Grey’s Anatomy season 16: 5 best moments from Back in the Saddle

Babies, boot camps, and an accidental shocker make up this episode of Grey’s Anatomy (season 16, episode 2).

Grey’s Anatomy is chugging right along as it airs the second episode of the sixteenth season. I’m not sure what it is, but there is something different about this season. Perhaps it’s the fact that Meredith, Richard, and Alex are no longer working at Grey-Sloan, or that Amelia is looking ahead to the future. It’s just different but in the best way possible.

“Back in the Saddle” focuses a lot on the characters trying to look forward while doing their job. Unfortunately, there’s always something standing in the way to make it rather difficult to do so. During the episode, Meredith begins putting her idle medical skills to use by diagnosing people on her volunteer crew. Along the way, she discovers that her supervisor has thyroid cancer (with the help of Schmitt and Jackson, of course).

Amelia finally tells Link that she’s expecting their baby–and she plans to keep it. It’s a beautiful and emotional moment between the two as they decide to do this together. I have to say, Grey’s Anatomy has really changed my perspective on Link. I wasn’t crazy about him when he started, but he’s definitely grown on me since.

Apart from Link/Amelia and Meredith, a lot went down in this episode of Grey’s Anatomy so let’s discuss the 5 best moments from it!

1. Bailey’s boot camp

Yes, you read that right. Ever since the O.G. trio left Grey Sloan, Bailey has been in a frenzy. There’s something off about her, and it’s starting to affect her work. It doesn’t help that Koracick is now her new boss–ugh yes, it’s true. The happiness she once felt roaming the halls of the hospital has seemed to dissipate so she’s dead set on bringing that back.

With Karev and Meredith gone, Bailey feels its time she groom the new generation’s talented surgeons. Just as she did once before with them. This prompts her to start a lab where she has everyone come into practice a complicated surgical procedure. Whoever can do it correctly, will get to perform the real surgery.

After Helm wins the “contest”, things take a dramatic turn in the OR when the surgery goes sideways and Bailey forces Helm to figure things out. I mean, there is a reason why Meredith Grey is who she is. It was great to see the old fierce Bailey return in this episode, and remember how she inspired her students to grow into the best.

2. The shocker we didn’t see coming

Well, this isn’t exactly the typical Grey’s Anatomy shocker. In fact, it’s not a shocker at all, in the narrative sense. Ever since Teddy decided to ditch Koracick and be with Owen, it’s been a point of friction between Koracick and Owen.

Owen may be trying to resume a normal life, but Koracick is pissed and heartbroken. And we can’t really blame him. I mean not completely anyway.

During “Back in the Saddle”, Owen and Maggie begin treating a patient and Koracick walks in asking why they haven’t given up yet, considering the patient hasn’t been jolted back to life. Unfortunately, Koracick gets a little bit too close to Owen, who is holding the paddles, and ends up getting shocked down there.

I mean, Koracick knows better than to get that close! But it’s quite the humorous and shocking (ha!) moment which results in Koracick getting a restraining order against Owen. Not sure how that will hold up when they both work together.

3. Meredith the medical Good Samaritan

Meredith doesn’t have much going on when it comes to her professional career, and the desire to use her ridiculously amazing skills is getting to her. She begins diagnosing people on her crew and referring them to Karev and Webber at Pac-North (who ended up with an overcrowded ER as a result).

Her supervisor isn’t thrilled that she’s using her hours to do this until Meredith finds a lump on her supervisor’s throat. With the help of Schmitt and Jackson, they discover she has thyroid cancer. See, this is why we need Meredith back in Grey Sloan. Grey’s Anatomy can’t function without her!

4. Jo makes a deal

Jo went through quite an emotional rollercoaster with the big reveal about her birth parents last season. But I’m happy to report, she’s back in good spirits and things are on the up and up. So much so, in fact, that she’s back at work, and has two solid offers to work with. She can either go to Pac-North and become a General Surgery Attending or take up Bailey’s deal which eventually amounts to the same plus a bit more.

I have to say, our girl is all grown up–and we are so proud!

5. Amelia and Link are having a baby!

Last but certainly not least, Grey’s Anatomy gives us a beautiful, tender storyline for Link and Amelia, the couple we didn’t really see coming. After all the trauma and bad relationships Amelia has been through, this one feels right.

Which is why it’s nice to see her tell Link that she’s pregnant, despite her fears and concerns of the reaction. Initially, she doesn’t give Link much time to process the big reveal, but when they finally sit down to talk, it gives us one hell of a moment.

If you watched Private Practice, then you know all about Amelia’s whirlwind journey on it, which resulted in her having a baby born with anencephaly (a portion of the brain is missing at birth). Unfortunately, that was her one and only experience with pregnancy. Her nerves and anxiety about this one are justified, so she’s essentially made up her mind on what to do next.

But then, our superhero Link comes along and catches her by surprise. After he hears about her past, he’s nothing but supportive and promises to be by her side, no matter what she decides. How cute and sweet is he?!

Looks like Grey’s Anatomy has another baby on the way!

Grey’s Anatomy airs new episodes every Thursday on ABC at 8:00 PM EST!