# Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Grey's Anatomy)

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and the 250th episode overall. Written by Mark Driscoll and directed by executive producer Debbie Allen, it aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on October 22, 2015.
The episode centers around the dinner party hosted by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary). Tensions arise when Callie Torres' (Sara Ramirez) new girlfriend Penelope "Penny" Blake (Samantha Sloyan), is introduced, and it is revealed that Blake was one of Derek Shepherd's (Patrick Dempsey) doctors when he died. The episode also follows Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) as she attempts to adjust to Callie's new relationship, April Kepner (Sarah Drew) as she distracts herself from her ongoing issues with her estranged husband Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), and a heated argument between Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton).
On its initial airing, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was watched by a total of 8.96 million viewers and scored a 2.4/8 in the key 18–49 demographic in the Nielsen ratings, ranking at #1 for the time slot. It received universal acclaim, with numerous critics calling it one of the best episodes of the series in recent years, and Pompeo and Scorsone's performances received widespread praise.

## Plot

As guests begin to arrive for the dinner party, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) answers the door and is shocked to see Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and her new girlfriend, Penelope "Penny" Blake (Samantha Sloyan). Meredith immediately recognizes Penny as the doctor who informed her about Derek Shepherd's (Patrick Dempsey) death. Trying to keep her emotions in check, Meredith avoids Penny but eventually tells her that they will not discuss their history. Instead, Penny is told to make small talk with everyone else at the party.
Meanwhile, Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) worries she might have contracted an STD from her relationship with Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and rushes to the hospital for a test, leaving her dinner responsibilities behind. This prompts April Kepner (Sarah Drew) to take over cooking with help from other guests.
As Callie introduces Penny to everyone, she gets called away for an emergency consult at the hospital. Despite Penny’s insistence on leaving with her, Callie asks Meredith to keep Penny company, making sure she feels welcome.
During dinner, the tension rises when Penny introduces herself fully as "Penelope Blake", triggering recognition from Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), who reveals that Penny is the new transfer resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The revelation pushes Meredith to her breaking point, and she reveals to everyone the connection between Derek's death and Penny. Meredith storms upstairs, and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) follows to check in on her. Meanwhile, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), devastated to realize she had been friendly with one of the doctors responsible for Derek's death, demands that Penny recount every detail of the night he died. Her intense reaction leads to a confrontation that ends with Amelia kicking Penny out of the house just as Callie and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) return from the hospital.
Amelia later joins Meredith upstairs, proposing to file an appeal to block Penny from working at the hospital. Meredith, now fed up with being the strong one, lashes out, reminding Amelia that she lost her husband and the father of her children, while Amelia only lost her brother. Meredith demands that Amelia leave her room, calling for Owen to get Amelia out before things escalate.
Owen consoles Amelia in her room, revealing his own imperfect feelings. He admits that after the plane crash, he had moments of relief at the thought of Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) being gone because it would have frozen their relationship in time. He comforts Amelia by telling her it’s okay that they aren't perfect.
Outside, Penny attempts to call a cab but is interrupted by Callie, who is hurt that Penny never told her about her involvement in Derek's death. Penny explains that she didn’t think Callie knew Derek, but Callie replies, "He was my friend". The situation leaves their relationship in doubt.
Inside, Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton) try to repair their strained friendship. Jo apologizes for not believing Stephanie’s traumatic childhood story, but their conversation quickly turns into another argument when Stephanie accuses Jo of always trying to "level the playing field" instead of simply acknowledging that Stephanie is better at some things.
At the hospital, Maggie is mortified when Andrew turns out to be the doctor assigned to perform her STD test. Although she initially asks for another doctor, she ends up resolving her issues with Andrew, and they continue working through their relationship awkwardly.
As the night winds down, Meredith and Alex share a bottle of tequila in her room, with Alex offering to stay as her new "person". Before heading back upstairs, Meredith encounters Penny, who apologizes once more, explaining that she thinks about that night and Meredith's words every day. Penny offers to transfer to another residency program, but Meredith responds, "I'll see you Monday. Don’t be late."

## Production

The episode was written by Mark Driscoll and directed by executive producer Debbie Allen. The table read for the episode took place on September 3, 2015, with filming starting shortly after on September 8, 2015. To mark the show's milestone 250th episode, the cast of Grey's Anatomy celebrated with a special event, which several actors shared on Twitter on September 15, 2015. Jessica Capshaw (Arizona Robbins) mentioned that the episode featured her favorite scene of the season so far.

## Release

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was originally broadcast on October 22, 2015, in the United States on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Upon its initial telecast, the episode was watched by a total of 8.96 million viewers and scored a 2.4/8 in the key 18–49 demographic in the Nielsen ratings, marking an increase from the previous episode, "Old Time Rock and Roll", which was watched by 8.25 million viewers and received a 2.3/8 ratings/share. The episode ranked as the top TV show in the 8:00 p.m. time slot, outperforming Fox's Bones, NBC's Heroes Reborn and The CW The Vampire Diaries.

## Reception

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" received universal acclaim, with numerous critics calling it one of the best episodes of the series in recent years, and Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) and Caterina Scorsone (Amelia Shepherd) received widespread praise for their performances.
Lauren Hoffman from Cosmopolitan hailed the 250th episode as one of the show's all-time best, noting the show excels when it focuses on complicated emotions. She praised the episode for allowing the doctors to confront their grief over Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) together, writing, "Watching all the doctors try to make sense of what Penny's (Samantha Sloyan) saying is fascinating... it's a weird, meta moment reminder of how long all these performers worked with Dempsey." Hoffman found the episode unconventional but highly effective, calling it "kind of the best episode ever".
TV Equals also praised the episode for its balance of cast interactions and intimate moments, highlighting Pompeo’s portrayal of Meredith. They noted, "Pompeo was great in this episode," appreciating how Meredith’s frustration and grief were portrayed with layers of complexity. The site enjoyed the dynamic between Meredith, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), Amelia, and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), appreciating their evolving relationships.
Nad's Review rated the episode an 'A', agreeing that it was one of the best in recent years. They credited Pompeo's top-notch performance as the key to the episode’s success: "There are so many reasons the episode worked, but the main reason is undoubtedly Pompeo’s top-notch performance... absolutely nail-biting to watch."
Entertainment Weekly's Ariana Bacle praised the episode for embodying the drama, emotion, and suspense of "Old Grey's", highlighting the importance of Alex's role as Meredith’s "person" after Cristina Yang's (Sandra Oh) departure. Bacle added that the strong emotional connections among the characters were at the heart of the hour.
However, not all reviews were universally glowing. TV Fanatic's Ashley Bissette Sumerel felt that the Penny Blake arc, which was central to the dinner party's tension, was forced. While Sumerel acknowledged the episode's emotional weight, she expressed disappointment with Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Stephanie Edwards' (Jerrika Hinton) storyline, calling it "plain insufferable" and hoping for better development in future episodes.