Unless you’ve been living on Mars, you probably know by now that Sandra Oh is leaving Grey’s Anatomy at the end of the season. By extension, this means that Cristina Yang will soon be taking her leave as well. But how? This is the question of the hour. How will Cristina depart Seattle? Will some tragedy befall her, like George, Lexie, and Mark before her? Will she disappear in the hospital parking lot (ala Erica Hahn) never to be seen or heard from again? Or will she simply leave town for another professional opportunity, bidding Grey Sloan Memorial, Meredith and Owen farewell in the process?
I Know What’s Next and It’s Big!
Here’s the long and short of it. Cristina Yang has hit a professional wall in Seattle. She was denied the Harper Avery Award due to a conflict of interest. Funding is in question. Research is in question. And there’s the overall sense that she is just feeling stuck. What to do? With Meredith and Owen’s encouragement, Cristina heads to Zurich to make a presentation on her research. Imagine her surprise when a familiar voice speaks in the darkened auditorium and a familiar face emerges into the light. That’s right. Preston Burke (played by Isaiah Washington) is back.
For those of you who might not be familiar with Dr. Burke, allow me to give you a brief synopsis. Burke was Cristina’s first mentor. He was also the man who left her at the altar in the season 3 finale. Now he’s back, but not for the reasons one might think. I admit that I feared the worst when I heard about this episode. It’s no secret that I am a Crowen shipper through and through. What would Burke’s return bring? Would Cristina ride off into the sunset with him? Well, leave it to GA creator Shonda Rhimes to have a few surprises up her sleeve.
Burke brought Cristina to Zurich because he wants her. No, not that way. He wants her professionally. And not just to be her boss again (because Cristina wasn’t having that). Turns out Burke is married (!) with two daughters (!) and is living a life he both loves and wants. His family needs to relocate to be nearer to his in-laws, so he’s leaving his state-of-the-art Heart Clinic and he wants Cristina to run it. Yang would have full run of the place. There are practically unlimited funds. And there is a veritable fleet of 3-D printers to help Cristina achieve her ultimate dream of printing a fully-functioning heart for humans. This is an opportunity too great to pass up, which is why Cristina is taking the job. As for the fate of Crowen? Tune in next week!
Isaiah Washington Teases Burke’s Return to Grey’s Anatomy: It’s Gonna Blow Your Mind >>>
A Doomed Marriage
This metaphor could refer to the strained relationship between The Harper Avery Foundation and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The fallout from the award debacle is bad. Surgeons are leaving. Funding is in jeopardy. Doctors are none-too-pleased that they will never be eligible for the Harper Avery as long as they work at the hospital. But, as Meredith tells Richard, they need to figure this out. The foundation saved the hospital from going under…there has to be a solution to this problem.
Speaking of solutions, turns out that Japril isn’t doomed after all. After an awkward ultrasound appointment and more squabbling, April defends Jackson to Richard. Related aside: Go, April! Very few people have the guts to stand up to Richard Webber that way. Later in the episode, Jackson tells April that he cannot change who he is, but he is willing to go to church with April and their children, as long as there’s a good breakfast in the deal. Waffles all around!
Grey’s Anatomy Actress Tessa Ferrer Joins Cast of Extant >>>
Twin A, Twin B
In another metaphor, which was supposed to represent Amelia and Derek but really represents Meredith and Cristina, conjoined twins were separated in a crazy-difficult surgery. One twin didn’t survive the procedure. But on the upside, Derek’s making a case for Amy to relocate to Seattle. Is this a blatant attempt on the part of the writers to give Meredith a new pal now that Cristina’s leaving?
In Other News
*Bubble Boy, Braden, is making miraculous improvement. Because Miranda went against his parents’ wishes and gave the child her experimental treatment. Stephanie figured it out.
*Alex Karev is off working at his new job and having great days.
*Calzona is tossing around baby names. Agamemnon, anyone?
*Jo tries to work too many cases at once without help and screws up big time.
*The residents overhear Hunt talking to Webber. A resident is going to be let go.
There are only two episodes left in season 10! What’s going to happen to Bailey in the wake of her deception? Are April and Jackson really back on track? Will Amelia move to Seattle? And how will Owen and Meredith react to the news that Cristina is bound for Zurich?
The next all-new episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “Everything I Try To Do, Nothing Seems To Turn Out Right”, airs Thursday, May 8 on ABC.
Keep up with Grey’s Anatomy and all of your favorite shows. Download our free app!
(image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
