The hiatus is almost over!
After nearly a year of being off the air, Grey’s Anatomy will return with a thrilling season premiere that will transport us right into the aftermath of Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 20.
And much to our delight, Meredith Grey is back!
ABC has released photos of Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 1, and we can’t wait to figure out everything that the season premiere will throw our way.
One of the most exciting things we notice immediately is that Ellen Pompeo and Scott Speedman will be guest-starring in the premiere.
The happy couple professed their love to one another and returned to Boston to continue with their lives.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t have unfinished business at Grey Sloan Memorial.
As we know, Meredith Grey is still an authoritative figure at the hospital, especially regarding the intern program.
On top of that, she’s Lucas’ aunt.
It took a bit to get him into this program, and it has been nice that he’s been able to walk the halls of the uncle he idolized and share a hospital with both his aunts.
But he also has multiple legacies overshadowing him, and the scrutiny, even by Meredith Grey and Amelia, has been intense.
That’s why there’s no doubt that they will have quite the reaction to his actions in the season finale.
He was the one who initiated the catastrophic plan, going rogue and defying what they were supposed to do to save a patient.
And it had fatal consequences. Something tells us that Meredith and Amelia will be shocked to learn that their nephew helmed the latest controversial fiasco.
Of course, there’s little room for Meredith to judge since she’s made some bold choices in her own career as of late.
Related: Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 20 Review
The synopsis says, “Meredith rethinks her plans after going rogue in last season’s finale.”
We know that against everyone’s wishes and cautions, she opted to blurt out her theory about Alzheimer’s and announce that she could find a cure for it.
In the decades of study in this field, she’s determined that the doctors have been approaching it all wrong.
It was a bold and risky thing to assert publically, so it’s unsurprising that there will be some fallout from her actions.
If she’s rethinking things, she may feel the heat in some capacity, which isn’t good.
Maybe she regrets not dialing things back and taking a subtle approach, but Meredith has never been subtle, and you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
Of course, she still has immediate issues with the interns to resolve, and the fact that Catherine Fox is there doesn’t bode well.
Catherine could be there because of some consequences of Mer’s announcement.
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And we see her giving Mer an epic side-eye in one of the glorious new stills.
But she also could be there if word has gotten out about the interns.
It’ll also be interesting to see if she picks up on anything from Webber.
We know Richard Webber fell off the wagon when he had a drink and will need help.
It’s something that Amelia and Miranda Bailey have noticed to some degree, but will they call him out on it?
I hate seeing anything negative come Miranda’s way, as she’s still riding high on her award.
But she has much to return to with Teddy, the interns, and this Webber situation.
The synopsis teases that Richard confides in Bailey, suggesting he told her the truth about his drinking.
But one must also wonder if he’ll talk to Amelia about it.
She’s been his sober companion for years, and she was noticing some things and trying to get him to go to meetings, so could her more serious photos indicate her concern for Webber?
Of course, it could be a general concern for Teddy.
We’ll learn what Teddy’s fate is in the premiere, but we at least know she survives the ordeal.
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But she must’ve had some heart issues.
One imagines that’s why we get stills of a serious Winston speaking to Owen and some of the others.
He’s probably informing them about Teddy’s diagnosis and condition and what things are looking like for her.
Levi may also be working alongside Winston on the case.
We see a photo of two of them consulting with one another outside of a patient’s room, and that patient could be Teddy.
Levi could be taking a break from what’s happening with the interns since he’s typically responsible for them.
Levi can direct his attention to more important matters, such as the interns getting in trouble and likely benched for the hour.
He’s proven to be a great doctor over time and may be an asset working alongside Winston as they figure out what’s happening with Teddy.
It’s a touch-and-go situation with Teddy.
But we have faith that it’ll have the best result.
In one image, Winston appears stressed and battling some nervous energy.
However, in another, Winston still smiles and appears happy and relieved.
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We get a lot of mixed photos in this preview.
But someone who appears serious or conflicted the entire time is Lucas.
He’s the one who was at the helm of leading action in that OR to save their patient.
He took the initiative and had to convince others to go along with him.
But it resulted in the death of their patient.
It may mess with Lucas’ head since he routinely doubts himself and his abilities.
ABC teases that the interns are on thin ice, but we also learn that Lucas and Simone are tested during an emergency.
With the two of them at the head of the issue in the OR, they can’t afford more tests.
But would this also mean that their relationship is tested?
Simone and Lucas finally did something about that chemistry and hooked up during the finale.
But Simone also put all her faith in Lucas during that OR.
She may regret that which contributes to how they, as a unit, and their relationship are tested as much as the two of them as doctors in a case.
Everything about Lucas that is featured has him looking serious and pensive.
And the one still is him speaking to Simone. But he’s also having a quiet moment alone in the hallway.
If anyone is going to face consequences for everything that happened, it would be him.
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And that’s why Nick Marsh is back to address the program and their actions.
He never minces words with the interns; they’ve mostly done well under his tutelage.
But it’s not lost that all hell broke loose the second he was out of town.
We know he won’t be a permanent fixture the entire time.
Scott Speedman will be leading his own series soon enough as it is.
But it’s always fun when he drops in and intermingles with the interns. He’s been their best teacher so far.
So he won’t take things well when he learns about what they’ve been up to while he is gone.
The two interns who may not be immediately in the line of fire are Jules and Blue.
And their romantic or sexual relationship is also up in the air.
They may be on more solid ground than Simone and Lucas, but they must address their feelings.
We see Jules sneaking looks at Blue when he’s working on something in the lab.
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She has developed feelings for him but is too afraid to say anything about it.
He knows she has those feelings and is not afraid to call her out, but he probably won’t make any moves until she meets him halfway.
Blue is the one intern in the bunch who appears perfectly content with where he is and what’s happening around him.
But then again, he hasn’t been as troubled as the others.
He’s also giving off “class pet” vibes in many of the stills we have of him.
The premiere will focus heavily on the interns and the aftermath of their actions.
They were a highlight of Grey’s Anatomy Season 19, so it’s doubtful that any of these newbies will get the boot on a series where we have the infamous “LVad” situation.
What do you think of all of these images for the season premiere?
Are you excited about what’s to come? Sound off below.
Grey’s Anatomy returns Thursday, March 14, at 9/8c on ABC.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.