[Warning: The following post contains spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy Season 41 Episode 2, “We Built This City.”]
Grey’s Anatomy had another shocking development in store for fans on Thursday’s (October 16) newest episode, “We Built This City.” After welcoming back Kelly McCreary as Maggie Pierce for a heartwarming return, the story put another one of its longtime leading characters on indefinite leave from the hospital.
In the episode, Maggie joined forces with Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith Grey to show support for Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) as the neurosurgeon grappled with severe grief over the death of Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales).
Although the sisters’ trip down memory lane — and impromptu takeover of Meredith’s mom’s old house from the now-second-year residents — did give Amelia some relief from her intense sadness and feelings of guilt, she still struggled. Because she performed the risky first operation on her pediatric patient Dylan, the child will continue to live with locked-in syndrome indefinitely; meanwhile, the girl’s desperate mother Jenna (Piper Perabo), who was inspired to hold up the surgical floor and caused a gas explosion over that condition, is now responsible for multiple deaths.
After talking things through with Maggie and Meredith, Amelia decided to leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for an indeterminate amount of time. She delivered the news that she’d be taking a sabbatical to Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), who was helping Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) out with her chief of surgery duties.
So does that mean Amelia — and thus Caterina Scorsone — is gone for good from Grey’s? Not quite. TV Insider has learned the actress is not exiting the series but will not be seen for several episodes during the character’s sabbatical.
Eric McCandless / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Scorsone’s Amelia has been a mainstay of Grey’s Anatomy for 15 years, leading up to the episode, which marked the series’ 450th. The character was first introduced as the sister of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) all the way back in Season 7. After returning to the role in Seasons 8 and 10, Scorsone became a series regular in Season 11 and has remained as much ever since, following Amelia’s sobriety journey, several romances, motherhood, loss, and her ascension to chief of neuro and working with Meredith on her research projects.
This episode also happens to coincide with Scorsone’s birthday. Before the episode, the actress celebrated the occasion with a social media post, writing, “Today is my birthday. 🎉 Grateful for every breath that got me here, for every human that loved me to this place, for all the moments of life that delivered me to this one. Today I’m so deeply rooted in my body, my community, my commitment to the people and the ethics that I love and protect with all the courage and wisdom and life I’ve collected. What a gorgeous view. What a wild ride. Big shout out to my mom for all that heavy lifting and to the Loves who brought me flowers this morning. Bliss.”
She received comments of support from her Grey’s family, including Ellen Pompeo, Chris Carmack, Anthony Hill, and Peyton Kennedy, who played her foster child, Betty.
Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC