Sledgehammer (Grey's Anatomy)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Sledgehammer" is the season premiere of the twelfth season of the American television
medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
'' Grey's Anatomy'', and the 246th episode overall. It aired on September 24, 2015, on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by Stacy McKee and directed by Kevin McKidd. On its initial airing the episode was watched by 9.55 million viewers and opened up to positive reviews from television critics. Earlier in April 2015,
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
had revealed that he would be leaving the show after the eleventh season despite having signed a contract through another season. ''Grey's Anatomy'' centers around a group of physicians struggling to balance their professional lives with their personal lives. The episode focuses on the show's protagonist Dr. Meredith Grey's new living arrangement with her half-sister Dr.
Maggie Pierce Margaret Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Sho ...
and her sister in law Dr.
Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC American television ''Grey's Anatomy (TV series), Grey's Anatomy ''medical d ...
in her old house after having lost her husband. Dr. Miranda Bailey fights to be the new Chief of Grey-Sloan Memorial with support from Dr.
Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actor James Pickens Jr. since the start of the show in 2005. ...
. Dr. Arizona Robbins and Dr.
Callie Torres Calliope Iphegenia Torres, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States. The character was created by series' producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by ...
move on with their lives while the former looks for a new roommate. Dr.
Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eve ...
and Dr. Jo Wilson and Dr.
Jackson Avery Jackson Avery, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character in the ABC prime time medical drama, ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Jesse Williams. The character was created by series creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. He was introd ...
and Dr. April Kepner deal with their relationship problems with all the doctors trying to help two young girls who tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train after being bullied for being in love.


Plot

"Sledgehammer" picks up the events occurring three months after Dr.
Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actor James Pickens Jr. since the start of the show in 2005. ...
(
James Pickens Jr. James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role as Deputy Director Alvin Kers ...
) and Dr. Catherine Avery's (
Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...
) wedding. Dr. Meredith Grey ( Ellen Pompeo) finds herself moving back into her old house and adjusting to life with her sister-in-law Dr.
Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC American television ''Grey's Anatomy (TV series), Grey's Anatomy ''medical d ...
(
Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone (born October 16, 1981) is a Canadian-American actress. She is best known for playing Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs ''Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''St ...
) and half-sister Dr.
Maggie Pierce Margaret Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Sho ...
(
Kelly McCreary Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest at ...
). Meredith awakes to a banging sound, to find Amelia putting a large hole in a non weight bearing wall with a sledgehammer. The two have an argument on agreeing upon bringing down the wall. Maggie straddles the line between supporting either of the two. At Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, after being run over by a train, two fifteen-year-old girls admit their love for each other, much to the dismay of their parents. Dr.
Callie Torres Calliope Iphegenia Torres, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States. The character was created by series' producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by ...
(
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez (; born August 31, 1975) is a Mexican-American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. R ...
) steps in to advocate for Jessica Tanner ( Mandalynn Carlson), one of the girls, which outrages her mother ( Jenny Cooper), leading to a breather argument ending with Maggie punching her in the face. Nursing their critical daughters, their fathers bond and learn to accept them for who they are. Dr.
Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eve ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...
) and Maggie talk about being bullied as kids, with Dr. Jo Wilson (
Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is a British actress, best known for her role as Dr. Josephine "Jo" Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video ga ...
) and Callie respectively. Dr. Arizona Robbins ( Jessica Capshaw) looks to rent out part of her house post her separation with Callie, but after discovering from Dr. Stephanie Edwards (
Jerrika Hinton Jerrika Hinton is an American actress, best known for her role as Stephanie Edwards in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Hinton was born and raised in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Cynthia, a retired gove ...
) why no one will live with her, agrees to have an intern,
Andrew DeLuca Andrew DeLuca, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on ABC in the United States. The character was portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti. Gianniotti was cast in April 2015 and was promoted ...
( Giacomo Gianniotti), as her roommate. Dr. Miranda Bailey ( Chandra Wilson) who is vying the post of the Chief of surgery, is introduced to Dr. Tracy McConnell (
Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
), her competitor. Discouraged by how great Tracy is, Bailey withdraws from the race, but Dr. Ben Warren ( Jason George) manages to convince her to fight for the position, which she wins after giving a mid-surgery presentation to the board. Dr. April Kepner ( Sarah Drew) returns to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
after three months in
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
only to find her husband Dr.
Jackson Avery Jackson Avery, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character in the ABC prime time medical drama, ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Jesse Williams. The character was created by series creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. He was introd ...
( Jesse Williams) to be less than warm and welcoming. Meredith takes up teaching a new anatomy class and instructs the interns to forget everything they know about "anatomy" and start afresh. They all make the first incisions on the cadavers under her supervision. Dr.
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series' produc ...
( Kevin McKidd) drops Amelia at Meredith's place, and kisses her right before she is pulled in by Maggie. Meredith makes up with Amelia, and brings down the wall, and they look through it and smile.


Production

The season premiere marked the first time in the course of the show when Dempsey was not included in the list of main cast members. On the absence of the male lead of the show creator Shonda Rhimes in an interview said, "It was so interesting for me to discover that audiences, especially women, are so conditioned to believe that there’s a singular fairy tale that nobody stops to think that that might not be the definition of happiness." Rhimes continued, "Meredith knew that already. We got to the point in the season when Meredith said, 'I can live without you, but I don’t want to,' which for any woman is a very powerful statement. It means: You compliment me, but you don't complete me."
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
also pictured ''Grey's Anatomy'' without "McDreamy". The network's president has said he hopes the show will continue for years after
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
's alleged firing. Pompeo in an interview with '' EW'' stated that the show would be just fine after Patrick and added that Meredith did not need a partner when other Shondaland characters — '' Scandal''’s
Olivia Pope Olivia Carolyn Pope is a fictional character created by Shonda Rhimes for the political drama television series ''Scandal''. This character also played a small role in the series ''How to Get Away with Murder'' on its 4th season produced by Shon ...
(
Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
) and '' How To Get Away With Murder''’s Annalise Keating ( Viola Davis) — lead shows on their own. She said, "Let’s keep it really real for a second and say this is really difficult for my ego" and added, " ..somehow, Meredith Grey needs someone. Why can’t I just be the lead of the show the way Annalise and Olivia can? Why can’t I be on that poster by myself?" It was revealed that
Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
will guest-star on the upcoming season of ''Grey's Anatomy'', ABC announced Friday. As revealed in the season 11 finale, Bailey ( Chandra Wilson) will be competing to be the new Chief against a candidate that Catherine Avery (
Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...
) chooses as reported by ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' can reveal that the ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'' and '' Switched at Birth'' star will play Bailey's competition. Eric Lange , Maz Jobrani and Jenny Cooper co-star for the patient story involving two young girls who try to commit suicide.


Reception


Ratings

"Sledgehammer" was originally broadcast on September 24, 2015, in the United States on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC). On its initial release the episode was watched by a total of 9.55 million viewers, a decline from the previous season premiere '' I Must Have Lost it on the Wind'' which was watched by 9.81 million viewers, but was a raise from the preceding episode '' You're My Home'' which was watched by 8.33 million viewers. In the key 18-49 demographic, the episode scored a 2.8/10 in
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
ranking at 22 in overall viewership rank and 14 in the 18-49 demographics. The premiere episode was also ranked as the 4th most watched drama.


Reviews

"Sledgehammer" was received positive reviews from television critics with the majority of them praising the direction the show had brought back and noticing that the show was familiar with earlier seasons. Writer for ''TVFanatic'' Ashley Bissette Sumerel gave the episode a 4.5/5.0 score largely praising the episode and commented positive about the show returning to its roots. Sumerel praised the storyline about two girls falling in love as she said "This is the sort of thing that makes ''Grey's Anatomy'' great. It doesn't hold back when it tackles subjects like bullying and homophobia." '' Western Gazette'' also gave a positive review to the episode, "Within the first few minutes of the new episode, it’s clear that ''Grey’s Anatomy'' is returning to its roots. Overall, the first episode was a pleasant surprise and it was refreshing to see Rhimes head in a new direction. With Derek gone, Meredith can finally get the spotlight that she deserves without living in someone’s shadow and brings ''Grey’s'' back full circle to when we started the series." The site also gave Ellen Pompeo the credit for carrying the show saying." (It's) time for Pompeo to finally win an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
." ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' praised the majority of the episode saying, "Take a deep breath. Just kidding, you don’t really need to, because that episode was fun." further noting the positives, " Good for ''Grey’s'' for tackling bullies, and good for them for doing it right in the beginning of the season. Sometimes cases of the week can be, well, weak, but this one was affecting and relevant. Plus, seeing Maggie get out her inner schoolyard bully was so, so satisfying, it's good to hear more about Maggie’s life pre-Grey Sloan Memorial." for Ellen Pompeo's Meredith the site wrote, "The best line of the night goes to Meredith, who, during a conversation with Amelia about the whole wall thing, says, 'That sounds like something tequila would say.' TV's greatest relationship: Mer and tequila." and further went to add on
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
's absence, "This episode proved that, like Meredith said, we can live without him. Life continues on death, and so does television. So welcome back, ''Grey’s'', and thanks for reminding us that life does indeed go on" ''TVEquals'' praised the episode calling it a "tear-jerker" stated, "Overall, this was a great start to the twelfth season. I actually feel a bit on edge, as I wonder who among this group will have to endure heartache this season. I hope the writers will at least give Meredith and Amelia a well-earned break. I would be totally satisfied with watching Meredith, Amelia, Maggie and Callie drinking tequila and having a good time, but it wouldn’t be ''Grey’s Anatomy'' if that’s all that happened." "Heartbreaking. I love that Shondaland embraces diversity of all kinds and continues to tell stories involving LGBTQ characters." '' Zap2it'' also praised the episode stating that the "two young girls in love have a powerful story". ''TVOM'' also praising Pompeo's character gave a positive review stating, "The show’s titular heroine had to learn to move forward with her life, and based on the season premiere, we would be wise to stick around for the journey. Yes we still mourn the loss of Dr.
Derek Shepherd Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, " A Hard Day ...
. Life moves on, and twelve seasons in, Shonda Rimes’s original sudsy drama has a strong, steady pulse." ''Nad's Reviews'' gave a mixed to positive review to the episode review saying, "It was all fun, goofy material that managed to force a smile on my face and was entertaining all throughout. But boy was it old. Literally nothing feels fresh or original about this 'new' ''Grey's Anatomy''. While the only medical case we had involved a touching, emotional story about two young girls in love, the whole episode just screamed predictable." The site too was positive about Pompeo saying, "And while I absolutely adore Ellen Pompeo, it’s hard to see this as Meredith’s show anymore. She gets adequate amount of screen-time and a few engaging moments, but she’s not driving this thing anymore. The whole cast is" The site also praised
Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...
and Chandra Wilson.


References


External links

* {{Grey's Anatomy episodes, 12 Grey's Anatomy (season 12) episodes 2015 American television episodes