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Grey’s Anatomy season 16 premiere review: A proposal, a pregnancy, and a farewell

By Meg Dowell

GREY'S ANATOMY - "Nothing Left to Cling To" - Meredith, Richard and Alex must deal with the consequences after Bailey fires them from Grey Sloan for insurance fraud. After disappearing in the fog, Jackson helps a man in a dangerous situation, as his relationship with Maggie comes to a new crossroad. Meanwhile, Tom gets new responsibilities at the hospital that throw the doctors for a loop on the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 (8:00-9:01 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)JUSTIN CHAMBERS, JAMES PICKENS JR.
GREY'S ANATOMY - "Nothing Left to Cling To" - Meredith, Richard and Alex must deal with the consequences after Bailey fires them from Grey Sloan for insurance fraud. After disappearing in the fog, Jackson helps a man in a dangerous situation, as his relationship with Maggie comes to a new crossroad. Meanwhile, Tom gets new responsibilities at the hospital that throw the doctors for a loop on the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 (8:00-9:01 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)JUSTIN CHAMBERS, JAMES PICKENS JR. /
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Season 16 of Grey’s Anatomy is off to a wild start. The unexpected twists and room for cautious optimism leave us hopeful for one of the show’s strongest seasons in years.

This post contains SPOILERS for Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Episode 1 — you have been warned!

When a show runs for as long as Grey’s Anatomy has, there are bound to be weak points along the way. Many fans haven’t been overly impressed with the past few seasons, especially when it comes to certain love triangles and frustrating character exists.

If the season 16 premiere is any indication, however, this year is shaping up to one of the best Grey’s has seen in quite a long time.

Clearly, the show is already relying heavily on its roots to thread various characters’ storylines together. Medical mysteries used to be a huge driving force behind each episode, and Amelia’s “aha” moment in the middle of a restaurant takes you straight back to 2005 — in a good way.

Now that we have Amelia on our minds, let’s address the elephant in the room — or should we say, the baby in the womb.

In one of the most awkward moments of the night, Amelia assumes Karina is flirting (now that we think about it, these two could totally work together) when she’s really asking if she’s aware that she is pregnant.

Amelia! Pregnant!

We don’t know for sure who the father is! And this is going to be terrifying for her, and our hearts are going to hurt and break and explode with joy! But still, we did not see that coming.

The episode “Private Practice,” where Amelia gives birth to her baby — knowing he isn’t going to survive — is absolutely heartbreaking. She’s likely going to have to deal with that trauma all over again if she carries this pregnancy to term.

Speaking of trauma, let’s all take a moment to give Jo a big hug. Though we often think of trauma as the result of something “big” like a near-death experience, Jo’s depression began to surface after meeting her biological mother.

My biggest fear was that they were going to skip over her treatment in a time jump, but nope. They landed us right in the middle of it. Heartbreaking, yes. But now they’re getting married for real! Totally saw that proposal coming, but it was worth the wait.

And now — because we can’t not talk about it — let’s discuss Jackson. Not his breakup with Maggie, because we probably all figured that was coming, but his extremely unexpected and infuriating “rebound” with Victoria Hughes, who we last saw on Station 19’s most soul-destroying season finale yet. Still. Not. Over it.

Both Jackson and Hughes are hurting. Humans seek companionship when they’re hurting. But bringing these two together is … it’s just weird, right? Right??

I’d rather tolerate him and Maggie together for another two seasons than watch this relationship advance any further, honestly.

There is a perfect balance between the highs and lows of different relationships so far this season — and that means there are going to be just the right amount of emotional ups and downs to keep viewers tuning in. Plus, drama is always the perfect opportunity for character development, if done correctly. I’m talking to you, Maggie and Owen.

The end of “Jaggie” leaves plenty of room for Maggie to do some growing — if it lasts. Please let it last.

Teddy and Owen are going to face many of the trials all new parents do in the episodes to come, but here’s to hoping this will only make them stronger.

There is now also a pretty interesting conflict between Bailey and Catherine — both strong, powerful and independent women on opposite sides of an ethical disaster and deeply hurt in their own respective ways. It will be interesting to see the kind of drama this stirs up at Grey Sloan Memorial.

And Tom… Tom deserves happiness. Fingers crossed he finds some.

Looming over all our heads, of course, is the question of how severe Meredith’s punishment is going to be. She’s definitely not off the hook for committing insurance fraud, and this is going to really test her relationship with DeLuca.

Is it finally time that a doctor at this hospital faces realistic consequences for being in the wrong? As much as we love Meredith… yes. It absolutely is.

This season is off to an impressive start. Where do we go from here? Who knows, at this point. We’re just along for the bumpy ride.

Next. Ellen Pompeo shares an emotional Grey’s Anatomy fan story, proving how inspiring the show can be. dark

Which Grey’s Anatomy romances do you hope survives Season 16? Do you think Maggie and Jackson will stay broken up? Would you keep watching even if they didn’t? Share your joys and frustrations in the comments below.

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