Grey's Anatomy covered just about every major TV plot twist at some point in the first 14 seasons, ranging from major character deaths to surprise weddings to explosions resulting in epic cliffhangers. There have also been plenty of love triangles over the years, and it can't be easy for the show to come up with new ways to handle such dynamics. The writers struggled when putting together the upcoming love triangle between Amelia, Owen, and Teddy, but showrunner Krista Vernoff revealed the unique way they decided to handle it:
There are fandoms who want to make someone a villain. But Owen has tremendous history with and love for both women, and when you have three beloved characters with as complex a history as these three have, there is no villain. That's the far more interesting story. What does that mean? It's challenging the writers, and it's going to challenge the characters [as well as the] fans.
That right there is some very good news for Grey's Anatomy viewers who love all three of these characters! A lot of love triangles on a lot of shows inevitably villainize one of the three parties so that viewers will root for one couple to get the happily-ever-after and make it easy to understand why one person was chosen over the other. In the Amelia/Owen/Teddy love triangle, Grey's Anatomy could have easily villainized one of the ladies.
In a lazily written love triangle, perhaps Amelia would have resented Teddy returning to Owen's life with a baby on board to the point that she tried to sway Owen away from her, or Teddy could have been scripted as heartless or entitled for walking back into Owen's life with a bun in the oven. Instead, the characters will work through their relationships without any of them becoming the villain, and so we won't have to watch one of them ruined for the sake of a love triangle.
Krista Varnoff's comments about Grey's Anatomy Season 15 to TVLine are worth getting excited about as we count down the final weeks before the big premiere, especially since we already knew that Teddy would be around a lot thanks to Kim Raver returning to regular status for the new season. Perhaps the handling of this plot will help fans move on from the big departures at the end of Season 14, which not everybody was happy about.
Admittedly, both Arizona and April got happy endings in their final episode, but their departures came rather abruptly, and the reasoning behind the actresses leaving upset a number of viewers. Big changes are in store in the aftermath of their departures, and not just because of Teddy's return and the love triangle. Meredith looks to be getting a love interest in Season 15, and a dreamy new doc is joining the staff. We'll have to wait and see how the new doctor fits into the ensemble. At least we can safely say that he'll be pleasing to look at!
Grey's Anatomy will hit the airwaves in the fall TV lineup with a two-hour premiere starting Thursday, September 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
