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The Center Won't Hold

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“ We surgeons have come up with a stitch for just about anything. Get a mole removed—subcutaneous suture. Snag your arm on barbed wire—loose interrupted suture. Internal bleed—silk. Slice your scalp open…well, that's gonna need staples. We obsess about making every stitch precise and strong. As proud as we surgeons are of our stitches, they aren't meant to be a permanent fix. Your body still has to do the real work. An army of different cells comes in to build new tissue. And eventually, you've produced enough collagen to heal. At least that's the plan. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you shouldn't obsess about technique. Please, obsess. Because even one mistake, one slip, can cost a lot of blood. ”

The Center Won't Hold is the second episode of the seventeenth season and the 365th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Bailey finds herself in the middle of an argument with patients' families as they await news about their children who were injured in a fire. Winston surprises Maggie, and Amelia and Link try to have some fun as new parents. Teddy learns her colleagues know more than she may like about her relationship woes with Owen, and Richard and Koracick go at it.

Full Summary[]

Meredith goes outside to get some fresh air. She finds Jackson doing the same. She heard he got to hold a scalpel today, which she has been missing for over two weeks. He talks about the case and heads back inside. Meredith then approaches Cormac, who is sleeping on the ground. He was enjoying a dream of being in a field near where he grew up in Ireland, except instead of barley, it was all bodies. That still sounds better than reality. She notices his mask is falling apart. He gave his new one for the day to a nurse.

Maggie runs into Richard. She was on her way to go over patients' supply needs with Catherine, who summons her from the other end of the lobby. Richard goes to take the stairs rather than the elevator. Catherine warns him not to strain his hip too much. He says the only pain he's feeling is square in his ass.

Levi helps Bailey get settled in her ER bed. Bailey asks Andrew to take Aaron to bed 7, far away from Steve. Nico arrives and Levi briefs his findings. It's probably a sprain but he ordered an X-ray to be safe. Nico asks Levi to let him know when the results are in.

Amelia is breastfeeding her son on a sunbed out in the yard at Meredith's house. Link comes out of house saying they need to find something to wear Bailey out. He gets to work on a putting up a tent while Amelia questions why people are congratulating Link for his birthday on his social media while it isn't until next week. It's actually today. He forgot about it himself until his mom called. Bailey announces he is hungry. Link swears he is not upset with Amelia.

Flashback. Meredith is meeting her nephew, who hasn't officially been named yet. Amelia is not sure if Scout is the way to go. She suggests Tony, which Link is not a fan of. Meredith hands the baby back to Link.

Owen pulled Teddy from screening for an incoming ambulance with the last kid from the wildfire. She enjoys the change of pace. She worries about people dying from strokes or heart attacks at home. Owen thinks they should talk after work. She agrees. The ambulance arrives with Frankie, who has a penetrating abdominal trauma.

Flashback. Teddy finds Owen in the lounge. He tells her that Amelia and Link had their baby. Teddy asks what happened last night. Owen says he got pulled into surgery but he forgot to leave Teddy a voice mail, though he did inform his mother. Teddy thinks he should have contacted her himself to let her know the wedding was off. He says it's just delayed and asks her why it would be off. She claims she got thrown by the way it went down. He asks if she wants to cancel their wedding. She does not. He gets paged for an incoming trauma.

Catherine finds Maggie's demands unreasonable, too many of whom are black and brown. Catherine starts yelling, which is her way of coping. She hates having a problem that she cannot fix. She invites Maggie to yell, too. Maggie yells about hating having to cancel her surgeries and everyone dying no matter what they do. After some more screaming, Catherine admits she hates that her husband hasn't come back to her. Maggie agrees.

Tom catches up with Richard and compliments his PPE cleaning hack. He then asks Richard about the deal between him and Catherine. Tom wants to take credit for Richard's idea but Richard won't allow it. Tom says he'll just hide from her, then.

Flashback. In his hospital bed, Richard is watching footage of his disaster speech at the conference. Jackson comes in and takes the tablet from him. Jackson wants to put out a press release to warn people about the signs of cobalt poisoning. Richard says his reputation was all that he had left. Richard says it would be easy to blame all his mistakes on the illness but, rigorous honesty being vital his sobriety, he has to admit other things were not the cobalt. He told Maggie to operate on Sabi and he spent with a woman that wasn't Catherine. While it wasn't physical, it felt like cheating. Jackson is paged away.

Link is folding laundry. Amelia got the kids to watch a movie. She told them it's what Link wanted for his re-birthday, which is his new birthday she made up because she forgot his real one. She points out she got all children in the house to do something that does not involve them. She opens her robe to give him a sneak peek before they rush upstairs.

Flashback. Link is saying random names to the baby to see if one of them elicits a reaction from him that'll tell him it's the right name. Amelia tries some names, too.

Jo joins Jackson in Kayden's room and tells him about the fight between the dads. She came to get an update. Jackson finds that the burns have gone through the chest wall, which means they have to perform more surgery.

Teddy finds Owen on a bench outside. She has a quiet moment so she suggests they talk now. While there hasn't been much time to think lately, Owen has been thinking about their future. He has been taking a look at his medical directive and his will. If something were to happen to him, of course she would get Allison, but they haven't made a plan for Leo. He ignores her wish to talk about them and says maybe Link and Amelia would be willing to take Leo if she's not up for it. Teddy is paged to the OR. She says she would never split up Leo and Allison. She's no okay with Owen dying. She runs off.

Cormac paged Meredith for a surgery on Frankie. She's happy to get a break from all the codes and people dying on her. Cutting people open is what she's best at. Cormac tells her about Frankie, whose newly transplanted kidney was perforated by a tree branch today. She is delighted to get to save a kidney.

Levi has bandaged up Bailey's foot. Nico comes in and confirms that there is no fracture. She has to keep her weight off her foot for a few days. Richard comes in to hear what happened. She says two men used her as a wrestling mat while she is living in a hotel and only gets to see her husband every 12 hours when he comes to clap for her, so she is not in the mood for jokes. Zander comes to fetch Bailey for her meeting with Catherine. Bailey has Levi wheel her to conference room.

Flashback. Jackson enters Richard's room to be rigorously honest with him. He knows how hard it is live with Catherine. She can withholding when she feels slighted. He hated that Catherine didn't stand up for him when Bailey fired him. Jackson even understands that he got close with Gemma, because Catherine can push people to need to prove that she is not the center of the universe, to prove that he is his own man. However, she also somehow is the center of the universe, especially when she loves you, because she will move mountains to help you. When she loves, she does so hard. And all of that love is worth the rest of it. He knows Richard loves her, too. Richard is physically better now but he is still not himself, because he is not fighting for his reputation or his career. Jackson thinks that is because Catherine is not by his side. He needs to put aside his pride and call and claim his wife because he won't get out if this without her. Richard utters he always wanted a son. Jackson says he has one. So, when Catherine calls him again, he should answer. If not for himself, he should do it for Jackson.

Jackson and Jo are getting Kayden draped on the table as Teddy and Maggie arrive simultaneously. They are both needed. Teddy has seen injuries like this after bombings in Iraq. The cardiothoracic surgeons go get scrubbed.

Amelia and Link are naked in bed, sensually touching each other while Link talks about profound harmony. The baby starts crying over the monitor. Amelia says she got it since they are celebrating his birthday.

Flashback. Amelia reads on a website that some people pick names from their dreams. He last dreamt about snakes in a vest while she had a sex dream about Link. Link suggests they revisit this subject when they feel more like themselves. She pieces together that he is calling her hormonal. She orders him to get out.

While operating, Meredith tells Cormac she recites surgical steps when she puts on her PPE. It calms her down. Cormac asks how her kids are taking it. She hasn't seen them in two weeks. His sons are crawling up the walls. He hopes they don't do anything stupid like their patient and his friends. Meredith understands it. They remove the tree branch, which causes a major bleeding.

On the phone with his mother, Owen tells her how to get Leo to eat his broccoli. After he hangs up, Aaron asks Owen for an update on Frankie. Owen says they just took him up to the OR so it's going to be a while. Aaron says that when the pandemic hit, he told Frankie it was their turn to protect the doctors and nurses who helped him with his kidney. They have been diligent and careful but now his own son threw it all away for a party. He is so mad at Frankie and he's not sure how he can ever look at him.

Flashback. After a surgery, Teddy asks Owen what is going on. She can tell he is keeping something from her. He suggests she is projecting and invites her to tell him whatever she has to say. Now is the time. She claims there is nothing. He then plays the butt dial voice mail for her. So much for love, friendship, trust, and them. He walks out, leaving Teddy to break down.

While checking on Steve's wounds, Andrew tells him that Kayden had to be taken back into surgery. Steve admits he knew about the party. He allowed Kayden to use his car. Steve had a bad feeling but he told himself it was just a bunch of kids wearing masks. He wonders why he didn't say no.

Things are also looking dire for Kayden. Jackson, Jo, Teddy, and Maggie work quickly to try and save him.

Meredith and Cormac remove the injured pole of the kidney.

Steve is on his knees in the ER praying. He receives a text from his wife asking if there's news. He lets her know he is still waiting, too. Aaron watches Steve pray from the other end of the ER.

Meredith and Cormac finish up the critical part of their surgery, while the other surgeons remove part of Kayden's lung.

Cormac reports to Aaron that Frankie pulled through. Meredith is settling him into the ICU. His kidney is still functioning. They will set him up with a tablet so they can chat when he wakes up.

Meanwhile, Andrew brings Teddy and Maggie to Steve. They ask him to accompany them outside to Deborah rather than call her. Steve immediately realizes that this means his son has passed. He breaks down while the doctors are forced to keep their distance. Aaron steps in to comfort him. Owen watches as Teddy gets emotional.

Bailey has reported to Catherine that the world is on fire. Koracick's $100,000-order was nothing but booties and they are losing money and people, but they'll keep showing up until they win. Maggie barges in and starts yelling. She knows Catherine felt humiliated when Richard turned her away but she humiliated him by buying his hospital. They have both done hurtful things, but Richard can help her through this nightmare. It's only too late if Catherine decides that it is. There are people dying in a worldwide pandemic but Catherine is still alive. Bailey supports her message. She has Levi wheel her away.

Jo comes across a crying Teddy in the attendings' lounge. Jo has no sympathy for her. Teddy thinks people should mind their business. It's hard enough to have her life fall apart without everyone's judgment. Jo thinks it's all her own fault that she blew up her beautiful life. Teddy says it's not her fault Alex left her. She questions if Jo never hurt someone she loved, never sabotaged her own happiness because easy and happiness feel so unfamiliar. Teddy stresses that she loves Owen. She's doing enough judging for everyone. She tried telling Owen but he wouldn't listen. Showing some sympathy now, Jo advises her to try harder.

Catherine paged Richard to the conference room. She remains quiet until Tom walks in, having been paged, too. She then tells Tom that this crisis has proven bigger than him, so she will accept his resignation as Chief of Chiefs. He can stay on as attending neurosurgeon. He claims he can find a job anywhere he wants but she points out word of his sexual escapade travels around. This is a new world so she advises him to take the win. Tom leaves. Catherine hopes Richard will accept the Chief of Chiefs job as well as her apologies for all she's done to hurt him. Richard hopes they can get their hands on COVID tests so they can safely do all the things he wants to do to her.

An exhausted Meredith is staring at her phone in the COVID ICU. Cormac texts her to invite her to his office for a glass of whiskey. Andrew arrives to tag her out. She thinks she can stay after that high from the surgery. He reminds her of a certain friend that reminded him to get enough sleep and take care of himself. Meredith asks if that person is a friend now. Andrew says she saved his life, so she can be whatever she wants to be to him. Meredith asks him to keep her updated on a certain patient and then walks out.

Nico finds Levi in a supply closet and locks the door behind him. Nico admits he was a terrible boyfriend but he's thinking Levi needs some stress relief. Nico couldn't provide him with the love and affection he deserved but he can provide the stress relief. He sinks to his knees.

Maggie is video chatting with Winston as she arrives at Meredith's house. She's talking about how screaming is a great relief. She then notices the tent. It's a surprise from Winston so she can get a proper night's rest and see her family without having to sleep on the floor. Maggie peeks inside the tent and almost tells Winston she loves him. She finds a tent in the backyard sexier than actually camping. She realizes she still has to decon. He objects as she turns the screen away. She closes up the tent and starts undressing for him.

Amelia presents Link with a platter of doughnuts. As Link takes his first bite, she admits the store accidentally sent gluten-free. He pretends to like them. She again apologizes for forgetting his birthday. He actually liked it. There were no major meltdowns, he got to have sex, and he got doughnuts. The only man who might be luckier is their son, Scout Derek Shepherd Lincoln, for having the best mom. He then admits the doughnuts are terrible.

Flashback. Owen finds Teddy waiting for him in the parking lot, music blaring from his car. She tried to be romantic but the gift shop was out of flowers. Evelyn has the kids. She tells him she's so sorry. She doesn't want to lose their family. He wonders what he did to make her hate him this much. She doesn't hate him. It was a stupid mistake. He recalls Tom asked her to run away together. She says she said no, but he disagrees. She didn't tell Tom she didn't want to or loved Owen. Instead, she told him she was marrying Owen, like some kind of fate she had accepted. Tearing up, Teddy tells Owen she wants to be with him and their family. He says he can't. He forces her to let go of him and drives off, leaving her screaming after him to wait.

Cormac finds Meredith passed out in the parking lot. He tries to rouse her to no avail. He yells for a gurney and oxygen.

Meredith finds herself on the beach again. She hears a voice yelling her name. Immediately recognizing the voice, she turns around and is shocked to see Derek calling out for her and waving at her from a distance.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Miranda Bailey[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Sprained ankle
  • Treatment:
    • Bandaging

Bailey's ankle was injured when Steve Lee and Aaron Morris were fighting. It was swollen and bruised, so Levi ordered an x-ray, though he thought it was probably just sprained. The x-ray confirmed that it wasn't broken and she was told to keep weight off it for a few days.

Steve Lee[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Nose injury
  • Treatment:
    • Bandage

Steve was injured in a fight with Aaron Morris. Andrew tended to his nose in the ER.

Frankie Morris[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease
    • Impaled object
    • Renal damage
  • Treatment:
    • Laparotomy

Frankie, 18, came in with a tree branch impaled through his abdomen. He was alert and oriented to person, time, and place. He had received a kidney transplant two months prior and was impaled on a tree branch while fleeing a wildfire. They had to remove a portion of his kidney, but what remained was healthy and functional.

Kayden Lee[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Full-thickness burns
  • Treatment:
    • Thoracotomy

Kayden was in ICU following his debridement. Jackson discovered that his burns went all the way through his chest and down to his lung, so he was rushed back into surgery. Unfortunately, the damage was too severe and he died in surgery.

Aaron Morris[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Forehead laceration
  • Doctors:
  • Treatment:
    • Bandage

Aaron got a cut on his forehead while fighting with Steve Lee. In the ER, it was bandaged.

Meredith Grey[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:

Meredith collapsed in the parking lot as she left work. Cormac was unable to rouse her.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Life Goes On" Bryce Vine
  • Meredith and Jackson talk about missing surgery.
  • Meredith talks to Cormac, who is wishing to be anywhere but where he is.
"Walk With Me" Goldford
  • Steve Lee regrets letting his son out.
  • The surgeons work frantically to save their patients.
  • Aaron watches Steve praying from across the ER.
"Mercy" Joy Oladokun, Tim Gent
  • Catherine makes Richard Chief of Chiefs, which he accepts.
  • Andrew finds Meredith at the desk, half-asleep. He takes over for her so she can leave.
  • Nico finds Levi in a supply closet and offers to provide him some stress relief.
"Wild" John Legend, Gary Clark Jr.
  • Maggie almost says she loves Winston as she climbs in her tent.
  • She starts to undress for the camera.
  • Amelia and Link celebrate his birthday with donuts.
  • Teddy and Owen meet in the parking lot.
"Breathe Deep" Sleeping at Last
  • Teddy tells Owen she wants to be with him and loves their family.
  • Hayes finds Meredith passed out in the parking lot.
  • Meredith on the beach and faintly hears Derek calling to her.

Notes and Trivia[]

Grey's_Anatomy_Season_17_"OMG"_Trailer_(HD)_Station_19_Crossover
  • This episode's title originated from the song The Center Won't Hold, originally sung by Sleater-Kinney.
  • This episode scored 5.93 million viewers.[1]
  • This is the 365th episode of the series, meaning that there is now officially one episode of Grey's Anatomy to watch for each day of the year.
  • Patrick Dempsey returns as Derek Shepherd. He made his last appearance in the season eleven finale You're My Home. Dempsey is credited as a guest star for this episode, marking the first time in the show that he is not credited as main cast.
    • Krista Vernoff came up with the idea of a recurring beach motif while spending lots of time on the beach during the pandemic. After deciding that the season would tackle the pandemic, she wanted to include some form of escapism for the fans and started thinking of ways she could show Meredith without a face mask. She settled on the beach motif as some sort of coronavirus-free dream world and came up with the idea of bringing back a deceased character for pure fan candy. She informed Ellen Pompeo, who suggested they ask Patrick Dempsey, whom she coincidentally had been in touch with to discuss doing something about encouraging people to wear face masks. Ellen talked it over with Patrick during a hike and he agreed to come back.[source?]
    • His return was deliberately kept secret for most of the cast, crew, and people at ABC to make sure his return would be a surprise for episode's premiere. At the table read, the cast read a "fake" version of the script where Meredith reunites with her mother on the beach rather than Derek.[source?]
    • The scene was shot on a private beach with a limited crew and lots of security around.[2]

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Quotes[]

Richard: I'll just take the stairs.
Catherine: Go easy on that hip. You don't want to get hurt on your first day back.
Richard: Well, thanks. But the only pain I'm feeling right now is square in my ass.
Tom: Dr. Webber? I heard about your PPE cleaning hack. Smart.
Richard: Well, I'm glad to help.
Tom: You know, I've been meaning to ask, how are things with you and Dr. Fox?
Richard: You want to know if she's back on the market?
Tom: How kind of you to offer. No. I wondered if I could take credit for your idea. Buy a little goodwill. Yeah, forget it. I'll just hide from her instead.
Amelia: What about Tony? You hate it.
Meredith: Tony Soprano!
Link: "Tony Baloney." "Tony's a phony." I'm allowed to not like names, right?
Meredith: I'm not weighing in on that.
Amelia: This website says some people pick names from a dream. What was the last dream you had before the baby was born?
Link: Does it have to be my dream?
Amelia: Yes, because I don't think we should call him Sex with His Dad.
Link: I don't think Snake in a Vest is much better.
Amelia: Right. Okay. Let's keep going. Power through it. Think outside the box. No wrong answers. Say some things you love.
Link: Or we could just take a step back, rest our brains, revisit the subject when we feel more like ourselves?
Amelia: "Like ourselves" as in "not hormonal and crazy"?
Link: I mean... Yes.
Amelia: Go away. Get out before I shoot breast milk in your eyes.
Jackson: Rigorous honesty, right? I am here to be rigorously honest with you.
Richard: No, not right now, thank you.
Jackson: I'm gonna tell you my truth, and you're gonna listen, whether you like it or not, because you're bed-bound and I'm not. I know it's really hard to live with my Mom. I know she can be withholding when she's angry or feels slighted. And I remember. I know she didn't say anything when Bailey fired you. I have been where you are. I get it. And, yeah, I'm a little pissed about the whole other-woman thing, but you know what? At my core, I kind of even get that, too, because I know that Mom can push people to need to prove that she is not the sun, moon, and stars all rolled into one, to prove that you're your own man, to prove that, "Hey, sometimes you're just plain wrong," even if she'll never admit it. I also get that she kind of is the sun, moon, and stars all rolled into one, especially when she loves you, 'cause when she loves you, man, she will move mountains to help you. She will dedicate herself totally and completely to helping you, to getting you where you need to go, however you need to get there. When she loves, it's super hard. And all of that love, it's worth the rest of it. I know you love her. I know you do. 'Cause you're physically better. The cobalt's pretty much out of your system by now. You're still not yourself. You're not even fighting for your damn reputation or your career, Richard, 'cause your wife isn't here. Why is that? 'Cause you sent her away. I know with all of my being that you need to get over this stubborn ego, stubborn pride, and go call and claim the woman that you love, 'cause you're not gonna get over it. And you're damn sure never gonna get over her.
Richard: You know, I'm not too old to kick your ass. I always wanted a son.
Jackson: Well, you've got one. So when she calls you, just answer the damn phone, okay? Hear her out. If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for me.
Richard: Well, what happened here?
Bailey: There was a fistfight between some parents.
Richard: You start it?
Bailey: I live in a hotel. My sister-in-law takes care of my boys. I only get to see my husband when he comes here to clap for me every hours, and two grown men just used me as a wrestling mat. You're not funny.
Zander: Dr. Fox is ready for you, Chief. Should I tell her to wait? And if so, can someone else? Because I am not her favorite.
Levi: So, conference room?
Bailey: No. Cancun. See? That was funny.

See Also[]

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


References[]

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