WARNING: This recap contains spoilers for Grey's Anatomy Season 21, episode 12: "Ridin' Solo."
In its earliest seasons, Grey's Anatomy excelled at many things -- one of them being its split yet equal focus on each of its five main interns, whom fans have come to refer to as M.A.G.I.C. The show expertly focused on each individual at once while also allowing the group to form a close bond. This season has thus far begun a truly daunting task: Trying to make similar magic happen two decades later with a completely fresh cast of characters.
The latest Grey's Anatomy episode selects some of its first-year residents for imminent promising futures -- maybe -- while leaving others seemingly in the shadows. But that doesn't mean each individual was deprived their share of screen time. Simone, Jules, Lucas, Blue, and Ben are each battling their own personal baggage while simultaneously juggling their medical internships and the drama that accompanies them. And as to be expected, when some stars begin to rise, hints of jealousy and even desparation surface to counter them.
Simone, while riding on the high of her first successful solo surgery, doesn't miss the fact that her win was also Lucas's loss. Jules, still flailing from her recent mistake and terrified to make more, is left determined to sacrifice everything to be the best -- even if it means further obliterating her social life. Blue is showing great promise, especially in the way he coached Simone through her surgery. But the pending drama with Molly (and now her -- ex?) might be enough to distract him to the point of disaster.
And Ben? While he might be determined to revolutionize medicine and the world that doesn't seem to want it to thrive, doing so could cost him not just his future as a doctor (although he does have plenty of other career options at this point) but also his marriage. Both him and Bailey need to figure out how to navigate being co-workers of unequal power balance while also fairly supporting each other as a couple. And I say "need" because I haven't done the math, but if this is the longest-lasting relationship we've ever had on Grey's, I cannot allow it to dissolve. Absolutely not. I will make phone calls. I will send letters. Real ones, with stamps.
This is not the M.A.G.I.C. we knew, and it's not supposed to be. It's not "better" -- nostalgia prevents that from being the case -- but it is fresh, welcome, and hopefully sustainable. These interns have the potential to grow and thrive and stick around, and I hope they do. We've lost too many over the past few seasons. These are good ones, and we need good ones now more than ever.