Another episode of Grey’s Anatomy, another hour filled with badass ladies. It’s casual.
In this week’s mid-season premiere, so appropriately titled “1-800-799-7233” after The National Domestic Violence Hotline, we got to see SO MANY girls supporting and protecting their fellow ladies while Jo struggled with the appearance of her estranged husband. Get you a squad like:
Helm
After Alex came face to face with Stadler, he immediately sent his intern, Helm, to find Jo. Despite having no idea what the situation was, and even though she was confused and reluctant to leave her surgery behind, she expended every effort to track down Jo. Even after she had returned Jo safely to her friends, Helm didn’t leave her side until Meredith told her and the other intern they could go.
Meredith
When Stadler first entered Meredith’s OR, she didn’t know who he was behind his surgical mask. She was grateful for his assistance at first, but as soon as he introduced himself, her entire manner changed. She became dismissive of his suggestions, and when she grew tired of him talking about his studies, she cut him off.
“I know who you are. I’m friends with Jo Wilson,” Meredith said.
Stadler tried to suavely place blame for anything Meredith had heard about him on Jo and her past, claiming she was mentally unstable, but Meredith wasn’t having any of it.
For just a second when she spoke with Alex later, it sounded like she could have fallen for his lies, but when Jo ran across the two of them, fighting tears as she moved to defend herself against whatever Stadler had had to say, Meredith grabbed her tightly, tears in her own eyes, and told her, “You are Jo Wilson. I know exactly who you are.”
She then followed Jo’s lead in handling Stadler’s presence, keeping Alex as far away from the situation as she could to prevent him from hitting him or worse.
She accompanied Jo to sign the divorce papers, keeping the conversation on track and shutting Stadler down when he tried to get Jo alone. When they were finished, Meredith snatched the signed papers, making sure to keep them out of Stadler’s reach, and opened the door to show him out.
Jo
As he left, Stadler fed a line about how he hoped the divorce would bring Jo peace, saying that they both deserved it. Jo stood up for herself and got the last word, telling him that he was a monster who didn’t deserve anything good.
Arizona
Arizona, who was a fangirling mess when she first ran into Stadler, immediately jumped into action to distract Stadler after Jo told her the truth, putting herself in a room alone with him despite knowing his violent history.
Jo took the opportunity to speak with Stadler’s new fiancé, Jenny, rushing in their limited alone time to offer support and help in getting out of the relationship before it could get too far. Even when Jenny pushed back, calling Jo crazy, she still fought to help the woman falling into the same position she was once in, revealing some of her biggest vulnerabilities in an effort to get her out of a terrible situation. Even when Jenny continued to fight, Jo stayed, leaving her cell phone number and promising to get her out when she was ready, and Meredith and Arizona surrounded Jo as they watched the pair walk away.
Chills. I had chills the whole time. It just goes to show you that no matter how many disagreements arise, work or otherwise, your girls will always have your back. This season really is for the girls.
