Personal Jesus (Grey's Anatomy) Explained

Series:Grey's Anatomy
Season:14
Episode:10
Length:43 minutes
Director:Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Guests:
Season Article:Grey's Anatomy season 14
Episode List:List of Grey's Anatomy episodes
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Next:(Don't Fear) the Reaper

"Personal Jesus" is the tenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy and the 303rd episode overall. It aired on ABC on January 25, 2018. The episode was written by former E.R. physician and writer Zoanne Clack and directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. "Are You With Me" by Nilu was featured in this episode.

Plot

With Paul recovering from his injuries from a hit and run, Meredith questions the alibi that Alex and Jo provide her. Believing that it's his fiancé, Jenny, who ran him over, Jo consults her. She offers Jenny support when Jenny considers formally pressing domestic abuse charges against Paul. Meredith is later informed by the police that the perpetrator was a drunk driver and has been arrested. While Jo and Jenny go to Paul's room to announce they are taking him to court, in a bout of rage he ends up falling out of his bed and knocking himself out, becoming brain dead. Still legally his wife, Jo decides to take him off life support and have his organs donated.

April's patient turns out to be the pregnant wife of her ex-fiancé, Matthew, proving to be more than an awkward situation as she helps deliver their baby. She offers Matthew an apology for her past actions but realizes that he has moved on from her and is happy with his life. Matthew's wife suffers from an internal bleed and is rushed into surgery. April later watches him deal with her unexpected death and is informed about the death of her other patients. She ends up in the shower with Roy, an intern, after she finds herself questioning her faith.

Jackson and Bailey treat a 12-year-old patient who had been shot by police on the grounds of racial profiling. Meanwhile, Maggie organizes a science camp for Bailey's son, Tucker and his friends. The eventual death of the patient prompts Bailey and Ben to have "the talk" about racial profiling and police brutality with Tucker.

Production

The episode was written by Zoanne Clack and directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan.

Reception

Ratings

The episode aired on American Broadcasting Company on January 25, 2018.[1] Upon initial release, it was viewed by 8.62 million people, an increase of 0.35 million from the previous installment and the mid-season premiere "1-800-799-7233"; it also garnered a season-best 2.3/9 Nielsen rating.[2] [3] "Personal Jesus" was also the week's second most watched drama and ranked seventh on the list of most watched television programmes overall.[4] The 8.62 million audience was also the largest for Grey's Anatomy in over a year.[2]

Reviews

"Personal Jesus" opened to positive reviews from television critics; commentators highlighted Drew and Luddignton for their respective performances and the treatment of such socially relevant stories as domestic abuse and police brutality in the United States.[5] [6] [7] [8] Lacey Vorrasi-Banis of Entertainment Weekly positively reviewed April's character development, and noted that she "is in the darkest place we’ve ever seen her". She was also appreciative of the episode titlewhich she thought was appropriate and the biblical inspiration of the April's story.[9] TVFanatics Jasmine Blu thought of "Personal Jesus" as one of the series' best episodes in a long time; she lauded Drew for her performance writing that the storyline gave her "the room to show off her range and excel".[10] The view was echoed by Maggie Fremont of Vulture, who was hopeful that the episode, Drew's performance in particular, would change the perception towards her character for the good. She also praised the return of Bruening's character and the closure offered to him. Also appreciating the April's development over the course of the episode, she noted that the character's "dark" side is new territory for Grey’s Anatomy.[11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: S14 E10 Personal Jesus. American Broadcasting Company. 26 January 2018.
  2. Web site: 'Grey's Anatomy' adjusts up, 'Big Bang Theory' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126234732/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/thursday-final-ratings-jan-25-2018/. dead. January 26, 2018. TV by the Numbers. Porter. Rick. January 26, 2018. January 26, 2018.
  3. Web site: 'Grey's Anatomy' adjusts up, 'The Four,' 'Scandal' and 'Great News' down: Thursday final ratings. https://web.archive.org/web/20180123072201/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/thursday-final-ratings-jan-18-2018/. dead. January 23, 2018. TV by the Numbers. Porter. Rick. January 22, 2018. January 22, 2018.
  4. Web site: Grammys and 'NCIS' carry CBS to victory: Week 18 broadcast Top 25 and network rankings. https://web.archive.org/web/20180131010846/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/weekly-ratings/week-18-broadcast-top-25-and-network-rankings-jan-22-28-2018/. dead. January 31, 2018. TV By the Numbers. Porter. Rick. January 30, 2018. January 30, 2018.
  5. Web site: Bastidas. Joe. 'Grey's Anatomy' Boss Addresses Bailey Giving Her Son 'the Talk' on Twitter. Popculture. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  6. Web site: Piester. Lauren. Grey's Anatomy Tackles a Whole Bunch of Heartbreak at Once. E! Online. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  7. Web site: Smith. Courtney. Grey's Anatomy Season 14, Episode 10 Recap: "Personal Jesus". Refinery29. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  8. Web site: Smith. Jessinta. Grey's Anatomy Touched on Police Brutality in a Devastating Way. Popsugar. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  9. Grey's Anatomy recap: 'Personal Jesus'. Entertainment Weekly. Vorrasi-Banis. Lacey. 4 February 2018. 25 January 2018.
  10. Web site: Blu. Jasmine. Grey's Anatomy Season 14 Episode 10 Review: Personal Jesus. TVFanatic. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  11. Web site: Fremont. Maggie. Grey's Anatomy Recap: A Crisis of Faith. Vulture. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.
  12. Web site: Darus. Alex. 'Grey's Anatomy' Recap: Jo Wilson Has a Hand in Paul's Fate. Us Weekly. 26 January 2018. 25 January 2018.