Grey’s Anatomy Recap: ‘Labor’ Pains

Although we were all well aware that Derek’s “killer,” Penny, would be starting work at Grey Sloan in this week’s Grey’s Anatomy, what no one knew until bam, there he was, was that the hour would also mark the debut of the series’ new leading man, Martin Henderson. What kind of first impression did he make? Read on, then we’ll discuss…

AT YOUR SERVICE | As “The Me Nobody Knows” began, no one — except possibly Amelia — was less thrilled about Penny’s new workplace than Mer. Yet, when Bailey assigned the transfer resident to the service of the general surgery chief, Grey agreed to it (albeit through gritted teeth). And both Penny and Mer seemed to regret it immediately. Even as the two consulted on the case of a pastor who fell down two flights of stairs after accidentally sending his sex tape to his congregation, Mer wouldn’t so much as crack a smile when Penny made a joke. (Too soon.) For that matter, neither would Stephanie or Amelia, who found it so difficult to contain her hostility toward Penny that she lashed out at Mer instead. How could Derek’s wife have Penny on her service? Amelia wanted to know. “I am trying to rise above,” Mer replied.

Related Stories

Johnny Wactor, General Hospital Actor, Dead at 37

Susan Lucci Says The Golden Bachelorette Approached Her to Star, But ‘It Wasn’t for Me’

Unfortunately, doing so was easier said than done — especially when Penny seemed to stumble. (Understandable under the circumstances?) Making matters even worse was Richard’s revelation to Mer that he knew about Penny’s involvement in Derek’s demise. She was an excellent candidate for the program, he argued, adding, “You were the only reason not to hire her.” (Not cool, Richard.) When Penny put the pastor at risk for renal failure, Mer finally snapped, barking, “You froze in the OR, you screwed up his post-op care… Is there any part of this job that you can handle?!?” and kicked the newbie out of his room and off her service.

Afterward, Mer was bitching to Amelia about Penny in the ladies’ room, unaware that Callie was in a stall. You weren’t teaching Blake, Torres said to Grey. “You were being a bully.” Smarting, Mer went to the chapel to talk to Derek. (And right on cue, Alex showed up to offer his support.) At the hour’s end, Richard told Mer that he hadn’t wanted Penny at Grey Sloan any more than she did. But then, he hadn’t wanted Mer at the hospital originally, either, and look how well that had turned out. In response, she acknowledged that Derek probably would have liked Penny. As for Callie, she decided that she was still in her romance with Penny if Penny was. And their kiss suggested that indeed, Penny was. Mid-smooch, Mer paged Penny to say that she wanted her on her service for the rest of the week. #progress

THE NEW GUY | Via Nathan Riggs (Henderson), a cardiothoracic surgeon with whom she became acquainted during her last overseas tour, April brought to Grey Sloan Kamal, a kid from Jordan with an adorable accent and horrific tumors on his hands. The plan was for Jackson to operate, but the boy’s condition was far worse than his estranged wife had let on. Why did she lie about Kamal’s scans being lost? “If you had seen the scans, you might have said no,” she admitted. When Jackson did try to say no, Nathan pointedly thanked him “for taking the time,” and Avery, shamed, hung in there. Alas, since the tumors were pre-cancerous, amputation was the kid’s best bet of even surviving. Unhappy with that diagnosis, April got into it a bit with Jackson, prompting Nathan to remind them that, “This isn’t about you two!” Later, Arizona accused April of using Kamal as a “something” to reunite her with Jackson, and Owen — who apparently shares a very unpleasant past with Nathan — ordered Riggs to get the hell out of Grey Sloan asap. Before he could, though, he revealed to Jackson why abroad April was called “the machine” — because she never slowed down and made everyone want to work harder. Off that, Jackson recruited Callie in hopes of saving Kamal’s hands. And miraculously, they pulled it off! As the episode came to a close, Jackson thanked April for bringing Kamal to him, and they actually embraced. She was just about to ask if he wanted to go out when Nathan interrupted. (His first demerit?)

POP MUSING | Meanwhile, Richard’s old pal, Paul, passed through after a fender bender with his daughter and got diagnosed with diabetes. Off an awkward moment during which Richard didn’t admit to Paul that Maggie was his offspring, she insisted to Webber, “You don’t owe me anything.” Trouble was, he wanted to have a relationship with her. And beneath the hurt, she seemed to want to have a relationship with him, too. But how? Step No. 1: Richard confessed to Paul that he’d cheated on Adele — and that he had a daughter. And “I am very proud to know her,” he added, bringing a smile to Maggie’s face.

Okay, your turn! What did you think of Nathan? Hit the comments!