'Grey's Anatomy' finally gives us some joy with major reunions

It’s been a long road of pain and suffering, but Grey’s Anatomy (Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV) finally gave viewers some reprieve this week and delivered multiple (multiple!) joyful moments. And no one died! Well, no one died that wasn’t already dead.

We got not one, but two beach reunions. We got Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) looking like she may finally be leaving her MerDer fantasy behind and choosing life. We got a text chain from Cristina (Sandra Oh), an engagement, and a dancing Richard (James Perkins Jr). Is it our birthday? It feels like our birthday.

First, we have to start with the sand that isn’t really there. After last week’s promo, fans proved the power of Twitter and finally got their wish for the Grey sisters to be reunited. Not only did we get to see the return of our beloved Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), but on Meredith’s beach, Lexi is spending eternity with Mark (Eric Dane). Both of them are aging really, really well in the afterlife.

Lexie and Mark reconnecting with Meredith brought us the same joy as pumping our legs on a swing set, spinning on a merry-go-round and laying in a field of flowers. The afterlife has made them even wiser than before, with Lexie and Mark teaching Meredith about the importance of embracing change and appreciating the small moments in life, like face-planting in a cake.

The pair also reminded Meredith that the reason her life has been filled with pain is because it’s also been filled with love.

“The depth of grief you felt with all of the losses is because of the depth of love,” said Lexie. “As long as you’re alive, you get to feel it and you get to do something about it.”

Meredith still doesn’t know the rules of the beach and isn’t sure whether she will go back to the real world, but she does know that she has missed her sister and friend.

“That’s kind of a waste of time too, because we never left you,” added Lexie. Should we just rename "commercial breaks" for what they really are and call them "sob breaks"? Sounds like a plan.

Back at the hospital, things are less seashells and linen shirts and more COVID and ventilator shortages.

Meredith’s stats are improving, and we even got a bonus Cristina moment with a text exchange between our favourite Swiss-based surgeon and Owen (Kevin McKidd). Could this be a sign that we may finally (finally!) get a Sandra Oh reunion on Grey’s Anatomy? Is it our birthday AND every holiday at once?

Owen is finally able to take Meredith off the ventilator, a move that earns a Richard-led dance party. Owen even makes sure to credit Teddy (Kim Raver) with Meredith’s improved state, which at first feels very big of him, but really, it’s just a basic human decency thing. The bar is so low.

Maggie (Kelly McCreary), along with the help of Winston (Anthony Hill), Jackson (Jessie Williams) and Schmidt (Jake Borelli), are treating a mother and daughter who both have COVID and both need a vent. Oh no, don’t take our joy, Grey's.

There’s only one machine left, but Winston’s romantic gesture of sharing his earbuds with Maggie inspires her to use a splitter and make it possible for the mother and daughter to share a ventilator. And no one died! Joy!

Maggie is relieved that she made it through an entire shift without having to call time of death but feels herself slipping back into a depression when faced with the reality that Winston has to return to his job in Boston.

Or does he? Before he leaves, Winston offers to share his earbuds with Maggie again, but inside his case is a beautiful diamond ring. Somebody skipped their medical school loan repayment this month. And last month. Maggie said yes, Winston remains the cutest, our joy is intact.

The final possible joy-sucker of the episode arrived in the form of Dr. Hayes’ (Richard Flood) sister-in-law, who moved in with Hayes and his sons at the start of the pandemic to help take care of the boys. She’s become a mother figure to her nephew since the death of her sister and Hayes’ wife, so when a routine kidney stone operation becomes much more complex, Hayes begins to spiral.

Jo (Camilla Luddington) manages to calm him down and help Catherine (Debbie Allen) perform an advanced surgery to save both kidneys. Plus, we got confirmation that Hayes does have a crush on Meredith. Joyjoyjoyjoy.

What is this weird thing we’re feeling? Is it too much joy? Nope, we just haven’t felt any in the Grey’s Anatomy world in so long. We like it here.

Watch new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CTV and catch up here.

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[video_embed id='2171180']BEFORE YOU GO: Why we can’t wait for the new Erin Brockovich show ‘Rebel’ [/video_embed]