Entertainment

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Is Finally Giving Fans The “Amelia-Centric” Episode They’ve Been Waiting For

by Shannon Carlin
ABC/Mitch Haaseth

This season, Grey's Anatomy is going to be all about Amelia — at least for one full hour. Grey's Anatomy is devoting an entire episode to Amelia in Season 15. And honestly, it's about time Amelia Shepherd got a chance to shine all on her own.

When talking with TVLine, Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff said that this new "Amelia-centric" episode almost didn't happen. It wasn't until ABC requested three extra episodes, expanding their season order from 22 to 25, that she decided to include an Amelia stand-alone story that would focus solely on Derek Shepherd's little sister.

Vernoff had been working on this episode for a while, but she didn't really see a place for it until now. That's why she told TVLine, "it doesn’t really lengthen our season too much," but "allows us to tell [this Amelia-centric] story that we might not otherwise have gotten to tell this season.”

Amelia, played by Caterina Scorsone, first appeared in the Grey's spin-off Private Practice before heading over to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Season 10 where she took over for her brother as Head of Neurosurgery. Over the years, fans have watched as she's dealt with her addictions, finding sobriety even when it was difficult, and survived a brain tumor. She's had to deal with the loss of her brother and a child. She briefly married Owen (Kevin McKidd) before separating from him, but yet sometimes it feels like we barely know who she is because she's never gotten a chance to show us.

Hopefully, this episode will help fans understand Amelia on a deeper level. Scorsone told TVLine that the episode "is not just, ‘Let’s follow Amelia to the neuro lab.' It’s definitely a little standalone. It’s almost like a little movie on its own.” It's one that she said doesn't even take place in the hospital.

This season is building to be a big one for Amelia and possibly an emotional one. With the return of Owen's ex Teddy (Kim Raver), who's pregnant with his baby, Amelia's become part of Grey's newest love triangle. But, the Owen-Teddy-Amelia drama is a different kind of love triangle than the ones fans might be used to.

Last year, Raver told ET that she wants to see Teddy and Amelia have an understanding instead of a catfight. "We're in 2018 and I pitched, if we can, not having woman pitted against woman," she said. Instead, she wanted to see how three adults would handle a situation like this when children are involved.

Raver imagined it would include a lot of understanding. "I feel like both Amelia and Teddy are really watching out for the other person and how can we navigate through this and where is Owen at?" she said. "We’ll see how that goes, but that’s definitely the direction that I’d like to head into." Raver also said this love triangle is going to be "messy and complicated and juicy and difficult, but also rewarding and hopeful and definitely the feels." So, don't expect any cat fights in the upcoming Amelia episode.

Fifteen seasons in, Grey's Anatomy is still finding ways to surprise us. And maybe after this upcoming "Amelia-centric" episode, Amelia will, too.