Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 Episode 5 Recap: Jo Returns, Camilla Luddington Not Leaving

The doctor is in! Four weeks after dramatically quitting her job at Grey Sloan Memorial, Jo is officially returning to its hallowed halls, though her change of heart didn’t come easily.

What began as a simple visit to check on her new birth-trauma pal Corrie quickly turned into a living nightmare when the expectant mother began experiencing stomach pains. Not only was Corrie in labor, but the umbilical cord was cutting off her baby’s oxygen supply.

Given the PTSD she’s still fighting to overcome, this was already a lot for Jo to handle — and it was about to get so much worse. During the ambulance ride to the hospital, Corrie’s uterus began to rupture, forcing Jo to perform an emergency C-section en route to Grey Sloan. When the ambulance finally arrived, the image of Jo stepping out, covered in blood with the baby in her arms, was frankly haunting.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending on all fronts. Not only did Corrie and the baby survive the ordeal, but Corrie’s kind words to Jo about her fearlessness in the face of danger, and the comfort and strength she provides to her patients, inspired Jo to rethink a life outside of medicine.

“Maybe this thing I thought was a weakness is actually a strength,” Jo told Webber, who wasn’t thrilled about Jo practicing medicine in his hospital when she wasn’t technically an OBGYN. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” he said when she asked to return full-time, and we fully agree.

Actually, remember when we said everybody in this story got a happy ending? That’s not entirely true, at least not for Link. Still concealing his obvious pill problem, Jo’s husband got his fake stories mixed up this week, and Amelia — who knows a thing or two about battling addiction — is beginning to recognize the signs.

Meanwhile, Kwan’s reunion with his father — as teased in the final moments of last week’s episode — went even worse than we expected. It began with Kwan giving him the absolute business, telling his “glorified sperm donor” to take a hike. After all, he left home when Kwan was just four years old, so what could have changed since then? Two words, apparently: “I’m. Dying.”

It turns out Daddy Kwan was diagnosed with blood cancer four years ago, and he’s tried every treatment possible to no avail. He casually mentioned there being a clinical trial, but he can’t join it without a bone marrow match. (What’s that we smell? Could it be… a rat?)

Kwan admitted to having no sympathy for the guy, not that we blame him, but his tune changed when he noticed his father exhibiting symptoms of dehydration. Since his father skipped getting fluids to meet him, Kwan offered to take care of it in-house.

Then came the conversation that changed everything: Kwan’s father revealed that he intended to drive off a bridge the night he left his family, but he couldn’t do it, so he drove to Canada instead. His failed start-up cost their family all of their money, and his shame and depression are what ultimately drove him away. It didn’t fix everything, but it inspired Kwan to test himself as a possible bone marrow match. He even offered to meet his dad for coffee when he’s in Vancouver for an upcoming conference.

Then came another conversation that changed everything again: Lucas and Jules overheard Kwan’s father on the phone with his doctor, celebrating his son’s decision to test his bone marrow, almost as if that was the whole reason he came to Grey Sloan. Jules stepped up and told Kwan what she heard, but you know what they say about shooting the messenger; Kwan lashed out at Jules in the hallway, telling her she has no idea how he feels.

In the end, though, Kwan confronted his father about Jules’ warning, and the father-son duo ended up right back where they started at the beginning of the episode. In fact, their relationship might actually be worse now, if that’s even possible.

• Wes was already upset with Simone for inviting Lucas to move back in without asking him first, and things between them only became more strained as the episode continued. He told her that he doesn’t want to be treated like an afterthought, and we totally get that. Later, when a patient began showing symptoms of measles, Wes revealed that he’s unvaccinated due to a genetic immunodeficiency. Simone was surprised that Wes hadn’t told her about that, and the sly devil used the moment to trick Simone into admitting that she slept with Lucas. (Oops!) Simone insisted that she has no desire to get back together with Lucas, but can you blame Wes for being skeptical?
• Things also got tense in the Bailey-Warren household this week when Ben came home to find his wife studying with her new classmate “Hillary,” who just so happens to be an extremely attractive man. What began as some playful teasing about Ben’s jealousy spiraled into a full-blown fight that ended with Ben admitting that he’s drowning. Fortunately, Bailey has learned from her past mistakes; her marriage to Tucker began to unravel when he started keeping score, something Ben promises never to do.
• After spending the night together, Jules mentioned to Winston that they should probably talk about their relationship at some point, while Winston seemed more inclined to simply bask in the moment. But by the end of the episode, after everything Jules experienced this week, including the tongue-lashing she got from Kwan, she wasn’t in the talking mood.

OK, let’s talk: Are you glad (and at all surprised) that Jo is returning to work? How do you predict Kwan’s father-son drama will play out? And have you ever met a man named Hilary?! Drop a comment with your thoughts on this week’s “Grey’s Anatomy” below.