‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 10: Shonda Rhimes on decision to bring Isaiah Washington back
Thursday night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” was imperative for the future of the series, and also the future of the Cristina Yang character. Without Dr. Burke showing back up and offering Cristina practically the key to her own kingdom, in the form of a hospital he helped to run, there is now way that she may have realized that it was time to move on from Seattle.
But what about the decision to have Isaiah Washington back on the show in general? This is something that was more of a hot topic, given the way in which he departed the show seven years ago. He was one of those people who we would have been shocked at this time last year to ever see on the show this year. The way that creator Shonda Rhimes explained her move to Entertainment Weekly to bring her back was that it was a measure of fulfilling story needs; but, she was also kind to Washington in the process:
“My first decision and my first responsibility is to the story … I have to be the keeper of the story and make sure that we’re telling the story we need to tell, regardless of whatever outside factors are involved or whatever history is involved and, frankly, Sandra was so lovely and open to it. It has been a really kind of amazing experience.
“I also want to just be clear that Isaiah is a person that we all love and have loved for a very long time. I feel like there have been a lot of people that have been like, ‘How can you do this?’ And I feel very strongly and fully believe in people’s ability to grow and change and learn from their mistakes and when they know better, to do better. If people don’t think that, over the course of seven years, it’s possible for a human being to change, then there really is no future for the human race at all.”
Washington was hired last year to his first major series in “The 100” since leaving the show, and seems to be on the way to getting his career back. Regardless of what we may feel about what was said so many years ago, it was nice for Burke and Cristina to have a full-circle moment where he, known at one point for destroying her life, could create a brand-new future for her now. This, as per the preview for next week, is going to also shape what happens next with Meredith Grey.
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Photo: ABC