The moment we’ve all been waiting for (but also dreading) is upon us. When Grey’s Anatomy returns from its Season 19 winter hiatus, we will be saying goodbye to Meredith Grey (at least for now). Ellen Pompeo is stepping away as a series regular, with her character taking her three McKiddos and relocating to Boston. It feels like fans have been so focused on Meredith’s impending exit that we’ve barely had time to consider what happens next for the show, and now that the time has come to move forward, I have quite a few questions.
One thing’s for sure — there’s plenty to be excited about, even without Ellen Pompeo leading the way. The five cast additions have breathed fresh life into the 19-year-old series as the new class of first-year residents, invigorating longtime fans. Plus, there’s plenty still brewing with the other surgeons who remain at Grey Sloan. Let’s take a look at seven questions I hope Grey’s Anatomy answers when Season 19 resumes on February 23:
Will Nick Follow Meredith To Boston?
I can’t imagine this issue not getting addressed in the midseason premiere, but things were left up in the air in regards to whether or not Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) would move again to stay with Meredith. The two have been hot and cold since their apparent breakup in the Season 18 finale, and Nick was (in my opinion) justifiably annoyed that she 1) didn’t at least speak to him about Boston before deciding to move, and 2) neglected to tell him that her late husband’s nephew was a new hospital employee.
One thing we do know is that Scott Speedman’s role in Season 19 was reduced to recurring, so my money is on love persevering in Beantown.
How Will Catherine’s Cancer Be Handled?
Speaking of Boston, we learned an interesting tidbit about Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) during Meredith's visit, as Greg Germann made a guest appearance as Tom Koracick to inform his friend and colleague that her cancer was growing. This will certainly have to come into play back in Seattle from the perspective of her husband Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), but I feel like it would hit harder as a plotline to kick off that Boston spinoff centered around Jackson Avery and April Kepner that fans have been begging for. I’m intrigued to see how it plays out.
Who Is Luke Adams’ Mother?
The Grey’s writers got us good in the Season 19 premiere with the reveal that one of the new interns was McDreamy’s favorite nephew. But after we got over the initial shock, we realized that while we knew Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) was Lucas Adams’ aunt (NOT his lover, as he strangely allowed his colleagues to believe), we were never told which of Amelia and Derek’s three sisters is Luke’s mom.
Will Nancy, Liz or Kathleen make an appearance in the back half of Season 19? What will that look like if or when the mystery Shepherd sister comes face to face with "black sheep" Amelia — or Derek’s ex-wife Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), who cheated on him, for that matter? Dammit, that could make for some great TV.
What’s In Store For Mika Yasuda, Jules Millin And Benson Kwan?
It’s no surprise that a lot of the current season has focused on Luke (Niko Terho), with his Shepherd connections and all, and Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) has been heavily featured as well, as she has secrets of her own that have forged a bond between her and Luke. Will the second half of Season 19 feature more major stories for Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), Benson "Blue" Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.) and Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane)?
We’ve been getting small peeks into their back stories and personalities, and while I don’t see how Grey’s Anatomy is going to find time for all of its characters — old and new — I am hoping we get to bond with these doctors more.
Will Jo And Link Finally Get Together?
As much as I want to continue to get to know the new characters, I also don’t feel like I’m willing to give up time with some old favorites. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Link (Chris Carmack) thankfully had gotten past the awkwardness of last season and seemed ready to finally admit that they were head-over-heels in love with each other. Enter Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), with an inspired speech about how falling in love with your best friend is the quickest way to ruin both of your lives. Why would anybody take relationship advice from Teddy anyway? Come on, JoLink, are we doing this or not?
Will We See More Familiar Faces Return To Seattle?
A number of Grey’s Anatomy legends have made returns to the show following their official exits. Meredith’s COVID hallucinations even gave us beyond-the-grave comebacks from Patrick Dempsey, T.R. Knight, Chyler Leigh and Eric Dane, so it seems nothing is off the table. This season we’ve already seen our previously mentioned Boston friends, as well as Kate Walsh returning in a recurring role. Will there be more?
Justin Chambers went viral with a cryptic coffee post that had many thinking that Alex Karev may make an appearance, and wouldn’t that be an interesting showdown, after he ended his marriage to Jo via letter? Showrunner Krista Vernoff has promised some “delightful surprises” to come, so I’m trying hard not to get my hopes too high!
Who Will Narrate The Remaining Season 19 Episodes?
Despite Ellen Pompeo’s impending exit, the actress has said she’ll continue to do her trademark narration that opens and concludes each episode. Will Meredith’s voice remain for the entire second half of Season 19, or will we start to hear a different character transitioning into the role? Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) seems like an obvious choice to take over narration duties, but it seems like the job could just as easily fall to Simone Griffith or another of the interns.
Meredith Grey may be Boston-bound, but there is still so much to look forward to with Season 19 set to resume. I’m pretty excited to start finding out the answers to these questions and to see what other surprises Krista Vernoff has for us in her final season as showrunner. Tune in to Grey’s Anatomy at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, February 23, on ABC, and in the meantime if you need to get caught up, the first half of Season 19 can be streamed with a Hulu subscription, and the first 18 seasons are available to Netflix subscription holders.
