Beach Farewell
Episode 7 of Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 picks up with an injured Deluca being tended to in the ambulance by Ben, while Bailey is sleeping by Meredith. Things are not looking good though as Deluca is losing a lot of blood and is tachycardic. Jo’s patient, Val, is still septic and puts on a brave face as she wants to see her baby. Jo tells her she knows she’s not well but Val insists as she is determined to see Luna. Jo explains that they need to get the sepsis under control first. After some tests, Jo later finds out that Val’s liver is failing and that Luna needs an operation to remove a cyst. When Val finds out, she is not happy as her baby hasn’t been held yet. Jo then agrees for her to see Luna before the surgery. Meanwhile, Maggie is having a much-needed rest as she wakes up next to Winston. However, Amelia is worried as she hasn’t heard back from her and has no idea where she is. Unfortunately, Zola overhears her concerns about Meredith and asks what is happening with her mother. The ambulance arrives in Grey Sloan where Hunt and Schmitt are waiting for the trauma. After the initial diagnosis, Hunt tells Deluca he has a haemothorax and decides to insert a tube inside his chest. Everyone is, of course, shocked to see him there and Carina is very worried. On Meredith’s beach, DeLuca arrives and greets Meredith. The two talk and throw stones in the sea, wondering if this is still life. Back in the hospital, we learn that DeLuca is stable and on his way to the OR. Teddy visits Koracick and tells him that Meredith had to be put on a ventilator. She tells him she had to come in a room where someone didn’t hate her. Koracick then asks if she actually ever loved him, while Webber argues with Hunt as he wants to operate on Deluca. The other surgeons have been on really long shift and he feels that Deluca has saved his life. Hunt is not convinced as Webber hasn’t operated in a long time and he thinks that Teddy can do it after what they used to go through while working in the army. Deluca’s surgery gets underway and the surgeons are able to get a better picture of the damage caused by the stabbing. After working on repairing the wounds, they are successful and close him up. They then relay the good news to Karina, while Jackson finds Maggie and brings her back home. Back on the beach, Deluca tells Meredith that he doesn’t regret what they did with the article. He thinks she shouldn’t regret what she did with the little girl with no insurance as it makes sense. A relieved Karina visits Deluca and tells him that they have arrested the woman from the sex trafficking gig. Teddy heads back to Koracick’s room and tells him she did love him and Hunt, but she also let it all fall to pieces. Koracick then mentions that Hunt doesn’t want her anymore, but he doesn’t believe she ever loved him. He needs her to tell him she never did so he can finally move on. Jo finally convinces Hayes to bring Luna to her mother. Unfortunately as they get there, Jo sees that Val is crashing as Code Blue is called. Jo tries to save Val and even after trying to use the defibrillator, she sadly passes away. Hunt visits Deluca in his room and he also starts crashing. He has to open his chest and takes him back to the OR as he starts bleeding out. Hunt arrives too and the doctors work tirelessly to save him. After talking about the situation, Maggie and Amelia sit Zola down to tell her that her mother is under ventilation. The little girl is quite upset but also thinks they shouldn’t tell her siblings yet are they are too young. On the beach, Deluca is trying to make a sand castle but Meredith tells him to hurry as the tide is coming. Deluca is upset as he tells her he had plans and wanted to do more. He tells her that no matter what happens, she has always inspired him and helped him be a better person. As he gets emotional, Deluca tells her he wants to hold on to this moment a little longer, just as Teddy tries to restart Deluca’s heart. Unfortunately they are unsuccessful in resuscitating him and he passes away. Meredith tells Deluca that if she goes back and he doesn’t, she will miss him. Deluca replies that he needs to go as he runs towards his mother on the horizon.
The Episode Review
It has been a while since Grey’s Anatomy killed one of its main characters and I must admit I didn’t see this one coming. It’s a shame too as DeLuca was one of the better and more interesting characters. Thankfully, he left the show as a hero but what a sad episode this was! Poor Val never had a chance to see or hold her baby, which was quite heartbreaking. I watched this with my daughter and she thinks that Jo may try adopting the baby. This could be a happy ending for both of them, especially after the year Jo had. Another emotional moment in this episode came in the form of Maggie and Amelia talking to Zola about her mother. While we all know that Meredith will survive, it was still quite the powerful scene. Grey’s Anatomy is still not back to its high standard but this episode was better than some of the ones we received during the first half of the season. I do have one gripe though – anyone starting this episode without first watching the cross-over with Station 19 will be lost as it shows what led to the stabbing. Again, this sequel feels a little forced on the audience, especially if (like me) you haven’t watched the first 3 seasons of the other show. I can imagine that we are not out of the woods yet as the series will carry on tackling the virus. Hopefully, we will finally get some interesting surgery cases in the episodes to come, as these were definitely missing during the first half of this season.
