Guns don’t kill people; people kill people — right? The Thursday, April 21, episode of Grey’s Anatomy tackled the issue of gun control in more ways than one. Going stir-crazy after Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) suspended him from work, Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George) pondered options that would be better than sitting home and watching laundry dry. First, he considered being a barista. Then he decided to try to get a job as an anesthesiologist at the hospital, but without giving his wife a heads-up. Being a barista might have been a better call.
Understanding the importance of open, honest communication after his dustup with April (Sarah Drew) over their soon-to-be-born child, Jackson (Jesse Williams) told Ben that the new Grey Sloan Memorial gig was a “terrible” idea. Ben didn’t listen, got the job and then told his wife about his brilliant plan to keep working without (technically) breaking the hiatus she had imposed. When Miranda pushed back, Ben pointed out that she ran surgery, not anesthesia.
“Ben, you can do this, but if you do, you’ve got to figure out where you’re going to sleep,” she replied. Apparently, Ben valued his time in the operating room more than his bed at home because later on he was scrubbed in and ready to go. He may have jumped the gun, but he was sticking to it, at least for now.
A Boy Shoots His Friend
Meanwhile, two boys arrived at the hospital because one had accidentally shot the other while they were playing with a gun they’d found at home. It turned out the gun belonged to the mother of the boy who’d been shot, and the babysitter had been busy making the boys a snack when it went off.
A group of surgeons, which included Alex (Justin Chambers) and Jo (Camilla Luddington), rushed to the young patient’s side to try to save his life. As they operated, Jo revealed that she had a gun under the bed. Alex did not like that so much.
After a lengthy and complicated surgery — during which the mother of the boy who’d been shot and the mother of the boy who’d done the shooting argued over who was at fault — the team was able to save the young kid’s life, but not his ability to walk. He would likely be paralyzed indefinitely. This gave everyone (the parents, the boy’s friend and the viewers at home) a lot to think about. It wasn’t a subtle message, but it was a powerful one.
Maggie and Jo Take the Hit Hard
It seemed that everyone was affected by the tragedy, especially Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) and Jo. At first, Maggie was frenetic, aggressively questioning the babysitter about how she could let this happen (until Riggs broke it up) and then becoming stoic and silent. Later, Maggie revealed to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) why she’d been so stunned. She had realized how incredibly attached she’d become to Meredith’s children.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Maggie said to the widow. “If something happened to them, I would die.” Mer said she understood and that you just have to take it one day at a time.
As for Jo, the incident gave her pause, and she realized she had “outgrown” her gun. When Alex returned home that night, Jo told him she had gotten it when she was 16 and living in her car, but now she didn’t need it any more. Alex looked beyond relieved as he crawled up next to her on the bed.
Trouble’s Brewing for Callie and Arizona
After announcing that she was going to follow Penny (Samantha Sloyan) to New York, Callie (Sara Ramirez) met Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) for coffee to discuss possible logistics. “Go, be happy,” Arizona said at the beginning of the conversation. “You’re not taking my daughter with you.”
Callie insisted they were just discussing the options at this point, but Arizona said Callie sounded pretty set on her plans. Callie responded by asking Arizona if she wanted to look at any of the New York City school brochures she’d picked up. Umm — Arizona’s answer was no.
Callie sought guidance from Penny, but Penny (rightly) explained that she doesn’t have any right to interfere in Callie and Arizona’s daughter’s life at this point. That could change, but not before Penny has to move. For her part, Arizona talked to Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), who pretty much told her to take a chill pill before involving a lawyer. This was a fresh topic for him considering what had gone down between Jackson and April. He pointed out that he was speaking from very recent experience, but his reasoning fell on deaf ears.
Callie then gave her notice to Miranda, who was less than impressed. “You’re giving up your career to chase tail across the country?” she asked with a raised brow. Callie stiffened and said she didn’t need Miranda’s judgment, adding, “Arizona’s already got that covered.”
Callie did give it some more thought, however, because the next time she approached Arizona, she had a very different tone. “I jumped the gun,” Callie admitted. “I’m so sorry. I was carried away when I first told you, and I’ve done everything wrong ever since.” Arizona listened and then handed Callie a business card … for her lawyer.
Stephanie, Owen and Japril Have Milestone Moments
That wasn’t all of the change happening, though! After weeks of sexting with Kyle Diaz (Wilmer Valderrama) — and once with Meredith by accident — Stephanie Webber (Jerrika Hinton) finally went out on a real-life date with the musician. It turned out that she liked him as much in person as on her phone, and the two had a hot-and-heavy session in some fancy recording studio. You go, girl!
In a quiet moment after operating on the gunshot-wound boy, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) confessed to Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) that when he’d found out Riggs (Martin Henderson) had cheated on his sister, he’d told her to “forget about him” and “get on a chopper” to come home. “I told my sister to get on the helicopter. I did it,” he said in almost a whisper. Amelia told him the same thing she’d told the boy who’d shot his friend: “You didn’t mean it.”
And to end a heavy episode on a happier note, April decided to take Jackson’s advice that they treat each other better and invited him to come to her Ob-Gyn appointment the next morning.
Tell Us: Do you think Callie will really follow Penny to New York?
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
