Grey's Anatomy Round Table: Were Eliza's Assessments Completely Off The Mark?

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On Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 22, Alex and Stephanie teamed up on a controversial case, to save a young patient's life.

A sexually liberated, dying patient inspired the Girl Squad to live their lives and consider dating again. The sisters plotted to help Meredith move forward in her relationship with Nathan.

Join TV Fanatics Stacy Glanzman, Amanda Steinmetz, Tiffany Staton, and Jasmine Blu as they discuss "Leave It Inside." 

Rate the awesomeness of the Girl Squad on a scale of 1-10.

Stacy: 8, mostly because I still don't like April, but she's better in the group than solo. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them hanging out though, as long as Jo never joins in.

Amanda: 9. I prefer when everyone is getting along. I'm all for a group of strong women lifting each other up.

Tiffany: While I don't love Amelia or April, neither one of them were too annoying this episode, so I'll give it a 9. I was hoping they'd invite Holly to have a drink with them as well!

Jasmine: 9.  Haha! Same on all points, Stacy. I'm not a huge April fan, but she is better in groups and has her endearing moments. It would have been awesome if Holly joined them.

Squad Goals

Alex and Eliza finally had a run-in over Liam's case. What were your thoughts on their dispute and the case?

Stacy: This case was so frustrating to watch. I hate laws like this one. I believe in religious freedom, but not when it applies to children. If an adult wants to refuse life-saving treatment, that's one thing, but I don't think parents should be allowed to force that choice on a kid. 

I don't really understand why the seizure was "emergency enough" to do a CT scan without consent but not enough to go ahead with the surgery. They had to make up a second seizure. I don't get it.

Amanda: I agree with Stacy. This case was difficult and annoying to watch. The laws are in place for a reason, but when the parents' beliefs get in the way of the safety or overall well-being of the child, I don't agree. I believe Alex and Stephanie did the right thing on a moral level, but obviously, they did it risking their jobs.

Tiffany: This was one situation where Minnick could have actually been in the right, but she handled it so poorly (like always) that I can't even give her any credit. I definitely don't agree that they should have just sent the kid home, but unfortunately, parents have a constitutional right to raise their children however they want. 

I like that Alex found a way around it. That's who he is as a character and a doctor, and I respect that the show isn't trying to change that.Minnick had a right to reprimand him; however, the digs about his past, the way she spoke down to him and Stephanie, and then essentially told on them to Arizona, had me yelling at the TV.

Jasmine: Yeah, I understand why we have laws in place regarding religious freedom. Legally, Karev and Edwards were in the wrong. I just think it's bullcrap that parents can impose their religious beliefs on their children in instances like this.

The kid clearly didn't buy into his father's beliefs. Making a kid go to church with you is one thing, but opting them out of life-saving surgery is a whole different ballpark. Like Stephanie said, Liam's father wasn't her patient. Liam was.

Eliza wasn't entirely wrong, but I loathed the way she handled it all, and I, too, was pissed when she spoke to Alex and Stephanie the way that she did. It was unprofessional and rude, plus, she still comes off selective with when she wants to choose the right thing to do.

Do you agree with Eliza's assessment of Ben and Stephanie?

Stacy: Definitely not with Ben. It feels like they just made that up. Webber testing Ben was the first we've seen of him "playing it safe," and it came out of nowhere. The Stephanie assessment I understand a little bit more, but it also felt like it came out of nowhere considering how long Eliza has been there "assessing."

Counseling probably can't hurt, and throwing the tablet is serious enough to justify a leave of absence.

Amanda: I think Ben has played it a little safely, but I think Stephanie's situation is more urgent. She has been slowly unraveling, and I think she has issues she needs to sort through.

Tiffany: Definitely not. I think we all know Ben doesn't play it safe. Whether that will be an issue for him in the future remains to be seen, but it's definitely not something we saw before this episode, and I hope they didn't bring it up to make it look like Minnick knows what she's talking about because I'm not buying it. 

The theory about Stephanie came out of nowhere, too. Wilmer has been gone for a while now, and they were barely together when he passed. Was it sad for Stephanie? Sure, but I think she'd be way more traumatized about losing the kid a few weeks ago.

Jasmine: No on both counts.  Both assessments were ludicrous and were more applicable to Jo more than anyone. In all this time that Eliza has been there, why is this the first we've heard of either? It felt like they pulled both out of thin air. Prior to this episode, we haven't once seen Ben struggling or playing it safe.

He's been having to overcompensate for bickering mentors all season. I thought the Stephanie one was a stretch, too. Like Tiffany said, her boyfriend died how long ago? If anything, this case got to her because of what happened with the last kid she and Minnick worked on.

I love how Minnick never brought that up, but that would mean she'd have to admit that she didn't require Stephanie to see someone when she was clearly distraught then.

How cute were Amelia and Maggie psychoanalyzing Meredith and doing whatever it took to make sure Meredith kept her date with Riggs?

Stacy: I loved that! It was great to see the sisters supporting Meredith's effort to move on. I loved that they brought up the last guy she attempted it with, and her reasoning for needing to take down the tumor.

Amanda: The three of them made me happy. Maggie is over the whole Meredith-Riggs "betrayal," so now she can focus on being supportive.

Tiffany: While I hate Mer and Riggs together, I will agree that Maggie and Amelia supporting their sister was very sweet.

Jasmine: I had totally forgotten about the last guy, so I loved that too, Stacy. I love the sister moments. They're my favorite moments, and I never get enough of them.

Who was the MVP of the episode?

Stacy: Alex! Ben may be supposedly "playing it safe" after getting himself in trouble, but Alex definitely isn't. He is not changing who he is or what he believes regardless of the legal hell he just went through.

He's still standing up for his patients and doing what's right as a doctor, proving once again why he is my favorite character. I'm so glad he's back after basically being MIA for a few weeks.

Amanda: I'm going with Stephanie. Even though she crossed the line with Liam's father, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. She said exactly what I was thinking.

Tiffany: Alex! Champion of sick kids everywhere! I love that he's not afraid to bend the rules (and face the consequences) when he knows it's the right thing to do.

Jasmine: Both Stephanie and Alex were pretty badass, and I was team them all the way. However, I'm going to go with Holly. She inspired the girl squad. She was so outspoken and blunt about her tumor and sex. I loved her. She stole the episode.

What was your favorite quote and/or scene?

Stacy: Stephanie going off on Liam's father. She shouldn't have lost her temper and definitely shouldn't have thrown the tablet, but it had to have felt great! I was cheering her on when she was calling him weak and stupid. That dad was a total ass.

Amanda: I have to agree with Stacy. Stephanie may have handled the situation poorly, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't applaud from my couch.

Tiffany: No favorite quote or scene, but I really liked Holly; her upbeat personality despite her prognosis, how she let Maggie operate even though she knew it was pointless, and the blunt way she spoke about sex and her conquests.

Jasmine: Yeah, I have to agree with Stacy and Amanda. Stephanie pretty much said everything I was thinking, and I was rooting her on throughout her entire outburst.

Do you agree with our Grey's Anatomy Round Table? Join the discussion and let us know what you think in the comments below. The season is nearly coming to an end. If you need to catch up, you can watch Grey's Anatomy online here via TV Fanatic.

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.

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Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 22 Quotes

Meredith: Hey, it's me, do you want a giant tumor?
Amelia: Why would I want that?
Meredith: It's the one from my wall that Derek drew. I thought you might like it. It's in the hall.
Amelia: Is she cleaning?
Maggie: At 3:30?

Our skulls cushion our brains. Our ribcage guards our hearts. the body is built to protect our most vulnerable parts. At least, that's how it's supposed to work.

Meredith