Grey’s Anatomy’s seventeenth season reunited fans with previous characters from beyond the grave, thanks to Meredith’s purgatory beach hallucination, and bringing back familiar faces continues to be a theme as we edge closer to the Season 18 premiere. Abigail Spencer is set to return as Owen’s sister Megan, the Army trauma surgeon who was missing for ten years and feared dead. We last saw Megan in Season 14, when she left for Malibu with her adopted son, Farouk, and boyfriend Nathan Riggs in tow.
Now that Megan will rejoin the surgeons of Grey-Sloan Memorial — in a recurring role, per The Hollywood Reporter — we fans can’t help but wonder what brings her back to Seattle, and, just as importantly, will Riggs be with her? There are a few reasons we can think of that might be cause for the move. Let’s explore.
The first, possibly most obvious, reason Megan might return to Seattle would be for the upcoming nuptials between her big brother Owen Hunt and Teddy Altman — who are due to see an abundance of joy this season after everything they’ve been through. The four surgeons all served in the Army together, so it would actually be more surprising if Megan and Riggs weren’t there for Owen and Teddy’s big day.
But, if Megan is only going for the wedding, she wouldn’t need to stick around Seattle, and with Abigail Spencer’s role being recurring, I wonder if there’s more at play with Owen’s little sister. Is there trouble in paradise between Megan and Riggs that would prompt an extended stay? They do both have a history of infidelity. And if so, does that mean Riggs is available? Nathan Riggs and Meredith Grey hit it off during his time in Seattle, bonding over the (presumed) deaths of their loved ones. When Megan was found, Meredith put her own feelings aside so that Riggs could reunite with his love, guilt-free.
The worst-case scenario of Megan’s return would be if there was a medical issue concerning her, Riggs, or Farouk that could only be solved by the world-class surgeons in Seattle. Riggs and Meredith used a fake illness to sneak Farouk into the United States to be with Megan, so I’d hate for that karma to come back around.
Abigail Spencer’s return as Megan is the third familiar face that has been announced for Season 18. It was previously reported that Kate Burton will return in a recurring role as Meredith’s mother, Ellis Grey. And viewers are losing their minds over the return of Kate Walsh as Derek’s ex-wife Addison. Walsh and Ellen Pompeo certainly set this reunion up perfectly, didn’t they? Peter Gallagher is also joining Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 in a recurring role as Dr. Alan Hamilton, who has ties to Ellis Grey.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 is set to premiere on ABC on Thursday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET following the Season 5 premiere of Station 19. Be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV schedule so you don’t miss the premieres of any of your favorite shows.
