"Personal Jesus" is the tenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

television series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', and the 303rd episode overall. Written by former E.R. physician

Zoanne Clack Zoanne Clack (born July 14, 1968), also known as Zoanne Arnette, is an American television producer, writer, story editor, actress, and medical doctor/consultant. Clack's most notable work has been on the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'', in ...

and directed by

Kevin Rodney Sullivan Kevin Rodney Sullivan (born August 3, 1958) is an American film and television actor and film director. Early life and acting career Sullivan is a San Francisco native who began his career as a child actor. The youngest of three children, he grew ...

, the episode aired on the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

(ABC) in the United States on January 25, 2018. The episode focuses on

April Kepner April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. April was introduced in the episode " ...

, (

Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and April Kepner, Dr. April Kepner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama se ...

) who faces a crisis of faith after a traumatic event involving a young patient shakes her belief in

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Miranda Bailey Miranda Bailey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the long-running medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', created by Shonda Rhimes and portrayed by Chandra Wilson since the series' debut in 2005. Bailey has appeared in 387 episodes across ...

(

Chandra Wilson Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in ''Grey's Anatomy'' since 2005, for which she has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Su ...

) struggles with her own health scare and experiences the medical system from the patient's perspective. Jo Wilson (

Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dr. Jo Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is also known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video games and ...

) confronts her abusive ex-husband, Paul Stadler (

Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer, and singer, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox television show ''Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in multiple Broadway and off-Broadway produ ...

), when he is admitted to the hospital. Additionally,

Jackson Avery Jackson Avery, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by Jesse Williams. He was introduced in the season 6 episode "Invas ...

( Jesse Williams) grapples with an unexpected revelation about his family's history. Upon its initial airing, "Personal Jesus" was viewed by 8.62 million Americans, an increase of 0.35 million from the previous episode, and garnered a season-best 2.3/9 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, ranking as the #2 drama of the week. The episode received critical acclaim from television critics, with high praise for the performances of Drew and Luddington and for its handling of socially relevant issues like

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

and

police brutality in the United States Police brutality is the use of excessive or unwarranted force by law enforcement, resulting in physical or psychological harm to a person. It includes beatings, killing, intimidation tactics, racist abuse, and/or torture. Police brutality, rac ...

Plot

The episode opens with a

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

from

(

), questioning the value of faith when faced with suffering and whether devotion leads to reward or simply more pain. Paul Stadler (

) recovers from his

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the criminal act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there ma ...

injuries while

Meredith Grey Meredith Grey M.D., F.A.C.S., (born 1977 or 1978) is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was c ...

(

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on ''Forbes'' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a ...

) questions the

alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

provided by

Alex Karev Alexander Michael "Alex" Karev (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Ka ...

(

Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005-20). Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High School, South Charleston, and later studi ...

) and Jo Wilson (

), suspecting Paul's fiancée, Jenny (

Bethany Joy Lenz Bethany Joy Lenz (born April 2, 1981) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is known for her portrayal of Haley James Scott on The WB / The CW television drama ''One Tree Hill (TV series), One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012). She also star ...

). Jo supports Jenny as she contemplates pressing

charges against Paul. However, the police later reveal that the driver was a

drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

who has been arrested. In a confrontation with Paul, Jo and Jenny plan to take him to court, but Paul falls, becomes

brain dead Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function, which may include cessation of involuntary activity (e.g., breathing) necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person i ...

, and Jo, as his legal wife, decides to take him off

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform bas ...

and donate his organs.

(

) faces a difficult situation when her ex-fiancé, Matthew Taylor (

Justin Bruening Justin Bruening (born September 24, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. He was discovered at a McDonald's in Escondido, California, and within a week, he was shooting photos with Bruce Weber. In 2003, his acting career began w ...

), brings in his pregnant wife. April helps deliver their baby and apologizes for her past actions, but realizes Matthew has moved on. Tragically, his wife suffers complications and dies in surgery. The loss, coupled with her other patients’ deaths, causes April to question her faith. Meanwhile,

( Jesse Williams) and

(

) treat a 12-year-old boy shot by police in a case of

racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the offender profiling, selective enforcement or selective prosecution based on race or ethnicity, rather than individual suspicion or evidence. This practice involves discrimination against minority pop ...

Maggie Pierce Margaret "Maggie" Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), portrayed by Kelly McCreary. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, Maggie fi ...

(

Kelly McCreary Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest at ...

) organizes a science camp for Bailey’s son, Tucker (BJ Tanner), and his friends. The boy's death prompts Bailey and Ben Warren (

Jason George Jason Winston George (born February 9, 1972) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach'', as Jeremiah Thurgood "J.T." Hunter on the UPN television sitcom ''Eve'', as Dr. ...

) to have "

the talk The Talk may refer to: * ''The Talk'' (talk show), an American daytime talk show on CBS that debuted from 2010 to 2024 * "The Talk" (''Mortified''), an episode of ''Mortified'' * The talk (racism in the United States), a conversation Black Ameri ...

" with Tucker about racial profiling and

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

Production

The episode was written by

and directed by

Release

"Personal Jesus" aired on the

on January 25, 2018. Upon its initial release, the episode was viewed by 8.62 million people, marking an increase of 0.35 million from the previous episode, "1-800-799-7233", and achieving a season-best

Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...

. "Personal Jesus" was the second most-watched drama of the week and ranked seventh among the most-watched television programs overall. The 8.62 million viewers represented the largest audience for ''Grey's Anatomy'' in over a year.

Reception

"Personal Jesus" received critical acclaim from television critics, with high praise for the performances of

(

) and Jo Wilson (

) and for its handling of socially relevant issues like

and

. Lacey Vorrasi-Banis of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' praised April's character development in the episode, remarking that she "is in the darkest place we’ve ever seen her." She also appreciated the episode's title and its

biblical inspiration Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the human writers and canonizers of the Bible were led by God with the result that their writings may be designated in some sense the word of God. This belief is traditionally asso ...

in relation to April's storyline. Jasmine Blu of ''TVFanatic'' considered the episode one of the best ''

'' episodes in a long time, commending Drew's performance, noting that it gave Drew "the room to show off her range and excel." Maggie Fremont of ''Vulture'' echoed these sentiments, hoping that the episode and Drew's portrayal would shift viewers' perception of the character in a positive direction. Fremont also praised the return of

's character, Matthew Taylor, and the closure his storyline offered, while highlighting the exploration of April's "dark" side as a new and compelling direction for the show.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Personal Jesus (Grey's Anatomy) Grey's Anatomy season 14 episodes 2018 American television episodes