‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Recap: Richard Makes A Difficult Decision To Save Meredith’s Life

Meredith appeared to be getting better during the Dec. 17 episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ but she suddenly took a turn for the worse. Richard went to great lengths to save her in the final moments.

Meredith finally wakes up, and she’s doing so much better now after being mostly asleep for 8 days. Her stats look really good, but she still has to stay a few more days in the hospital. She wishes she could help everyone out. “It’s really good to hear your voice,” Deluca tells Meredith.

Similar to Meredith, Tom is doing better and stabilizing. He is shaken to his core when his hospital roommate dies right in front of him. Later, Tom goes to see Meredith to talk. They share some laughs amid the darkness.

Another Seattle hospital has reached capacity, which means Grey Sloan is going to have more patients. Richard enacts surge capacity protocol. Bailey refuses to go home. She doesn’t want to expose her kids to COVID after they just lost their grandmother.

The same sex trafficking woman Deluca tried to have arrested last season returns to the hospital, and she’s got her eye on two young girls who escaped from their kidnapper by starting a fire. She starts walking around the hospital trying to find the girls. She hides from Deluca, but he spots her when he’s leaving the hospital. He decides to follow her with Carina.

When Amelia talks about the sex trafficker she’s had to save, Maggie takes a moment to reveal her thoughts. It’s not just about this one monstrous sex trafficker. People need to think about the monsters who got us to this point. Maggie explains that Black women are “seen as disposable and rarely seen as victims.” Maggie is so frustrated by how Black women are treated in this world. Amelia listens to everything Maggie has to say. Later, Maggie gets a reprieve from the stress when Winston shows up.

Meredith hears someone flatlining and no doctors around except her. She gets up and goes into the room to try and save the woman. Once she’s done, she completely collapses.

Owen and Teddy finally talk and don’t just avoid each other. Owen tells Teddy that he doesn’t want to keep punishing her. Teddy chooses this time to reveal that she wasn’t just friends with Allison. They were madly in love. She says this is the only secret she kept from Owen before Tom. She knows all of this is connected, but she’s not sure how it all fits together. She still loves Owen and their kids and their family. Owen starts laughing and thinks it’s clear that he never knew Teddy at all. Now they’re back to square one.

Richard fears for the future. He thinks this pandemic is going to hurt everyone in a way they can’t understand just yet. Suddenly, Richard and Bailey get a text about Meredith. Her stats have plummeted. Teddy thinks it’s time to put Meredith on a ventilator. Bailey chimes in to say that’s not what Meredith wanted. Richard adds Meredith didn’t want the vent unless it was the last measure.

Meredith’s lungs are a breaking point. It’s Richard’s call, and he doesn’t hesitate. He’s determined to save Meredith’s life. Meredith is back at the beach, and things have taken a turn for the worse.