Grey's Anatomy Season 20, Episode 3 Recap (2024)

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Grey's Anatomy season 20, episode 3.

Grey's Anatomy season 20, episode 3 introduced a new character to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital while bringing an old one back. The episode also continued a trend from the Grey’s Anatomy season 20 premiere by featuring Meredith, despite her having left Seattle for Boston in the season 19 mid-season finale. It has been revealed that Ellen Pompeo will appear for at least four episodes of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, meaning viewers have more Meredith to look forward to in the upcoming episodes as well, especially with the reveals from episode 3 that set up her working in Seattle more.

The latest Grey’s Anatomy episode followed its classic formula of focusing on one big case and patient along with some of the other doctors in the hospital and their storylines. With over 420 episodes, the medical drama still manages to find ways to make their stories fresh with exciting new cases, some of which in Grey’s Anatomy are based on real-life cases. Still, as interesting as the cases get, the high point of every episode is the drama with the doctors behind the scenes, and Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3 delivered plenty of it.

8 Amelia & Meredith Presented Their Alzheimer's Research

Meredith was hiding her research from Catherine

At the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 19, Meredith proposed a new approach to Alzheimer’s research that would mean decades of work was wrong. If Meredith is right, she’d be hitting a major medical breakthrough, but if she’s wrong, she could be hurting the reputation of those who came before her and the field of medical research. Due to this, Catherine, whom Meredith is currently working for in Boston, told her to just stick to the research she was hired for. Unable to let it go, Meredith and Amelia started working together behind Catherine’s back.

Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3 opened with Meredith and Amelia presenting their research to an excited board of investors. Unfortunately, the board assumed that Catherine was onboard as well, which was a condition of their funding. Rather than try and get her on board, Meredith spent most of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3 hiding from Catherine, as she knew her boss would never approve. Without funding, her and Amelia’s research can’t go anywhere, so support is vital.

7 Amelia & The New Pediatric Surgeon Butted Heads

There was tension between Amelia & Monica

The Grey’s Anatomy season 20 trailer featured interactions between Amelia and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital’s newest doctor, Monica Beltran, that got viewers excited about what was to come. It wasn’t until Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3 that Monica made her first appearance, but her scenes with Amelia made it worth the wait. The duo got off on the wrong foot, with Amelia stealing a spot Monica was waiting for in the parking lot, only for them to have to work with each other on a case throughout the episode.

Monica is a new pediatric attending surgeon, making her the first peds surgeon to join the Grey’s Anatomy main cast since Cormac Hayes. Together, Monica and Amelia, with Blue’s assistance, worked on an 8-year-old girl named Milan with congenital hydrocephalus. From the start, Monica rubbed Amelia the wrong way. Amelia saw her as rude and dismissive, with the new surgeon blunt and unafraid of constructive criticism.

While Amelia was initially offended by Monica telling her to think of another treatment for Milan, it ended up being good advice. Despite the tension between them, they wound up working well together, as noted by Milan’s mom. When Amelia complained about Webber to Monica, he said that he hired Monica because she reminded him of the neurosurgeon. Amelia has always butted heads with people similar to her, as shown through her relationship with Derek. With Amelia seeing Monica in a different light by the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3, a new romance could be brewing.

6 Winston Was Going To Chicago To Visit Maggie

A patient interrupted Winston’s plans

Grey’s Anatomy season 19 was hard on Winston and Maggie’s relationship, as she ultimately made the decision to move to Chicago without him and repeatedly put her career above their marriage. Fortunately, Winston and Maggie seemed to get a happy ending in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, with them agreeing to try to make their relationship work long distance. In Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3, Winston was finally going to visit Maggie in Chicago, but an important case got in the way of his trip.

A massive watercraft arrived in the parking lot at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital with its pilot, Nate, who had been trying to paddle from Seattle to Hong Kong, stuck inside. The bars were keeping him from potentially bleeding out, making it tricky for Winston and the team of doctors to figure out how to free him and get him into the operating room. Nate explained that he built the watercraft to prove himself to his wife, who chose him over her billionaire ex-boyfriend.

Eventually, they were able to free Nate, but he sadly didn’t make it off the table. His wife initially blamed herself, but Simone shared Nate’s last message with her, letting her know just how much he loved her. Winston watched the scene in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3 with Maggie and his failed visit on his mind.

5 Nico Returned In Grey’s Anatomy Season 20, Episode 3

Nico was visiting with his new partner

From Grey’s Anatomy seasons 15 to 18, Levi, better known as Schmitt, was in a relationship with Nico Kim, an orthopedic attending surgeon. Their relationship was a rocky one, full of ups and downs, with it finally ending after Schmitt tragically lost a patient. Following their breakup, Levi left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 to work for the Seattle Mariners and hadn’t returned until the most recent episode.

In Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3, Nico appeared at the hospital, but not as a doctor. He and his partner, Jason, and their surrogate were working with Jo, as they were expecting their first child. This threw Schmitt off, as he didn’t know that Nico even wanted children. Nico confessed that he’d only been with Jason for 9 months, and though he hadn’t always wanted children, he knew he wanted to be with Jason, even if it meant becoming a dad.

Though it seemed as though Schmitt might have wanted Nico back, a conversation with Jo revealed his true feelings. Jo pointed out that Schmitt simply felt behind, as he wasn’t seeing anyone and all his friends were in committed romantic relationships. In the previous Grey’s Anatomy episode, Schmitt hit it off with a patient, so he might not be single for much longer.

4 Adams Ignored Bailey’s Instructions

Adams left Yasuda alone with their patient

After the stunts they pulled in the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 finale, the interns were put on probation. In Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 2, Bailey gave them a list of procedures they needed to complete if they wanted to return to the operating room. Unfortunately for the interns, it wasn’t an easy list to complete, and they relied on good assignments to get them done. When Yasuda and Adams were assigned to watch the gunshot wound patient from last episode, Dorian, who was still unconscious, they knew they probably wouldn’t be checking anything off their list.

While Yasuda accepted the assignment in stride, not wanting to get into any more trouble with Bailey, Adams didn’t have the same reaction. He left Yasuda alone with the patient in search of some more hands-on work, determined to get into the OR before Kwan, whom he saw as his biggest competition. As roommates, Yasuda was trying to form a tentative friendship with Adams, whom she still blamed for getting them banned from the OR. Thus, she reluctantly agreed to cover for him with Bailey.

When Dorian started coding, Yasuda was alone with him. Adams returned just when Yasuda made the diagnosis of abdominal compartment syndrome, and she went to get the proper materials to treat him. Unfortunately, Bailey arrived at just the wrong moment for Adams to claim he made the diagnosis and for her to scold Yasuda for being absent. Later, in the locker room, Yasuda confronted Adams, telling him their truce was off.

3 Teddy Offered A Discretionary Fund To Meredith

Teddy wanted to help Meredith behind Catherine’s back

To hide from Catherine, who was also visiting Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Meredith decided to spend the day with Teddy, who was doing physical therapy. It was nice to see the pair interact, as despite knowing each other for years, there aren’t many one-on-one scenes between them. Throughout Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3, Teddy tried to get Meredith to talk about herself, her work in Boston, and why she was in Seattle in particular.

When Teddy fell off the treadmill during her physical therapy session, Meredith finally told Teddy the truth about her and Amelia’s research. Rather than reacting like Catherine had, Teddy was supportive and told Meredith that she wanted to fund her research through the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital discretionary fund. This would allow Meredith to not just continue her research, but to hide it from Catherine as well. It was the perfect solution to Amelia and Meredith’s problem in Grey’s Anatomy season 20.

2 Maggie Canceled On Winston Again

Winston took off his wedding ring

Even though Winston missed his flight due to the unexpected case, it didn’t matter, as Maggie had canceled on him, and not for the first time. Apparently, Winston had been trying to see Maggie in Chicago for weeks, but she always had a last-minute excuse about why she couldn’t meet with him. It appeared as though Winston was the only one willing to put in the time to make their relationship work, with Maggie once again putting work first. In a conversation with Owen, Winston confessed he didn’t know if his marriage was still worth fighting for.

Teddy’s relationship with Owen in Grey’s Anatomy went through similar struggles as Maggie and Winston’s in season 19, with Teddy becoming Chief of Surgery and Owen working to get off surgical probation. Owen advised Winston to think about why he was fighting in the first place and left the head of cardiothoracic surgery to himself. Winston then took off his wedding ring, suggesting that he might be done fighting. With Maggie supposed to make an appearance in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, it will be interesting to see if their relationship can be saved.

1 Adams Moved Out Of The Intern House

Adams didn’t tell anyone he was leaving

At the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 3, Simone returned home to find Adams missing. Not only was he gone, but so were all of his things. Without a word to anyone, Adams had moved out of the intern house. His roommates were Yasuda and Simone, both of whom he had a rocky relationship with, so it wasn’t exactly a surprising move for him in Grey’s Anatomy. Adams and Simone had just ended their relationship and Yasuda made it clear they weren’t friends, which would have made it hard for him to live with them.

The Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 4 promotional video also showed scenes of the interns getting questioned about what happened with Sam in the season 19 finale. One scene suggested that they threw Adams under the bus, which could compromise his place in the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital residency program. Hopefully, Adams will figure out his place in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, even if it's not in the intern house anymore.

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