What does a girl have to do to spend time in the Blue Room? 

I meant alone, not for having sexytimes with someone like Link. You know what? Nevermind. 

Anyway, Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 18 was an OK installment, but more than anything, it felt like a filler until we figure out what the hell happened between Jo and her birth mother.

Alex couldn't get ahold of Jo the entire time she was gone. Jo flew to Pittsburgh to see her mother, and perhaps due to Alex's position and him taking time off to take his mother home, he was unable to accompany Jo on her trip.

Related: Grey's Anatomy Round Table: Amelia and Link Brought the Sexy, But Did You Like It?

Whatever happened, it does not look good; Jo appears to be unhappy. What the hell happened?!

Helen is gone. It was the extent of her arc during this season. Maybe someday she'll return.

It was also the end of Vicenzo (for now?), as he did return and is receiving the treatment he needs. The effects of Vincenzo's outburst and subsequent breakdown were shortlived in the grand scale of things.

DeLuca shut Meredith out for most of the hour, but they rekindled their romance by the end of the hour.

We caught our first glimpse of our boy's apartment; it's "noooice!" I could spend another thousand words gushing over the color scheme, the bookcase which appeals to hipster bibliophiles everywhere, and the fireplace.

I shan't threaten you with a good time, though, so instead, we're going to talk about Merluca's first bump in their otherwise happy-go-lucky romance.

For one, DeLuca is boyfriend official. Mer herself called him her boyfriend, but it was tied in with her fretting over him shutting her out. DeLuca is a guy who shuts down. Those who speculated he would distance himself from Meredith were right.

I felt for the guy, and I even understood the guy, but he was also immature, and no, this isn't a crack about the age difference.

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I'm talking about how childish it was for him to carry on for however long avoiding and dismissing Meredith instead of telling her flat out he's going to need a few days of space.

DeLuca: I needed a minute to be hurt, but now I need you.
Meredith: Well maybe I need a minute now.

• Permalink: Well maybe I need a minute now.

He could have even said it sexily in Italian, dammit.

He has grown so much and his behavior during this hour when it came to that felt like a step back. Avoidance and an inability to speak about his feelings isn't a DeLuca thing, if I'm not mistaken. I recall how insistent he was with others about opening up. 

We can't fault him for his retreat, but rather the poor communication, which is why Mer speaking her mind at the end was satisfying.

She pointed out how she did all of this before, and she's over and beyond the phase of angsty avoidance and what not. Meredith checking DeLuca is her way of elevating him and their relationship. You have to respect it.

All was well with the couple once they spoke and communicated with one another, and DeLuca made her a lovely dinner. Does Meredith not know how to cook? I don't recall.

All I know is it never ceases to amuse when she's so complimentary and in awe of men who can cook. She was beside herself when Jackson cooked dinner for the sisters, and she was ready to dive in when DeLuca showed her the meal he prepared for them.

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Meredith may have to adjust to DeLuca's penchant for shutting down, but he'll have to adjust to Merlex.

Maybe DeLuca was having flashbacks to how much friction was between Jo and Meredith when Jo was dating Alex, or perhaps there is residual angst there from when Alex assaulted him, but DeLuca was defensive when it came to Alex and didn't need to be.

Alex didn't need Meredith to tell him to give DeLuca a case to cheer him up. If anything, Alex would've taken the initiative himself.

He was there when Vincenzo blew up, and he has experience with a mentally ill parent. Alex has experience with a lot of things like being a dick and shutting people out.

It was an instance where it was evident his treatment of DeLuca had nothing to do with Meredith at all.

DeLuca was out of line with Nora's mother. He may have had a strong reaction since it reminded him of how his mentally ill father could cite "my body, my decision" when refusing help, but it wasn't DeLuca's place.

When people reach out a hand, you don't bite it. Trust me, I did it for years, and the only thing it accomplishes is that people stop reaching out.

Alex

• Permalink: When people reach out a hand, you don't bite it. Trust me, I did it for years, and the only...

As Alex pointed out, before he approached the mother in the manner of which he did, he could've spoken to Nora and related to her. He should've chosen the angle first, then Alex wouldn't have kicked him off the case.

DeLuca also has to realize he's still a resident. Unfortunately for him, this isn't The Resident, and his position as a senior Resident doesn't mean anything compared to an attending or the acting chief.

Related: The Resident Season 2 Episode 17 Review: Betrayal 

Nevertheless, DeLuca relating to little Nora was a sweet scene. It sucks bullying is considered an inevitability, but DeLuca had the right words to say to her, and he brought out a dorky picture of himself as a youth for good measure.

Initially, it seemed as though Maggie and Bailey would be the perfect people Nora could speak to about her issues with being teased for being too dorky. DeLuca was a nice touch.

It was entertaining, however, when everyone flocked to her room trying to beat her at math. The slow-motion walk with the geekiest of the geeks strutting to her room was the cutest scene of the hour.

Qadri: I need to borrow Dr. Shmidtt.
Bailey: Is it urgent?
Qadri: I have a patient who's a math whiz, and I need backup.
Levi: In school, they called me Numbers. Not kindly.
Bailey: How good is this math whiz?

• Permalink: How good is this math whiz?

The hour was great for including all of the interns and giving them some quality lines. Quadri, Levi, and Parker geeking out with Nora were fun, but Helm took a no-nonsense approach of not biting her tongue when it came to Richard.

Jackson and Richard's patient was a non-binary person, and Richard couldn't wrap his head around using "They and Their" pronouns to refer to them. Richard is old-school, so it took a lot for Helm and Jackson to make him understand. His reactions weren't out of the ordinary or unexpected.

Helm's commentary was unexpected and impressive though. I loved how she challenged every point Richard made about how unnatural it felt or weird it was.

Richard firing a great mechanic because of the mechanic calling him an annoying nickname isn't comparable to misgendering someone.

She also pointed out how ungrammatical he was when making his point about it using their in some contexts as "grammatically incorrect.' Helm had time today.

Richard: Do we really have to use this "their" thing? Even when she can't hear us?
Jackson: They -- they can't hear us. Yes. It's not that complicated.

• Permalink: They -- they can't hear us. Yes. It's not that complicated.

It was something thrown in, but there was little follow through with it. Most of the focus shifted to Jackson relating to his patient and explaining to them how they could be there for their mom.

It's something special when Jackson connects with his patients, and in this case, he could use his experience with worrying about Catherine to guide his patient through supporting their mom.

I hate we didn't get to see much of them together. I believe McNally Sagal played the mom, but we barely saw much of her. The outcome of her case was tragic, and it hit too close to home for Link.

He couldn't deal with the patient ending up paralyzed, and despite Amelia and Link's best efforts, it's what inevitably happened. They worked so well together too. It's never tiresome when the doctors display professional respect and awe of one another and their respective skills.

Things weren't nearly as awkward between Link and Amelia as expected. Of course, Amelia insisted their hookup was a one-time thing, which is TV talk for "it's going to happen again and again," and she keeps referring to it as sexual therapy and treatment.

Link: Do you really think we should stay away from each other for a while?
Amelia: I do because pheromones.
Link: What about them?
Amelia: I really like yours.

• Permalink: I do because pheromones.

Another one of the funniest moments was Amelia and Maggie chatting it up in the blue room like the adorable sisters they are and Maggie realizing it was Link who Amelia boned while in San Diego.

The fandom has mixed feelings about this couple and how they chose to jump into bed together, and maybe it could pose an issue down the line, but they seem like two great people who are enjoying one another. Sometimes it doesn't require more analysis.

They found their way back to one another in the Blue Room after their difficult case, and they're likable together no matter what the nature of their relationship is.

The relationship between Tom, Teddy, and Owen remained complicated, but by the end of the hour, Owen heeded Tom's words. If he loves Teddy as much as he claims he does (and there is some form of love), then he'd want happiness for her.

Teddy is happy with Tom. They can all work things out if they establish some boundaries and maintain an open line of communication.

I do think it was unfair of Teddy to invite Tom to a birthing class and not Owen. Owen is the father of their child, and he should be there when she's delivering. He would want to be at those classes, and he also never experienced any of these moments, so why deprive him of something so important to him?

Move off whatever organ you're on, soldier. At ease!

Teddy

• Permalink: Move off whatever organ you're on, soldier. At ease!

However, Owen should've told Tom what was going on with Teddy. They can figure out the logistics of what will happen when Teddy delivers, but Tom loves Teddy and should be there to support the woman he loves even if he's in the waiting room.

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Teddy and Owen are such great friends, and the chemistry between them, when it relates to their friendship, is undeniable. He was an incredible support to Teddy talking her through speaking to their child and staying by her side the entire day.

Teddy's fears about motherhood were genuine and portrayed her in a vulnerable light which made up for those moments when she came off rude and mean. She's scared about the future, and she doesn't know if she'll be a great mom.

She calls her daughter "soldier" and orders her around like a drill sergeant, which was amusing as heck. She has two men who will guide her through this process and a legion of supportive women and moms who could help her too.

Tom had every right to call Owen out the way he did. Owen was petty and mean, and he needed to accept Tom as part of Teddy's life. Tom made it clear he isn't going anywhere.

If you don't recall, one of Tom's biggest regrets is not fighting harder when his wife walked out on him after their child died, so he wasn't going to make the same mistake again and not fight for the woman whom he loves.

Your history with Teddy is you chose Amelia, more than once. My history with her is I love Teddy. I'm in love with her. Only her. She deserves to be with someone to whom she is the first and only choice.

Tom

• Permalink: Your history with Teddy is you chose Amelia, more than once. My history with her is I love...

He was passionate, and his feelings are crystal clear. I think Tom confronting Owen and speaking his truth may have clicked for Owen. It made Owen respect Tom and view the situation differently.

Teddy deserves the best for her. We've long since established how she doesn't deserve to be a consolation prize, afterthought, or second choice. Tom loves her, and she's number one for him.

Tom and Owen's relationship won't be perfect, and they may never become friends, but they can respect each other for the sake of the woman (or women) they love.

No, but where does one go for all this alternative medicine? Maggie's study involving alternative methods via game-playing, plants, and blue rooms? Sign me up!

Over to you, Grey's Fanatics! Is this the end of the Tom/Teddy/Owen triangle? Are you happy Merluca made up? Hit the comments below!

You can watch Grey's Anatomy online here via TV Fanatic! 

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.