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Grey’s Anatomy: Richard, please talk to your wife

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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Richard Webber doesn’t have a spotless record when it comes to romance, but Grey’s Anatomy fans have a big problem with his recent behavior.

So far, the 16th season of Grey’s Anatomy has really leaned into the relationship drama.

When it comes to romance, the show has always included these elements as a central part of its overarching story. But now love is being tested left and right, and it seems every single character is caught up in some sort of lovesick mess.

Even Amelia and Link, who deserved to have a calm, drama-free union, are now being set up for a tragic breakup fans didn’t want to believe could be a true possibility.

Jackson and Maggie are over (or so we think). Tom and Teddy definitely had a moment in the recent midseason finale (even though she’s supposed to be with Owen because, you know, tiny humans). But the most frustrating relationship of them all is whatever you want to call the passive aggressive spat between Richard and Catherine.

These two have been married for a while, and have been through a lot together. Most recently, Richard took on a particularly difficult role as he supported Catherine through her cancer treatment and recovery — an event she statistically should not have survived.

You would think this would have made their friendship and romance stronger, as so many difficult hardships do. And maybe it did … for a while.

But then Richard’s support of Meredith at the start of her insurance fraud debacle got him fired, and his transfer to Pacific North West Hospital — which Catherine’s foundation is not affiliated with — left him with an angry wife and a guaranteed banishment to the living room couch.

That’s not where the drama ends, though. Because who does he resume contact with while working at Pac North? Gemma — someone he has known for years through Alcoholics Anonymous, and someone he recently treated at Grey Sloan after a relapse led to a dangerous injury.

It has been made clear that Richard has deliberately kept things strictly platonic between the two of them. But apparently Gemma defines their relationship a little differently. Even after he has repeatedly told her to back off, she just keeps on flirting.

Now Catherine is on to them — if there was actually anything to be “on to” at all. But instead of talking to him about it, she pours her heart out to Jackson before leaving town “on business” again.

You know what could possibly solve all these issues before they become real, explosive problems? Communication. Something, admittedly, Richard has never been the best at. This is not his first marriage, and he also just so happens to have a daughter with someone he was never married to. He’s made plenty of mistakes in the past. Even Catherine is aware of at least some of this.

And it almost makes sense that Catherine uses traveling for the foundation as an excuse to escape Seattle and her brewing marital troubles. But the right thing to do would be for Richard to pursue her.

Call her! Text her! Follow her if you have to! As far as we know, Catherine isn’t doing anything wrong, and neither is Richard. It would hurt absolutely no one if he at least made more of an effort to communicate with her. So what if she doesn’t “want” to talk about it? Sooner or later, these two are going to have to talk things out.

Was it a bad move that he didn’t invite her to his niece’s funeral? Yes and no — things were already rocky enough with his immediate family, and her presence may have made things worse. But from his conversation with Alex, it doesn’t even seem like he talked with her about it and just went by himself without discussing it with anyone first.

Fine, this is Grey’s Anatomy, talking things out before stretching out the drama for as long as possible wouldn’t make for an “interesting” storyline. But these to really need to get their act together and talk. That’s really all we need in this next half of Season 16. That, and confirmation that Amelia is NOT pregnant with Owen’s baby.

Please don’t do that to us? After all this time? Please tell us it’s just a cruel joke. Please.

Next. Grey’s Anatomy: 15 couples ranked on their relationship functionality. dark

Will Richard and Catherine survive Grey’s Anatomy season 16? What will it take to get Gemma to finally go away forever? Share your predictions (and frustrations) with us while you wait for new episodes starting in January.

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