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"Family Affair" is the twenty-fourth episode and the
season finale A season finale (British English: series finale; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will attempt to ...
of the twelfth season of the American
medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...
television series ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'', and the 269th episode overall. Written by William Harper and directed by
Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award ...
, the episode aired on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
(ABC) in the United States on May 19, 2016. The episode centers around the wedding of
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, 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) i ...
(
Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director best known as Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'' and Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' (1996). McKidd played Colin in the 2008 film Made of Hono ...
) and
Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy ''and the series '' Private Practice'', portrayed by Caterina Scorsone. Amelia was introduced in Season 3 of ''Privat ...
(
Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as neurosurgeon Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs '' Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''Station 19'' (2020– ...
), where tensions run high.
Meredith Grey Meredith Grey M.D., F.A.C.S., (born 1977 or 1978) is a fictional and titular 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 c ...
(
Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on ''Forbes'' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a ...
) and
Maggie Pierce Margaret "Maggie" Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), portrayed by Kelly McCreary. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, Maggie fi ...
( Kelly McCreary) provide emotional support to Amelia on her big day. Meanwhile, Jo Wilson (
Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dr. Jo Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is also known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video games and ...
) confesses a long-held secret to
Alex Karev Alexander Michael "Alex" 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, Ka ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005-20). Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High School, South Charleston, and later studi ...
), while
Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth sea ...
(
Jessica Capshaw Jessica Brooke Capshaw (born August 9, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer on the ABC legal drama series ''The Practice'', and as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Caps ...
) and
Callie Torres Calliope Iphigenia "Callie" 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 portr ...
(
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...
) navigate the emotional aftermath of their custody battle. Ben Warren (
Jason George Jason Winston George (born February 9, 1972) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach'', as Jeremiah Thurgood "J.T." Hunter on the UPN television sitcom ''Eve'', as Dr. ...
) performs an emergency
C-section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma ...
on
April Kepner April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. April was introduced in the episode " ...
(
Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and April Kepner, Dr. April Kepner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama se ...
) at Meredith's house, delivering April’s baby. The episode marked the final appearance of longtime cast member Ramirez, who had been part of the series since
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
. Ramirez announced their departure, stating they were "taking some welcome time off" as their character moved to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
with her daughter. Upon its original broadcast, "Family Affair" was watched by 8.19 million viewers in the United States, ranking #2 in its time-slot, and earned a 2.3/9 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the performances of Ramirez and Capshaw.


Plot

The episode opens with a
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...
narration from
Meredith Grey Meredith Grey M.D., F.A.C.S., (born 1977 or 1978) is a fictional and titular 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 c ...
(
Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on ''Forbes'' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a ...
) about questioning the limits of love and embracing the courage to believe in its boundless potential. On
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, 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) i ...
(
Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director best known as Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'' and Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' (1996). McKidd played Colin in the 2008 film Made of Hono ...
) and
Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy ''and the series '' Private Practice'', portrayed by Caterina Scorsone. Amelia was introduced in Season 3 of ''Privat ...
's (
Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as neurosurgeon Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs '' Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''Station 19'' (2020– ...
) wedding day, Amelia begins to have doubts about the marriage after Meredith talks to Owen about his past with
Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for 20 seasons on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the ...
(
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...
). Meredith confides in Amelia, leading them, along with
Maggie Pierce Margaret "Maggie" Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), portrayed by Kelly McCreary. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, Maggie fi ...
( Kelly McCreary), to run away from the wedding for some much-needed clarity. Meanwhile,
April Kepner April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. April was introduced in the episode " ...
(
Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and April Kepner, Dr. April Kepner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama se ...
), who is serving as Owen's
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...
, realizes she has forgotten the wedding rings and rushes back to Meredith's house with Ben Warren (
Jason George Jason Winston George (born February 9, 1972) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach'', as Jeremiah Thurgood "J.T." Hunter on the UPN television sitcom ''Eve'', as Dr. ...
) to retrieve them. However, as April's contractions intensify, Ben is forced to perform an emergency
C-section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma ...
, successfully delivering her baby. Elsewhere, tensions rise between
Alex Karev Alexander Michael "Alex" 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, Ka ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005-20). Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High School, South Charleston, and later studi ...
) and Jo Wilson (
Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dr. Jo Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is also known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video games and ...
) as Jo refuses his marriage proposal, leading Alex to storm out in frustration. Jo, devastated, gets drunk at Joe's bar, and
Andrew DeLuca Andrea "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, and is portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti. Gianniotti was cast in April 2015, and his charact ...
( Giacomo Gianniotti) offers to take her home. In a moment of vulnerability, Jo reveals that she is already married to an abusive man, explaining her reluctance to marry Alex. Just as Andrew is helping her, Alex walks in, misunderstands the situation, and angrily punches Andrew. Ben's quick actions save both April and her daughter's lives.
Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth sea ...
(
Jessica Capshaw Jessica Brooke Capshaw (born August 9, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer on the ABC legal drama series ''The Practice'', and as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Caps ...
) makes amends with
Callie Torres Calliope Iphigenia "Callie" 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 portr ...
(
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...
), agreeing to co-parent their daughter Sofia and allowing Callie to move to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with Penny Blake (
Samantha Sloyan Samantha Sloyan (born January 4, 1979) is an American actress. Sloyan is best known for her multiple collaborations with filmmaker Mike Flanagan in ''Hush'', ''The Haunting of Hill House'', ''Midnight Mass'', ''The Midnight Club'', and ''The Fall ...
). Despite her earlier doubts, Amelia returns to the wedding and ultimately marries Owen. During the ceremony, Nathan Riggs (
Martin Henderson Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–20 ...
) shares a lingering look with Meredith, which does not go unnoticed. Maggie confides in Meredith that she has feelings for Nathan, leaving Meredith shocked and conflicted.


Production

The episode marked the final appearance of long-time cast member
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...
, who portrayed
Callie Torres Calliope Iphigenia "Callie" 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 portr ...
on ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' since 2006. Their character's storyline involved a
custody battle Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the rig ...
with ex-wife
Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth sea ...
, played by
Jessica Capshaw Jessica Brooke Capshaw (born August 9, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer on the ABC legal drama series ''The Practice'', and as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Caps ...
, which culminated in Callie's decision to move to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
from
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Following the
season finale A season finale (British English: series finale; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will attempt to ...
, Ramirez posted a note on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
on May 19, announcing they were "taking some welcome time off." Showrunner
Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known ...
responded to the announcement, saying, "I will miss Callie tremendously, but am excited for what the future holds for Sara. She will always have a home at
Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her fir ...
." Speaking at the Vulture Festival in New York City on May 22, Rhimes revealed that she was unaware of Ramirez's decision to leave until after filming had wrapped for the finale. She explained that Callie's exit wasn't part of the original plan, stating, “This one was different because it wasn’t a big planned thing. I had a different plan going, and when Sara came in and said, ‘I really need to take this break,’ I was lucky that we’d shot the end of the season with her going to New York City.”


Release

"Family Affair" was originally broadcast on May 19, 2016, on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
(ABC) in the United States. It served as the season finale for the twelfth season of ''Grey's Anatomy''. Upon its initial release, the episode was watched by 8.19 million viewers and scored a 2.3/9 in the key 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. This marked an increase from the previous episode, "At Last", which had 7.77 million viewers and a 2.1/8 rating share. The episode ranked #12 in overall viewership and #4 in the 18–49 demographic, making it the second-most watched drama of the night.


Reception

"Family Affair" received positive reviews from television critics upon telecast, with praise directed towards the performances of
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...
(
Callie Torres Calliope Iphigenia "Callie" 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 portr ...
) and
Jessica Capshaw Jessica Brooke Capshaw (born August 9, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer on the ABC legal drama series ''The Practice'', and as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Caps ...
(
Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth sea ...
). ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' awarded the episode an 'A' grade and described the season as "phenomenal".


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Family Affair (Grey's Anatomy) Grey's Anatomy season 12 episodes 2016 American television episodes Television episodes about weddings