Midseason Report Card: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 10 brings more tragedy and tears
“Grey’s Anatomy” is one of those shows that when you look at the performances, there is really nothing bad that you can say. The same goes for the crew, who puts together one of the best sets of any hospital show out there. But then, you find yourself down the road taking a cold, hard look, and examining whether or not you felt like anything that substantial or interesting really happened so far.
When we reflect on the first half of the tenth season right now, there are a few moments that stand out to us clearly, in between coping over the death of an intern, Meredith and Cristina’s breakdown of their friendship, Callie and Arizona trying to figure out if there is a marriage left to save, and of course the massive cliffhanger regarding Jackson ruining April’s wedding. But if you look at individual episodes, was there really that moment of magic? Instead, there were substantial storylines mixed with so-so ones, and it’s better to look at the season that way rather than by hourly blocks of programming.
The shining stars – To us, the big winners of season 10 so far are Sandra Oh, Justin Chambers, and guest star James Remar. Seeing Alex’s father has completely added that new dimension to the character, and allowed him an outlet to channel some of that rage that’s been building up for so long. It also has helped to establish another side of Jo, and serve as a reminder that not every person out there who claims that they want to change really will. Cristina’s story, meanwhile, has been more about a struggle that life is changing around her, and she doesn’t fit in with much of it anymore. This is all setting up wonderfully for Sandra’s exit at the end of the season, and for some moments that will pay perfect tribute to the character.
What needs work – Sometimes, the show tries to orchestrate drama just for drama’s sake, and there are times when you feel that way about some of the minor characters; heck, we’re still struggling with Bailey this season and her feelings about Ben coming back. Some of the standalone stories have been strong, and we’re still at odds over the Jackson twist. While it felt right as a shipper of Jackson and April to see this sort of awakening, having it happen at the altar was just so cheesy and straight out of a romantic comedy that Patrick Dempsey was probably offered a million times over the years.
Overall – A solid season of programming for the Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital crew, but probably not one that is going to bring in any new viewers or buzz. Grade: B.