Grey's Anatomy Season 20 is all about blending the stories of new doctors with nostalgic nods to the show's decades-long history, and the return of Dr. Arizona Robbins in the April 4 episode may be the first of its kind yet The most anticipated return.
Six years ago, Jessica Capshaw's beloved pediatric and fetal surgeon left the show and moved to New York after Joe and Alex's season 14 wedding. But now, she's heading to Gray Sloan Memorial for innovative fetal brain surgery, giving the show a unique opportunity to look into her personal life. Specifically, is she back with Kelly? Does she miss Seattle enough to move back? How does she react when her friend and former mentee Alex abandons his wife to raise twins with Izzy in Kansas?
Grey's showrunner Meg Marinis told Deadline that Arizona's return will tap into some of the things people love about the character, including "her humor, her hard work as a doctor, her teaching, and her connection to her time on Grey's The friendships of loved ones at Sloan." Hopefully this means Grey's Anatomy will provide some closure by bringing up Arizona and Alex's friendship - which has always been one of the show's strongest friendships.
Arizona helps Alex grow
Yes, Alex could be Meredith's "guy." They are the last members of MAGIC and have formed a deep friendship just because they experienced the pain of internship life together.
But Arizona was his mentor. She sees potential in him where others don't and works tirelessly to help him become the best version of himself. She was proud of his growth. "Alex Karev is trying to be more human," she said in season eight, "and I think we can thank me for that."
Later, on Joe and Alex's wedding day, she said she could leave Seattle at peace knowing her protégé had reached such a meaningful milestone. "Alex Karev, married? It's like, my job here is done," she said proudly.
Now that she's a #Jolex shipper, you can bet Arizona has "ideas" about Alex ghosting his wife (and all his friends) to reunite with Izzy. As a long-distance co-parent, she would be shocked at Alex's decision to give up on his life rather than simply work out an arrangement with Izzy.
The dust has not yet settled on Alex’s departure
Arizona mentioned Alex didn't have to be too involved during Gray's upcoming visit. Even if it's a satire of his ridiculous decisions, or a message update from Alex (something the show has done multiple times with Kristina Young, for example), any nod would be helpful for the character 's sudden departure provides some much-needed closure.
After all, Alex's farewell episode aired in March 2020, and the real world and the world on Grey's Anatomy quickly moved on to other pressing issues. But now, several years removed from the shock of Alex's missing behavior, the show has a real chance to heal its wounds once and for all. And who better to do that than Arizona?
