Grey’s Anatomy season 17 episode 4: Who’s returning? Our rankings

As you prepare for Grey’s Anatomy season 17 this Thursday, we know that there is a big mystery that will be answered. Who else is visiting Meredith Grey within her dream-world? We’ve already seen Derek, and we know that someone else is coming.

For some other speculation on the future, be sure to watch the latest Grey’s Anatomy video below! Once you do that, subscribe to Matt and Jess on YouTube and then view our playlist for ongoing coverage.

With that being said, who could the next returnee be? That’s what we’re excited to look at here as we rank the likely contenders. Note that we’re not even going to bother with people like Thatcher, or smaller characters who have died over the series run. To justify the hype, this has to be big.

4. Mark Sloan – Obviously, he was a big force on the show for many years, and we’d love to see Eric Dane pop in one more time. Yet, it’s hard to think logistically as to why Dane would return here over other former characters, unless he was the only one available or interested.

3. Lexie Grey – She’s who we would love to see the most, but there are logistical challenges here. Chyler Leigh would’ve had to film something in secret prior to her departing for Vancouver to work on Supergirl. It’s possible in theory, but far from guaranteed.

2. George O’Malley – It’s been a long time since T.R. Knight appeared, but the timing just feels right — we also think logistically, it could’ve worked for him to come back at this time.

1. Ellis Grey – Why is this the most likely? Think in terms of the impact that she had on Meredith’s life, and that Meredith has already seen her in other forms before. Kate Burton has also appeared more recently on the show than any of the other actors mentioned here.

Who do you think is going to be appearing on Grey’s Anatomy season 17 episode 4?

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