I will not eat it with a spoon. I will not ponder it all through June. I do not want heartache stew. Sunshine, Sunshine how could you?
'Tis said that one of the real deal couples on the show will be calling it quits this season. The cause of the breakup is "a very serious issue" that they can't get past. 'Tis also said that there's gonna be a new hook up on the show. And the new hook-up allegedly involves McSteamy reconnecting with his man whore roots. People are speculating that the break up will not involve the dream team (Mer/Der). But the grist for everyone's mill has been the same as the grist churning around in mine - Sunshine says the finale will be a game changer for every single character; see links above and this one.
So, Grey's fans, this Thursday's episode - "Hook Line & Sinner" - will be the first new one in several weeks and it will begin the march to the finale. Now's the time for all Grey's fans to strap on the swami hat and commence speculating. I've got mine on and I'm reaching under the sofa for my crystal ball - man that thing is dusty.
Reading all of the links above and recalling all the other swami prognostications I've read, I think the most likely scenario is pretty clear. But Shonda Sunshine rarely does the predictable, so there's also room to explore other possibilities, including some grim ones people think she's ruled out. I don't think Sunshine likes boxes, so even if it looks like she's crawled into one and pulled the lid down, I recommend you check the sides for an escape hatch. I'm a lawyer by trade (trying to be a professional author, but we've all got dreams) and people in my field know that phrasing is critical. And if you examine what Sunshine actually said, you might find it looks like she meant one thing, but she left herself some wiggle room to mean something else entirely - or nothing at all.
It looks to me like the most likely break up is Arizona and Callie calling it quits over the baby issue. McSteamy's daughter - Sloane - showed up at the end of last episode in the midst of labor. Promos for this week's epi show that the baby arrives and the new Mama Sloane, who's been tossed out of all other free housing, latches back on the the softest touch in town. And instead of telling his daughter to take responsibility for herself - and her baby if she's keeping the wee one - and to get a job, Daddy Dearest tells her she and the Sloaneling can move in with him. So, it could be that Mark getting a baby stirs up all kind of trouble for Calzona. It sure looks from the promo like Arizona is not happy about the prospect of their friend and neighbor having a permanent reminder for Callie of her maternal dreams. So, maybe it is Calzona who's a goner.
But, maybe not. Sunshine's been talking a lot about Meredith going all mother hen. Mer's one of the world's foremost experts in hot and longing looks and she's seen the ones Owen's been giving Teddy. She already gave Owen a talking to, but she hasn't yet broached the subject to Cristina. And Cristina sure caught enough of those Mer/Der looks to know a whole lot about them herself. Once she hears from Mer about it, she's gonna start looking for them. It's like looking for a Hardees or a Steak & Shake on a road trip. First you look, then you give up and eat at Burger King. Starting with the very next exit, you're gonna see Hardees everywhere. So Owen's been told not to give Teddy those looks. Having been told not to do it, he's gonna try hard not to, but soon, it'll be all he can think of and he won't be able to stop himself. Then Cristina is apt to grab Owen and shake his steak so good that he'll see that the front line has moved to Seattle. So yeah, Otina is another possibility.
The NIGHTMARE would be if the dream team went down for the count. And if McSteamy is the male party to the grubbing to come, can we imagine Mer being the female factor? This one links the sleeping around to the break up. One of the commentators who knows what the break up is and involves, says he doesn't see how the couple in question could get over it. Well, if the same lightning bolt struck him a second time, it'd be mighty hard to image Derek being able to get past it. But how would this happen?
If Little Grey were to whisper in Mer's ear about April's fascination with Derek, then she'd be like Cristina looking for a Hardee's. Soon, she'd start seeing them whether they were there or not. And knowing her own history with Derek, it'd be mighty easy for her to imagine him taking a new protege under his wing. So Mer might do it to get back for what she imagines is being done to her. And Mark? He always wants what Derek has and he already tried to recruit Mer once... But, hopefully this version of the hook up and break up is actually the least likely.
Some of the swami hints have said that McSteamy hooks up with one of the new kids on the block. That scenario could still feed into McSteamy wanting to follow in Derek's shoes. Mark might see April as his own little Meredith. Given her crush on Derek, getting April to sleep with Der's best friend would be a pretty easy sell.
The other NIGHTMARE scenario would have Derek seeing Meredith in April and having him cheat. I can't see Mer forgiving him for that and she might even respond by placing a booty call to Mark. It's easy to see the appeal to Der's ego and the lure of the link to an easier time. I refuse to see this one as likely at all.
If Mark's having an affair with one of the new kids, then it could potentially be Arizona. It's hard to see that one as especially likely, but the presence of a McSteamy on the prowl is a boon to the writers - from his end, they could make anything work. Who wouldn't McSteamy drop his pants for - that's the better question.
Cristina is not a new character but Teddy is - and what if the swami's got it a little bit wrong? What if the new character caused the break up and McSteamy's fling was with a member of the broken romance? The characters are polar opposites but that can sometime make for steamy sex. How about it, Grey's fans? Can anybody see Cristina doing the dirty with Mark?
The biggest betrayal of all would be if Sunshine brought McDreamy full circle and he did to Mer what got done to him. Imagine the shock waves to every single character - the fundamental game changing nature - of a Cristina/Derek hook up. I know, the mind does not want to go there, but Sunshine does like going full circle. We weren't involved with the characters when Mark and Addison betrayed Derek. But we'd sure enough see some flashbacks and be way involved if Derek and Christina betrayed Meredith. Along the same vein, while we're mentioning things that make you nauseous, the possibility of a Derek/Lexie hook up would have a similar bombshell effect and Derek was initially attracted to Lexie in the bar where we've never really seen sparks with Cristina. But Cristina would be the full circle choice and that would be the bigger betrayal. Next season would be like the fall out after a nuclear war. One of the persons affected most would be Derek, who'd have to examine how he grew into a person who could do such a thing. Giving the Chief's job back would be a natural response.
There are other new characters, of course, but none of them has been too involved with any main story lines. Mercy Wester, Reed, could hook up with McSteamy sure enough, but I can't see that causing anyone too much trauma. There are a couple of male doctors and McSteamy on the down low would be interesting, but it'd be a mighty tough sell even for the Grey's writers. Mind you, I don't rule out their trying to toss a curve ball like that one. There are other issues to consider that no one has focused on - like what about the Chief? What will be happening with him? And Bailey, what will she be getting up to? A link up between those two would also, in its own way, recall the early days of Mer/Der, and whatever Sunshine has on the plate for the Chief and Bailey may be focused elsewhere. But who knows?
Let's ponder the game changer and see what clues we pick up in the next couple of epi's. And if all the tension and drama leaves you with a Grey's flavored appetite that an hour a week can't fill, check out Griffin's Law. Pick it up and see if you find in Griffin's the spirit of Grey's that inspired the story. The characters are different, the complications are different and the setting is nothing like Seattle Grace, unless you imagine the hospital as a law school. The world of Griffin's is mine rather than Sunshine's but I did try to channel her karma while I wrote the story!
As to Grey's and attempts to channel Sunshine, I just hope the Game Changer finale remembers how much Grey's owes to its viewers. After the season that ended with Cristina's failed wedding, and Meredith and Derek's failed relationship, I think a lot of Grey's viewers spent the summer in a funk. This time, no matter how the game changes, I hope Shonda doesn't forget to sprinkle it with hope.