The episode focuses on April Kepner, (Sarah Drew) who faces a crisis of faith after a traumatic event involving a young patient shakes her belief in God. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) struggles with her own health scare and experiences the medical system from the patient's perspective. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) confronts her abusive ex-husband, Paul Stadler (Matthew Morrison), when he is admitted to the hospital. Additionally, Jackson Avery (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 and police brutality in the United States.
Plot
The episode opens with a voice-over from April Kepner (Sarah Drew), questioning the value of faith when faced with suffering and whether devotion leads to reward or simply more pain.
April Kepner (Sarah Drew) faces a difficult situation when her ex-fiancé, Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening), 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.
"Personal Jesus" aired on the American Broadcasting Company on January 25, 2018.[1] 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.[2][3] "Personal Jesus" was the second most-watched drama of the week and ranked seventh among the most-watched television programs overall.[4] The 8.62 million viewers represented the largest audience for Grey's Anatomy in over a year.[2]
Lacey Vorrasi-Banis of Entertainment Weekly 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 in relation to April's storyline.[9] Jasmine Blu of TVFanatic considered the episode one of the best Grey's Anatomy episodes in a long time, commending Drew's performance, noting that it gave Drew "the room to show off her range and excel."[10] 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 Justin Bruening'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.[11][12]
