Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 Episode 2 Recap: Simone’s Abortion Decision Explained

With the reveal of Simone’s pregnancy during last week’s “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 23 premiere, the show launched a paternity mystery we were excited to watch unfold. But after this week’s follow-up episode, it’s looking like we may have to be OK never knowing whether Wes or Lucas is the potential father.

After catching Simone in a moment of morning sickness, it takes about two seconds for Kwan to clock his housemate’s pregnancy, instantly becoming her only shoulder to lean on as she considers her next steps. In a perfect world, she would approach her possible baby daddies on her own terms, but “Grey’s” is far from a perfect world, so Wes learns the news himself by overhearing Kwan (who really needs to learn to use his inside voice).

Wes is freaked out at first, but he says he doesn’t do anything halfway, and that goes double for bringing a life into the world. Given her known fertility issues, Simone says it’s a “miracle” that she got pregnant at all, but the situation is still raw. Neither of them know quite what to say.

Towards the end of the hour, Simone shares a sweet exchange with a new mother; despite her exhaustion after 10 hours in the ER for a simple ear infection, the woman insists that children are worth the stress. But if you think this moment is going to sway Simone’s decision about keeping her baby, think again.

Wes later apologizes for his earlier reaction, assuring Simone that he care about her and isn’t walking away. “Kids deserve to be 100% wanted — and right now, I want to be a surgeon,” Simone explains, acknowledging that “there are other ways to have a family,” and that she’ll figure it out “when the time is right.”

“It’s OK, you can be relieved,” Simone says after basically telling Wes that she’s decided to have an abortion, but that’s not what he’s feeling in the moment. “I’m wherever you are,” he says.

Is it too soon to the call a time of death on Jules and Winston’s relationship? Despite promising to butt out, Ben suggests to Winston this week that he may be giving Jules preferential treatment because of their relationship. Winston even agrees to present their patient with a risky, experimental surgery because Jules suggests it as an option. Perhaps in an effort to prove Ben wrong, Winston goes especially hard on Jules during the procedure, making her retie a knot until it meets his satisfaction. There’s a bit of back-and-forth between them, and it’s very uncomfortable. The worst part? The operation isn’t even successful, and the patient’s husband may never forgive himself for agreeing to it.

The prognosis isn’t much better for Jules and Winston, who basically break up during a post-surgery spat. “This is what I was afraid of,” he says about dating someone who’s working under him. “This was never going to work, was it?” she asks, to which he defeatedly replies, “I really wanted it work.” So did Jules, but a messy relationship is one thing that even the doctors of Grey Sloan can’t always repair.

And just like that, it’s back to Boston for Meredith. She sticks around this week to see her patient Charlie through his operation, and now that all visible signs of cancer have been removed, she’s leaving his further treatment in the hands of her colleagues at Grey Sloan. She makes it clear that she can fly back with half-a-day’s notice in case he needs her, but she’s confident that he should be OK.

But what about us, Meredith? How long are we supposed to watch “Grey’s Anatomy” with no Grey? Showrunner Meg Marinis told TVLine at the beginning of Season 23 that actress Ellen Pompeo is “super busy,” adding that she’ll take her “as often as we can get,” but we have to wonder how present she’ll continue to be.

Meredith only appeared in seven episodes last season, which had 18 episodes overall. With the current season of “Grey’s” reported to be a mere 13 episodes, it’s possible we’ll be seeing even less of Meredith than usual moving forward.

• After witnessing a fraternity pledge wipe out during a hazing stunt on campus, Kwan and Bailey rush him to Grey Sloan Memorial, where Bailey spends most of the episode repairing his various injuries. When she overhears the frat brothers saying that they’re going to kick the poor guy out, Bailey goes on a rant about how everyone deserves a second chance. Even better, she gives the same speech to Seth, who agrees to rehire Kwan!
• It’s a good thing Lucas isn’t potentially having a baby with Simone, because things are heating up between him and Dr. Spencer. After an awkward day of her repeatedly blowing him off, he catches her during a vulnerable (and intoxicated) moment at Joe’s. He apologizes for leading her on, explaining that he does like her and is ready for something serious. He even promises to ask her out on a proper date, a restaurant with two dollar signs — once she sobers up, of course.
• Amelia and Toni spend their day off with Jo, who feels like she’s failing at motherhood, despite having more time to devote to it after quitting her job at the hospital. The three women commiserate about ludicrous expectations put on mothers, reminding Jo that doing her best every day is always good enough. It’s not the fun day out they had planned, but Toni tells Amelia that she’s just glad they got to spend it together. These two!

Are you surprised by Simone’s decision not to keep her baby? And do you have more respect for Wes after seeing him step up? How do you feel about Lucas and Dr. Spencer getting serious? And is this really the end for Jules and Winston? Whatever’s on your mind about this week’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” drop your thoughts in a comment below.