'Grey's Anatomy' Won't Stop Killing Kids

The reason I stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy fifteen years ago was the revolving door of cast members—my favorite characters left—and the often mediocre writing (Ghost Denny, anyone?). The writing hasn’t gotten much better, but after twenty years, the show has a weird nostalgic appeal. Nine episodes into my return, the characters are finally starting to grow on me, even as two exit the series (one I liked, one I didn’t).

What is tough to handle are all the dying kids! Either there were fewer child deaths in the early seasons, or I just didn’t notice because I didn’t have kids back then. Now, it feels like a blatant emotional shortcut, but it’s brutally effective at leaving viewers wrecked. In three of the last five episodes, young people—under 25—have died, including Mika’s sister Chloe last week and a teenager with multiple aneurysms this week.

The emotional gut-punches never stop. Grey’s is still yanking the rug out from under us. This week, Dr. Shepherd pulled off a miraculous surgery, removing four aneurysms from a teenage patient. But in the end, it wasn’t the aneurysms that killed her — it was her heart, which wouldn’t restart after surgery. At least we were spared the inevitable scene of Dr. Warren breaking the news to the patient’s mom, a woman he’d previously dated and ghosted. He promised to save her daughter, and they were so close. Stupid show.

Speaking of stupid, there were two truly ridiculous storylines this week. First, a heatwave sent Jo and Lucas to a convenience store to grab ice, only for them to get caught in a robbery. Jo, pregnant, started bleeding. The cashier lost her cool, tried to fight the robber, and chaos ensued. Lucas got into a scuffle, and a gun went off. We don’t even know who got shot yet. Stupid show.

The second absurd storyline saw Sophia Bush’s character return. She previously kissed Teddy, and Owen had just about forgiven it until he saw Bush’s character affectionately touch Teddy’s arm. Before anyone could shout, “It’s just a misunderstanding,” Owen was already in the parking lot offering a ride (in his car) to an attractive stranger, played by Floriana Lima from A Million Little Things.

Finally, as expected, Mika left the series. The episode began six months after Chloe’s death, with Mika returning to work for the first time. But she’s clearly not ready — everything reminds her of her sister. At one point, she has a full breakdown. She does hook up with Jules, though, but in the end, Mika realizes she can’t continue being a doctor. She has to leave. Mika is officially out — the first of the five interns from two and a half seasons ago to quit. Jules, of course, is devastated.

Unlike Jake Borelli, Midori Francis’s exit was her decision. She’s already busy with other projects, including her role on Sex Lives of College Girls. We’ll (hopefully) have to settle for more recurring appearances from Sophia Bush, who will hopefully wreck Teddy and Owen’s marriage for good because 1) they are annoying, and 2) the show needs more LGBTQ characters after the loss of Mika and Levi.