The upcoming season finale of Grey's Anatomy won't feature a crazed gunman, but there will be bombshells, victims, collateral damage and emotional scars aplenty.

On May 19, Shonda Rhimes promises a season-ender quite unlike the event we saw a year ago, but with some thematic parallels. Here's what Rhimes told TV Line:

“Last year, we had a gunman ... This year, there’s an emotional shootout when the season is done, and Meredith, Alex and Cristina are not left unwounded.”

“What I love about what happens at the end of the season of Grey’s Anatomy is everybody takes very interesting turns,” she continues, “and things will happen that I don’t think anybody is expecting to happen for our characters.”

A clue about Mer’s looming crisis may come in this week’s episode, Shonda says:

“We see Meredith do some things concerning the Alzheimer’s clinical trial that just aren’t good - or even legal - but she feels are right. And once that happens, the consequences for her start to emerge, and it’s about how long she can keep them at bay.”

As for who becomes Chief Resident, that was a fierce debate in the writers room.

“We had big arguments about who should be Chief Resident,” she says, “and part of it really came down to what we wanted the story to be going forward and where all our characters needed to be at the end of the season.”

Well, that's a lot to take in. What do you think the "emotional shootout" is all about? What do you think happens with Meredith - and who becomes Chief Resident?

Share your thoughts and comments with us below.

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