[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Thursday's "The End is the Beginning is the End" episode of Grey's Anatomy.]
The verdict is in from the lawsuit stemming from last season's deadly plane crash and while it's good news for the survivors, it's anything but for Seattle Grace.
During Thursday's "The End is the Beginning is the End" episode, Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Arizona and Callie learn that they won the lawsuit -- and are awarded $15 million each -- that will be paid from the pocket of the hospital's insurance company.
Learning that the plane the doctors were flying in had a history of mechanical problems, the hospital is found at fault -- with Owen still on hot water with Derek for having put everyone on the plane. Only there's a catch -- the insurance company has found a loophole in the fact that no more than two attendings are allowed on a mini-plane. Refusing to pay, Seattle Grace now has to come up with the massive payout that it can't afford -- and will be forced to go bankrupt and close its doors.
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Meanwhile, the survivors humor Callie at a dinner to "celebrate" the settlement. Despite everyone's misgivings about celebrating the end of a case that involved the death of Mark and Lexie (sniff), the awkward mean ultimately turns into a sweet and memorable one.
"It feels weird, sad and wrong but it also feels exciting. I miss Mark and Lexie and I’m heartbroken that they're not here," she says during a toast. "But I'm also grateful that all of you are and I'm going to celebrate that and we're going to toast."
It's during the toast when Meredith refuses the champagne that she finally tells everyone -- including Cristina, who had already figured it out -- that she's pregnant -- and happy.
Cristina, meanwhile, has found happy place with Owen after their recent divorce as they couple has really bounced back to the early days of their romance. It's a payoff that's more than welcome as Kevin McKidd and Sandra Oh's loving banter has been sorely missing this season.
Other highlights from the episode included growth in Alex and Jo's relationship as they bond over a bet on Derek and Shane's ping-pong match to strengthen the former's hand. Alex, for his part, has never had a girl who was a friend that didn't want to sleep with him. They're cute and the writing is clearly on the wall for these two.
Not to be outdone, Jackson and Stephanie's relationship has progressed to the point where he's helping her land on his service. In a heartbreaking scene, he also confesses his relationship with Stephanie to April, who tearfully admits she both misses him and isn't ready to be his friend again.
As for the Chief, Webber is back at the hospital after a month off to mourn the recent passing of his wife, Adele. But there's a catch (naturally): he's not operating because he feels tremendous guilt over not being there for her in her final days and opting to romance Jackson's mom, Catherine, instead. After lashing out at Catherine, he apologizes for lashing out and tentatively seems very tentative about returning to their relationship.
What did you think of the episode? Hit the comments with your thoughts. Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
