Grey’s Anatomy’s 10th season came to a close last night in the UK as we bid farewell to Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh).
If you haven’t seen the season 10 finale of Grey’s Anatomy we suggest that you stop reading now so we don’t spoil anything. If you have, then keep reading to find out our thoughts on the next season.
The final episode of the show’s 10th season saw Cristina start her new life in Zurich with Shane (Gaius Charles) by her side. It also created a lot of possibilities and conflict for season 11 with the reveal that new head of cardio Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) is the secret daughter of Ellis Grey (Kate Burton).
With Cristina gone (boo!) we’ve had a think about what we want to see when the show returns this autumn for a new season.
1. A slow build for Maggie’s storyline. The end of the 10th season saw Maggie tell Richard (James Pickes Jr) that she was the daughter of Ellis Grey. What she didn’t realise is that Richard is (most likely) her birth father. We want to see the reveal’s impact on Richard before the other characters in the show find out and we want it to be him that tells Meredith she has another sister.
2. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) to stick around. Derek’s (Patrick Dempsey) little sister would be a great full-time addition to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and we were enjoying the bond she was starting to build with Meredith. Amelia was a favourite of ours in Private Practice and we can’t wait to explore her character even further in the new season.
3. Conflict over Cristina’s seat on the board. This should be explosive as Alex (Justin Chambers) and Bailey (Chandra Wilson) are on a collision course. Alex of course has the upper-hand because Cristina left him her shares and her seat on the board. We’d be surprised if things were that easy though, especially with Richard supporting Bailey.
4. Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) to have another baby. They put the wheels in motion during season 10 and it looks like the surrogate route may be their best option after Callie discovered she couldn’t carry another child following her car accident a few seasons earlier. To say the road has been rough for these two would be an understatement but now they’ve got a new house and a new understanding of what they want, we want some happier times ahead for Calzona.
5. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) to finally get out from Derek and Cristina’s shadows. She tried her best in season 10 but everything was derailed when she almost agreed to move to Washington with Derek. The season finale saw her flat-out refusing to move her life and her kids and it looks like the tension between Meredith and Derek is only going to get worse. She also spent a lot of the season competing with Cristina so we think it’s time that Meredith got the opportunity to really shine.
6. Alex and Jo (Camilla Luddington) to take their relationship to the next stage. These two characters are as stubborn as each other at times but it’s the first time since Izzy (Katherine Heigl) that we feel Alex has found his match. Now he’s not working at Grey Sloan Memorial there’s a perfect opportunity for a real proposal and dare we say wedding before the season’s out?
7. Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April (Sarah Drew) to find common ground and a way to move their marriage forward. These two had a rough ride after their impulsive wedding and subsequent realisation that sexual attraction doesn’t necessarily make for a good lifetime match. They put aside (or rather Jackson gave in) their religious differences when they discovered they were having a baby. We want to see the two characters learning to compromise and adjust so they can make a real go of their marriage.
8. Owen (Kevin McKidd) to spiral. Ok we’re sure this one is divisive but with Cristina gone we want to see Owen acting out and battling his demons. Cristina grounded him and brought out the best in him so without her we want to see how Owen’s life is going to change and how that impacts on his job as Chief. Plus Kevin McKidd is brilliant at the dramatic stuff so it’ll give him a chance to really shine.
9. Steph (Jerrika Hinton) to get a decent storyline. After she was dumped and humiliated by Jackson, Steph wasn’t given a whole lot to do other than take the flack for Bailey’s unethical approach to treating a patient. With Leah (Tessa Ferrer) and Shane gone, it’s time we got to know more about Steph and what she can bring to the table.
10. More cases that span a few episodes. We liked that the last few episodes of the season featured cases with recurring characters. It gave the stories chance to breathe and offered plenty of twists and turns. We’d like to see more of that over season 11 so there’s a real story arc binding the season together.
Grey’s Anatomy will return this autumn for a new season in the US and the UK.
