‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Showrunner Talks Premiere’s Twists & Big Return, Teases Resilience-Themed Season 21 As 2 Cast Members Prepare To Exit
SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about the If Walls Could Talk episode of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.
The Season 21 premiere of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy started and ended with a bang, leaving us with a few questions.
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That shocking slap from the promos came down at the very beginning of the episode, with Bailey hitting her boss Catherine when the latter called her “just another doctor.” Turns out it was a recurring dream Bailey had been having after she was let go from Grey Sloan over her objection to the decision to have Lucas repeat a year.
Spared by Catherine only because they bring in funding, the interns were assigned a new supervisor, Sydney Heron (Kali Rocha) — in her return to Grey Sloan after 17 years — but they quickly soured on her overly sweet demeanor and “healing with love” attitude. Their reaction was similar to that of Meredith and her fellow interns back in Season 2 when Sydney first got the gig, filling in for Bailey while she was on a maternity leave. Working again at the free clinic, Bailey found a way back to Grey Sloan where she saved a patient’s life and came face-to-face with Sydney.
There was no indication in the premiere of the pending departures of Yasuda and Levi. (As Deadline reported exclusively, the actors who portray them, Midori Francis and Jake Borelli, will be leaving this season after wrapping their characters’ arcs.) After some doubts about his future, Levi ended the episode in a good place with the help of some encouraging words from Link. And by the end of the episodes, Yasuda and Jules got to clear the air about that “moment” they shared in last season’s finale and soon were making out.
As for Link and Jo, after a couple of comical situations where Levi almost spilled the beans, Link figured out that Jo was pregnant, with the two sharing a sweet embrace.
Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) continued to defy Catherine — and her legal summons. Urged by Jackson — who’d flown in to try and smooth over the situation — to apologize to his mom, Meredith begrudgingly agreed but before she had the chance to properly do it, she rushed to Catherine’s aid after she collapsed. The medical emergency helped turn the tables, with Meredith getting the upper hand and making Catherine reinstate everyone she had fired in exchange for her keeping the state of Catherine’s cancer and her decision not to undergo invasive treatments secret from Jackson and Richard.
There was a condition though — Meredith would resume Alzheimer’s research for Catherine but “take it in a different direction.”
In another major twist, Blue’s surprise “blast from the past” from last season, his amnesiac ex fiancee, was back — and so seemed to be her memory, at least some of it.
In an interview with Deadline, Grey’s Anatomy executive producer and showrunner Meg Marinis, who wrote the premiere, explains the decision to bring Sydney back, what is next for the interns and for the feuding Catherine and Meredith and why the doctors at Grey Sloan may be in for some awkward workplace dynamic having Jason George’s Ben Warren back alongside his wife Bailey.
Marinis also addressed Yasuda and Levi’s pending exits, indicating that Francis and Borelli could potentially return to the show in the future. Speaking of characters who are coming back, neither Monica (Natalie Morales) nor Nick (Scott Speedman) were in the premiere but both actors are set to reprise their recurring roles, with Marinis teasing the future of the Monica-Winston and Meredith-Nick relationships. (As Deadline reported exclusively, Pompeo will be in at least seven episodes next season.)
She also revealed the theme for Season 21 and shared her memories of the late ABC/ABC Signature executive Stephanie Leifer to whom the premiere was dedicated.
DEADLINE: How was the decision made to mirror a storyline from 17 years ago and bring back Kali Rocha’s Sydney Heron to fill in for Bailey?
MARINIS: Sydney Heron has been pitched numerous times over the years to return to Grey Sloan and it’s never felt right until now. The dynamic between Bailey and Sydney from back in season 2 was so entertaining that it seemed like the perfect fit asking her to come back and take over for Bailey. Especially since these particular interns don’t know her. The first line Kali delivered at the table read got so many laughs. It was great having her back on set.
DEADLINE: Is it safe to assume that Bailey will retake charge of the interns who have not been very keen on Heron’s “Healing With Love” approach? And what is in store for the interns this season after they spent most of last season grappling with the aftermath of the S19 finale?
MARINIS: It’s never safe to assume anything when it comes to Grey’s Anatomy! When it comes to our interns this season, we’re getting to dive deeper into their storylines because we have a full season order vs last season’s 10 episodes post strike. Lucas may be repeating his intern year, Blue has an ex-fiancee that we’ll learn more about, and we’ll also see romantic relationships continue to form and be challenged by demanding shifts at the hospital. If we know anything about our interns, it’s that they like to get into trouble, so I’m excited for fans to see them make mistakes as they’re learning to try and clean up after previous ones.
DEADLINE: Can you tease how Yasuda and Levi’s exit story arcs will play out as they both found themselves in a pretty good place by the end of the premiere, with Yasuda in a relationship and Levi regaining his self-confidence?
MARINIS: While I can’t speak to either of their storylines this season because of spoilers, what I can say is that I’m really happy with the way we’re honoring the characters we’ve built over the years this
season. Jake and Midori are fantastic actors and will always be part of the Grey’s Anatomy family. And because of the longevity and power of this show, we all know– If you’re part of the Grey’s family, you’re always part of the family and possibly can come and go through the years.
DEADLINE: Talk about the Meredith-Catherine power play and where the deal they made in the premiere leaves them this season: Will Catherine’s cancer complication be a major storyline and what happens with Meredith’s research as she agrees to go in another direction?
MARINIS: Catherine and Meredith are much more alike than they think. They’re both ground-breaking, powerful women in the surgical field, but they have different approaches when it comes to breaking barriers. Catherine struggles with Meredith because she’s constantly breaking the rules. Her cancer complications are going to force the two of them to work together and Catherine is going to have to lean on Meredith for support when she’s used to being in charge.
As far as Meredith’s research goes, the Alzheimer’s storyline is something that’s obviously very near and dear to the show. Even though it SEEMS like Meredith’s research has briefly paused, she’ll always find a way to keep pushing towards finding a cure for the disease that took her mother and Amelia will be right there with her.
DEADLINE: Are Monica and Winston still on? Natalie Morales was not in the premiere, so we didn’t get an update on the brand new couple. Same on Meredith and Nick, any bumps for them this season after the romantic reunion in the S20 finale?
MARINIS: You’ll have to just wait and see when it comes to Monica and Winston! But Natalie is a delight on and off-screen, and we’ve loved telling more pediatric stories with our characters. When it comes to Meredith and Nick, she made a commitment to him last season and we’ll get to see that play out in season 21. I love having both Ellen and Scott on set when we can have them; we have an open door policy here and I’m excited for fans to see where their relationship goes now that we’ve taken it to the next level.
DEADLINE: Will we get a baby this season, and how will the pregnancy impact Link and Jo’s relationship? Could there be a Grey’s wedding too?
MARINIS: Jo’s pregnancy will be a big change for their relationship this season. We’re going to see them try and figure out how to manage work, the kids they already have, and finding time for their relationship. It’s going to be a lot for this fan-favorite couple.
DEADLINE: How will Jason George’s Ben be reintegrated into Grey Sloan? Will the return to medicine be hard for him?
MARINIS: We’re so excited to have Jason back! Ben’s relationship with Bailey is one I count as being so solid. As far as Ben’s return to Grey Sloan, I’ll say it’s not going to be as easy as he thought it would be. If he comes back to the hospital and Bailey possibly gets her job back, his wife will be his boss so that’ll be an interesting dynamic to navigate if it happens. It will also create fun dynamics between the other residents. Can they trust Ben as a colleague or is he a spy?
DEADLINE: Season 20 had a “back to basics” theme. What is the theme for Season 21?
MARINIS: This season’s theme is definitely resilience. The first half of the season everyone’s coming back from how season 20 ended. So much is in jeopardy. The second half will be resilience surrounding where we leave off in the midseason finale.
I think resilience as a whole is something all of the doctors at Grey Sloan over the years have had to lean into. It’s part of the fabric and longevity of Grey’s Anatomy. Being a doctor has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and you have to learn and work hard to come out of all of that and survive. Is the dream of finally becoming a surgeon worth all the personal sacrifice?
DEADLINE: The premiere was dedicated to Stephanie Leifer. Can you share your memory of her and her work on Grey’s?
MARINIS: Stephanie Leifer was an incredible person and devoted champion of Grey’s. She truly believed in us from the early years all the way through and supported our creative vision. I started my career as a PA, delivering Grey’s scripts to her office, and I remember her door always being open. She was so encouraging to writers and attended several Grey’s milestone events. It was a heartbreaking loss for this family.
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