Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking

[Joana]

We should just wait for Kevin McKidd to say something and then we'll know that the exact opposite will actually happen. 

[GSMHvisitor]

Maybe the finale is actually gonna be boring. What Caterina said doesn't sound like there's gonna be some huge tragedy or catastrophe. Anything Amelia related doesn't interest me. She's always the character who gets the most screentime and I've had enough of it.

[BaseOps]

I don't see it being a HUGE disaster finale like, say, the shooting or the fire or the plane crash. I think it will be more along the lines of the last few finales, where there's a lot going on but it's a mix of drama/comedy/teases for next season. Our cliffhangers last year were: Teddy being pregnant, Jo potentially leaving for her fellowship, and... that's really it, actually. Though, last year they had to focus a lot on wrapping up the April/Arizona stories and they had their 'big' episode the week before with April's accident. 

I'm thinking we can expect: Teddy giving birth, some type of accident with Jackson/Maggie in the woods, a big focus on the medical cases unless they're wrapped up in 15x23 (Alex's kid with rare blood, and the non-binary patient and their mother), and whatever the storyline is that has to do with Catherine/Bailey looking into a hospital insurance issue. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, BaseOps said:

I'm thinking we can expect: Teddy giving birth, some type of accident with Jackson/Maggie in the woods, a big focus on the medical cases unless they're wrapped up in 15x23 (Alex's kid with rare blood, and the non-binary patient and their mother), and whatever the storyline is that has to do with Catherine/Bailey looking into a hospital insurance issue. 

I could see this. I did read about Krista saying that the finale is fun/funny. After last season's finale also being more light hearted, I guess that's Krista's MO. Teddy has to be giving birth in the finale. Jackson/Maggie may or may not be back from their camping trip in 15x24, and I assume they'll wrap up Alex's big case in the finale. I'm trying to think of what else could happen. Meredith/Deluca maybe hitting a snag in their relationship? HAOG deciding to leave Seattle hopefully? Jo apologising to Alex and fixing their relationship? 

[Joana]

It's the fact that they're saving Teddy's childbirth for the finale that's making me uneasy. I mean, after AN ENTIRE SEASON of pregnancy (which, seriously...), there's no way she's gonna give birth just like that. There has to be some drama involved, but hopefully it will like when April/Meredith/Callie were giving birth and there were complications, but in the end both the mother and the baby were fine. Plus, I don't think Amelia would be having a romcom-ish storyline if something really serious happened to the baby mama of her former husband and great love. Hopefully not, at least.

And I want to see Michelle Forbes again, so I kinda want Alex to go to Pittsburgh. 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Joana

[Lady Calypso]

8 minutes ago, Joana said:

It's the fact that they're saving Teddy's childbirth for the finale that's making me uneasy. I mean, after AN ENTIRE SEASON of pregnancy (which, seriously...), there's no way she's gonna give birth just like that. There has to be some drama involved, but hopefully it will like when April/Meredith/Callie were giving birth and there were complications, but in the end both the mother and the baby were fine. Plus, I don't think Amelia would be having a romcom-ish storyline if something really serious happened to the baby mama of her former husband and great love. Hopefully not, at least.

True to this . There has been NO normal pregnancies on this show, from what I can recall. Even guest stars usually have some dramatic birth sequence, whether it's the actual birth or whatever the mother or baby end up having afterward. 

However, with Caterina's description of her plot being out of some rom-com, I'd imagine that there's some hijinx surrounding Teddy's labour with her, Link, Tom, Owen, and Teddy herself involved. 

Nah, Teddy and baby will be fine. They wouldn't let Owen lose his chance for his happily ever after with a family. Since they started promoting Teddy/Owen as endgame, I knew that sealed Teddy's fate...in surviving. Plus, it was also obvious when Owen officially got to adopt Leo that he'd get Teddy too. And Krista has been determined to go back to more happiness and less angst. I was just secretly hoping for a dramatic event. Although, honestly, if Teddy's birth goes without a hitch and the drama comes mostly from the people involved, rather than the actual baby, then I'd be impressed.

[Guest]

On 4/22/2019 at 9:35 AM, BaseOps said:

They haven't done bear attacks yet. (Joking. Kind of.) 

They actually did in Season 4. 🙂

[Bort]

They haven't done a volcano eruption yet.

[transitfan]

22 hours ago, kariyaki said:

They haven't done a volcano eruption yet.

Mt. Rainier, I'm looking at you!  🙂  (I guess St. Helens is too far away to have a drastic effect on the Seattle area)

Speaking of Mount St. Helens, I recall that at least one game had to be cancelled for the AAA baseball team in Portland in the aftermath of the May 1980 eruption (I'd loved to have seen in the paper "XXX at Portland, volcano"  😄

[BaseOps]

We should have a full press release this week, but the short synopsis for the finale is here:

15x25 - "Jump Into The Fog" - As fog begins to cover Seattle, the doctors must navigate through personal complications. Meredith and Alex attempt to save Gus. Levi talks some sense into a struggling Nico. 

Surprised there's no mention of Teddy giving birth, but that may be in the longer release. I'm guessing the fog hits while Maggie and Jackson are camping. 

Edited April 28, 2019 by BaseOps

[Chas411]

ugh I can already hear Maggie’s whining and incessant chattering when the fog hits. 

[BaseOps]

So the full press release added nothing about the finale description aside from the guest cast. Link, Nico, Schmitt, Tom, Carina are all in the finale. I'm wondering if Carina comes with news about DeLuca's dad. 

[Lady Calypso]

26 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

So the full press release added nothing about the finale description aside from the guest cast. Link, Nico, Schmitt, Tom, Carina are all in the finale. I'm wondering if Carina comes with news about DeLuca's dad. 

My best guess? Probably either has to do with their dad, with Deluca/Meredith to set up for a potential breakup, or Carina could be there to help deliver Teddy's baby. It's probably partially the last one, but she'll probably also be involved in more Deluca family drama.

[maasa]

Guesses: Teddy or the baby need heart surgery & Maggie is stuck in the fog. If they want a big cliff, Maggie & Jackson go off the road while whoever needs the surgery hangs in the balance. Other: Jo takes off, Amelia & Link have some fun moments & something with Meredith.

[Chas411]

I hope Jo doesn’t head off. I feel like we’ve been there/done that already with Izzy. I’d like if we could just get a conclusion to that storyline before next season. 

[readster]

1 hour ago, Chas411 said:

I hope Jo doesn’t head off. I feel like we’ve been there/done that already with Izzy. I’d like if we could just get a conclusion to that storyline before next season. 

That would be such a repeat not only for Alex, but also for what happened between Owen and Amelia or even when Meredith picked up and left everyone behind for almost a year. ENOUGH ALREADY! Just have Jo and Alex talk!

[BaseOps]

I don't think Jo is going anywhere. It seems like this week will be her rock bottom and next week she begins to talk about it. Telling Meredith is a good start. 

[funnygirl]

Finale sounds terribly boring, much like the majority of season 15, which turns out is only a notch or two above the abysmal season 13. 

Season 14 was like that surge Richard talked about before Mark died, when you think everything is okay and getting better but it's not. 

[BaseOps]

56 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

Finale sounds terribly boring, much like the majority of season 15, which turns out is only a notch or two above the abysmal season 13. 

Season 14 was like that surge Richard talked about before Mark died, when you think everything is okay and getting better but it's not. 

Hah, I've enjoyed this season way more than either 11 or 13 - those are my two least-favorite by miles, whereas 14 ended by being my favorite since maybe 7 or 8. The difference for me is, I enjoyed pretty much all of this season, but not enough of it really wowed me. The Teddy/Tom/Owen/Amelia story got tired quickly (particularly Amelia/Owen having the same issues over and over), and Meredith was given far little to do especially around mid-season. I do find the press release for the finale to be shockingly low-key, though. 

[GSMHvisitor]

2 hours ago, funnygirl said:

Finale sounds terribly boring, much like the majority of season 15, which turns out is only a notch or two above the abysmal season 13. 

Season 14 was like that surge Richard talked about before Mark died, when you think everything is okay and getting better but it's not. 

That last part is hilarious and true at the same time. I pretty much hated s11-13. S14 was a breath of fresh air. But s15 is doing nothing for me. It's not that it's terrible, but most stories just seem so random and meaningless. Except for Owen and Amelia (separately and before as a couple) I don't feel like we got much insight into the characters. They are just there. So much feels like filler. Raising awareness about social issues has somehow become more important than telling character-driven stories.

[Joana]

This season has been so random and all over the place. Does anyone remember Jackson's spiritual awakening or whatever it was? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy never to hear about it again, I just don't know why we had it in the first place.

The only constant is that Amelia is EVERYWHERE and that Teddy is pregnant. And there's really no reason why her pregnancy should have been dragged out over the entire season, which just tells you how much they've run out of ideas. And I really hate it that Owen appears to be her endgame. Jane the Virgin has soured me off the "They have a child so they HAVE to be together!!!!!" storylines for good anyway, and in the context of this show that has demonstrated time and again why they're not meant to be it feels so incredibly annoying. 

[Chas411]

I will say if there’s one thing this season accomplished it’s getting me to like Amelia so well done on that show. Kudos. 

Owen on the other hand needs to fall off a cliff although I’ve been saying that for years. It really annoys me that Koracick was watered down and inserted into his and Teddy’s bullshit.

[IrishPirate]

On 4/28/2019 at 8:23 AM, BaseOps said:

We should have a full press release this week, but the short synopsis for the finale is here:

15x25 - "Jump Into The Fog" - As fog begins to cover Seattle, the doctors must navigate through personal complications. Meredith and Alex attempt to save Gus. Levi talks some sense into a struggling Nico. 

Surprised there's no mention of Teddy giving birth, but that may be in the longer release. I'm guessing the fog hits while Maggie and Jackson are camping. 

Fog? Did someone say FOG? Wasn't there a Fog Monster on "Lost"? Or maybe it was a Smoke Monster.

Also, when Mt. St. Helens blew in 1980, the wind sent say south (so Portland was affected) and east. For years afterward you could see ash in the fields and ditches. KFC offered a bucket of ash with a bucket of chicken.

Seattle would more likely be affected if/when Mt. Rainier blows.

[BaseOps]

Chris Carmack (Dr. Atticus Lincoln AKA Link), Jake Borelli (intern Levi "Glasses" Schmitt) & Greg Germann (Dr. Thomas Koracick) have all been promoted to series regulars for season 16.

[Chas411]

7 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

Chris Carmack (Dr. Atticus Lincoln AKA Link), Jake Borelli (intern Levi "Glasses" Schmitt) & Greg Germann (Dr. Thomas Koracick) have all been promoted to series regulars for season 16.

Gutted we’re stuck with Glasses but the other two give me hope that we might finally be rid of the awful Owen and Teddy. Cast is definetly too bloated again.

[madpsych78]

Happy that Koracick is a regular!!!

[Lady Calypso]

My hope is, with the two season renewal and the three promotions, that Owen, Teddy, and one of Deluca/Jackon/Richard are going to leave. Deluca or Richard due to them turning themselves in to protect Meredith from going to jail, just to lighten up the cast. Jackson because....well, I need Jaggie to end somehow and I don't think they'll ever get rid of Maggie. Plus, Jesse seems to be busy with other projects so he may decide to take on a more reduced role. 

[Joana]

Storywise these promotions don't really matter, as all those people were treated like regulars anyway. In fact, I was convinced that (the actor playing) Link was a regular.

Now what I'm curious about is whether it means those actors are getting a pay rise, and if so, will someone be let go in order to even it out. And I don't think they've been setting up anyone's departure, except maybe DeLuca's. A lot of people seem to be convinced that Owen and Teddy are leaving, but I just don't see it. At this point it's hard to imagine that the show's Owsession will ever end, but realistically, I don't know how their exit would be explained. "Let's move to Germany (where neither of us have jobs currently!) and take our two very small children with us"? That's even dumber than Callie's move to New York, which was at least set up months in advance.

I feel like Jesse Williams has been phoning it in a lot lately and I don't think his absence would be noticed that much, but I can't imagine how/why he'd leave either. Unless he dies in some tragic accident (saving Maggie's life!!!) next week, but I really don't believe it will happen. 

Edited May 10, 2019 by Joana

[Chas411]

https://tvline.com/2019/08/08/greys-anatomy-who-is-returning-season-16-cast-spoilers/

Any guesses who it could be?

[anna0852]

I'm hoping for Cristina

My luck though it'll be Izzy 🙄

[BaseOps]

I don't think Sandra will return until the series finale. My bet is she's trying for Sara Ramirez or Kate Walsh, both of which I'd love.... though I not-so-secretly want an arc for Izzie and have for years.

[Lady Calypso]

I mean, we all think that Krista is trying to get one of the more important characters from the show.

Meanwhile, I think it's someone who we aren't expecting because they really aren't important...like Leah. Or, hell, maybe Scott Speedman's doctor character. Or watch it be Ross. 

[BaseOps]

Krista has brought back tons of minor characters (Thatcher, Olivia, the Shepherd family, Herman) and never hyped it in this way, so I think it's safe to assume she's referring to a major player. 

[displayname]

I can't deal with Izzy, and they'll have a terrible love triangle with Alex and Jo and her. No thanks.

[BaseOps]

I don't think they'd do a love triangle even if they did bring Izzie back (which is highly unlikely). Alex hasn't seen her in 10 years, she isn't going to show up and pull him away from his wife. If anything it'd just be nice for them to get some closure, for her to have a conversation with Meredith, etc. They could do a story where her cancer has returned and she comes to GSM because she trusts the doctors there. Regardless, Krista basically confirmed that she wanted Katherine back for the 300th but Shonda shut it down so... I wouldn't count on that. I'd say Callie or Addison are the most likely to return for a brief arc, or even just an episode. 

Krista also mentioned there that this season doesn't really have a singular theme but then refers to family being a big theme. The historied relationships are the strongest part of the show at this point, so I'd love to see more exploration of Meredith and her children, Maggie/Richard, Richard/Meredith and maybe Alex and Jo discussing starting a family. I'd love to see more of Amelia's mom, too. 

[Chas411]

I feel like Jos/Alex main-story this season (or the tiny bit off screentime designated to them) will revolve around whether or not to have kids. I think Jos experience will put her off it. I know it’s most likely been done already and I just can’t remember.  

[Bort]

54 minutes ago, BaseOps said:

Krista basically confirmed that she wanted Katherine back for the 300th but Shonda shut it down so... I wouldn't count on that.

Shonda doesn't have as much leverage at ABC as she used to. If Krista wants it and Katherine agrees, I think the network can override Shonda this time around.

[emcmac87]

I think if they did bring Izzie back it would make sense for the story to somehow be about the embryos that were created with Alex’s sperm. It seems likely, if not definite, that the only way she can have biological children is with Alex as the bio father. 

[BaseOps]

20 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Shonda doesn't have as much leverage at ABC as she used to. If Krista wants it and Katherine agrees, I think the network can override Shonda this time around.

Shonda is still Shonda. Even if she's moved onto Netflix, she will still always have veto power when it comes to the goings on at Grey's Anatomy. Plus, I doubt Krista would try to do anything that Shonda explicitly doesn't want to happen. They clearly have a great working relationship, and she's now running two Shonda-created series. So unless Shonda changes her mind and has eased up on her issues with Katherine, I don't think we'll see ever see Izzie return. 

[BaseOps]

Some very (very) minor hints from James Pickens. It sounds like, at least for a while, Meredith, Alex, and Richard will actually not be working at GSM. 

"Obviously, my character and [Meredith] and Alex, we've been fired now, so that's presenting a whole new set of issues, especially for Dr. Webber. It's going to test some of his stuff."

For Webber, being fired by his former protege, Miranda Bailey, from Grey Sloan was a huge move, one Pickens Jr. said wasn't shocking to him from a creative standpoint. "It made perfect sense," he explained. "If someone was going to fire me, [it had to be] Bailey, who I mentored. But it sets up for some really fascinating and really funny and timely storytelling moving forward. I'm excited to see where it takes us all."

So what is Grey Sloan without the trio of longtime docs gracing its hallowed halls? 

"It's going to test everybody, the folks who remain at Grey Sloan and our characters who now have to look into new territory and figure out what's the next step of my career and my life. That's going to be what the audience is really going to take a hold of." 

With Webber no longer at the hospital, Pickens Jr. addressed whether this could be the season his character may be hanging up his doctor's coat for good and retire from practicing medicine, something the former Chief of Surgery made plans to do since early in the show's run.

"We don't know yet," he said with a smile, "but he's kind of the glue that kind of holds everything together. This will be interesting for him. It'll test his relationships, it'll test his sobriety to some extent."

Also, the series will celebrate the landmark 350th episode in November. 

[maasa]

On 8/8/2019 at 5:33 PM, anna0852 said:

I'm hoping for Cristina

My luck though it'll be Izzy 🙄

I don't think it will be either of these. Sandra has pretty much said she's not returning in interviews. Katherine is starring in a Netflix show that should be starting production soon so I doubt its her (plus all the baggage). 

It could be one of Derek's sisters. 

[Lady Calypso]

One of the next character centric episodes will be around Richard:

Quote

“We have big episode for him this season,” Vernoff says, adding, “I don’t feel like he’s quite been given his due.”

But don’t expect Richard’s special episode to mimic the format of some of the series’ more recent character-centric outings. “The standalone episodes are always evolving,” Vernoff explains. “They were born out of scheduling, because we could shoot them simultaneously with other episodes. But my hope for this season is to make those episodes feel a little more like our traditional episodes.”

[BaseOps]

14x17 is one of my favorite episodes of the series, certainly of the last several seasons. I'm excited at the prospect of them approaching the standalone episodes like that more often. The single-character episodes can be great (Jo's episode was the best of season 15, and Amelia's was a lot of fun), but if they focus on 3 characters/stories rather than just one, at least none of the audience will be isolated (ie. if you don't like Teddy, you can still enjoy stories for Meredith + Alex in that episode). 

[BaseOps]

Looks like there will be a time jump in the premiere. Krista revealed that the Grey's/S19 crossover couple will be revealed in the premiere. In that case, it almost certainly has to be Koraick and someone from Station 19, as I doubt they'd break up Jackson/Maggie or Schmitt/Nico offscreen. There really isn't anyone else in the main cast that's single. 

[anna0852]

Who could Koraick being seeing at 19? Vic just lost her fiancee, Andy has thing with the captain and Maya's dating Jack.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, BaseOps said:

Looks like there will be a time jump in the premiere. Krista revealed that the Grey's/S19 crossover couple will be revealed in the premiere. In that case, it almost certainly has to be Koraick and someone from Station 19, as I doubt they'd break up Jackson/Maggie or Schmitt/Nico offscreen. There really isn't anyone else in the main cast that's single. 

I doubt it's going to be Tom. Don't forget that he still thinks he's with Teddy at the time of the finale. Plus, yeah, who is Tom even going to be with? There aren't very many options. Vic would be the only character he could be with, and them jumping ahead and moving past her mourning period to be with Tom wouldn't be the greatest idea. Although, this is Grey's/S19, so I guess Vic could realistically be jumping in to another relationship because Krista wants another crossover couple. I just don't see it being with Tom.

Plus, the interview from Krista says that they'll be introduced. It doesn't mean the couple is already together, but that they're merely starting to build things up, which is why I still think it could be someone like Maggie and Station 19's Dean. They set it up already last season, and Jackson/Maggie could break up in the premiere...or who knows? Maybe Maggie cheats on Jackson while they're going through relationship issues. Or Jackson is still fumbling around in the fog by the time the premiere starts 🙂 

Unfortunately for us, Nico's probably here to stay so Schmitt's stuck with him. If Nico wasn't a thing, if they had actually broken up last season, I'd consider Travis/Schmitt to be an option.

[funnygirl]

I know it's foolish, but I'm still holding out hope that Krista will come to her senses and eventually pair Meredith with Koracick. It's like once she decided that DeLoser was "the one", she cut off Meredith and Koracick's interaction and that was probably one of the best stuff that happened in season 15. They played off of each other well, Koracick has dealt with some big loss in his life (his child), and IMO they make a better pair and more sense than force-feeding cougar Meredith onto her sister's ex-boyfriend. 

Then they could free up DeLoser to have the Station 19 crossover relationship. He'd make far more sense dating one of those gals than Koracick, anyway. 

Sigh... current Grey's is full of lots of wasted potential. 

Edited August 26, 2019 by funnygirl

[LexieLily]

On 8/26/2019 at 8:29 AM, BaseOps said:

Looks like there will be a time jump in the premiere. Krista revealed that the Grey's/S19 crossover couple will be revealed in the premiere. In that case, it almost certainly has to be Koraick and someone from Station 19, as I doubt they'd break up Jackson/Maggie or Schmitt/Nico offscreen. There really isn't anyone else in the main cast that's single. 

Why do they keep trying to get us to watch or care about Station 19?!

[Scatterbrained]

On 8/8/2019 at 5:28 PM, Chas411 said:

https://tvline.com/2019/08/08/greys-anatomy-who-is-returning-season-16-cast-spoilers/

Any guesses who it could be?

It’ll be Izzie, pregnant with Alex’s embryos.  There will be problems with the fetus(es) and Addison comes back to fix the problems!!!  BAM!

[BaseOps]

TVLine confirms that Katherine is NOT the actor being pursued to return.