Grey’s Anatomy Recap Season 12 Episode 12: Meredith Revisits the Past
In the Grey's Anatomy Season 12 episode "My Next Life," the past comes to haunt the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial in the form of a patient that Derek and Meredith worked on for the very first time. Katie Bryce is back with an aneurysm the “size of a grenade” and she is adamant that Meredith stay as far away from her as possible. She has bad memories of her as an intern and wants Derek to take her case again. Amelia jumps in and decides to save the day and the patient to the chagrin of Meredith who is reluctant to let go even though she knows not being a neurosurgeon disqualifies her.
But Meredith ends up having more pressing issues to deal with. Her patient is waiting to hear the good news that she is cancer-free and can finally go home. But before she’s discharged Meredith notices a discoloration on her chest that concerns her. It turns out to be an infection and it’s serious. As Meredith tries to examine the infected area her patient starts gushing out an alarming amount of blood. Riggs comes in for support, which Meredith rejects at first but accepts when she realizes how quickly things are getting out of hand.
Meanwhile, Amelia is paralyzed with fear at the notion of living up to Derek by performing a risky operation on his former patient. She knows Meredith doesn’t think she can do it, which makes her even more nervous. She tells Owen about her fear of failing but he refuses to let Amelia give into her doubts. He gives her the boost that she needs by reminding her that she is more that capable of living up to her late brother’s legacy. He also dismisses what Meredith thinks about her, “Who cares what she thinks?” “Meredith is not a neurosurgeon and she certainly isn’t you!”
In the meantime, Meredith’s patient isn’t improving and when it’s clear that the bleeding won’t stop, Meredith and Riggs decide to operate. The patient is confused and upset but even as Meredith tries to reassure her, she knows there is a possibility that she won’t make it. She tells her to call the son she gave up for adoption before she goes into surgery. Riggs also encourages the patient to call her son and the patient eventually relents. Afterwards, the team frantically heads to the operating room for emergency surgery and as they are wheeling her down the hall, Meredith catches a glimpse of Katie Bryce heading to her own surgery. The past and present finally converge.
Hours later, a wearied Meredith emerges, and sees Amelia coming out of her operating room at the same time. They both have different expressions on their faces. Amelia looks calm and relieved, signaling that her operation was successful. Meredith on the other hand looks defeated and sad and when the door opens behind, the body of her patient with a sheet over her, wheels past them.
Amelia wants to say something comforting to Meredith when realizes what happened but Meredith walks away to find Riggs. They are both exhausted and disappointed and Meredith decides to ask Riggs about Owen’s sister, Megan. Riggs tells Meredith the truth about how she died. He and Megan were both working in the field and had to transport a patient in a helicopter under circumstances that were less than ideal. Riggs offered to go instead but Owen’s sister was insistent that she should go since it was her patient. The helicopter vanished and was never found.
April is still basking in her pregnancy glow and hasn’t told Jackson yet even though Arizona reminds her, "It's his baby." She later runs into Alex who immediately informs her that he knows. "I work in Peds, I figured it out." He warns her to tell Jackson before he figures it out himself.
Maggie and De Luca are still stealing moments whenever and wherever they can. But a conversation leads Maggie to think that Webber knows about their romance. Based on how Webber has taken De Luca “under his wing” which translates to hard work and sleepless nights. Maggie takes it upon herself to investigate and finds out that her father did know all along. She lets Webber know that she “likes him” and he promises to stop "hazing" him.
Meredith checks in on a much nicer and mellow Katie Bryce, who apologizes to Meredith for being a brat. Meredith accepts the apology and reminds her that it was a long time ago when she was much younger. The subject of Derek comes up again and Meredith assures her "that's a long story." She also praises Amelia, who happens to be outside the door listening. After declaring that Amelia "is very good," Meredith wishes Katie Bryce well and leaves the room and walks past Amelia who is visibly touched by Meredith’s words.
After a long day, Amelia is blissfully worn out and sixty days sober. Owen comes to check in on her in the locker room. He congratulates her for a successful surgery and they both talk about the future together. They decide to start over on a clean slate.
Amelia Needs a Pep Talk
Amelia is nervous about operating on a former patient of Derek's, Katie Bryce, who is back with an aneurysm the size of a "grenade." She knows tha Meredith doesn't believe she can do it which makes her even more uneasy. But Owen is convinced that Amelia is more than qualified for the job and tells her so. "Meredith is not a surgeon, and she certainly isn't you!"
Riggs Tells Meredith The Truth About Owen's Sister
After they both lose a patient, Meredith and Riggs discuss logistics and afterwards she decides to probe him about the mystery behnd Owen's sister. Owen and Riggs hate each other and it seems to revolve around Megan. Riggs finally tells Meredith the truth about what happened to her. He and Megan were working in the field as medics and her patient had to be transported. Riggs offered to go instead when he realized that the conditions for flying were less than ideal. But Owen's sister was adamant to fly with her patient. Riggs decided to let her go since he would've done thesame thing if the roles were reversed. The helicopter disappeared without a trace and Megan never returned.
Alex Guesses April is Pregnant
April is still keeping her pregnancy from Jackson despite Arizona reminding her that "It's his baby." She still refuses to share the news and wants to wait until she's ready. She runs into Alex who immediately guesses her condition. "I work in Peds, I figured it out". He warns April that if he was able to tell she was pregnant, it's only a matte of time before Jackson does the same.
Owen and Amelia Start Over
After successfully tackling a very complicated procedure, Amelia is basking in her victory and the fact that she has maintained her sobriety for sixty days. Owen had a lot to do with Amelia's confidence going into surgery and when he comes to check on her, she's happy to see him. He congratulates her and they end up discussing the future of their relationship. They both decide to forget the past and start over.
Tune in THURSDAY, MARCH 10 8|7c to watch Season 12 Episode 13, "All Eyez On Me," as part of TGIT on ABC and watch Episode 12, "My Next Life", Now!
Season 12, Episode 11: "Unbreak My Heart"
Season 12, Episode 10: "All I Want Is You"
Season 12, Episode 9: "The Sound of Silence"
Season 12, Episode 8, the Winter Finale: "Things We Lost in the Fire"
Season 12, Episode 7: "Something Against You"
Season 12, Episode 6: "The Me Nobody Knows"
Season 12, Episode 5: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"
Season 12, Episode 4: "Old Time Rock and Roll"
Season 12, Episode 3: "I Choose You"
