Spoilers for the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy.
There are long-running TV shows, and then there's Grey's Anatomy. ABC's medical drama is currently in the midst of its whopping 17th season in the air, and it's already been a doozy. The current season is largely focused on the pandemic's affect on Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey has been battling the virus. A few beloved past characters have visited Meredith in her beach hallucinations, and I know who should appear next: Chyler Leigh's Lexie Grey.
Grey's Anatomy fans were shocked in the Season 17 premiere, when Patrick Dempsey's Derek Shepherd finally reunited with Meredith on her dream state beach. While their conversation was limited, seeing McDreamy and Mer back together was something fans waited for since he was killed off. Then episodes later, T.R. Knight's George also made an appearance. And now that Ellen Pompeo's protagonist has taken another turn for the worse, she's back on the beach and the possibility for more visits is seemingly opened.
Aside from perhaps Ellis herself, the next closest person to that Meredith mourned throughout Grey's Anatomy's run is her sister Lexie. Little Grey was introduced in Season 3, and eventually became a beloved member of the cast. She and Meredith developed a true sisterhood, but Lexie was horrifyingly killed off in the infamous plane crash episode. It's been a long time since we saw Lexipedia, and seeing Chyler Leigh's character back on the small screen would likely make the devoted fandom misty-eyed.
Lexie's death is one of Grey's most cruel plot twists, as the Season 8 finale saw her suddenly die in the first fifteen minutes of the episode. Mark's eventual death made it all the more tragic, and the hospital was eventually named Grey Sloan Memorial after the surgeons won their Season 9 lawsuit. Every single character's scrubs bare Lexie's name, so diving into her death is long overdue.
The most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy saw Meredith overexert herself saving a fellow patient, and COVID once again took everything out of here. We saw Merdith back on the beach where she's been shown contemplating death and the afterlife, seemingly opening up the possibility for another visitor to follow in Derek and George's footsteps.
As a fan, I sincerely hope that showrunner Krista Vernoff reached out to Chyler Leigh and is planning on bringing Lexie back via one of Meredith's beach conversations. It would definitely give a much needed sense of closure on the character's arc, which ended in such an unexpected and brutal way. Leigh has been busy over the years working on the Superman series, but the show's cancellation may have freed up her schedule. We'll just have to wait and see how the ongoing beach sequences play out as Season 17 of Grey's continues on.
Grey's Anatomy is a show known for killing off its characters in tragic ways, with both George and Derek's death coming as a major surprise to the fandom. Seeing them both reunite with Meredith has definitely been an emotional experience for the fans who have spent so much time at Grey Sloan Memorial. Fingers crossed that Lexie gets the same treatment.
Grey's Anatomy is currently airing on ABC. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
