‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Addison Montgomery Was in a ‘Dark’ Place During the Pandemic
Last season showed the characters of Grey’s Anatomy working together through the pandemic. But what was Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) up to during that time? The newest episode answered that, and the surgeon wasn’t doing well.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 4 ‘With a Little Help from My Friends.’]
Addison Montogomery returns to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
The last time fans saw Addison on Grey’s Anatomy was in season 8. She’s back 10 seasons later to help teach residents.
Grey’s Anatomy’s “Hotter Than Hell” showed Addison jumping right back into the swing of things by taking on a patient who will be receiving Grey-Sloan’s first surgical uterine transplant.
The surgeon reunited with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) in the operation room, and it went well. But they had an emotional talk about Derek (Patrick Dempsey) in the elevator afterward.
“I thought coming back here to Seattle, to Grey-Sloan that he’d be here,” Addison told Meredith, crying. “That I would be able to feel that he was still here in the city that he loved, with the people he loved, but he isn’t. And it’s real. He’s not here.”
Meredith said he was there with his kids. The Grey’s Anatomy episode ended with Addison going to Meredith’s home and meeting them.
Addison reveals the pandemic was really ‘dark’ for her
The episode “With a Little Help from My Friends” shows Amelia helping Addison with her patient experiencing complications. They talked while waiting for results for Addison’s patient. Addison asked her why she broke up with Link (Chris Carmack).
Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) explained that Link loved domestic life while taking care of their child and Meredith’s kids during the pandemic. He felt inspired to have another kid. But Amelia felt suffocated, and she struggled, even more, to stay sober. She thought she would die from the monotony of domestic life.
Addison then revealed how hard the pandemic was for her. “During the pandemic, I drank so much red wine I seriously considered checking myself into rehab,” she said.
Addison notices Amelia has matured
“I looked like a swollen tick,” she added. “I lost it, lost it. I just hated, hated being stuck at home. You know some people loved it. They baked bread. I don’t like bread.”
Addison said she hated her videogame-obsessed son and her husband, who started to play with model trains. “I went really dark, Amelia,” she said. “And dark, dark thoughts.” She admitted to being comforted at the thought of never waking up again. Amelia thanked her because she could relate to that feeling.
Addison is married to Jake Reilly (Benjamin Bratt), and they have a son named Henry. Jake also has another child from his first marriage named Angela (Emily Rios). The characters were seen on Private Practice, the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff.
Addison later revealed she almost left Jake after a petty fight about Game of Thrones. She advised that Amelia might regret making a big decision when she was struggling with her mental health. Amelia claimed she thinks it’s kind to let Link go because they don’t want the same things. Addison called her “all grown up” for this.
The ABC show ended with Addison’s patient recovering. That means she still gets to stay in the trial for the ground-breaking transplant.
