The Grey’s Anatomy season 20 finale capped off the show’s latest 10-episode outing by setting up several cliffhangers. While none of them quite matched the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 cliffhanger that saw Teddy Altman’s (Kim Raver) life hanging in the balance, the episode certainly teased a very different Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for season 21. Over the course of the season, Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) under-the-radar Alzheimer’s research took center stage, becoming one of the few whole-season arcs with any weight to it. Although Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) threatened Meredith’s funding, Dr. Grey carried on anyway.
With the Fox Foundation — and, by extension, Grey Sloan — being Meredith’s key source of funds, she seemed to be backed into a corner. After enlisting Amelia Shepherd’s (Caterina Scorsone) help with the research portion of the project, Meredith turned to newly minted Chief Altman for off-the-record financial support. In typical fashion, Catherine discovers the trio’s scheme by Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s ending, resulting in Teddy’s firing. Despite Catherine’s ultimatum, Meredith and Amelia publish their findings and quit their jobs, which means, among other things, Grey Sloan’s roster of doctors in season 21 will look very different.
Throughout the course of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) once again grapples with his confidence as a surgeon. At first, Richard worries that his commitment to sobriety is slipping, prompting him to step away from surgery for a time. While Teddy and other colleagues assure Richard that they trust him in the OR, Webber’s self-confidence is deeply shaken. After failing to properly walk two interns through a complex procedure, Richard loses a patient. When he speaks with Meredith afterward, Webber wonders if Ellis, Meredith’s mother, knew when she’d performed her last surgery.
Pickens Jr. has been a staple of the show since its very first episode…
It all feels incredibly final — even if Grey’s Anatomy has toyed with Richard Webber’s retirement since at least season 3 of the show. Although Richard doesn’t know who he’ll be without surgery, he’s finally coming to terms with his new reality. Although Pickens Jr. has been a staple of the show since its very first episode, it does seem like Webber has put off his retirement long enough. Putting down the scalpel also opens up a plethora of new stories for Richard, who could still be a key character in the series without setting foot in the OR.
Ben Warren Returns To The Surgical Residency Program
One of the most likely Station 19 characters to return to Grey’s Anatomy, Ben Warren (Jason George) has become a key part of both series. Ben Warren joined Grey’s Anatomy in season 6 as Dr. Miranda Bailey’s (Chandra Wilson) love interest. Initially an anesthesiologist, Ben decides to become a surgeon, eventually landing in Grey Sloan’s intern program. After a series of impulsive decisions, Ben realizes that his skill-set might be better utilized elsewhere, prompting him to join Station 19’s firefighters. In Station 19’s series finale ending, Ben admitted that he wants to put his first-responder days behind him.
Bailey puts her job on the line at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20…
That said, it seems likely that Ben Warren will not just appear on Grey’s Anatomy, but return to Grey Sloan in a much larger capacity in Grey’s Anatomy season 21. The Station 19 finale even indicated that Ben wanted to jump back into his surgical residency. Of course, with all the staffing shake-ups happening at the hospital, Warren picked both a chaotic and opportune time to rejoin the team. Although Bailey puts her job on the line at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, it’s hard to imagine Catherine Fox firing yet another top-notch surgeon.
Grey Sloan’s Remaining Doctors Take On Catherine Fox
While Meredith Grey’s resignation in the finale makes sense given Ellen Pompeo’s reduced role in the long-running series, it will be harder for season 21 to work around the elephant in the room: Catherine Fox fired a ton of veteran doctors. After discovering that Meredith and Amelia went behind her back, Catherine immediately fires Chief Teddy Altman for allocating the hospital’s discretionary funds to the secret research project. When Teddy returns to the hospital during an emergency, her husband, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), ends up yelling at Catherine for letting her ego get in the way of saving lives.
Catherine Fox has been an antagonist force at Grey Sloan before…
The angry outburst — no matter how accurate — seals Owen’s fate too. In the wake of Meredith and Amelia’s joint resignation, Catherine cements Teddy’s firing and, seemingly, adds Owen to her list. Even Bailey joins the interns in standing in solidarity with the soon-to-be-fired Lucas Adams (Niko Terho). While Catherine Fox has been an antagonist force at Grey Sloan before, Grey’s Anatomy season 21 is raising the stakes. With several long-standing surgeons jobless, the show’s upcoming outing might just see its doctors and nurses banding together against Catherine’s seemingly untenable power trip.
