The season 12 premiere of Grey’s Anatomy may feel familiar, but we are looking at the show from an entirely new angle.
Grey’s Anatomy season 12 kicked off with “Sledgehammer” by not only knocking out a wall, but a patient’s mother as well. During the summer press tours, Grey’s Anatomy executives promised a lighter season 12, but perhaps that does not apply to the patients whose story of survival is the one they were not hoping to tell.
Tonight’s premiere is all about fresh starts, letting in some light, and not getting too comfortable with routine. Here are the three biggest changes heading to Grey’s this season.
The great hunt
Grey’s Anatomy needs a new chief and while fans are reluctant to take on another new character in Tracy McConnell, they should be ready to accept that change is inevitable. Webber chases after the promise of something so radical it cannot possibly sustain a meaningful presence at Grey Sloan Memorial. Bailey’s confidence is shaken to the core. She thinks Webber is looking at her the same way Grey’s fans look at “Season 12” and think, “What more could this possibly offer me?”
For all the charm that Dr. McConnell offers the board, Bailey proves she is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty because she trusts the nuts and bolts of the hospital that keeps her there. What Grey’s Anatomy has done in 12 years was not always pretty. (We are still asking why that musical episode had to happen.) But it has weathered the storm. Just like Miranda Bailey. When McConnell jumps ship to save a nation on her own, Bailey will be there. When three new medical dramas creep into the primetime line up, Grey’s Anatomy will be there.
Fans believe in Grey’s Anatomy like Miranda Bailey believes in Grey Sloan Memorial. So what has changed? Everything and nothing at the same time. And that is what keeps the show and hospital going.
Perception versus reality
Jackson did not invite anyone to the gallery above the OR to watch as he attempts to cut into his marriage and find the source of the bleeding. Arizona did not expect to hear that everyone has an opinion about her chirpy attitude and amputated leg. But what about the stories that got them to this place? Jackson and April’s marriage and hardships were on display for all to see before she went away. Now they want closure. Arizona is a survivor, a fighter, and knows how to get what she wants. But everyone is tired of those stories; they want something new. There must be a balance between achieving closure and not dwelling on the past.
Some layers need to be peeled back this season and luckily some fresh meat in the hospital is willing to get the ball rolling. Enter the byproduct of what we can only imagine is the spawn of McDreamy and McSteamy high-fiving in the great beyond — intern Andrew DeLuca. Already cast aside by his fellow interns, DeLuca has some misconceptions to overcome before we get to know who he really is.
Deeper patient stories ground the series
Grey’s Anatomy may be tearing down walls and going a bit light on the doctor drama in season 12, but the patients’ tales are not. Kicking off the season is a story of bullying so extreme it leads two young girls to stand in front of a train to keep their relationship alive in the afterlife. But schoolyard peers are not the only people the girls are running from. One girl’s parents are threatening to send her away to a conversion camp while the other’s father does not have the closest bond with his daughter.
But this storyline brings out the more personal stories of the doctors. The patients give the doctors ways to communicate their issues in new ways. Maggie can address how long it took her to finally get the nerve to stand up to those who are louder than her. Meredith can press Amelia to get off her back and stop crowding her space. The doctors are looking for new ways to reach each other and we are looking for new ways to get back in touch with them.
So what matters this season? Reinvention, remembrance, and revolution. Callie’s identity, Alex and Jo discovering each other, Meredith trying to connect with her sisters, Arizona and Andrew proving everyone wrong, and finally, Bailey showing that sometimes sticking to your roots is the best way to reinvent yourself.
Tonight’s covers include:
-“Rude Boy”
-“Wrecking Ball”
-“Try”
-“Fancy”
Grey’s Anatomy season 12, episode 2, “Walking Tall,” airs Thursday, October 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.