Grey’s Anatomy Fans Are Both Angry And Hopeful After That Carina Name-Drop, And I’m Conflicted About What It Could Mean

Spoiler alert! This story contains minor spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy’s October 10 episode “I Can See Clearly Now. Episodes are available to stream with a Hulu subscription.

When Grey’s Anatomy returned to the 2024 TV schedule, we knew that Jason George would be returning as Ben Warren, after Station 19 became one of this year’s TV cancellations. However, given the fact that showrunner Meg Marinis has continued to play it coy regarding Stefania Spampinato and her character’s future, it’s not all that surprising that Carina DeLuca hasn’t been seen. That’s probably why it was such a thrill that the fan-favorite OB/GYN got mentioned — twice! — in “I Can See Clearly Now.” I’m not sure what to make of the name-drops, and fans seem equally conflicted, as they reacted with both anger and hope.

In the opening minutes of the October 10 episode, we saw Jo (Camilla Luddington) informing Link (Chris Carmack) that she was going to see a doctor outside of Grey Sloan for her pregnancy in order to maintain some privacy. Link didn't fully understand her reasoning, dropping this gem:

The mention of Carina’s name — and the inevitable mental imagery that accompany Link’s thoughts — threw the fandom into a frenzy, and I fully understand why anger was the first emotion to kick in. One fan posted on X (Twitter):

Ben Warren’s return to Grey’s Anatomy was practically written into Station 19’s series finale, but there’s been nary a word regarding Carina, except for Meg Marinis saying she “exists in this world,” which we obviously know, seeing as Stefania Spampinato started on Grey’s and has continued to appear in every season despite being a series regular on Station 19.

Hearing her mentioned on the episode only reminded fans of her absence. Other reactions included:

• It’s supposed to be funny, but actually makes me mad. They really don't deserve Carina Deluca 😢 – rkfly
• We live in a world where we have to live off Carina DeLuca crumbs – mayabishvp

Over the course of the episode, however, Jo had a change of heart, and at the end, she reveals to Link that she’s decided that sacrificing a little privacy was worth their baby getting the best care. She’s talking about Carina, right? RIGHT?!

One post went viral over the exciting news that Carina (who was mentioned for a second time by Link) will apparently be caring for Jo, reigniting hope that we’ll actually get to see her again:

If Stefania Spampinato isn’t making an appearance this season, they easily could have just had Jo maintain her decision to seek care elsewhere. Since she didn’t, many fans are now more optimistic than ever that Carina will be back, posting:

• WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?????????? WHY AM I ALREADY CLOWNING??????? CARINA DELUCA WILL BE BACK??? – dearprepon
• Okay okay okay so does that mean we’re getting Carina back?!?!? – haleytogo
• I want to see Jo and Carina go through their pregnancies together. Especially with them both being OBs. – KittyKat3801

I’m still conflicted about what (if anything) the Carina name-drops mean, and I’m still not convinced they’re bringing her back. As promising as the mentions were, if Meg Marinis planned to have Carina on this season, why keep it such a secret when they were so open about Ben Warren’s return?

The show has also set a precedent for keeping characters alive in name only. Back in Season 17 I was convinced that Sandra Oh was coming back as Cristina Yang after five name-drops, a text exchange between Cristina and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and several other former cast members returning as Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) fought COVID. However, Oh has made it clear she has no intention of reprising the role. Fool me once, Grey’s Anatomy …

Of course, only time will tell whether or not Stefania Spampinato will return home to Grey’s Anatomy, so stay tuned, as new episodes (possibly with some steamier stories in its later timeslot) airing at 10 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC.