EW's Michael Ausiello shoots down one Grey's Anatomy fan's wishful thinking about an old face coming back to Seattle, then dishes on a story line for T.R. Knight's exit that was reportedly considered but ultimately decided against, in his spoiler Q&A session today ...

Q: Now that it seems likely that Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight are leaving Grey's Anatomy, does this mean there's any chance Isaiah Washington could return as Burke?

A: Listen up, 'cause I'm only going to tell you this once: Um, no. But while we're on the subject of the looming mass exodus at Seattle Grace, a little birdie at Grey's Anatomy confided to me that Shonda Rhimes briefly flirted with the idea of having George develop a sudden interest in Dr. Hunt's background as an army doc. You thinking what I'm thinking? 'Cause I'm thinking what better way to get rid of George than to have him join the military and go off to Iraq. It'd be perfect, right? Only trouble is, a Grey's Anatomy insider tells me that story has been scrapped and replaced with "something even better." I'm not sure what that something is, but I have a call into my new BFF James Pickens, Jr. to find out!

One exit strategy T.R. Knight apparently involved his character, Dr. George O'Malley, following in the Army footsteps of Maj. Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). ABC decided against this.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.