Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 premieres, Yasuda and Levi exit

Spoiler alert: The story includes details about If walls could talk An episode of ABC Gray’s Anatomy.

Season 21 premieres on ABC Gray’s Anatomy It started and ended with a bang, leaving us with some questions.

That shocking slap of boredom came at the beginning of the episode, with Billie hitting on her boss, Katherine, when the latter called her “just another doctor.” This turned out to be a recurring dream Billie had after she was let go from Gray Sloan due to her objection to the decision to bring Lucas back for a year.

The interns were only saved by Katherine because they brought in the funding, and a new supervisor for the interns, Sydney Herron (Callie Rocha), was appointed – upon her return to Gray Sloan after 17 years – but they quickly became soured by her overly kind behavior and “healing with love”. behavior. Their reaction was similar to that of Meredith and her fellow interns in Season 2 when Sydney first got the job, replacing Billy while she was on maternity leave. Working once again at the free clinic, Billie found her way back to Gray Sloan where she saved a patient’s life and came face to face with Sydney.

There was no indication in the premiere of Yasuda and Levi’s upcoming departure. (As Deadline exclusively reported, the actors who portray them, Midori Francis and Jake Borelli, will depart this season after wrapping up their characters.) After some doubts about his future, Levi ends the episode in a good place with the help of some encouraging words from Link. By the end of the episodes, Yasuda and Jules were able to clear the air about the “moment” they shared in last season’s finale and were soon dating.

As for Link and Jo, after several comedic situations where Levi almost spilled the beans, Link found out that Jo was pregnant, as the two shared a sweet hug.

Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) continued to challenge Katherine and her legal subpoena. Jackson – who had come to try to defuse the situation – urged her to apologize to his mother, Meredith reluctantly agreed but before she had the chance to do so properly, she rushed to Katherine’s aid after she collapsed. The medical emergency helped turn the tables, as Meredith gained the upper hand and made Katherine bring back everyone she fired in exchange for keeping Katherine’s cancerous condition and her decision not to undergo invasive treatments a secret from Jackson and Richard.

However, there was a condition – that Meredith would resume Katherine’s Alzheimer’s research but “take it in a different direction.”

In another major development, Blue’s sudden “blast past” from last season, his amnesiac ex-fiancée, has returned – and so it appears to be her memory, at least some of it.

In an interview with Deadline, Gray’s AnatomyExecutive producer and showrunner Meg Marinis, who wrote the premiere, explains the decision to bring Sydney back, what’s next for the interns and for the feuding Katherine and Meredith, and why the doctors at Gray Sloan may be up against some strange workplace dynamics Jason George’s Ben Warren returns Along with his wife Billie.

Marinis also addressed Yasuda and Levi’s pending exits, noting that Francis and Borelli will likely return to the show in the future. Speaking of returning characters, neither Monica (Natalie Morales) nor Nick (Scott Speedman) were in the premiere, but both actors are set to reprise their recurring roles, with Marinette teasing the future of Monica-Winston and Meredith-Nick relationships. . (As Deadline exclusively reported, Pompeo will be in at least seven episodes next season.)

She also revealed the theme of Season 21 and shared her memories of the late ABC/ABC Signature executive Stephanie Leaver, to whom the premiere was dedicated.

Delivery time: How was the decision made to reverse a storyline from 17 years ago and bring back Callie Rocha’s Sydney Herron to fill in for Billy?

Marines: Sidney Heron has been brought up several times over the years to return to Gray Sloan and it hasn’t felt right yet. The dynamic between Billy and Sydney from behind in Season 2 was so entertaining that it seemed like a perfect fit to ask her to come back and take charge of Billy. Especially since these trainees don’t know her. The first line Callie delivered at the table elicited a lot of laughter. It was great to have her back in the group.

Delivery time: Is it safe to assume that Billy will take back charge of the trainees who weren’t too keen on Heron’s “healing with love” approach? And what is in store for the trainees this season after they spent most of last season grappling with the fallout from the end of Season 19?

Marines: It’s never safe to assume anything when it comes to… Gray’s Anatomy! When it comes to our interns this season, we’re going to delve deeper into their stories because we have a full season order versus last season’s 10 episodes after the strike. Lucas may be repeating his internship year, Blue has an ex-fiancée that we’ll learn more about, and we’ll also see romantic relationships continue to form and be challenged by the demanding shifts at the hospital. If we know anything about our trainees, it’s that they love getting into trouble, so I’m excited for fans to see them make mistakes as they learn to try and clean up after previous mistakes.

Delivery time: Can you imagine how Yasuda and Levi’s exit story would end as they both found themselves in a very good place by the end of the premiere, with Yasuda in a relationship and Levi regaining his self-confidence?

Marines: Although I can’t talk about either of their stories this season due to spoilers, what I can say is that I’m really happy with the way we’re honoring the characters we’ve built up over the years.
season. Jake and Midori are amazing actors and will always be a part of the movie Gray’s Anatomy family. And given the longevity and power of this show, we all know that if you’re a part of grey Family, you are always part of the family and can come and go over the years.

Delivery time: Talk about the power play between Meredith and Katherine and where the deal they made in the premiere leaves them this season: Will Katherine’s cancer complications be a major story and what happens with Meredith’s research when she agrees to go in another direction?

Marines: Katherine and Meredith are a lot more alike than they think. They are both powerful, pioneering women in the surgical field, but they have different approaches when it comes to breaking down barriers. Katherine struggles with Meredith because she constantly breaks the rules. Her cancer complications will force the two to work together and Katherine will have to rely on Meredith for support as she gets used to being in charge.

As far as Meredith’s research goes, it’s clear that the Alzheimer’s story is something very near and dear to the show. Even though it seems like Meredith’s research has been put on hold for a little while, she will always find a way to keep pushing toward finding a cure for the disease that took her mother and Amelia will be with her.

Delivery time: Are Monica and Winston still around? Natalie Morales wasn’t at the premiere, so we didn’t get an update on the new couple. Same for Meredith and Nick, are there any hurdles for them this season after the romantic reunion in the S20 finale?

Marines: You’ll just have to wait and see when it comes to Monica and Winston! But Natalie is fun on and off screen, and we would have loved to tell more children’s stories with our characters. When it comes to Meredith and Nick, she committed to him last season and we’ll see that in Season 21. I love having both Ellen and Scott on set when we can get them; We have an open door policy here and I’m excited for the fans to see where their relationship goes now that we’ve taken it to the next level.

Delivery time: Will we have a baby this season and how will the pregnancy affect Link and Jo’s relationship? Could there be a Gray Wedding too?

Marines: Joe’s pregnancy will be a big change in their relationship this season. We’ll see them trying to figure out how to manage work, the kids they already have, and finding time for their relationship. It’s going to be a lot for this fan-favorite couple.

Delivery time: How will Jason George Ben be reintegrated into Gray Sloan? Will returning to medicine be difficult for him?

Marines:We are so excited to have Jason back! Ben’s relationship with Billy is one that I consider to be very strong. Regarding Ben’s return to Gray Sloan, I’d say it won’t be as easy as he thought. If he goes back to the hospital and Billie potentially gets her job back, his wife will be his boss, so that will be an interesting dynamic to navigate if that happens. It will also create fun dynamics between other residents. Can they trust Ben as a colleague or is he a spy?

Delivery time: The twentieth season had a “back to basics” theme. What is the theme of Season 21?

Marines: The theme of this season is definitely resilience. Everyone returns for the first half of the season as Season 20 ended. A lot is at risk. The second half will be a flexibility around where we leave off at the end of the mid-season.

I think resilience as a whole is something that all of the doctors at Gray Sloan have had to rely on over the years. It’s part of the fabric and its longevity Gray’s Anatomy. Being a doctor has its highs and lows, and you have to learn and work hard to get out of it all and survive. Is the dream of becoming a surgeon worth all the personal sacrifices?

Delivery time: The premiere was dedicated to Stephanie Livre. Can you share your memories of her and her work? grey?

Marines: Stephanie Leaver was a wonderful person and a dedicated heroine grey. She truly believed in us from the early years and supported our creative vision. I started my career as a courier, doing deliveries grey Texts to her office, and I remember her door was always open. She was very encouraging of the book and attended many of them grey Notable events. It was a heartbreaking loss for this family.