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.
Richard Webber Finally Retires From Being A Surgeon
Grey Sloan’s Long-Standing Mentor Needs To Finally Put Down The Scalpel (For Real)
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
Miranda Bailey’s Husband Is Due For Another Career Change Post-Station 19
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
Catherine Fox Fired Most Of The Hospital’s Attendings In The Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Finale
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.
Meredith Grey & Amelia Shepherd Pursue Alzheimer’s Research Independent Of Grey Sloan
Meredith Published Her Findings & Quit Working For Catherine Fox
The Catherine Fox Foundation, which replaced the Harper Avery Foundation, not only owns a fair chunk of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, it was also the institution funding Meredith’s Alzheimer’s research. Both Catherine Fox and her son, Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), have been known to throw money and private jets around. However, when Williams left the show, Avery’s in-universe excuse for leaving the hospital was that he wanted to change the world of medicine by running the foundation. In fact, it was Jackson who encouraged Meredith to pursue her research with the Fox Foundation in Boston.
Catherine has already threatened to hand the project over to Tom Koracick…
In the season 20 finale, Meredith publishes her abstract and some findings on the NIH website, making her Alzheimer’s research public knowledge. It’s hard to know if that will cause issues for her down the line. It may be hard to find financial backers given the groundbreaking nature of the research, or it could lead to intense competition. Admittedly, Catherine has already threatened to hand the project over to Tom Koracick (Greg Germann). Regardless, Meredith Grey is as tenacious as ever. Plus, the research endeavor may be the most personal Meredith’s work has ever been.
Teddy Altman & Owen Hunt Teach Triage Classes
Two Of Grey’s Anatomy’s Longest-Standing Surgeons May Have Less Screen Time
Season 20 of Grey’s Anatomy created the perfect exit for two surgeons: Teddy Altman and Owen Hunt. The show has teased the possibility of the married doctors leaving Grey Sloan, but the latest finale pushed them out of the nest. In one of season 20’s episodes, Owen teaches a hiker how to stop a bleed and tourniquet a wound, which sparks an idea for teaching medical basics to as many non-healthcare professionals as he can. While Owen and Teddy will probably miss the OR, there’s no denying that being jobless frees up their schedules to pursue life-saving work.
Blue’s Fiancée Remembers Him (Eventually)
Benson “Blue” Kwan Ran Into His Amnesiac Ex In The Trauma Center
Grey’s Anatomy has hinted at Benson “Blue” Kwan’s (Harry Shum Jr.) romantic past a little bit, but the season 20 finale drops a massive bomb. Previously, Kwan lied to the mother of a brain-dead patient about having a dead organ-donor brother who saved tons of people. Needless to say, he has a flair for tall tales. That changes when a patient, Molly Tran, visits the hospital during the wildfire. Years before, she had been in a car accident that caused a brain injury and memory loss. As she’s struggling to breathe, Kwan assists, providing her with asthma meds.
Kwan has a lot to process when he learns that Molly is engaged to someone new.
Molly (Dianne Doan) says that Kwan looks familiar to her, but he brushes it off. When Adams interrogates Kwan, he answers matter-of-factly, revealing that Molly is his ex-fiancée. It’s hard to say when Grey’s Anatomy season 21 will pick up; with Molly in for a sprained ankle, it’s hard to imagine she’d remain a patient at Grey Sloan for much longer. Still, there’s a lot of exciting drama to unpack between Molly and Kwan. Even on his own, Kwan has a lot to process when he learns that Molly is engaged to someone new.
Jo & Link Navigate Parenthood In Grey’s Anatomy Season 21
Jo Wilson’s Surprising Pregnancy Reveal Will Throw A Wrench Into The Couple’s Plans
After Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Link (Chris Carmack) got together in season 19, it’s been pretty smooth sailing. The friends-to-lovers couple have two kids, Scout and Luna, and seem to be juggling the work-life balance pretty well. However, when Jo has a pregnancy scare, the pair have completely different feelings about the matter. In the finale, Jo learns that she is actually pregnant, so season 21 will no doubt start with her telling Link the news. With Jo moving to OB full-time, it would be interesting to see her navigate her own pregnancy.
Winston Ndugu & Monica Beltran Are Grey’s Anatomy Season 21’s Power Couple
Amelia & Monica Weren’t Season 20’s Slow-Burn Pairing After All
For most of the season, Grey’s Anatomy hinted that its next great romance would be between Grey Sloan newcomer and renowned peds surgeon Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales) and Amelia Shepherd. In fact, Amelia even asked Monica out on a date. With Monica weathering a difficult divorce, Dr. Beltran seeks companionship with another doctor who’s going through something similar: Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill). There’s always the off chance that Winston and Monica could be having a rebound fling, but it would be even more compelling if their relationship evolved into one of Grey’s Anatomy’s best couples.