Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 10 Review: Burn it Down

Everything is left hanging on the balance by the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 20, “Burn It Down.” 

Ultimately, it’s a lackluster season finale, but it sets up endless possibilities for the next season. That said, it’s also a storyline and a set of cliffhangers that aren’t anything new.

The bulk of the episode revolves around the chaos of the patients brought in because of wildfires in the region. This gives Teddy a reason to fight her way into the OR despite being fired by Catherine, and also makes a connection to Station 19 ahead of its series finale. 

Yet the suspense still manages to be underwhelming, and that’s even with a beloved patient’s life on the line in surgery (Theo Ruiz). 

The wildfires also solidify what Richard has been debating just about all season. Part of this have been subtle, but he realizes it’s time for him to retire.

It’s a pretty good run if you consider that his retirement was being discussed in Grey’s Anatomy Season 1, and this is the Season 20 finale. I don’t think anyone wants to see his character go anywhere, but it does make sense at this point. 

The other main focus of this finale is Meredith and Amelia’s research. Catherine has become a one-note villain with all of this in a way I really don’t care for, and which, quite frankly, doesn’t show the complexity of her character.

Catherine has been a part of the show for such a long time, yet she’s now this flat character just wielding her power with a scowl on her face.

Is she right about everything? Maybe. It’s debatable, and that’s at least what makes this interesting.

Meredith has never been someone afraid who was afraid to break the rules, especially as she’s gotten older and more advanced in her career. But in this case, she really is on to something that warrants some rule-breaking.

Catherine’s reasonings for her own decisions regarding all of this make sense, too, though, and it would be a more interesting conflict if she wasn’t suddenly a one-note villain rather than a fleshed-out character. 

She decides she wants the research, so that’s a good thing, but she’s still angry and wants Meredith and Amelia to hand over their findings to Tom Koracick if they want to keep their jobs. 

So, Meredith resigns and goes rogue, publishing their findings before the Fox Foundation can do anything with them.

This could be the official exit for Ellen Pompeo, really. It even ends on a happy note with her and Nick, which is a breath of fresh air. 

Lucas has his own battle with Catherine as well. He has a job offer in a Chicago, but he’s still not sure what he wants.

He meets with Catherine who will decide his fate at Grey-Sloan, but before she can make a decision, the interns come in behind him and announce that they’ll all leave if Lucas is fired. 

Catherine just gets angrier at that point and says they’re all replaceable, but then Bailey comes in and threatens the same. 

It’s a really heartening scene, and it’s maybe the only moment on this particular episode that brings back the same energy as the early seasons. That support with all of them, and with Bailey standing behind them too, is really something.

So, the season ends with us left wondering about Bailey as well as Lucas and the other interns. We’re left wondering about Richard and his next move as well. And, when we see Amelia, Teddy, and Owen’s key cards all no longer work, we’re left to wonder about pretty much half the cast and what they’re fates will be.

This would be a fascinating chain of events if it had never happened before, but again, this whole thing has been done before. That’s what makes it disappointing. 

There are a few other key moments that are important: Jo, it turns out, is pregnant after all. Jules and Mika nearly share a kiss, Blue sees his former fiancé, and Dorian finally gets discharged from the hospital.

It’s all enough to make for interesting stories later on.

This was a shortened season because of the strikes, and though it started strong, it lost its footing pretty quickly and felt like a transition between seasons more than anything else. 

What did you think of this episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Grey’s Anatomy returns next season to ABC.

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