Note: This story contains spoilers from ‘Grey’s Anatomy” Season 22, Episode 2.
“Grey’s Anatomy” celebrated 450 episodes with a nostalgic and emotional hour, which gave fans an anticipated reunion and big reveals.
The milestone episode, titled “We Built This City,” saw Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) return to Seattle to help Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) care for Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), who’d fallen into a depression after the hospital explosion killed Monica (Natalie Morales) and almost killed Link (Chris Carmack). Maggie’s return also brought big news, when she told her sisters that she was pregnant — opting to find a donor so she could become a mother on her own.
“When Maggie came back, we wanted to show that she was doing well and that she’s moving forward with her life. And in ‘Grey’s,’ we always love a good pregnancy,” longtime “Grey’s” writer Zoanne Clack told TheWrap. “We toyed with a bunch of different ways it could have happened. Was she in a relationship? Was she getting married? But we landed on this because it felt like something a strong, independent woman who wanted to forge forward with her life would do.”
Clack added that the storyline pays tribute to her own journey becoming a single mother by choice — “her donor number is my donor number — as well as that of series creator Shonda Rhimes. She said that she looked at other 450th episodes on TV for inspiration — for “SVU” and “The Simpsons,” specifically — and ended up writing an eventful hour that felt like quintessential “Grey’s.”
Seeing Meredith, Maggie and Amelia together surely pulled at viewers’ heartstrings, as the doctors reminisced on past shenanigans and theorized how life would be if they decided to do something else for work — “no one dies in wine bars” — and Meredith swore to always be there for Maggie if she needed any parenting advice.
The reunion helped Amelia realize that she needed to step away from work and get to know herself, announcing to Richard her plans to take a sabbatical from Grey Sloan. Clack teased the decision will reduce Amelia’s time on-screen for a bit, “but she’ll be back periodically and then for good.”
“She’s realizing that she traded one addiction for another, and that was very unsettling for her when she figured that out,” Clack said of Amelia using work as a crutch. “Usually she’s able to get back on the horse through surgery, but this time, she realized that she’s got to find the balance in her life … She’s got to reconnect with the world outside and just have that time to heal.
And those were just two of the big moments during this eventful hour, which also saw a new class of interns arrive at the hospital — as renovations are underway to get back on track after the explosion; Teddy (Kim Raver) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) cemented their separation; the interns-turned-residents spent time getting to know their underlings and memorialized Monica; Bailey (Chandra Wilson) named Ben (Jason George) the new chief resident; and Link (Chris Carmack) struggled through his recovery.
Below, Clack breaks down the 450th episode’s biggest moments and teases what’s next.
TheWrap: The opening scene with the carousel, Ellis, the kids and Maggie’s return really set the stage for this to be a big celebration of Grey’s with some Season 11 vibes. Why highlight that era in particular with this episode?
Clack: It was really all about trying to get some of the nostalgia of the past. And we were thinking, “Who do we want to return? What are some names that people would really connect with?” And then, of course, we looked at the season and where we were going with it, and Amelia struggled after the finale and premiere, so we immediately thought about what would help her the most? The sisterhood obviously came to mind. So we were thrilled when Kelly said yes.
Maggie came back to help Amelia and dropped the bomb that she is pregnant, saying she chose to have a baby on her own with a donor. Does this mean we’ll see Maggie again to see her through this pregnancy?
We’ll definitely mention it throughout the season. It’ll have an impact on Richard (James Pickens Jr.) — and whether or not Winston (Anthony Hill) will have some impact with it, we’ll see.
But it’s all up in the air whether or not we’ll get to see her again. Kelly’s a busy lady.
The sister banter was a standout for the episode, especially Meredith’s suggestion of them opening a wine bar together. How did it feel to write for this trio again?
It was really, really, really lovely to see Kelly — and actually, during the shoot, her husband, who she met on “Grey’s Anatomy,” as a director, and her daughter came during one of her scenes. So it was very nostalgic.
We got them back to what used to be the Sister House and now it’s the Resident House. And we loved the laundry situation because it showed so much about what Amelia was, was denying and going through, and also was able to get us there and talk about old times and really try to figure out how to get Amelia out of her funk. I loved talking about the wall coming down and them doing that together, and the lady sister chiefs.
The second-years, led by Jules, honored Monica with that candle moment near the end of the episode. How did that come together as your tribute for this beloved character?
We wanted to acknowledge her impact on the show and on the lives of these people and not let her death go in vain. It was a big mystery even to us coming back, who was going to survive and who was going to die [in the explosion]. So seeing as though that was the outcome, we didn’t want it to just be like one and done, because Monica was such an interesting and impactful character for everyone.
We also thought that [the memorial] was a way to reflect on the original Fab Five [interns]. Because no matter what’s happening in their personal lives and their squabbles, when they need each other, they all come together and bond.
Link is deep in his recovery after the injuries he sustained in the explosion, and it’s going to be a tough road ahead. How did you approach writing this darker side to him, tapping into his history with hospitals as a young cancer patient?
That was something that was always discussed in the room — to see a different side of Link, because he’s always so perfect. He’s always like, “I’m for this environmental cause,” and “I’m the light in the darkness.” And, you know, sometimes he’s the dark in the lightness, so especially when it comes to his history and being that patient again. We thought it was such an interesting reflection of how thankful he feels like he should be, and how resentful he is of that fact, and to be able to show that and show his different levels really deepens his character.
We also got an iconic case this episode with a man who got pinned by a forklift, which led to Bailey naming Ben as the new chief resident. How does that set things up for them moving forward?
Ben has always been like a very charismatic, very just out there character. But he had to subdue it when he came back to the hospital so as not to go off the rails. So we love just taking Ben back into his own, seeing him as a mentor to these young doctors and really letting him come into his own.
We’re excited to let him take his leadership role and push it forward. [Now, they’re a] power couple!
And Teddy decided to step away from administration duties for a bit, putting Richard back in the chief seat. How does this set up what’s next for them this season?
Richard will never not be the chief. Even when he isn’t chief he is the chief.
As for Teddy, she’s going to go on a journey of self-discovery. She’s going to have some of the repercussions of her new aortic procedure that she did last season that’s going to come in this season, and we’ll see how she deals with the new notoriety that brings.
The fact that even in this episode, she reminisces on that and all of the good she can do with her hands, instead of behind these mountains of paperwork … she’s got big things to discover this season.
You’ve been on “Grey’s Anatomy” for quite some time, with writing credits starting in Season 2, and you’ve written some iconic episodes through the years. Which one that you’ve written stands out to you the most?
The ones that I kind of loved the most was in Season 6, “The Time Warp” episode. We got to look back on Richard and Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Bailey’s journey. When I found the theme of outcasts, it really came together really cohesively. And we got to talk about the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
I don’t know if you know but I’m an emergency physician and a public health person, so that was just like, Boom! All of my interests are coming together. Which also reflects on my other favorite episode, which was 1705, during the COVID season. I love that we were paying homage to the struggles of the doctors and the health professionals, what they were facing on the ground in that time period, and how everyone was so isolated. But to see it on TV made people understand that everyone was going through this together, but apart.
The episode that I did, Episode 5, was in reflection of my mom’s journey — although she didn’t die — but like Bailey’s mom I was able to tell my whole experience as a Black woman growing up in America and reflecting on my mom’s situation … I really loved the catharsis and the beauty of that.
“Grey’s Anatomy” airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
