Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Has Big Returns (But Not The One Fans Want)

Grey’s Anatomy‘s upcoming season 18 is set to feature some big character returns, but it’s the ones who won’t be coming back that are sure to disappoint fans. Last season, the medical drama brought back favorites Derek, Mark, Lexie, and George in Meredith’s dream sequences as she battled the effects of COVID-19. While not much is known about the plot of the series’ highly anticipated new season, recent news of more beloved characters booking multi-episode arcs seem to be building toward something exciting.

Throughout its nearly two decades on network television, Grey’s Anatomy has been a revolving door for many in its cast. In fact, not even death has stopped characters from returning to the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial, which is the case for Ellis Grey. Though many questions have recently been raised around why Ellis will return in Grey’s Anatomy season 18 and how she’ll make her reappearance, the influence she has had on Meredith’s life and career has been unparalleled. As such, longtime viewers have relished storylines that centered around the mother-daughter relationship.

In addition to Ellis, both Addison Montgomery and Megan Hunt are slated to return for season 18. However, as beloved and integral as these characters were to Grey’s Anatomy, particularly Addison, whose popularity resulted in her spin-off show Private Practice, audiences really want to see Cristina Yang, Alex Karev, and even Izzy Stevens return. They were, after all, the original group of interns at the very beginning of the medical series. With season 18’s returning characters hinting at Grey’s Anatomy ending, long-time fans are hoping for one last get-together of the interns who started it all–but so far, it appears the series is set to bring back a number of characters, but not the ones fans most hope to see.

Cristina, in particular, was arguably the most important person in Meredith’s life (after Ellis’ death). In fact, during her time as Grey’s Anatomy‘s showrunner, Shonda Rhimes repeatedly emphasized that the show was fundamentally a love story between the two. Their relationship–competitive and harsh, yet loving and supportive–was exceptional in its portrayal of a female friendship that uplifted each other’s skills and accomplishments without being focused on men or love interests. Meredith’s friendship with Cristina was so much a part of her identity that, after Cristina Yang actress Sandra Oh decided to exit the series, Ellen Pompeo questioned whether she would be able to continue. While she is still canonically alive and makes pseudo-appearances in the form of onscreen text messages, season 17’s finale confirmed Cristina Yang will never return.

Alex’s and Izzy’s returns in season 18 are even less likely than Cristina’s. Both characters abruptly left the series in seasons 16 and 6 (respectively). Katherine Heigl’s exit was a much-publicized account of offscreen disputes between her and Rhimes. Though Justin Chambers’ exit was quieter and seemingly more amicable than Heigl’s, the suddenness of it and the consequent lack of follow-through–Alex’s last appearance came in the form of a voiceover–suggest that something happened behind the scenes. That being said, it isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility for the show to use the possible final season to bring them back and finally get their character exits right. With signs pointing to Grey’s Anatomy season 18 being the final season, the show’s perfect send-off would be to give the fans the reunions that they really want.

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Jericho Tadeo
(25 Articles Published)

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Jericho is a freelance writer and editor whose words can be found on The Nerd Daily, Elixuer Magazine, and more. His love for movies started with weekend trips to the theatre with his dad when he was young. This translated into a love for storytelling in general. In addition to journalism, he has written for the stage and screen. He can be reached at jerichotadeo [at] gmail [dotcom].

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