As Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 12 opens, Meredith and Amelia are gearing up for their presentation in hopes of securing the Blaisdell Grant to help fund their Alzheimer’s research. They’ve outlined a great presentation and meet with the Blaisdell Grant board to present, but there is only one problem… someone else has presented the same research and they’re several steps ahead, it seems.
The pair storm off in search of the mystery party that presented the competing research. Lo and behold, it’s Tom Koracick who has presented the research. Turns out that Tom and his protege, Tommy, used the abstract that Meredith posted as a jumping off point to explore his own research. He used the abstract to begin research that led to testing antibiotics in mice that have led to decreased Alzheimer’s markers.
Confused and frustrated, Meredith asks Koracick why he even needs the Blaisdell Grant money given he’s got the backing of the Fox Foundation. Turns out his driving force isn’t to cure Alzheimer’s, but more for the glory that could come with getting the grant and finding a cure such as acclaim and book deals.
After her chat with Koracick, Meredith is understandably upset, not about Tom stealing the research but that he’s made so much progress and that it’s just a game to him. She confides in Nick that what doesn’t sit well with her is that Koracick isn’t invested and has no personal connection to the research in the same way she does in having watched someone she loved stripped away from Alzheimer’s. Nick points out to her that perhaps that’s the key: lean into that passion to set her proposal apart from Koracick’s.
Amelia and Meredith continue their presentation by showing their passion and putting faces to their research. Koracick tries to derail their plan with quick interjections left and right. Nick then attempts to ask about the patients in Amelia and Meredith’s trial which is when Koracick points out that he too can toss out names as he rambles off a list of male musicians whom he’s named his mice after.
Meredith notices that he’s only listed off male names and asks if he’s only testing on male mice. He bluntly says that the use of female mice is problematic, to which she quips back that he’s not studying female mice because their reproductive systems mess with his results. Meredith points out that it’s no wonder there has yet to be a cure for Alzheimer’s when sexist thinking such as that has been the norm with none of the men in the room even seeming interested in those most likely to be impacted by the disease: women.
Despite Meredith’s best efforts, Koracick wins the grant, but she’s not about to give up on her trial. Her plan is to take Koracick’s approach and test on female mice and she’ll fund the project with her own money, but she won’t be alone as Owen offers to invest in it as well making it clear he’s all in with Meredith.
Elsewhere in the episode…
Jo and Link: As the episode opens, Jo and Link begin talking about their wedding and we quickly see the pair have varying desires. While Link wants a big wedding, Jo wants something small after already doing the whole big wedding thing and it didn’t exactly work out before. After going through the day, Link realizes it’s not about a big wedding; it’s about getting married to her. Much to his surprise, she’s changed her mind and wants the big wedding with him.
Teddy and Owen: After both admitting their near brushes with other women, Teddy and Owen head back to therapy and it doesn’t go well. It seems the therapist suggested trying an open marriage. Teddy is open to the idea, but Owen does not want to entertain at all. Teddy makes it clear she doesn’t want to lose him, but a change needs to be made if they have a chance at making it through this rough patch. Following a tense day, the pair decide to give an open marriage a try with regular check-ins and boundaries in place with their marriage remaining their primary focus.
The Interns: Simone lands her first solo after trusting her gut and listening to the patient’s symptoms when all signs pointed to simply being signs of menopause. With reassuring words from Blue, who assists, Simone pulls off a successful first solo surgery – the first of our new group of interns. With a push from Monica, Jules decides to focus in and asks Ndugu to be her mentor. As for Blue, he gets an unexpected surprise when Molly’s fiance shows up on their doorstep.