Publish date: 2023-12-11

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Derek Cheated In D.C.

Tensions are high as this episode begins, because Derek is back and he’s explaining to Meredith why a woman answered his phone when she called. His story makes sense, but it sounds a little convenient — and Meredith is onto that.

His story is that he was on his way to the airport when he realized he left his phone in the lab. When he got to the airport he called the woman who was in the lab, and she told him about answering his phone. See? Convenient.

Meredith flat out tells him that it seems like he came home because he knew he was in trouble, but he tells her that’s not true. Derek claims he came home to work on their marriage because they are in trouble, but, again, convenient. So, it’s no surprise when Meredith leaves Derek at home and goes to work at the hospital.

Interestingly enough, when Alex asks Meredith if he told her who was on the phone, she changes the subject.

Once she leaves, we get a flashback to when Derek meets the resident, Renee, in question in Washington, D.C. Their first encounter is nothing special, she’s just another resident, but you can tell that there is tension there.

Owen’s Mom Has A Hot Boyfriend

Things take an even more interesting turn when Owen’s mom comes into the emergency room all beat up because she slipped and fell through a glass door in the shower. When Owen tells the young, handsome EMT that’s with her that he can go, he finds out something hilarious: it’s his moms boyfriend! I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that John, the boyfriend, is actually younger than Owen. Well done, Mama Hunt!

As soon as Owen realizes what’s going on, he snaps. He immediately accuses John of going after his mom’s money, and threatens to change all of her passwords, locks, and more. It causes a huge argument, and, finally, Dr. Webber cuts in and tells Owen it’s time to go for a walk.

Meanwhile, Jo is in the emergency room with a patient who is complaining of headaches that move around. Then, she tells Jo she has nose bleeds that start and then the blood just goes right back up into her nose. Say what? When it happens right in front of Jo, she realizes that it’s not headaches this patient is having — something is living inside her brain. Gross!

At this point we get another flashback of Derek and the resident he may or may not have cheated on Meredith with. It’s Derek and the resident, Renee, in a lab, and she’s telling him that she got into this field because she wants to cure Autism. When Derek pushes for more information, like what motivated her, she finally opens up and tells him it’s because of her sister. The tension is there again, and they are caught throwing glances at each other over a microscope. Everything about this feels wrong already.

Jo Finds A Leech Living In A Woman’s Face

Later, Alex runs into Callie and Dr. Pierce and they badger him about what Meredith has said to him. Has she heard from Derek? Who was on the phone? When Alex reveals that Derek came home last night, they both gasp in shock — and then they are devastated. Their logic is that if he came home, he came home to apologize. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

Amelia is working with Owen’s mom as she gets a scan done, and she seems really worked up. When she finally relaxes, it’s because she’s talking about John and how good he is to her. It’s really sweet, and it’s also nice to see Amelia bonding with Owen’s mom, even if she doesn’t know that they are dating. Are they even dating? Well, they’re doing something.

Jo finally gets a scope up her patient’s nose and when she does she finds a leech moving around her sinus cavities. It is extremely gross and I’m not ashamed to admit that I screamed when I saw it coming at the scope, okay?

In another flashback, Derek runs into his resident, Renee, in the break room of their lab. She’s frustrated and she broke a cup and caused a spill, so Derek asks her if she wants to talk about it. Of course, she does. Next thing we see is that Derek is sitting down and offering advice, telling her that she’s frustrated because she’s close to what she wants in her research. Suddenly, the tension between them returns, and this time Derek catches it just as quickly as I do. He tells her she needs to go get some sleep and quickly leaves.

Owen Breaks His Mothers Heart

It turns out that Owen’s mom has a head contusion, and he tells her she needs to stay under supervision for a little bit. Other than that, she’s going to be okay. He also brings her a bag full of peace offerings: underwear, socks, etc. It’s a sweet gesture, and then she finally tells him to ask. About her boyfriend, John, of course. He doesn’t ask, but she tells him anyway. It’s clear she’s happy, but he’s still resistant.

Then, he messes up really badly. He basically tells her that there is no reason a man his age would love a woman like her, and it’s the worst thing he could have said to her. Her feelings are so hurt she can’t even look at him, and she demands that he leave her alone. When he does, she begins to cry, and it’s heartbreaking to watch.

After his mom sends him away, Owen runs into Amelia who tells him how great his mom is and how, despite his resistance, that she seems really happy with her boyfriend. Owen quickly snaps at her, too, and sends her packing. He’s batting a thousand at this point.

We get another flashback at this point, and Derek calls Renee in the middle of the night — 1am to be exact — and asks her to come to the lab. He’s been obsessing over her research, and he figured something out that has helped it.

Unfortunately, when we get back to present time, it’s clear that Owen has gotten to his mom. When John returns with things from her home, she tells him he didn’t have to do all of that, and she tries to break things off. She tells him he doesn’t need to be with a frail old lady like herself, but before he can protest she starts screaming in pain. There’s something wrong inside of her abdomen, something they must have missed while examining her, and whatever it is it’s causing her extreme amounts of pain. Scary.

Later, Owen finds John in the waiting room and asks him why he’s there. John tells Owen he’s not going anywhere until he knows that Evelyn, Owens mom, is alright. He goes on about how he can’t face the idea of not knowing how she is, how she’s doing, and Owen is left speechless. Instead of arguing with him, he takes a seat next to him and waits.

Meredith Decides Whether Or Not To Forgive Derek

Shortly after, Meredith’s streak ends when a young man she pushed to operate on dies on the table. It’s an odd coincidence that comes at the same time as Derek’s return, and it makes you wonder what that means.

A flashback happens then, and apparently there was a breakthrough in Renee’s research. She’s freaking out and she tells Derek she could kiss him, then says she won’t, and then tension is so thick you could reach through the screen and cut it with a knife. When Derek tries to leave, Renee grabs his hand and convinces him to stay. Then, they kiss. A slow, sweet, passionate kiss in the lab.

Outside the hospital Alex finds Meredith freaking out over losing her patient. Instead of talking to her, Alex pulls her in for a hug — which she quickly puts an end to. She tells him she’s mad at him, but he says no, she’s mad at Derek. He’s right. When he hugs her this time, she reciprocates. He really is her person now.

Later, Dr. Webber comes into the waiting room and delivers good news to Owen and John: Evelyn is going to be okay. John tries to leave then, but Owen asks him to stay and brings him up to see his mom. At that moment, it’s clear he realizes that John is the real deal. John loves Evelyn, Evelyn loves John, and Owen’s just going to have to deal with it. So he does.

Jo is having trouble getting her patient to let her back into her nose, and she had to enlist the help of April. finally, the patient decides to let Jo back in, and the timing is perfect — the leech is right at the tip of her nose. Jo pulls it out and it’s huge, and gross, and horrific. It’s not surprising when she decides to keep it!

Meredith returns home to see Derek in the kitchen, and she’s instantly annoyed. Things do not look good for them, but he’s not ready to let her walk away just yet.

Suddenly, a flashback: Derek pushes Renee away and says that he loves his wife. He wants nothing more than he wants Meredith. He runs out of the lab and when the camera pans out, his keys and cell phone are on the table.

Then, Derek speaks from his heart.

“I thought DC was everything, and I was wrong. You. You, you’re everything. I love you, and I’m not gonna stop loving you. Meredith, I can’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you. And I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it,” he tells her.

“I can live without you,” Meredith tells him in return. “But I don’t want to. I don’t ever want to.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how this episode ends.

Tell us, HollywoodLifers — Are you happy Derek is back? Do you think he and Meredith will go back to normal now? Comment below with your thoughts!

— Lauren Cox
Follow @Iaurencox

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