SPOILER ALERT: This story includes details about the March 11 episodes of ABC Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.
Just like in late autumn, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 came back from the hiatus with another powerful and deeply emotional crossover. Tonight’s episodes deal with the consequences of the dramatic rescue by the Station 19 off-duty team of two black teenagers who were kidnapped and the arrest of Robert and Dean by an overzealous white police officer. He also said goodbye to one of the Grey’s Anatomydoctors, Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), just as the sinister ABC promotion suggested. (Read Deadline’s interview with Gianniotti here.)
While Station 19 all firefighters were trying to process the previous day’s events, discussing issues of racism in policing, the series successfully brought the multi-season hijacking story to a successful conclusion. When we last saw DeLuca in the late autumn thriller, he had just spotted Opal – the suspected head of child trafficking that had triggered his manic episode last season – in Gray Sloan’s parking lot and, along with his sister Carina, went away following the Opal car. The DeLucas got Carina’s girlfriend, Captain Maya Bishop of Station 19, and her team to help with the operation. Eventually, Opal was arrested, but not before his accomplice stabbed DeLuca.
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With his sister by his side, DeLuca was rushed to Gray Sloan, where he underwent successful emergency surgery, led by Owen and Teddy, but later developed IHD and, despite Owen and Teddy’s efforts, died in the room of surgery.
While he was on the verge of death, DeLuca managed to spend time on the beach in a dream sequence with Meredith, who remained indifferent to the episode, connected to a fan.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen here, Meredith, but no matter what, I want you to know that I never felt seen as you saw me, I never felt inspired as you inspired me, you made me want to be not only my best, but better, ”he said. The duo, whose romance was interrupted by the pandemic, had a final emotional conversation before DeLuca said to her, “You’ll be fine, Meredith,” and ran to her late mother who waved at him. As soon as his body was at rest in the operating room, he reunited with his mother on the beach in a sweet hug.
In an interview with Deadline, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 showrunner Krista Vernoff discusses the decision to kill DeLuca this season, the significance of the way he died and the impact his sudden death will have on his sister, Meredith and the other Gray Sloan doctors. She also causes a big Teddy-Owen bow after her newfound fight for DeLuca’s life and a George Floyd / BLM storyline in Station 19. It also explains whether we will see DeLuca again and addresses the status of Meredith – as well as the status of the series, which has not been renewed for season 18. (You can read more about that here.)
TERM: When did you decide that the character DeLuca would die? Was his mental health crisis last season a point where you considered dismissing him?
KRISTA VERNOFF: No. It was one of the first creative imaginations I had, just as I imagined what this season would be like. It’s like I said before. Like, stories tell themselves. I just try to write them as fast as I can, and this story is told to me while I was walking on the beach imagining the season, and I was like, oh, no, really ?! But it seemed powerful and important, and I don’t always know why, but that was the story that came.
DEADLINE: Was it important to you that DeLuca redeemed himself completely before he died? He helped the kidnapped girl and Bailey earlier this season, and did a final bravery by getting Opal arrested.
VERNOFF: yea. It was extremely important for me to make it clear that he was going through a mental health crisis and that the monitoring of the history of sex trafficking was rooted in his bravery and kindness as a human, and that I think we did well. I didn’t want to risk sending the message that he died because of his mental illness. He died after going through his mental health crisis, with bravery and power, and died like a hero. He probably saved many lives in the future.
DEADLINE: What was your conversation with Giacomo about his character being discarded?
VERNOFF: This story was the most vivid story I have had coming into the season. I knew what we were doing exactly and exactly how we were doing it, so once we had a shape and we knew when it was going to happen in the season, Giacomo came to meet us and we introduced him to him. He was so adorable and so relieved that it was not a mental health crisis story, but because of all the things I have already said. He was relieved that we were being honest with this character. That he was leaving courageously, that he was not killing himself. That he wasn’t hurting anyone. That he was clear in terms of mental health, and came out that way really noble and brave. He was brave.
DEADLINE: What will be the impact of DeLuca’s death on his sister, Meredith and the other doctors at the hospital?
VERNOFF: There is a profound impact. He became loved, and all those doctors came together in the intervention and really started to care about him. So there is a real impact on your sister and everyone who loved you. The big type of question mark is Meredith. You know, Meredith is not awake and, while she was with DeLuca on that beach, there is a question mark about how this is going to impact her.
DEADLINE: In DeLuca’s conversation with Meredith on the beach, he sounded prophetic when he said to her, ‘Meredith, you’ll be fine.’ We must read a lot about it – is he right?
VERNOFF: Yes. Should you read this? I do not know. More will be revealed.
DEADLINE: Can you tell us when we will know Meredith’s fate?
VERNOFF: Don’t you want to watch the show and see how it plays out?
DEADLINE: Yes, but it also involves a lot of anxiety.
VERNOFF: I know it is painful and scary. Just like Covid.
DEADLINE: What was it like working with Giacomo and the rest of the cast in your final episode?
VERNOFF: I think everyone brought their best game in terms of performance across all lines of history, and I am very grateful to Giacomo. What I told him at the table when we read this episode is, thank you for playing this character in such a powerful and beautiful way that you are giving the world the opportunity to feel our collective pain at his death.
DEADLINE: After DeLuca’s death, will we see him on the beach? This has become a great place for you to bring back any character you want.
VERNOFF: There was some discussion about bringing him back to the beach, but we all felt that his outing with his mother was so deep and powerful. I cried watching it more than I cried watching anything on our show in years, so we didn’t want to see him go back to the beach. You will see him again. He appears in more episodes this season, but I don’t want to spoil what they are.
DEADLINE: Anyone new coming to the beach this season?
VERNOFF: I would say there is a good chance that you will see other people on the beach.
DEADLINE: In his final hours, DeLuca seemed to have brought Owen and Teddy together in their pain, when they couldn’t save him. And Teddy had just let Koracick go when it happened. Are Owen and Teddy approaching reconciliation?
VERNOFF: Owen and Teddy have a great story arc in the next episodes.
TERM: On Station 19, seeing the characters process the events of late autumn, it was almost like listening to the series ‘writers in the writers’ room, processing the events of last summer. How was it to write these conversations between the different firefighters?
VERNOFF: Well, we have a very diverse cast and a very inclusive cast and writers room, and we honor and include many voices and many perspectives when we talk about these deep subjects. Therefore, the process is really inclusive.
TERM: What’s next for this group? Dean filing a lawsuit is a new element that can provide an idea of the judicial system. Is it something that will be a big story going forward?
VERNOFF: yea. This is a great storyline throughout our season. Our season is still alive in May and June 2020, and so, if you remember, in April, May, June 2020, we were suing George Floyd’s death as a nation, and the uprising following it, and so, we’re bravely facing many of these problems moving forward on the show.
TERM: Will George Floyd’s death be incorporated into the show?
VERNOFF: yea.
DEADLINE: Especially in Station 19 or in both programs?
VERNOFF: In both programs to some extent, but it is very central in Station 19.
DEADLINE: You finished the autumn run with two consecutive really heavy episodes that included the death of Bailey’s mother, and now DeLuca died in the first episode back. There is some light and breeze Gray Arriving?
VERNOFF: There is light and wind Gray Arriving? Maybe later in the season. We have very intense things coming, and it is just the nature of the year that we are living in. It is just a reflection of the year that we have just gone through, and I would say that there are beautiful moments of light. It is not cheerful, but when DeLuca’s mother appears on that beach. I mean, what’s more beautiful than that? Yes, it’s deep and yes, you do feel your feelings, but I would say that these episodes are not just dark. There is lightness and beauty within the darkness.
DEADLINE: What can you tell us about this “coming of very intense things”?
VERNOFF: The impact of DeLuca’s death affects everyone differently, but it affects one of our characters who has reached its saturation level and breaking point.
TERM: Do you still know if this would be the last season of Gray?
VERNOFF: I still do not know.