After becoming the latest character to get an emotional exit, Midori Francis breaks Mika’s Grey’s Anatomy’s departure and potential future. Francis joined the cast of the hit ABC medical drama for season 19, playing the offbeat and quirky Mika, who provided plenty of comic relief in the show. In Grey’s Anatomy season 21 episode 8, the fall finale, titled “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, the fan-favorite character wound up departing the show after recovering from surgery to discover her sister Chloe had died following the car accident in the prior episode.
In an interview with Deadline, Francis reflected on the events that led to the character’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy. The Mika actor began by recalling the decision to walk away from being a series regular on the medical drama, having had multiple discussions with showrunner Meg Marinis to figure out the right story arc for her exit, which led to the arc involving her sister:
First of all, not only did I love the show, I watched the show when I was in middle school. I can still remember watching it with my friends and my mom and just being like, Oh my God, this is TV. Obviously, they were older than me, and I just thought that the characters were so cool and interesting.
So, when I joined this new group of interns, it was so surreal and awesome to be a part of that. I had a full-hearted, full-throated, wild, beautiful ride that I am so grateful for. Creatively, it’s about coming together to find the right story, the right moment for Mika’s exit that could fit into the larger season and arc, and I think that the writers did such a good job. Because when I think about Mika, she’s so ambitious, and she’s so competitive, so what would cause her to leave Grey Sloan? And boy, did they set that up well.
I worked pretty close with Meg Marinis, our incredible, kind showrunner. We talked about sister stuff, got very into it, because Meg is a younger sister, and I’m an older sister, and the writers came to me and said, you’re getting a sister, and she’s younger. It was really interesting because I thought she might be older, but the fact that she was younger put Mika in this kind of leadership position, and made her more mature, in a way.
And then, when they did what they did to Chloe. Oh, my God. I think they called themselves monsters in the most loving way.
But what it did is it made for a freaking great episode and, so iconically, Grey’s, which is a very full-circle moment for me, because I started with watching Grey’s. I just felt like the only way Mika would leave the hospital is something really bad happening. And boy, they created something so incredible for me to play. I honestly had such a great time this season.
Francis would go on to reflect on getting to tap into the more emotional side of Mika than the comedic one she had played up to this point, feeling “just so excited” to get to showcase that side of her character, which she expressed made her character be more “well rounded”:
I was just so excited. You know how I say full circle. How cool it was that, for a few seasons, we got to know this character as being very funny and having this quirkiness about her and being, at times, comic relief. And then to be led by the writers’ hand into this darker place — I mean, how well rounded Mika became. That I got to do that as an actor, that I got to do both sides of the iconic Grey’s Anatomy pendulum in one character, I was so, so happy about that.
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In looking to her potential future on the show, Francis acknowledges that “Mika has a lot of healing to do”, and that returning to Grey Sloan Memorial could be “triggering” for the character, but that she herself “would be so delighted” to come back. See the rest of what Francis said below:
I think Mika has a lot of healing to do, and she’s going to go home and do that. In the back of my mind, because I know how passionate she is about what she does, do I think and do I hope that she will find a way to use this grief as a way to continue pursuing caring for other people? Yes, I do.
As far as returning to Grey’s , I would be so delighted. These people and this world has become part of my trajectory of acting families, and I would be absolutely delighted to return. I don’t know if Mika would. I think for Mika it would be triggering.
What This Means For Mika’s Exit & Grey’s Anatomy Future
The Character Struggled To Move Past Personal Tragedy
Mika struggled when waking up from surgery to find out her sister Chloe had died, and despite bravely trying to return to normalcy in her life and career, she came to realize she couldn’t stay at Grey Sloan. As Francis notes, she has a lot of healing to do, and she needs to find her place in the world, now that her sister is no longer in it. This is something that could leave the door open for the character to return later down the line, but also depends on how much longer the show might run, and whether Grey’s Anatomy season 22 happens.
Whether Mika will get the closure she needs and find peace in her life is for the audience to decide, but there is a chance the character could return in future seasons.
There are wider-reaching ramifications surrounding Mika’s exit from the Grey’s Anatomy cast that are going to have strong repercussions for other characters. For instance, Jules is devastated by her exit, as their budding relationship was evolving into something exciting. Whether Mika will get the closure she needs and find peace in her life is for the audience to decide, but there is a chance the character could return in future seasons.
Our Take On The Chances Of Mika Returning To Grey’s Anatomy
Any Return That Does Happen Won’t Be For A While
Whilst there is a chance that Mika returns to the show in the future, especially as her character not being killed off means there’s always a chance, this is not likely to happen any time soon. I think that if Francis does come back to the show it will only be if her career stagnates post-Grey’s Anatomy, and if the show runs for several more seasons, allowing the writers to find a way to reintroduce her back into the show in a way that feels natural, but audiences should not hold their breaths.
Grey’s Anatomy will take a winter break before returning to ABC on March 6, 2025.