Things took a turn on Grey’s Anatomy when a character who terminated her pregnancy suffered a medical emergency after finding out she wasn’t actually expecting.
During the Thursday, October 29, episode, Simone (Alexis Floyd) appeared to suffer complications from pills she was prescribed to end her pregnancy. Jo (Camilla Luddington), however, realized that Simone didn’t have a viable pregnancy when she took the medication.
As a result, Simone had to go through a dilation and curettage (D&C), a procedure where the cervix is dilated in order to remove tissue from inside the uterus. (The procedure is commonly used for abortions and to treat missed or incomplete miscarriages.)
Simone had extreme anxiety about being put under for the procedure, so Jo found a way to do it without general anesthesia. The operation resulted in Jo reconsidering her decision to leave her job.
Meanwhile, Jo’s husband, Link (Chris Carmack), continued to face issues with his addiction. Jo threw out his pills, but a difficult day in the operating room led to Link asking his doctor to prescribe more pain medication.
Jules (Adelaide Kane) and Winston (Anthony Hill), for their part, weren’t able to work out their issues after breaking up. Showrunner Meg Marinis recently teased how Jules and Winston would face challenges in their relationship.
“We’re definitely going to play that out, so you’re going to see where that goes immediately with how they have to navigate this new dynamic with him being her direct supervisor,” she told Deadline earlier this month. “And you’re right, it is now like, we crossed the line, and now we’re looking back, waving at it. It’s putting a whole other layer on it, whether or not they can stay together, and if they do stay together, how do they come forward? It’s going to be messy, and there’s going to be conflict, and they might not agree on it.”
Marinis further hinted at the overarching theme of the entire season.
“I’ve been looking at identity as a theme, and that’s being reflected in that concierge floor,” she shared. “People have very different opinions on it, on how to treat patients and what kind of doctors they’re going to be, so it’s really about identity and when the world is in a state of rapid change, do you change with it or do you stay true to yourself?”
She continued: “I feel like a lot of the stories this season involve our characters being in one spot while the world is just furiously spinning around us, which I think we all have a little bit of experience in right now. Whether it’s AI, whether it’s climate, things are happening so quickly. It’s really hard to know what day it is.”
As for whether any former Grey’s alums would be making surprise guest appearances this season, Marinis added, “We’re always open to bringing back old characters. One of the joys of having a season 23 show is that you get to do that, and it’s also such a great gift to the fans.”
She concluded: “It always just depends on how much room we have creatively and people’s schedules because people leave the show and they go on to take other jobs, and it just gets tricky. But I’m always keeping my eye on ways to introduce people to come back for a show or two.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
