely has bounds. I’ve seen where it ends. Love has boundaries. We know this. We knock them down, build them back up, then knock them down again. But does it have to be that way? Can’t we learn? Can’t we be brave? Can’t we believe? Because, maybe, that’s all we need. A little courage. A little hope. A little belief. Maybe there are no boundaries if we choose to not see them. Maybe love is unlimited if we’re just brave enough to decide love is limitless. Maybe there’s enough happy for everyone. Or maybe... give me a minute. I'll think of something.

Family Affair is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the twelfth season and the 269th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Meredith and Maggie support Amelia on an important day. Jo reveals that she has been keeping secrets from Alex while Arizona and Callie deal with the impact of their custody arrangement. Meanwhile, Ben leaps into action to help a friend.

Full Summary[]

Meredith and Alex are lying on the grass at a park. Meredith says it's going to rain, which she thinks is a sign of the wedding being doomed. Alex points out Meredith's willing it to rain. Meredith objects. Amelia is just full of feelings all the time. Alex says Meredith can't expect her to be Cristina. Meredith knows, and she doesn't know why Owen wants to marry Amelia if she's so unlike Cristina. She asks if Jo's given him a reason yet. Alex doesn't need one. He's done. Maybe you only get one true love. Meredith says Izzie was not his one true love. He asks if she thinks something like Derek's gonna come around again. She says that's different. It starts to rain and they get up to leave.

Amelia is in the bathroom, on the phone with her mother, as Maggie is listening from the hallway. Amelia assures her mother she's sober. She and Owen just didn't want to wait, and they've been together for a year. She doesn't care that it's been off and on. April comes over to talk to Maggie, who tells her that no one from Amelia's family is coming. Amelia is crying and says she's alone if her mother doesn't come. She begs her mother, but then says all the best people in the family are dead. Maggie wants to comfort her, but Amelia closes the door on her.

Ben asks Bailey if she wants to drive to the wedding together. Bailey's not sure if she's coming, as the ER needs more surgeons now that Penny's gone and Jo's off. Ben says he can always come back. She says a scheduling glitch won't make her trust him again. He still has two months of suspension to go. Ben is surprised to hear she doesn't trust him, and wonders if that will change in two months. She says she'll see him at the wedding and leaves.

Meredith and Maggie are sitting outside the bathroom. Maggie is worried, but Meredith says the people who lock themselves in the bathroom are always fine. Maggie says this is supposed to be Amelia's happy love day. She tells Amelia they're here for her. Meredith tells Amelia to stuff her feelings in. Owen arrives and tells Amelia to open the door. It doesn't matter if her family doesn't want to be here. They don't have to get it, but Owen does and he will be there. The only one he wants there is her. Amelia tells him he can't see her before the wedding as it's bad luck. He closes his eyes. She comes out and they kiss. She says she'll see him at the church. April comments she's an excellent best man.

Paramedics bring in a man with multiple stab wounds. The man broke into an older woman's apartment, but the lady stabbed him. Callie and Isaac take him to a trauma room as Jackson and Bailey take in the lady, who's brought in after the man.

Bailey goes the trauma room. The man asks about the woman. Bailey says he picked the wrong grandma today, but Donnie says she's his mother. He takes care of her as she has dementia and didn't recognize him.

Jackson is examining Louise, who asks him where he was. He left her alone, but he should have been there for her. That's what a husband does. She hugs him and begs him not to leave her.

Jo is pacing as Alex comes home. He starts to pack a bag. She suggests they make a baby, to prove she's all in. She loves him. He asks why she won't marry him. She asks if her love can't be enough. Alex says he was with Meredith this morning, and the two of them have been through all kinds of drama. They grew up and got through it. Hell is behind him now, and he's a man who's done with crazy and games. He doesn't care about secrets and excuses. He's never had one second of anything real. He wants true, a wife, a house, and a family. He wants a wedding, like Owen and Amelia. He leaves the loft with his bag.

Nathan finds Meredith in an X-ray viewing room. He thought she'd be at the wedding by now. He asks if she has time before she has to be at the church. She tells him not to get ideas. He doesn't, he's just making small talk. She says she's busy. She's not trying to be mean, but she doesn't want him to get too attached. He reminds her that she jumped in. It was really good, but he's not blinded by the angel that is her. They agree they're just friends who have had sex.

At the church, April is helping Owen to get ready. She has thought of everything. Owen is grateful for her. That's why he had her hold on to the rings. "Thank God for me," April says, faking a smile.

April finds Ben outside the church and asks if he has a car. He follows her.

Meredith arrives at the church and helps Owen with his cufflinks. She says this a really big step. Owen asks why she has a problem with him marrying Amelia. Meredith says she's responsible, as Derek left her with Amelia and Cristina left her with Owen. Owen says he's not Cristina's property. Meredith asks if Cristina knows. He hasn't told her, and neither has she. If it were Meredith, she would want Derek to know to see if it's close to what they had. Amelia has overheard her from the next room.

Maggie is assisting Amelia with her make-up. She reminds Amelia it's her happy day. Amelia says Derek was supposed to walk her down the aisle, like he did for all his sisters. Maggie says she and Meredith are here for her.

Ben and April enter Meredith's house, but she doesn't remember where she left the rings. Ben tells her to think out loud. She remembers going upstairs. She cringes for a second before going upstairs.

Amelia's watching herself in the mirror as Meredith comes in. She apologizes for being late. Meredith asks if she's okay. Amelia says she should probably go. Maggie is checking on the weather. Meredith asks what she can do. Amelia says that is a good question. Amelia is flipping out. She can't tell if she's marrying Owen because she loves him back or because she ran to Seattle and somehow slipped into this Shepherd skin. She knows Meredith hates that she's marrying Cristina's husband. No one is here for her to tell her to quit or get her down the aisle, because Derek is dead. All she has is happy Maggie who won't accept anything but happiness, so that leaves her with Meredith, who's rooting for the other guy. She turned on Amelia, and now Amelia has no one on her side. Meredith says Amelia is her, before Derek. Meredith knows how to do this. She can kick Amelia down the aisle, she can call her mother and yell at her, she can lend a shoulder to cry on, or she can drive the getaway vehicle. She needs to know what Amelia wants. Meredith is her family, and today, she's Amelia's person.

Meredith and Amelia run out of the church, past Maggie, who runs after them. They run towards Meredith's car as Richard arrives, all dry under his umbrella.

The sisters are in the car, with Meredith driving. Maggie starts to think about all the people and the food, but Meredith tells her Amelia is what matters. Maggie asks her what's wrong. Amelia says there's nothing wrong with Owen. Maggie wonders why they're doing this then.

April finally finds the rings in the kitchen. She cringes again. Ben says she's having contractions. She says it's just Braxton Hicks. He tells her to sit down. She does so.

Jackson explains to Louise that he'll repair her tendon. She didn't know he could do that, and asks if he's a doctor. He says he is. Louise is confused. Jackson says that's okay. He asks if Louise remembers her son. She says she doesn't have any children. He says she does. She then thinks she's having a baby. She can't wait. Jackson plays along and says he can't either.

As Arizona's wiping her surgery off the OR board, Bailey and Callie pass by, talking about the patients. Arizona approaches Bailey and asks about Callie, who's really sad. Sofia keeps asking her why her mom is so sad. Callie won't even go to the wedding. Arizona feels like she should do something. Bailey says she can't do anything except getting okay with it herself.

At the bar, Jo tells Stephanie she just pushed away the man she loves. He's gone. Not gone, gone like Kyle. Andrew comes in to order some food to go after an 18-hour shift. Stephanie packs her stuff and tells Andrew to care for Jo. She leaves and Andrew sits down with Jo.

More and more people arrive at the church. Richard has just told Owen that the sisters are gone without saying anything. Richard says they should remain calm. Owen says they'll be back soon. He asks for April. Richard says they seem to have lost her, too. 

April's lying down on the couch. Ben says her contractions are coming faster. He wants to bring her to the hospital, but she objects. She'll have the baby in his car, because they'll never get to the hospital in time with this weather. People have babies at home all the time. He calls an ambulance as she realizes she's going to have a baby on Meredith's rug.

Louise is on the OR table. She asks if she's having the baby now and asks Jackson not to go. He promises he'll stay by her side the entire time. She tells him she loves him. He reciprocates. Isaac comments this is weird. As Jackson goes to scrub, his phone goes off.

April leaves Jackson a message, asking him to come over. Ben wishes he had an epidural for her, but she says she's conquering the pain with her mind. She tells him to go wash his hands, as she needs an exam because her water just broke. 

The sisters are in a shop at a gas station, getting slushies. Amelia suddenly wonders why Meredith made her run. She dangled the carrot. Meredith says she only presented Amelia with options, and Amelia chose to run. Amelia realizes she's right. She wonders if her family was right. She thinks she should know, though. What if Owen is just her new drug? Maybe she's lost her big love, because who gets that twice, like Meredith said? Maggie says some of them would like to have it once.

A drunk Jo tells Andrew that Alex kept asking her to marry him and she couldn't just say nothing, so she said no. She decides to go home. She grabs a purse to get her phone to call a "Guber", but then realizes it's not her purse. She really wants to marry Alex, but she can't marry anyone. She's already married.

Ben performs the exam on April. He says it doesn't feel right. He feels the baby's foot. The baby's breech, and he can also feel the cord. She asks if there's a pulse. He says no. She says her baby's going to die. Ben says it only means they have to get the baby out as fast as possible. That means she needs a C-section. She looks around and says the light is better in the kitchen. Ben says he won't perform a C-section here. April says her baby is dying. Ben goes outside to check if the ambulance there yet. April yells the paramedics can't help her anyway, only Ben can.

Bailey's on her way to the wedding as she gets a call from Ben. She runs off.

Richard joins Alex and Owen. A lot of people came. They want to know what Owen's thinking. Owen's thinking that when you get to the point where you want to marry someone, that person has earned the benefit of the doubt. So, he's giving that to her. Alex says he's absolutely right.

Outside the church, the sisters finish their slushies in Meredith's car. Maggie asks Meredith if they're going in. Amelia asks where they'd go if they're not. Meredith wonders why she's asking her. She doesn't know a lot about getting married, and who is she to say you only get one great love? Lots of people get two. She can't think of an example. Maggie says Richard. Meredith says it's better to believe you can have multiple great loves. Owen does so. He loves Amelia and maybe this time is different for Amelia.

April lies down on the kitchen table. Ben says they don't have anesthesia, so the pain will be bad.

Bailey has told Jackson about April's situation. He joins Arizona, who's on the phone with Ben to give him instructions. She puts the phone on speaker. Jackson tells April he's there. Ben finds an old medical bag, but the scalpel in there's been used before. Arizona asks him what he has to pack her with. He replies dish towels. Ben starts disinfecting knives and April's belly with soap. April asks Ben to save the baby no matter what. Jackson asks him to save them both. Arizona tells Ben he can save them both. Ben tells Bailey he has to do this. She knows. She tells him she trusts him. Ben then grabs a knife and makes the cut. April screams in pain as Jackson wonders what's happening. Ben nor April reply, but they hear the siren of the ambulance approaching.

Bailey and Jackson rush into the ambulance bay as the ambulance arrives. They help the paramedic to unload a pale April from the rig, and bring her inside. Ben is left with the healthy baby in his arms.

Andrew and Jo enter her loft. He says it's bed time for her. As he gets her some water, she talks about living in her car. She met this man and then she wasn't living in her car anymore. She takes off her pants. Everybody loved him, and so did she, but whenever she bought the wrong something, he'd hit her. Nobody knew, except for her. So she ran and she had to make sure he'd never find her. She couldn't divorce him, or he'd find her. Andrew asks if Alex knows about this. Jo says he can't. He doesn't even know her real name. Jo starts unbuttoning off her shirt. Andrew tells her to tell Alex. He'll understand. Andrew wants to put her in bed, but she accidentally pulls him down with her. She giggles as he falls on top of her. At that exact moment, Alex walks in. He draws the wrong conclusion and starts hitting Andrew in the face.

Nathan arrives at the church to give Owen the rings. He tells her about April and her baby girl. Nathan says he'll hear all about it later. Owen thanks him, as he didn't have to do this. Owen's not even sure he's getting married. Meredith comes in and says Amelia's back, but she still doesn't want Owen to see her before the ceremony. Owen can get to the altar as Amelia only needs 10 more minutes. Nathan tells Owen he's happy for him. Owen thanks him and tells Nathan there'll be food after. He then leaves. Nathan tells Meredith he might stay. He likes weddings. He says Owen was supposed to be his best man. He asks Meredith about her wedding. Meredith tells him about the Post-it. She admits she was afraid of commitment, and Derek loved her so much he didn't care. They went to City Hall, just the two of them. It was very nice. Nathan says Megan wanted a huge wedding and a big party. Meredith says Derek would have loved that. Meredith then goes back to Amelia.

Owen's waiting at the altar. Maggie, meanwhile, is nervous before walking down the aisle. She doesn't know when the right moment is. Amelia is sure she doesn't want to run. Maggie starts walking. Meredith tells Amelia she looks beautiful and congratulates her, then follows Maggie. Once they're at the altar, the guests stand up as Amelia starts walking down the aisle.

Ben and Jackson are sitting on a gurney in the hallway. Ben assures Jackson that he did his best. Jackson, who's holding his daughter, says he knows. Bailey comes over and tells them that April is stable. Arizona is closing her up. Bailey says the baby has a very strong mother. Jackson agrees. Bailey tells Ben that Arizona told her that Ben showed superb technique under trying conditions. He saved two lives today. Bailey hugs him.

Arizona watches from the hallway as Jackson and April cuddle their new baby girl.

Amelia continues her way down the aisle.

Arizona and Sofia show up at Callie's. Callie asks what's going on. Arizona presents her with two plane tickets. She asks Callie to bring Sofia back next weekend. She also wants all summer and every other school year. She wants Christmas this time, but Callie can have Sofia on Christmas next time. They'll figure out the rest of the details later. Arizona says they did this all wrong. Sofia deserves to have two happy mothers. Everyone can be happy. Callie starts crying, thanks Arizona, and hugs her.

Amelia walks past Evelyn and Nathan. Evelyn says Amelia is beautiful. Nathan looks at Meredith while Amelia arrives at the altar. Nathan smiles. Maggie leans towards Meredith and whispers that she likes Nathan and thinks he, in return, likes her. Meredith realizes that, instead, she herself is the target of Nathan's gaze; her eyes widen.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Donnie[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Stab wounds
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Donnie came into the ER with multiple stab wounds. He was taken into surgery and afterward, Bailey said he'd pull through.

Louise[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Dementia
    • Sliced palm
    • Severed tendon
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Louise came into the ER with a cut on her palm from stabbing Donnie. She had dementia and didn't realize Donnie was her son. Jackson discovered she'd cut a tendon and said she'd need surgery to repair it.

April Kepner[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Pregnancy
  • Treatment:
    • Emergency c-section

April went into labor at Meredith's House. Not wanting to chance getting caught in the rain, she told Ben she wanted to stay there and have the baby in the house. However, when Ben examined her, he said it was a footling breach and there was no pulse in the cord, so she needed an emergency c-section immediately. He used a kitchen knife to cut into April, while receiving instruction from Arizona over the phone. After he delivered the baby, they were taken to the hospital, where April was rushed into surgery. Arizona was able to repair the damage and April was stable and awake after surgery.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Arctic" Sleeping at Last
  • Meredith and Alex discuss true love in the park.
  • Amelia tries to convince her mother to come to the wedding, to no avail.
  • April and Maggie listen to her conversation.
"Indian" Sleeping at Last
  • Ben calls Bailey about April's situation.
  • Owen tells Alex and Richard he has faith that Amelia will show up.
  • Meredith and Maggie tell Amelia it's possible to have more than one true love in your life.
"River of Tears" Alessia Cara
  • Jackson and Bailey rush to greet the ambulance.
  • They take April inside.
  • Ben holds the newborn baby.
  • Andrew takes Jo to her bed.
  • She tells Andrew about being married and being abused by him.
  • She tells Andrew Alex doesn't know because he'll try to protect her.
  • Alex walks in and sees them in the bed.
  • He punches Andrew.
"Love on the Brain" Rihanna
  • Meredith leaves Nathan to go to Amelia.
  • The wedding starts. Maggie, Meredith, and Amelia all walk down the aisle.
  • Jackson holds his newborn daughter and Ben says he did his best, which Jackson knows. Bailey tells them Arizona's closing April and that Ben saved two lives.
  • April holds her daughter as Arizona watches through the window.
  • Arizona takes Sofia to Callie's house. She gives her plane tickets and custody rules so Sofia can have two happy moms.
  • Evelyn says Amelia looks lovely as she walks by.
  • Maggie tells Meredith she likes Riggs, really likes him, and she thinks he likes her.

Notes and Trivia[]

Grey's_Anatomy_12x24_Promo_"Family_Affair"_(HD)_Season_Finale

Grey's Anatomy 12x24 Promo "Family Affair" (HD) Season Finale

  • This episode's title originated from the song Family Affair, originally sung by Mary J. Blige.
  • This episode scored 8.19 million viewers, making it the first episode since the mid-season premiere to attract more than 8 million viewers.[1]
  • The table read for this episode took place on April 20, 2016.[source?]
  • The scenes of Amelia and Owen's wedding were shot at St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church.[source?]
  • Ellen Pompeo recorded the voice over on May 16, 2016.[source?]
  • This episode marks the final appearance of Sara Ramírez as Callie Torres. Sara didn't tell Shonda about their decision until after the finale had been filmed, which Shonda has stated is the reason that their exit felt different than previous exits of long-time main characters.[source?]
  • Caterina Scorsone took the wildflower bouquet from the wedding home with her.[source?]
  • The episode was submitted for one nomination ballot for the 68th Emmy Awards: costumes for a contemporary series.[source?]
  • There is one brief cutaway to a rainy street where we see vehicles passing. If you look closely you can see that the vehicles are driving on the left and there are red lines along the sides of the road. It is clearly a street in London.[source?]
  • This is the third time in the show's history that the season finale includes a wedding, following the season three finale and the season eleven finale. Of those three times, only two weddings actually went through.
  • Jesse Williams was on set when Sarah Drew and Jason George filmed the C-section scene to record the phone call. Sarah cited this moment as one of the toughest ones for them to film, requiring them to lean on each other and further establishing the close relationship they have built over the years.[source?]

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Quotes[]

Jo: Let's make a baby.
Alex: What?
Jo: You said that you wanted a baby, and you would make an amazing dad. And that's what you're worried about, right? That I'm not all in? But I am. And I love you.
Alex: Are you gonna tell me why you won't marry me?
Jo: I told you that I love you and that I'm not going anywhere. So isn't that enough? Can't that be enough for you?
Alex: You know, I was with Mer this morning, and I was thinking, the two of us, we've been through hell. You know, all kinds of drama. Crazy family stuff, we both almost died, losing people we love.
Jo: No, you're not losing me.
Alex: The point is, we grew up. Mer and I are grown up. We got through it and hell is behind me. It's in my rearview mirror, and I'm not going back. I'm done. I'm not some idiot kid anymore, Jo. I'm a man, and I'm done with games. I'm done with with crazy. I'm done with losing. I'm done with drama. I don't care about your secrets and your excuses and your drama. You know, I've had that.
Jo: Alex, if we could just...
Alex: I just said I don't want to do this! I have never had one second of anything real my entire life. I want truth. I want a wife and a house and a family! Amelia and Owen's wedding today, I want that!

Arizona: Plane tickets. Bring her back next weekend. And I want all summer and every other school year. I want Christmas this time, but you can get next time. And we'll figure out the rest of the details.
Callie: What? Are you saying...
Arizona: Listen, we did this wrong. We had a chance to do it right, and we missed it.
Callie: Are you saying...?
Arizona: I'm saying that Sofia deserves to have two happy moms. I'm saying, let's all be happy.

Amelia: Meredith, I am flipping out here. I'm wearing a wedding gown. There is a good and decent man in there who loves me and is expecting to marry me, and I can't tell if I am marrying because I love him back or because I just ran here and picked up a scalpel and slipped into this Shepherd skin. And maybe it is right, and maybe it's not, but I don't know, and I am marrying Cristina's husband. I know what you think about that. And I don't know what I'm doing. And there is no one here with me. There is no one here to tell me to quit or get me down the aisle or help me. That is Derek's job, and Derek is dead. And all I have is Maggie, and Maggie is full of sunshine and candy and hope, and every time I try to tell her that the world is on fire, she hands me a marshmallow to roast, so that just leaves you. And you... you are rooting for the other guy. You told me to go and be with Owen, and then you turned on me, and now you are not on my side. And we both know you don't like me, but you are stuck with me. So here I am in a wedding gown on the happiest fricking day of my life in a room with no family and no help and no one on my side but you. So what can you do for me? What can you do for me, Meredith?
Meredith: You're me.
Amelia: What?
Meredith: You're me before Derek. I can be here for you. I know how to do this. I can be a twisted sister for you. Just how do you want to play this? Do you need me to tell you you're a beautiful bride and kick your ass down that aisle? You're a beautiful bride. Turn around. I'll start kicking. Do you need me to call your mother and yell at her? I'm your girl. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I have two. If you want to freak out and call it off, if you want to run, I'll drive the getaway car. Just let me know what you need. I'm here for you. I am your family, Amelia. Today, I am your person. Just tell me what you want to do.

Owen: I think if you get to the point where you're gonna walk down the aisle with someone, she's earned some trust and faith. She's earned the benefit of the doubt. So I'm giving it to her. She deserves that.

Amelia: It's so good to know that all of the best people in this family are dead.

Meredith: I'm busy. I'm working, too. I'm not trying to be mean. I just... I don't want you to get too attached. I have three children, a big job.
Nathan: Okay, you jumped me. Okay, not that I minded. It was good. We had a good time. It was very good. I don't know about you, but that was some of my best work. And in a car, which is not easy. But now what? Now you think, what, you're my sun and my moon, that all of a sudden I think that the stars shine down on only you, that you touched me and the heavens opened and I'm blinded by the angel that is you? I mean, you're good, but nobody's that good.
Meredith: I did jump you, didn't I?
Nathan: Yeah. You did.
Meredith: Okay, well, point taken. You are not after me.
Nathan: I'm not after you. We are friends who maybe have sex.
Meredith: We're friends who had sex once.
Nathan: Uh, we are friends that had sex four times in one night, but let's not get picky.

Meredith: You sure you don't want to run? Now is your last chance.
Amelia: Please shut up.

See Also[]

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.


References[]

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