Greys Anatomy is one of the most beloved shows ever made, courtesy of Shonda Rhimes. Because its a medical drama, it blends the world of healthcare with the lives of people who work within the medical field. Over 20 seasons, many characters have come and gone in Greys Anatomy, and one fan-favorite just returned.
Arizona Robbins entered Greys Anatomy nearly halfway through Season 5. The overly joyous surgeon literally rolled into Seattle Grace Hospital after the longtime head of pediatrics suddenly died on duty. She made a strong impression on the hospital and audiences, but it wasnt necessarily a good one at first, as she rubbed Dr. Miranda Bailey the wrong way. Despite the surgeons portraying opposite ends of the pep spectrum, Arizona Robbins quickly proved herself worthy of Greys Anatomy. Perhaps the best part of Arizonas character at the beginning of her run was her personality. The most notable, however, was that Arizona was Greys Anatomy's first openly and proudly Queer character. Jessica Capshaws run as Arizona Robbins created an icon thats been sorely missed since her exit.
Unlike several Greys characters who previously left the show, Arizona Robbins is one of the few who hasnt returned to the show after her departure. Since her exit, Greys Anatomy has gone through many changes. Perhaps most notably, the few seasons since her Season 14 departure featured the exits of many of Arizonas closest friends and colleagues in Seattle, including Justin Chambers' character Alex Karev, Arizonas protg, and series star Meredith Grey. Fans dont know what happened to Arizona during her time in New York, but its hard for fans not to miss the peppy pediatric surgeon. Her presence was especially missed with the return of April Kepner, who left alongside Arizona, as the equally peppy trauma surgeon returned in the Season 18 finale to see off actor Jesse Williams longtime character Jackson Avery and give Japril the happy ending fans longed for. Because April returned to Greys after four seasons, its only natural that Arizona would follow suit.
Luckily for fans, Arizonas actor Jessica Capshaw never truly left the world of Greys Anatomy. For starters, shes close friends with several Greys co-stars, especially Jo Wilsons actor Camilla Luddington. That friendship was utilized to tease fans a couple of times, with the duo posing for social media posts while Luddington was in costume near the set. Ultimately, what confirmed Capshaws return was also a social media post on her own account, showing a close-up of her face while she dons a surgical gown, mask, and Arizonas iconic pink flower scrub cap. The picture was posted around Valentines Day, accompanied by a silly video featuring Capshaw and Luddington. Captioned under the post, Capshaw wrote, 04.04.24.
The series of numbers points to the date for fans to expect Arizona Robbins' grand return to Greys Anatomy. Her return is featured in Season 20s fourth episode, titled Baby Can I Hold You, perhaps referencing the Tracy Chapman song of the same name. The episode, of course, aired on April 4, 2024. Unfortunately, Jessica Capshaws return could likely be contained to that single episode, as its unclear if shes signed on to more than one appearance. With that said, though, not much else is known about her return, including how long she could stick around in Greys Anatomy.
Arizona departed from Greys Anatomy in the Season 14 finale, but the lead-up to her exit started several seasons before. Everything went downhill for Arizonas character after the Season 8 finale, Flight. In the episode, Arizona and fellow Seattle Grace Mercy West staff Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, Cristina Yang, Mark Sloan, and Lexie Grey head to a hospital in Boise to assist with a conjoined twin separation surgery. They do make it to Boise, but only after their plane goes down. Theyre left stranded in the woods for several days with various injuries, including a severe leg injury for Arizona.
Aside from Lexie, who died shortly after the crash, and Mark, who lasted on life support for a month, everyone on the plane returned to Seattle with unimaginable trauma. Arizona made it extremely clear that she wanted to keep her leg, but her infection took away that possibility. As the head of orthopedic surgery and Arizonas wife, Callie Torres, who lost her best friend and the father of their daughter, had to make the horrific but professional decision to amputate Arizonas leg to save her life. Arizona never really moved past it, seeing Callies decision as a betrayal. She also resents Callie for expressing her own trauma associated with the crash because she wasnt on the plane. Despite Callies unwavering support and attempts to mend their marriage, Arizonas trauma, insecurities, and resentment lead her to cheat on her wife at the end of Season 9. They try to work through their issues, but their relationship ends in Season 11.
Season 12 featured Callie and Arizona moving on and dating other people, but Callies post-divorce relationship actually plays more of a role in Arizonas departure. She falls in love with a woman named Penny Blake, who, after a stint as an intern at Grey Sloan Memorial, gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in New York. Callie decides to go with her, and understandably, both Callie and Arizona wish to keep their daughter, Sofia, close to them. Arizona initiates a custody battle, and after the nasty court proceedings, she wins sole custody of Sofia, though she agrees to share custody with Callie. The end of Season 12 allowed actor Sara Ramirez to explore acting outside their longtime role in Greys Anatomy. Seasons 13 and 14 featured Arizona moving on romantically and little Sofia returning to Seattle. Leading up to the Season 14 finale, Sofia began to miss her life in New York, but Arizona couldnt stand the idea of sending her beloved child across the country again. So, she decides to go with her, with the final episode of Season 14 featuring Arizona and Sofia preparing to head out to reunite with Callie. The finale marked the final episodes as series regulars for actors Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew, along with their respective characters, Arizona and April Kepner.
Until very recently, the circumstances of Arizonas return to Greys were unclear at best. When it got announced, all fans knew about her return was that Arizona would reunite with Dr. Miranda Bailey and the Grey Sloan Memorial staff for a particularly complicated surgery. The logline for her Season 20 episode teased something history-making. While some of the circumstances are still shrouded in mystery, the recent promo for her return episode provides a bit more insight into her return. In the short clip, she and Dr. Bailey stand before a group of GSMHs doctors, and, as suggested in the episodes pitch, she provides them with an opportunity to make history. She explains that a few months prior, she started a clinical trial that involved fetal neurosurgery, or as she describes it, We operate on the babys brain before delivery, which had never been done before. The episode simply shows a little bit more of the groundbreaking surgery teased in the promo.
Throughout Greys Anatomy, characters like Dr. Robbins, Dr. Addison Montgomery, and Dr. Nicole Herman established that pediatric and fetal surgery are some of the most exclusive fields in medicine. Surgical fellowships in those fields, especially fetal surgery, are extraordinarily rare and highly coveted. The last couple of seasons of Greys Anatomy have also featured some focus on reproductive health, with Dr. Bailey and Dr. Montgomery setting up a system to train more physicians on life-saving procedures like abortions. As such, it makes perfect sense for Dr. Robbins to return to Seattle and potentially raise her latest protg, which would simply expand the shows recent reproductive health themes and reemphasize the importance of fetal medicine to ensure healthy pregnancies. Its a great way for Greys Anatomy and Grey Sloan to bring some of the magic back after so much drama.
As mentioned, Arizonas character was written off Greys Anatomy at the end of Season 14 to reunite the iconic Calzona despite Capshaw and Callies Sara Ramirez exiting the show. Longtime showrunner Krista Vernoffs decision to write off characters like Arizona and April Kepner has been scrutinized by fans since their 2018 exits. While some believe the show was moving in a different creative direction that wouldnt support Arizona and Aprils characters, others believe the decision followed Capshaw and Drews request for higher compensation. Either way, the decision could change now that Vernoff passed the torch to current showrunner Meg Marinis. Perhaps the shift between creative minds could create opportunities for other characters from Greys past to return in some capacity, just like Arizona Robbins.
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
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Everything We Know About Jessica Capshaw's Return to Grey's Anatomy - CBR - Comic Book Resources
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
