For Grey’s Anatomy fans, the last 18 seasons of the show have been a whirlwind. From success to tragedy, the show has portrayed it all.  

As the release date of season 19 approaches, many avid fans need a refresher of what happened in season 18. The eight-episode season portrayed an endemic world of what life will be like in hospitals and society after the pandemic ends.  

In the first episode of the season, Meredith ventures out of Seattle for the first time since her terrifying COVID diagnosis and travels to Minnesota to see a medical library that has been dedicated to Ellis Grey, her late mother. While Meredith is away, she works with Dr. Hamilton, a former peer of her mothers, on potential Parkinson’s disease studies. Dr. Hamilton is ill with Parkinson’s himself. In addition to these events, Meredith runs into an old patient, Nick Marsh. In season 14 of the show, Meredith treats Nick for kidney transplant complications. While in the hospital, Nick had an amazing connection with Meredith. The reunion between the two was a shock to most fans, considering Nick had only been in one episode of the show. But the spark that they had in that single episode was enough for writers to bring Nick back to the show as a potential love interest for Meredith. While Meredith is keeping busy in Minnesota, Seattle is also a happening place. Jo is adjusting to life as a single parent with her new daughter, Luna, with the help of Levi and Link. In addition to having a daughter, Jo has just become an OB/GYN resident at Grey Sloan. She was not happy with general surgery anymore, so she made a career switch and is nothing but thrilled to work with mothers and their new babies daily. Link is adjusting to life after Amelia rejected him during his proposal. Amelia does not want to be married, while Link wants to expand his family and marry Amelia, so their relationship has been thrown a curveball. Maggie and Winston are on their well-deserved honeymoon after tying the knot. Speaking of which, at the end of the first episode of season 18, after years of ups, downs, crushing on each other, and several children, Teddy and Owen finally get married at Joe’s, the bar across the street from the hospital. 

Moving into the next aired episodes, Meredith struggles over a decision. Dr. Hamilton offered Meredith and Amelia a spot in the Parkison’s trial he was working on, which would find a drug that could potentially help Parkinson’s patients. Meredith worries about agreeing to the project because it is taking place in Minnesota, while her entire life is in Seattle. After weighing the pros and cons, Meredith and Amelia collectively decide to split their time between Seattle and Minnesota so they can participate as doctors in the trial, while still being able to see their families and have their jobs at Grey Sloan.  

Back in Seattle, Richard has a new class of interns that he is working with on new projects, and he is back as head of the residency program. The interns get a visit from a former star of the show and fan favorite, Addison Montgomery. Addison, who is an OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon, is working on a groundbreaking uterus transplant alongside resident, Levi at Grey Sloan.  

Megan, Owens’s sister, and Cormac Hayes have been flirting on and off through the episodes and have expressed interest in one another. Megan’s son, Farouk, ends up becoming sick with heart disease and Cormac ends up being his surgeon. This brings him and Megan closer together.  

Maggie finally returns from her honeymoon hiatus. She and Winston are happier than ever in their new marriage.  

Teddy and Owen are also happy in their marriage and are not fighting at all. Surprising, right? They are working together on a patient who happens to be a veteran, just like Teddy and Owen.  

Jo and Link are continuing to spend loads of time together. Link loves Amelia, Jo loves Link, and Amelia has found a new love interest while spending time in Minnesota, but nobody in the massive love triangle is aware of any of the intense feelings. Amelias new interest, Kai Bartley, has been working with her on the Parkinson’s trial in Minnesota.  

Entering the final episode, things are getting heated, complex, and dramatic in every which way.  

Starting with our Minnesota crew, Meredith and Amelia continue to work on the Parkinson’s trial and find love while doing so. Meredith and Nick continue to grow closer along with Amelia and Kai.  

In Seattle, Link continues to think about his love for Amelia and concludes that he wants to be with her again. He makes the rash decision to go to Minnesota and confess his love for Amelia, but when he sees her, he sees her kissing, Kai. This shatters Links’ heart. Teddy and Owen help Megan through her struggles with her son, Farouk’s, health issues. Her son’s doctor, Cormac, makes the decision to give Farouk a heart transplant. Teddy, Owen, and Cormac all travel together in a car to get the heart. But while driving, their chauffeur suffers a medical episode. Cormac and Owen end up getting stuck in the car, while Teddy can get out to find help. Cormac ends up getting out shortly after, but Owen still is stuck. The episode ends with the car falling off the side of the cliff with Owen still in it.  

And with that, season 18 of the show has reached an end. On Feb. 24, Grey’s fans will return to saying “on Thursdays we watch Grey’s” when the show returns to ABC.  
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