Do you remember when Hilarie Burton guest-starred on Grey’s Anatomy and shook up a major character’s relationship in a big way?
Well, it looks like Burton’s One Tree Hill co-star, Sophia Bush, has pretty much the same mission as she joins the cast.
We’re taking a look at the promo to discuss Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 6 spoilers.
Sophia Bush Has a Bomb to Drop
Did I hear that correctly?
“We opened up our marriage,” said Dr. Cass Beckman in the promo for the next episode.
It was our first glimpse of Sophia Bush’s new Grey’s Anatomy role, and boy, did it leave an impression.
We’ve known for a few weeks now that Teddy and Owen have been having some marital troubles.
It seemed to boil down to regular life stuff.
Two kids, high-powered careers, and impossible schedules are enough to drive any marriage into a slump.
Teddy and Owen Want Their Marriage to Work
But Teddy and Owen seem committed to making things work one way or another.
For most Grey’s Anatomy married couples, trying to repair the relationship tends to look like a few weeks in a therapist’s office.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem like that’s the direction these two are heading in.
We haven’t been formally introduced to Dr. Beckman (Bush), but we know she’s a surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian.
We also know she’s married to a cardio surgeon at Grey Sloan named David Beckman.
And, well, now we know they’re swingers. Or polyamorous. Or something.
That’s the beauty of a teaser, isn’t it?
It didn’t give us enough information about these new characters to determine how they identify, but non-monogamy plays a role in their relationship.
Of course, all the promo revealed is that Beckman told Teddy about this detail.
There’s no word on how it was received by Teddy (or Owen), or whether they will explore non-monogamy as an option for themselves.
Although, Teddy already kind of explored that on her own with Koracick, but we’re supposed to forgive and forget that.
There are several ways this could go.
Altman and Hunt could open their marriage, decide it works well for them, and move on happily with the freedom to see other people.
They could try it and decide it’s not for them, and that they don’t want to risk impacting their relationship.
Or they could dismiss the idea altogether, which could either lead to a lifetime of “what-ifs” or a confidence in their decision to stay monogamous.
Whatever they decide, the powers that be knew what they were doing with that promo.
Teasing this kind of explosive storyline — especially ahead of a two-week hiatus — was sure to get fans talking.
And with Sophia Bush’s casting already the topic of excited conversation surrounding the show, we can’t stop thinking about the implications.
When Promos Offer More Excitement Than Episodes
There is the distinct possibility that the promo was just an attention-grabber, and that nothing significant comes from it.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time in the past week.
The teaser for Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 5 alluded to a probable helicopter crash, but we know how that ended.
After last week’s rather disappointing and anticlimactic episode, let’s hope that Sophia Bush’s inaugural hour brings more excitement.
There are still several big storylines that will presumably be wrapping up soon, given the impending departure of both Jake Borelli and Midori Francis.
What About Levi and Mika?
Levi (Borelli) spoke with Dr. Beltran about a possible peds research opportunity in Texas, which could carve out a reasonable exit.
That is complicated by his blossoming romance with Grey Sloan’s new chaplain, James, but this show has never shied away from complicated before.
Meanwhile, Mika (Francis) is dealing with her younger sister’s advanced cancer treatments.
There’s no word yet on how she’ll be written out, but it’s probably safe to assume it will have something to do with Chloe.
As Meredith is now based in Boston, the writers could easily send Mika and Chloe to the east coast for some kind of clinical trial.
Maybe Meredith has pull, or Nick is doing something new and innovative with transplants for Chloe’s type of cancer.
I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know how plausible either of those things might be.
But it would be cool to see these characters written out in ways that leave the door open for their return in the future.
(You hear that, Shonda Rhimes? Please don’t kill them off!)
Our brief look into the episode also showed Levi being given the responsibility of running point on a new trauma patient.
He may not be an attending yet, but Bailey is bestowing honorary dark blue scrubs upon him to see how well he can run a case.
We’ve seen this before with previous classes, but it’s been a while.
I have faith that Levi will pull off an excellent save as long as he can stay focused.
We still have a bit of a wait ahead for the new episode, but it promises to be a doozy.
If there’s anything I know about Grey’s Anatomy, it’s that anything is possible on this show.
As I’ve said before, the Grey’s Anatomy writers have nothing to lose at this point. We should prepare for pretty much anything.
What expectations do you have for the new episode?
And if you’re a fan, here are some of Sophia Bush roles you absolutely must see!
Let us know in the comments, and tune in Thursday, November 7, at 10/9c on ABC.
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