1. Maggie’s obsession
Maggie became obsessed with her mother’s condition upon finding out. If you’ve ever had a family member that was really sick, you’ve been this person. My mother was this person with me and my brothers. I became that person when she kept getting sicker.
2. The beginning monologue from Meredith
For many of us, there was something we wanted to make sure we told someone before they died or we forgot. “Important - tell Meredith not to…” those words would echo in a person’s mind for the rest of their life.
The struggle of trying to figure out someone else’s logical brain reasoning in order to complete the sentence would drive us insane.
3. Maggie’s helplessness
If you’ve ever had a loved one get so sick that there was literally nothing you could do, you’ve felt this. When my mother died, I felt so alone. When I could tell she was getting sicker, I felt so helpless. I did what I could, but it seemed like it was never enough. Maggie was a doctor and she couldn’t help her mother. Granted there are laws against all of that, but still.
4. The music
The music creates an ambiance of foreshadowing in the episode. It kills you every time. I think if my mother had gotten to see this episode, she might’ve cried, if for no other reason than the fact that she knew she was dying or the fact that she felt the loss when my adopted grandmother passed away.
5. Diane describing to Dr. Webber why she went on with the trial
Diane was the strong mom. We all know one. My mother and my best friend’s mother were or are strong moms. When Diane was explaining to Dr. Webber why she was allowing Maggie to put her through the trial, you feel in your heart would probably do the same thing.
It’s the equivalent of when there was a mother-father-son kidney transplant a couple episodes back. You would do anything to help the person or people you love. Even if that meant feeling a lot of pain and doing what you could to put on a happy face for them.
6. Meredith's advice to Maggie
This quite possibly is almost the most heartbreaking of the entire episode. “Listen to her. Talk about whatever she wants to talk about and record her voice in your mind and memorize everything.” I can’t tell you how I did this before my mom passed and it still hurts.
The fact that it’s just memories of my mother speaking and not her actually talking to me kills me. It’s hard most times because I have to remember certain ways she’d say something in order to remember her voice. I can’t stand the fact that I always took pictures and not videos of things that happened in our life.
7. Diane's wisdom
The “wisdom” she was imparting on Maggie is something many of us at some point need to hear. She knew she was going to die and felt she needed to get everything out. My mother would have these talks with me where she’d discuss some things that happened in her life or some of our family history.
She’d make it into a type of lesson. If we watched Grey’s Anatomy or Once Upon a Time she’d find a way to discuss it with me and make it some sort of lesson. I miss those talks. They were always full of smiles or laughs.
8. The significance of the window opening
When Maggie opened the window, her mother passed away. There are some stories that say when you open a window after someone has just passed away their soul can be let free. It’s heartbreaking that this is the moment we all knew was coming, but were never ready for.