Grey’s Anatomy season 16 episode 19 review: A fever dream with a heartbreaking payoff

Last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy felt disjointed and hard to follow. Its ending twist revealed this was absolutely intentional.

Five minutes into the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, the fandom couldn’t keep its head on straight. Catherine in Richard’s hotel room — apologizing? The two of them making up as if nothing had ever happened?

The scenes that followed truly felt like one big hallucination. Maggie immediately fell into bed (and in love?) with someone she hadn’t seen in years. Teddy’s unexpected backstory felt like an emotional roller coaster. Hayes’ memories of his wife broke a million hearts all at once.

Did you see it coming — the big twist near the end? It wasn’t until that moment that everything made sense. Everyone else plunging deep into their memories while Richard’s connection with reality deteriorated right before our eyes … and we didn’t even notice until it was too late.

Grey’s has had its fair share of jaw-dropping plot twists in the past 15 years — Addison’s shocking introduction being one of the most memorable.

But the reveal that Catherine was never actually in Richard’s hotel room launched one of the most heartbreaking sequences this show has given us in a very long time.

From the moment we figured out Catherine was a hallucination, things went immediately downhill. Word salad. Richard not remembering who Maggie is. Everyone collectively realizing the grand patriarch of this whole operation might not have much time left.

We’re not sure what’s causing Richard’s deterioration yet — current theories range from cancer to Parkinson’s to issues associated with long-term alcohol abuse.

We might find out in the next episode, but it’s also possible we won’t. Medical mysteries and cases involving main and recurring cast members tend to span over multiple-episode arcs, and Richard is one of the few OG characters left. How long this will go on — and if he’ll survive it — is among the many things we still don’t know.

Grey’s didn’t plan for this storyline to hit its stride just after a production shutdown, and it’s possible we won’t get all the answers we’re hoping for before the upcoming hiatus. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed, though, that this character that means so much to so many will come out of this OK.

And if not, a proper ending to his legacy is surely in order. That’s the hope, anyway, isn’t it?

Next week will feature the kind of medical drama fans keep coming back for, making this whirlwind of an episode worth every feverish minute.

What’s your prediction about what’s going on with Richard? Did you see the big twist coming?