We all know Jessica Capshaw is leaving Grey's Anatomy at the end of this current season, and the April 5 episode seemed to indicate how her character might leave the show: Arizona was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, the diagnosis was a sham, but instead of being relieved, her friend Owen (Kevin McKidd) is riled up and out for blood…
Having been quite literally shown the door by Teddy (Kim Raver), Owen is already in a foul mood when the episode starts. Ex-wife Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) even places a call to Germany to reason with Teddy — one ex of Owen's to another — but it's a lost cause. Luckily, Owen soon finds a distraction: a car crash victim who says she has stage II breast cancer.
As Owen realizes after a scan of this patient's chest, however, she doesn't even appear to be sick. 'I'll bet my license this woman does not have cancer,' Owen tells Arizona. Owen realizes her oncologist, one Scott Hanson, isn't the miracle doctor everyone thinks he is — he doesn't even have a crucial oncology certification.
Exam: Dr. Hanson gives Arizona an ultrasound and finds a lesion on one of her breasts. She's skeptical, of course, knowing what she knows about this quack
Evidence: But then she and Owen take a closer look at the ultrasound and see a lesion with their own eyes. 'I have cancer?' Arizona asks, aghast
Proof: Arizona gets an ultrasound from April, whom she knows to be a good doctor. Turns out, Arizona's breast is lesion-free and Dr. Hanson has been using fake ultrasounds
Owen and Arizona go to his office, posing as a married couple to do some sleuthing. Arizona asks for a mammogram... and Owen looks all kinds of uncomfortable as Arizona removes her top in front of him.
Dr. Hanson gives Arizona an ultrasound and finds a lesion on one of her breasts. She's skeptical, of course, knowing what she knows about this quack. But then she and Owen take a closer look at the ultrasound and see a lesion with their own eyes. 'I have cancer?' Arizona asks, aghast.
She and Owen rush back to Grey Sloan, and she gets an ultrasound from April (Sarah Drew), whom they know to be a good doctor. Turns out, Arizona's breast is lesion-free. The team realizes Dr. Hanson has been using fake ultrasounds and bilking his patients for money. 'We need to destroy him,' Arizona says.
Owen pays the not-so-good Dr. Hanson a visit at his office after hours and confronts him about his deceit. He literally threatens to give Dr. Hanson a taste of his own medicine. He's about to inject the man with chemotherapy drugs when he sees flashing lights from outside and realizes the cops have arrived. He skulks off, hopefully to vent his rage less harmfully.
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Meanwhile, Amelia and Koracick (Greg Germann) are concerned their patient Noah's (Steele Gagnon) brain tumor is pressing against his brain stem, so they get Noah's mother to consent to their experimental laser therapy. (They're a lot less confident when Mom isn't around, though. 'Her son is basically a guinea pig,' Amelia remarks.)
Alex (Justin Chambers) is also invested in Noah's case, thinking the same laser therapy could save his brain tumor patient, Kimmie (Nayah Damasen), who seems to have lost her optimism.
Vigilante justice: Owen pays the not-so-good Dr. Hanson a visit at his office after hours and confronts him about his deceit, threatening to inject him with chemotherapy drugs
With the help of DeLuca (Giacomo Giannotti), this group of docs starts the laser treatment, but they have to go very cautiously to avoid boiling the kid's brain. It's nerve-fraying, painstaking work, and when Koracick finally persuades Amelia to stop, she vomits.
The docs are terrified they caused long-term brain damage to their patient, but the little guy finally wakes up and starts laughing — real laughs, not seizure laughs. Alex, Amelia, and Koracick celebrate. But later, Koracick tells Alex that the laser work on Noah was like 'skiing down a mountain blindfolded' and that they can't risk putting Kimmie through the same procedure. Alex, enraged, throws Koracick against the wall; but this time, the Hulk gets his anger under control without having done too much damage. Koracick, to his credit, even seems to brush off the dust-up.
In the emergency room, the paramedics bring in a woman who collapsed at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and Richard is surprised to see the patient is Ollie (Mary Kay Place), the AA sponsor of his whom we met in Season 2.Richard learns she has developed liver failure and cardiomyopathy.
'My dying liver is killing my heart, and my heart is killing me,' she observes. Richard is also upset he never mentioned her condition to him — especially since she's the one person he has talked to the most in his life — and even more upset she's ready to give up on life.
'I didn't know how to sponsor you through my death,' she explains.
Richard learns his AA sponsor Ollie has developed liver failure and cardiomyopathy as she tells him:'My dying liver is killing my heart, and my heart is killing me
Richard introduces Ollie to his quasi-daughter Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and his actual daughter Maggie (Kelly McCreary) — but even as goddesses of general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery, respectively, Mer and Maggie can't come up with a game plan. They're out of options. Ollie isn't surprised, though. She's ready to go by this point. She just wants Maggie and Meredith to find Richard a new sponsor. (And later, Mer tells Maggie that Maggie does not want to see Richard drunk.) But Richard is stubborn — he wants them to do everything they can to save Ollie's life.
After a pep talk from boyfriend Jackson (Jesse Williams), Maggie finds Richard on a park bench and offers him a parable. She tells him she wishes she hadn't subjected her late adoptive mother to rigorous treatments.
Advice: After a pep talk from boyfriend Jackson (Jesse Williams), Maggie finds Richard on a park bench and offers him a parable
Heart-to-heart: Maggie tells Richard she wishes she hadn't subjected her late adoptive mother to rigorous treatments but wanted to save her
'How could it be wrong to do everything in my power to save her?' she asks. 'Because you weren't doing it for her,' Richard replies, connecting the dots.
Later, Richard finds Amelia feeling vulnerable after Amelia's laser stress, and he brings her to meet Ollie. 'You brought me another doctor?' Ollie says. 'No, Ollie,' Richard replies. 'I brought you a meeting.' He is done trying to save his longtime friend; he's just savoring their remaining time together and making her feel useful again.
At their home, a delightfully-shirtless Ben (Jason George, now of Station 19 fame) gives Bailey (Chandra Wilson) a wrapped present. To her disappointment, though, the 'present' is a pill box for her heart meds. (Practical? Yes. Romantic? Not in the least.) On another night, he comes home exhausted and falls asleep before Bailey can put the moves on him. So finally, on another night, she calls him home with an SOS that has him thinking there's an emergency.
'It is urgent that we celebrate being alive, right here, right now, naked,' she contends, ripping off his firefighter uniform. You go, Bailey!
They're not the only ones getting down and dirty. Back at the hospital, after another hook-up with DeLuca in the on-call room, Sam (Jeanine Mason) realizes she has never seen his place… then realizes he actually lives in that on-call room. 'Move in with me,' she blurts out. And he doesn't seem opposed to the idea!
Meanwhile, Meredith and Jo (Camilla Luddington) are back at square one with their idea for the surgical innovation contest — now that Cerone (Rachel Ticotin) is spitefully hogging the patent to the polymer they need. But then they realize one of their rats, David Bowie, has grown a mini-liver even without the polymer. And just like that, they're back in the game.
Sorry: April gives an especially heartfelt apology to her ex-husband, Jackson, explaining she had lost faith in God during their marriage and had taken that crisis of faith as his victory
And finally, April spends the episode conducting an apology tour around the hospital — apologizing to Koracick for using him for sex, apologizing to Owen for her erratic behavior, and even apologizing to the interns for being harsh with them. (But when she flags down Schmitt, played by Jake Borelli, he apologizes to her, since his knee-jerk reaction is to assume he's in trouble!)
April gives an especially heartfelt apology to her ex-husband, Jackson, explaining she had lost faith in God during their marriage and had taken that crisis of faith as his victory since God was never part of his life. Post-breakup, however, she's realized he's been supportive the whole time.
'Even when it felt like He wasn't there, you were,' she says. 'Thank you, and I'm really sorry.'
But when she apologizes to Maggie for being awful to her at the game night, she innocuously mentions she tried to jump Jackson in the closet — citing that romantic misfire as an example of her recent mess-ups — not realizing, of course, Maggie and Jackson are an item now. Maggie looks crestfallen; Jackson apparently failed to mention that incident. The episode ends with her looking seriously pissed with him. Eek. Would not want to be him right now. 'Til next week, Grey's fans!
FAQs
Playing Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew, Owen and Arizona went to “Dr.” Hansen's clinic posing as a couple. To their horror, it turned out that — nooo! — Arizona actually did have breast cancer! Back at Grey Sloan, April scanned Arizona, and — whew!
How did Arizona find out she had breast cancer? ›
Dr. Hanson gives Arizona an ultrasound and finds a lesion on one of her breasts. She's skeptical, of course, knowing what she knows about this quack. But then she and Owen take a closer look at the ultrasound and see a lesion with their own eyes.
Did Arizona get cancer? ›
The police then show up to really take care of the good doctor. Arizona gets the best revenge, though, by being able to tell Dana that she doesn't have cancer.
What happens in Greys Anatomy Season 15 episode 1? ›
Short Summary
The doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial vie for a new position. Meredith is seemingly distracted and struggles to stay focused, and Maggie finds herself the keeper of a big secret while Amelia and Owen try to figure out their relationship. Meanwhile, Jo and Alex's honeymoon doesn't go exactly as planned.
What episode does Arizona get told she has breast cancer? ›
Dayna and Peggy returned many episodes later, specifically in the episode “Hold Back the River”, after Dayna vomited while they were driving and they crashed into a tree. Dayna revealed she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and had just had her second round of chemo, which is why she got sick.
What happened to Arizona Robbins in season 9 episode 1? ›
Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) are caught in an aviation accident, leaving Lexie Grey dead, and the rest of the doctors stranded.
Did Arizona lose her legs? ›
Arizona Robbins, played by actress Jessica Capshaw. Robbins had her left leg amputated in the season premiere episode “Going Going Gone,” and the producers wanted a prosthetic leg Capshaw could walk and stand in, giving her the appearance of having a transfemoral amputation, according to A Step Ahead Prosthetics.
Did Arizona lose her leg in real life? ›
Does Arizona Robbins really have a prosthetic? Jessica doesn't have a prosthetic leg in real life, but in the show, they make it seem like she does thanks to ~magic~. She tweeted back in 2014, “In [Season 9, Episode 6: “Second Opinion”] I was walking on a prosthetic with my own leg tied behind me.
Was Arizona ever pregnant? ›
It is revealed that Arizona became pregnant via a sperm donor prior to sleeping with Lauren, but later miscarried.
Why did Arizona lose her leg? ›
No compatible source was found for this media. Arizona discovers just how badly her leg is injured after the horrific plane crash during the Season 8 finale. The pilot realizes he's in bad shape too. Watch this classic Grey's Anatomy scene from Season 8, Episode 24: Flight.
She left the show simultaneously with actress Sarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner. According to a statement showrunner Krista Vernoff gave Deadline, Drew and Capshaw's departures stemmed from where Grey's Anatomy was headed creatively.
How did Arizona lose her baby? ›
Arizona came to the scrub room to inform her that she had missed the appointment, and Callie apologized. She asked Arizona to see the picture of the ultrasound, but Arizona told her that there was no picture. The OB did the ultrasound, but couldn't find a heartbeat. She lost the baby.
Why did Meredith Grey get fired in season 15? ›
At the end of Season 15, protagonist Meredith Grey was fired from her job as chief of general surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for committing insurance fraud—the principled kind, that is.
What is the saddest episode of GREY's Anatomy Season 17? ›
"It's All Too Much" — Season 17, Episode 8
After going several seasons without a major character death, Grey's Anatomy delivered a gut punch with Andrew DeLuca's (Giacomo Gianniotti) sudden demise. He was stabbed while pursuing a child sex trafficker, and his wounds were fatal.
What happens to Meredith Grey at the end of season 15? ›
Meredith was fired by Dr. Miranda Bailey at the end of Season 15 for committing insurance fraud. She did so in order to save a young patient with no insurance that she became attached to (she used her daughter's name for the insurance instead).
What episode does Arizona have a miscarriage? ›
This Is How We Do It.
What seasons was Arizona pregnant? ›
Jessica Capshaw was pregnant with her fourth during season 12 and gave birth shortly after filming ended. Every episode is named after a famous song.
What season does Arizona lose her leg? ›
'Grey's Anatomy' Arizona Loses Her Leg — Jessica Capshaw on Season 9 | TVLine.
Why did Callie get $15 million? ›
A decision is reached regarding the plane crash case, with the hospital found guilty of negligence, and each of the survivors is awarded $15 million in compensation. Callie decides to throw a celebration dinner.
What happened to Arizona Robbins in season 14? ›
Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) A part of Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital since season 5, Arizona left the show during the season 14 finale. She moved to New York City, where reconciliation with ex-wife Callie may or may not be taking place (off-screen, of course).
The reason Arizona won that custody battle is because she was the better person to raise Sofia. Callie decided to run off to New York with her girlfriend of a few months and thought it would be fine to drag her child across the country, away from all her friends, away from her school, and away from her other mom.
Does Arizona ever walk again? ›
Motivated to help, Arizona begins to take her first steps of progress since her amputation and ultimately arrives back where she belongs — walking the hallways of Seattle Grace and coming in with a potential solution to Bailey's case, and bringing an epic grin to both Bailey and Callie's faces.
Did Callie or Alex cut off Arizona's leg? ›
Alex sticks close to Arizona to make sure that she's okay, but she finds him more annoying than helpful. Alex tells Arizona that it was he who cut off her leg, not Callie.
How did they make Arizona's leg look so real? ›
Hi Gautam: Arizona Robbins, played by actress Jessica Capshaw. ... Technicians used actual prosthetic components to create the prosthesis then covered it with a silicone skin cover matching Capshaw's skin tones. With some digital editing, the illusion of Capshaw being an amputee is complete.
How did they film Arizona without a leg? ›
What they do: They have the actor where a special costume where the missing limb is entirely lime-green-colored. Then they are able to use green screen technology to “erase” that limb.
Does Callie Torres lose the baby? ›
We also learned Callie and Arizona decided to have a baby—and then lost it—post-plane crash, around the time that Meredith was very, very pregnant and had sausages for toes. So back when Arizona said "You didn't lose anything" and we assumed she'd been referring to her leg….
What was GREY's Anatomy supposed to be called? ›
“Grey's Anatomy” wasn't actually the original show title.
Kate Walsh, who played Addison Montgomery on the show, told BuzzFeed that the show's name was changed three times before “Grey's Anatomy” was chosen. “It was 'Doctors' and then 'Surgeons' and then 'Complications' and I was like, 'What a b——- show title!
Is April Kepner pregnant in real life? ›
"Grey's Anatomy" star Sarah Drew's character, Dr. April Kepner, may be pregnant on the hit medical drama, but the actress won't have to wear a fake baby bump while filming the upcoming 11th season. Drew shared a selfie on Tuesday, revealing that she is very much pregnant in real life.
Why did Arizona adopt Sofia? ›
Arizona Adopts Sofia
Arizona adopted Sofia after realizing that, as Callie's partner, she is very much a part of Sofia's life and wished for it to stay that way forever. Arizona received legal parental rights and Sofia became her daughter on paper in Season 8 of Grey's Anatomy.
What season was Meredith pregnant in real life? ›
3 Ellen Pompeo — Hidden (Grey's Anatomy)
Though Meredith Grey went through two full-term pregnancies in the beloved Grey's Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo's real pregnancy during the filming of season 6 was kept hidden. Luckily for the actress, her character practically lives in scrubs, operating gowns, and a white coat.
season 12 episode 22 Arizona's...
Does Arizona go back to work after the plane crash? ›
Read allIt's Arizona's first day back at work and Callie tries to keep things as normal as possible for her. Meanwhile, Bailey argues with Ben over wedding plans and Cristina and Owen continue to struggle with their relationship while Owen faces his first set of meetings about the plane crash.
Does Derek ever operate again? ›
Callie was able to fix his hand, with the help of the donation of a nerve from the leg of Derek's sister Liz. This was a very long fight for Derek. He thought he would never operate again and resulted in teaching the interns in the skills lab.
Why did GREY's Anatomy get rid of April and Arizona? ›
Arizona Robbins for 10 seasons, left after the 14th season. According to what showrunner Krista Vernoff told Deadline in March of 2018, their exits were based solely on the show's "creative direction."
Who replaces Arizona on GREY's? ›
In season 7, Peter McNichol played Robert Stark, the pediatric surgeon hired to take the place of Arizona Robbins after she won the Carter Madison Grant and moved to Malawi.
What happened to April Kepner? ›
She married Jackson Avery and had two children: a son, Samuel, who died of osteogenesis imperfecta type II, and a daughter named Harriet. The character's story concluded with the 14th season. It was revealed in season 17 that April Kepner left Seattle with Jackson Avery to run the Catherine Fox foundation.
Is Kepner's second baby healthy? ›
Despite the harrowing circ*mstances of April's delivery, she and the baby are alive and healthy, thanks to Ben. In an unlikely parallel to the case that ended with Ben's suspension several months earlier, Ben redeems himself.
Why couldn t Arizona be April's doctor? ›
After putting us all through a very stressful episode the MRI confirms that April and Jackson's baby is indeed okay. However, based on how April reacted to hearing the news about the baby's brain, Arizona decides she can no longer be April's OBGYN.
Why did Callie and Arizona divorce? ›
Arizona struggled with her situation and ultimately did everything she could to push Callie away, including having an affair with Dr. Lauren Boswell. They attempted to stay together by buying a house and trying to have a second baby, but Arizona miscarried.
What happened to Arizona Robbins season 14? ›
Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) A part of Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital since season 5, Arizona left the show during the season 14 finale. She moved to New York City, where reconciliation with ex-wife Callie may or may not be taking place (off-screen, of course).
At the conclusion of season 14, Arizona departs the show to move to New York to be with Sofia and Callie and the two reconcile.
What episode of GREY's anatomy does Arizona have a miscarriage? ›
This Is How We Do It.
What episode does Arizona get her leg amputated? ›
Watch this classic Grey's Anatomy scene from Season 8, Episode 24: Flight.
Why was Arizona fired from GREY's anatomy? ›
She left the show simultaneously with actress Sarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner. According to a statement showrunner Krista Vernoff gave Deadline, Drew and Capshaw's departures stemmed from where Grey's Anatomy was headed creatively.
Was Arizona Robbins pregnant in season 8? ›
Arizona (Jessica, actually) seemed pregnant in season 8!
Does Arizona Robbins have a prosthetic in real life? ›
Does Arizona Robbins really have a prosthetic? Jessica doesn't have a prosthetic leg in real life, but in the show, they make it seem like she does thanks to ~magic~. She tweeted back in 2014, “In [Season 9, Episode 6: “Second Opinion”] I was walking on a prosthetic with my own leg tied behind me.
Does Arizona lose her legs? ›
Arizona Robbins, played by actress Jessica Capshaw. Robbins had her left leg amputated in the season premiere episode “Going Going Gone,” and the producers wanted a prosthetic leg Capshaw could walk and stand in, giving her the appearance of having a transfemoral amputation, according to A Step Ahead Prosthetics.
Does Arizona come back season 15? ›
ABC, however, announced that Jessica Capshaw, who plays Arizona, will be leaving the show alongside Sarah Drew. "The characters of Arizona and April are permanently woven into the fabric of 'Grey's Anatomy' thanks to the extraordinary work of Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew," Krista Vernoff, co-showrunner, said.
Does Meredith have Alzheimer's? ›
'Grey's Anatomy' Season 19: Meredith's Alzheimer's Research Doesn't Ruin Derek's, It Honors It. Sorry Amelia, but the fight against Alzheimer's was always Meredith's. In its ongoing, nearly twenty-year run, Grey's Anatomy has had plenty of dramatic and devastating moments.
What episode did Arizona lose her baby? ›
Bend & Break
| "Bend & Break" |
|---|
| Grey's Anatomy episode |
| Episode no. | Season 11 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Jesse Bochco |
| Written by | Meg Marinis |
6 more rowsMotivated to help, Arizona begins to take her first steps of progress since her amputation and ultimately arrives back where she belongs — walking the hallways of Seattle Grace and coming in with a potential solution to Bailey's case, and bringing an epic grin to both Bailey and Callie's faces.
Did Callie cut off Arizona leg? ›
Alex sticks close to Arizona to make sure that she's okay, but she finds him more annoying than helpful. Alex tells Arizona that it was he who cut off her leg, not Callie.
Why does Arizona blame Callie for her leg? ›
When she and Arizona faced struggles after the plane crash. The two women were in for the ultimate challenge following the plane crash. Arizona lost her leg in the accident and put the blame on Callie for both the amputation and the aftermath.
