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In the earliest days of medicine—we're going back thousands of years—doctors spoke of healing as a reunion. When we close a patient, connect severed tendons, repair a liver, we're just reuniting the tissue. Restoring what was there before the illness. Ideally, it's a happy reunion, but things get tricky when we fail to make the right connection, or worse, when we reunite two things that were best kept apart. We do our best to reunite the healthy cells and tissue and if we do our jobs right, there's another kind of reunion: the patients and their families, their loved ones, their lives. But those reunions can get tricky, too. If you had troubles before going into the OR, they won't magically go away now that you're healed. Some things will get better, others could get worse. Because when you let your guard down, you're a lot more likely to go down a dangerous path.

Reunited is the third episode of the sixteenth season and the 345th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

With new restrictions, Meredith tiptoes the line of protocol as she helps Jo with a difficult procedure from afar and Koracick makes things challenging for Owen at Grey Sloan. Meanwhile, a patient at the hospital is brain-dead after falling into a construction site, and her two sisters must decide whether or not to keep her alive.

Full Summary[]

Jackson and Vic are hiking. She impresses him by moving a fallen tree from the path all on her own. She mocks him for being surprised.

In the kitchen, Maggie tells Amelia she dreamt about Jackson again. Amelia replies she's keeping the baby. Maggie asks how it's going to work and who knows. No one knows except her. Amelia asks about Jackson. Maggie says he claimed Vic's just his friend. She hates how he walked out the fog with a new girlfriend like she never existed. She might hate him. Zola says her teacher said that hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Maggie tells her to get ready for school.

Andrew drops Meredith off for her community service. She asks about his day so she has something to think about during the day. He asks about her article. She has been in touch with a website and lists some possibilities for titles, all which won't help her standing with the medical community. She doesn't care since they are in a fight anyway. After a long kiss, she gets out of the car.

As he arrives at work, Richard receives word from Catherine that she's stuck in Chicago for another week. Alex informs him they have a new MRI, but they are still waiting on the right software. Gemma Larson shows up and tells Richard she's working in the billing department now thanks to some helpful calls he made after she got fired. She's 62 days sober. This means they'll be seeing more of each other.

Teddy runs into Amelia in the lobby. She dropped off Leo. She only got 3 hours of sleep last night. Amelia start saying she has no idea how she's gonna do that, but stops herself and leaves.

Owen asks to have Amelia paged for his patient in the trauma room but Tom shows up, so no need for a page. He asks Owen to step back. Owen thinks he's joking but he's not, so he asks to have him paged once Tom's done with his exam and leaves.

Dahlia is briefing Jo on her patients. Meredith's mets patient is back for an ALPPS procedure. Jo is really excited by Dahlia doesn't share the enthusiasm because Meredith was fired before the patient was back from her vacation.

Levi is explaining to Kenya Hill that they'll be putting in a catheter in her father's legs. Kenya doesn't like blood so Andrew suggests she go home for a bit and it'll be done when she's back. Kenya thanks them and leaves.

Casey is ready to present 83-year-old Bertram Hollister's case. Bertram has been walking around to get his steps in before the procedure. He likes to say online that he's going under the knife to get more sympathy even though the coronary stent will be placed percutaneously. He wants to be called Bertie. Bertie leaves to get more steps in.

Shirley tells Jo that she wants Meredith to operate on her despite the fact that Meredith taught her the procedure. She has taught children her whole life and you never know which students get it and which don't. Shirley knows all about her tumor from Meredith. She didn't want to have an experimental procedure before working off her bucket list, so she took her trip and came back per her agreement with Meredith. But if she had known Meredith was fired, she would still be on the beach. She came for Meredith. Dahlia understands that. Shirley firmly says she wants to be discharged if they can't get her Meredith.

Haylee Peterson meets up with her sister Heidi in the ICU waiting room at Pac-North. They share an awkward hug and Heidi tells her that their sister Heather fell into a construction sister. Richard shows up.

In Heather's room, Richard tells them that the CT revealed serious brain injuries. Heather fractured her skill and there are no signs of brain activity. The sisters are confused. They need to wait a few hours before officially declaring her brain dead but it seems likely that it is the case.

Link walks with Amelia. She asks him if he's told anyone. Just Jo, he says. She thinks they are not there yet. She's feeling sleepy and pukey. They came across a woman leaning against a wall who repeatedly says "bird." She only speaks Korean.

Jo has asked Bailey, who refuses to grant Meredith privileges for the case. She already made a concession by agreeing to let Jo perform the surgery that she has only observed before. Jo has an idea that would allow Meredith to help out without stepping foot in the OR.

During the procedure, Maggie asks Bertie how he's doing. He hasn't felt this good since his wife and he went to Woodstock. They liked to keep up with the kids. He regrets that they left when it started to rain. He trails off with other regrets, mentioning a train station at 3 o'clock. He says you can't change the past. Love makes everything worthwhile, though. Maggie lists some downsides of love.

Alex and Richard meet with Heather's sisters. It's up to them to decide if they want to unplug her. Since they have grown apart, they don't know what Heather would have wanted. Haylee says this cannot be how they end. She grabs her coat and leaves.

The Korean woman is dehydrated. The interpreter has been paged. Nico overhears them and jumps in to translate. The woman, whose name is Soyoung, has lost something, a friend that's a bird. Amelia says they'll get her hydrated and give her a work-up. Link asks Nico to see if he can get her to call her family. Tom loudly announces he's entering the ER, meaning Owen has to go.

Jo presents her solution to Shirley. She has set up a video chat with Meredith, which they'll also do in the OR so that she can watch every move Jo makes. Fortunately, her supervisor owes her. Meredith would rather do it herself but this is the next best thing. Meredith assures Shirley that Jo is excellent. Shirley consents.

Owen finds Teddy changing Allison on a bench outside the hospital. She's failing in a publicly humiliating way. Owen came to get coffee since he had to run from Koracick. He takes over from her. Teddy is thinking about taking Allison to the park but Owen suggests they take a tour of the hospital instead. She likes the idea.

Victoria brought a patient to the ER. She runs into Jackson, who notices her facial lac. He tells her he can make that disappear. He invites her to see his skills. She follows him.

Amelia tells Maggie she feels like she's lying to people by not telling them about her pregnancy. Maggie points out privacy and honesty are not mutually exclusive. Nico comes up and says Soyoung doesn't want a work-up. Her passport's from South Korea so he's worried she has dementia and somehow ended up on a plane to the U.S. Amelia wants to admit her for her own safety until they found some family.

Maggie checks up on Bertie, who wants to walk because he hates hospital rooms. Since the sedation is still wearing off, she agrees to walk with him.

Heidi is thanking Heather for things she did for her in the past. She's so sorry they grew apart. Haylee returns with crystals. She can feel the building's bad vibes and Heather needs good vibes to heal. Heidi says there is nothing to heal. Haylee thinks Heather is still in there. Heidi disagrees. Haylee points out she was just talking to Heather. It seems like Heidi is giving up like she did when their mother died. They get into a big fight over how Haylee left the country while their mother was dying. Outside, Richard tells Alex that they're way off on them making a decision.

The procedure has started. Meredith's on video chat, which delights Dahlia. Jo makes the incision.

Andrew has accessed the femoral vein for Levi and tells him to feed the guide-wire in and hold it. Levi accidentally let the wire slip inside the patient. Andrew says they have to move the patient to the cath lab right away.

Andrew is working to fix the problem. The wire landed in the right atrium. Bailey appears, having heard about it. He tells her it's under control now. He explains he didn't inform her himself because they needed to act quickly. She demands a detailed report. Levi is surprised Bailey thinks he did this.

Owen shows Teddy a dissection he's worried about in his patient. She had a similar case in Germany and explains her approach to him. He is informed that Tom is on the same floor so they leave to find a new hiding spot. Teddy wants to take the baby to the OR.

Haylee and Heidi are still arguing. Richard breaks it up and points out it's not helping anyone. Heather needs them now so they need to pull themselves together. Heidi says Heather was so full of life. She wouldn't want to live like this. Haylee doesn't want to abandon her. They have been through so much. Richard says no one should have to do what they're doing but they have each other now. If they make this decision together, they'll have found each other again. Haylee acknowledges now that Heather is gone. They have some paperwork to fill out but until they proceed, they can say their goodbyes.

As Jo finished dividing the liver, Dahlia asks Meredith about her view. Bailey remarks that's none of her concern. There's a sudden bleeding, limiting visibility. Bailey goes to scrub in as the bleeding intensifies. "Vascular exclusion," Jo and Meredith say at the exact same time. Jo places clamps to stop the circulation.

Maggie has told Bertie about Jackson while walking. Bertie thinks she's better off without him. She asks for tips on how to do that. Bertie tells her to give a few decades. They walk past Soyoung's room. "Bird!" she yells. Amelia apologizes on her behalf. Bertie recognizes her. This is the first woman he ever loved. He enters her room and hugs her.

Jackson is stitching up Victoria's head lac. She teases him about being stronger than him. He says his training is about zeroing in on the smallest details to make sure he's taking care of his patient's every need. While he can't carry a 200-pound guy down the stairs, he does have skills that can come in handy. He says he's done. She pulls him in and kisses him. He wants to suggest they take it slow, but they don't feel like it. They continue kissing.

Nico has joined Amelia and Maggie to hear Bertie and Soyoung's story. He was stationed in Korea during the war. Every Sunday, he went into town to a specific odeng stand, run by the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. They communicated through a dictionary. He taught her his name by pointing at the word "bird." When he got word he was shipping home, they set up a plan to meet at the train station but he was re-assigned to an earlier train. He couldn't defy orders and had no way of letting her know, so he want home alone. He married and had a family but he never forgot her. He apologizes to Soyoung. Nico has translated for Soyoung, who lets him know that she never showed up because she was too scared to leave her country. She has thought about him ever since. She found him online and when he posted about his surgery, she bought a plane ticket to come and find him. She didn't tell her family, afraid they might stop her. She doesn't know what will happen in the next life but she didn't want to leave this one without seeing him again.

Andrew tells Levi that their patient is doing well. Levi brings up telling Bailey but Andrew says she already knows. Besides, it happened under Andrew's supervision so it's his responsibility. He hands Levi a guide wire and tells him to hold onto it for a week so he learns not to let go of it. Kenya arrives and Andrew says it's on him to tell her.

Bailey is assisting Jo now. The vein is repaired. The clamps come off and the blood flow is restored. The MAP is stable. Jo has officially completed stage 1 of the ALPPS procedure during her first week as an attending. The staff applauds. Meredith starts congratulating Jo but Bailey hangs up on her.

Richard explains his steps while he does them. Haylee and Heidi hold Heather's hand. Richard disconnects the vent. Haylee tells Heather to walk towards the warm light. Richard checks his watch for time of death. Heather's phone starts ringing in the bag of her belongings. It's her friend Ashley. Heidi answers and screams. It's Heather. Someone stole her bag. They realize Richard just unplugged a random woman. It's too late to plug her back in. Haylee yells at the woman not to go towards the light.

Amelia has told Link about Bertie and Soyoung's story. They had something good and let it go because it scared them. And then they spent decades regretting it. Amelia says she likes their decision. Telling people will make it real and it'll be even scarier but she wants to share this good with her friends and family. She wants him to do it with her.

Richard explained to Alex how they misidentified the woman. Haylee and Heidi are about to start arguing again but Richard says this didn't happen for no reason. They have another shot at life and forgiveness and sisterhood. They can't let it go to waste. They have to find Heather and make up. Haylee hugs him. Heidi thinks he's only worried about them suing him for emotional distress. They walk off. Richard walks off to call his wife. This is a Chief problem.

Nico is sitting with Levi, who's holding onto the guide wire while tying his shoes. Nico doesn't understand how he dropped a guide wire. Levi says screwing up is what he does. Nico tells him to demand more from himself. Nico has decided to take him to a skills lab so Levi can thread that wire through a simulator at least 100 times without messing up. They'll order pizza. Nico is staying with him until he gets it right.

Maggie sees Victoria at the other end of a hallway. She wants to turn around but a gurney is blocking her path. Vic greets her and says she doesn't want this to be awkward. Maggie assures her it's not. Some people just move on faster than others. Vic says her guy died. Maggie meant Jackson and repeats that it is not awkward. She then awkwardly pats Vic on her arm.

Bailey finds Dahlia crying on a gurney. Dahlia tells her Meredith is the reason she devoted herself to her studies, putting everything she could into getting matched to this hospital. Many interns came here for Meredith like her. Dahlia didn't pick this hospital to watch Meredith on a TV screen. Bailey says she can work somewhere else. She's fired. Now she and her hero have something in common.

Owen and Teddy take Allison into the gallery. Teddy tells Allison they get to do cool stuff in there. She then realizes time has flown by. She should go to get Allison down for the night. Owen says he'll stay home with Allison for a while so Teddy can go back to work. Teddy refuses because she doesn't want to fail. She will figure out how to be a good mother. Owen points out she's been happier today than any day since Allison was born. Coming back to work will make her happy, which in turn will make her a better mother. Teddy then happily accepts his offer. She decides to go back to work right now and leaves to go get changed.

Amelia and Link are having drinks with Meredith and Andrew at Meredith's house. Andrew talks about how awkward Levi was when he told Kenya about what happened with her father. Meredith says that still beats her day. After Bailey hung up on her, she had to deal with a bee hive in a discarded toilet. Amelia then blurts out she and Link are having a baby. It's exciting and scary. She's sure Meredith has an opinion but they wanted her to know. Meredith is over the moon. She congratulates them. She's excited about becoming an auntie. She had no idea Link and Amelia were so serious. Neither did they.

Richard can't get a hold of Catherine as he's heading out. Gemma runs into him and brings up the doctor who pulled the plug on the wrong patient. She then realizes it was him. She needs to hear the details and suggests they get dinner together. Richard agrees and they leave together.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Uncredited[]

Medical Notes[]

ER Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Fractured spine
  • Treatment:

A patient came into the ER after a car accident. There was step off at T12, so paralysis was a concern. Tom took the patient up for a CT.

Shirley Gregory[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Liver cancer
  • Treatment:
    • ALPPS Procedure

Shirley was in the hospital to have an ALPPS procedure for a liver tumor. At Shirley's insistence, Meredith consulted via video conference as Jo did the procedure. During the surgery, there was some unexpected bleeding. Jo and Meredith both realized they needed to stop the blood flow and fix the problem. This worked, and Shirley stabilized. The procedure was successful.

D. Hill[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Dehydration
  • Treatment:
    • Central venous catheterization

Kenya's father had low blood pressure from dehydration. Levi put a catheter in his thigh to deliver fluids and meds. While he was putting in the catheter, he dropped the guide wire and it slipped inside his body. It landed in his right atrium, so they took him in to remove it.

Bertram Hollister[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Heart blockages
  • Treatment:
    • Percutaneous coronary intervention

Bertram, 83, was in the hospital for percutaneous coronary intervention to open up some blockages in his heart. The procedure went well and he was stable and up walking afterward.

Heather Peterson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Skull fracture
    • Brain death
  • Treatment:

Heather came into the ER after falling into a construction site. A CT showed no brain activity, so her sisters were advised that if they got the same results in six hours, she'd be declared brain dead. After six hours, they decided to withdraw care. After she died, they discovered that it wasn't actually Heather, but a woman who had stolen Heather's purse.

Soyoung Oh[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Dehydration
  • Treatment:
    • IV fluids

Soyoung was at the hospital and confused. She didn't speak English, so Amelia had trouble communicating with her until Nico stepped in to translate. She was dehydrated, so they put in an IV to give her fluids, but she denied a full work-up.

Victoria Hughes[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Facial laceration
  • Treatment:
    • Stitches

Vic got a cut on her forehead from a 4x4 during a call. Jackson stitched up her cut.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Making Moves" Yez Yez
  • Vic and Jackson hike in the woods.
  • They come to a branch and she moves it out of the way.
  • Maggie tells Amelia she dreamt about Jackson again.
  • Amelia tells Maggie she's continuing her pregnancy.
  • Zola shares her wisdom about hating people.
  • Meredith asks Andrew about his day.
"A World to Explore" Joshua Radin
  • Jackson and Vic start kissing. They stop for a moment, then start again.
  • Bertie tells the doctors about his relationship with Soyoung while Nico translates.
  • Soyoung says she never stopped thinking about him.
"Put Your Hands Up" Forest Blakk
  • Richard, Alex, and the sisters discuss the situation.
  • Richard tells them to go find Heather and make up with her.
  • Richard leaves to call his wife and tells Alex it's a Chief problem.
  • Levi tells Nico about the guide wire and Nico tells him to demand more of himself.
  • They go to the skills lab to practice and eat pizza.
  • Maggie turns away when she sees Vic.
"Once in a Life" Nathan Eswine
  • Owen, Teddy, and Allison walk around the hospital.
  • Owen and Teddy talk about him staying home with Allison while Teddy returns to work.
  • Andrew tells Meredith, Link, and Amelia about the guide wire.
  • Meredith talks about her day and Amelia announces her pregnancy.
  • Meredith is happy to hear about it.
  • Richard gets Catherine's voicemail and Gemma invites him to dinner.

Notes and Trivia[]

Grey's_Anatomy_16x03_Promo_"Reunited"_(HD)_Season_16_Episode_3_Promo

Grey's Anatomy 16x03 Promo "Reunited" (HD) Season 16 Episode 3 Promo

  • This episode's title originated from the song Reunited, originally sung by Peaches & Herb.
  • This episode scored 6.09 million viewers.[1]
  • Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs guest star on the episode as part of ABC's Cast From The Past week, during which cast members from television shows from the past are reunited with cast and crew on current ABC shows. In this case, Charmed stars Holly and Alyssa are reunited with Krista Vernoff and Andy Reaser, both of whom worked on Charmed as writers and are now writers and producers on Grey’s Anatomy.[source?]
    • Their playing sisters on Grey's Anatomy is a direct reference to their characters on Charmed.
    • Not only do the first names of their characters begin with the same letter like they did on Charmed, the first letter of both the first and last name of their characters on Grey's Anatomy are also references to their Charmed characters. On Grey's, the characters' first names start with an H while their last name starts with a P (Haylee and Heidi Peterson), while on Charmed, those letters were reversed (Phoebe and Piper Halliwell).
    • Holly revealed on her Charmed rewatch podcast that filming of her scenes took place over three days.[2]
  • According to the whiteboard in "Heather's" room, the episode takes place on October 2, 2019.
  • This is Sophia Ali's last episode as Dr. Dahlia Qadri. Per Krista, she left the show to pursue acting roles in New Zealand.[3]

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

Victoria: What?
Jackson: Nothing. That looked heavy.
Victoria: Yeah, it's almost like I'm strong or something.

Maggie: Does Meredith know?
Amelia: No.
Maggie: Owen?
Amelia: No! No, no one knows!
Maggie: Yeah, except me, who somehow always knows about everyone's wombs.

Amelia: Tell me more about Jackson and the firefighter?
Maggie: He says that they're just friends, but he's lying. He just walked out of the fog with a new girlfriend like I never existed. I actually might hate him.
Zola: My teacher said hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
Maggie: Go get ready for school.

Link: Can I ask how you're feeling?
Amelia: Sleepy and pukey.
Link: My two favorite dwarves.

Jo: She won't let anyone touch her, including you.
Bailey: Which is very sad, and in my opinion, very foolish, but I am not granting Meredith Grey privileges.
Dahlia: So, would you say because Dr. Grey's gone, we're giving worse care?
Bailey: Qadri, keep your rhetorical questions to yourself.

Bertie: I was stationed in Korea during the war. Every Sunday, I used to walk into town to go to a specific odeng stand. Fish cake skewers. So good. It was run by the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She didn't speak English, and I didn't speak Korean, but we communicated by dictionary. I taught her my name by pointing to the word "bird."
Soyoung: Bird!
Bertie: When I got word that I was shipping home, we made a plan to meet at the train station. I was reassigned to an earlier train, and I had no way of getting in touch with you. I couldn't defy orders. So I went home alone. Eventually, I married and had a family but I never forgot you. I never forgot you, Soyoung. I'm so sorry, Soyoung.
Maggie: Wow. I've never felt that way about anyone.
Amelia: I'm hormonal. I'm feeling that way about everyone.
Nico: She said she didn't show up to the train station, either. She was too scared to leave her country.
Bertie: What do you know?
Nico: "But I thought about you ever since. I found you online, and when you posted about your surgery, I bought a plane ticket and tried to come and find you. But I didn't tell my family in fear that they would stop me. I don't know what will happen in the next life, but I didn't want to leave this one without seeing you again."

Link: They haven't seen each other in 60 years?
Amelia: Yeah. But to look at them, it's like it was yesterday. They had something good, and then they let it go because it scared them, and then they spent the next six decades regretting it.
Link: That's a lot of regret.
Amelia: I'm happy with our decision but it scares me. And telling people is just gonna make it more real and scarier. But it's still a good thing. I want to tell my family and my friends. I want to share this good. And I want you to do it with me.
Link: I mean, I guess.

Haylee: I knew we shouldn't unplug her.
Heidi: Oh, no. Don't put this on me. We agreed to unplug...
Richard: Eh, no, no. You're not gonna start this again. This doesn't happen every day and it doesn't happen for no reason. So, instead of bickering, you should thank God you're all still alive and have another shot at life and at forgiveness and at sisterhood. Don't waste this. Go find Heather and make up, for God's sake.
Heidi: Oh, come on, you know he's only worried we're gonna sue him for emotional distress. Okay. Let's go. We're walking.
Alex: Every time I think this place might be turning around

Nico: How do you drop a guide wire?
Levi: Because I screw things up. It's what I do.
Nico: Don't do that. Don't dismiss yourself.
Levi: I know, I know. I should be more positive.
Nico: No, no, that is not what I mean. I mean, demand more from yourself, Levi. Come on.
Levi: Where are we going?
Nico: Skills lab. You're gonna thread that wire through a simulator at least a hundred times without messing it up.
Levi: What kind of boyfriend are you?
Nico: The kind that doesn't want to date someone who can't do a central line. All right? We'll order some pizza, and we're not gonna leave until you get it right, okay?
Levi: You're staying with me?
Nico: Well, yeah. I'm not dead inside.

Dahlia: Meredith Grey 3-D printed portal veins as a second-year attending. I know this because I read an article about it one night in my college dorm while my friends were out playing beer pong and sleeping around. I put everything into matching here. And to working with her. And you fired her.
Bailey: Qadri, you just saw a gifted attending perform an extremely rare and technically difficult procedure and all you can think about is Meredith Grey? Do you know how many other residents asked to be on that case today?
Dahlia: Fine. You want to count residents? Guess how many residents came here to work with Meredith Grey! We didn't come here for Dr. Koracick or Karev or Avery. Dr. Bailey, we didn't come here for you. We all had our choice in programs but we picked this one. I picked this one, and it wasn't to watch Meredith Grey on a TV screen!
Bailey: Oh, you know what? You're right. Yeah, you shouldn't have to work like that. So, let's fix it. Work somewhere else.
Dahlia: What?
Bailey: You're fired, Dr. Qadri. Now you and your hero have something in common.

Owen: I think you should stay.
Teddy: If I don't get her down, she is gonna be a nightmare in the morning.
Owen: No, no, no, Teddy. I think you should stay at work, okay? Come back. I'll stay home with Allison for a while.
Teddy: No.
Owen: Why not?
Teddy: Because I'm not a failure. I know that I am doing a terrible job, but I will figure it out.
Owen: You're not failing. I think you're just, you know, doing it wrong.
Teddy: That's called failing.
Owen: Teddy, you've been happier today than you've been since she was born, you know? You love it here, and a happy mom is a better mom, so just do this. We're all gonna be better off.
Teddy: You really want to stay at home with her?
Owen: 'Cause anything beats playing hide and seek with that Koracick. I really hate that guy.

See Also[]

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


References[]

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