Why didn’t Kate Walsh appear in Grey’s Anatomy 300th episode?

Given the impact that Kate Walsh had on Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, you can easily argue that Addison is one of the franchise’s most-important characters. Yet, she was not involved in much of the reminiscing that took place in the Grey’s Anatomy 300th episode on Thursday night. The omission is probably a little less noticeable because Patrick Dempsey is no longer a part of the show, but we definitely still refer to it as an oversight. She is a great character and it would’ve been nice to have her referenced on the show. Appearing would be even greater.

Is there still a connection for her to the hospital? We’d argue so since she did have many friendships there and she and Meredith both had a history with Derek. Bringing her back is different than trying to bring back Izzie at this point — it makes some sense that Katherine Heigl’s character would be gone (even if we would personally like to see her again), given that it’s been so long and she didn’t have her own spin-off. With Addison, she worked with many of these doctors, she was prominently featured on her own show, and there are deep relationships including the one she had with Amelia.

When it comes to the Walsh omission in the 300th episode, there is an explanation — you may not love it, but it is an explanation nonetheless. Here is what executive producer Krista Vernoff had to say to TVLine:

“I love the character of Addison. And I love Kate Walsh. What I focused on were the original cast members and the characters who died, because the theme was the ghosts of our past. And Addison didn’t [fall into either] category. But I do wish that I had found a way to name her. I regret that I didn’t.”

Well, how about throwing her into a 400th episode, or giving her some sort of arc before that? We refuse to believe that the entire Grey’s Anatomy franchise on ABC is going to come to a close without seeing Addison at least one more time. We know that Walsh has shown an interest in moving on from Addison over the years, but we have to hope that she’d be cool with one more (fictional) trip to Seattle. She last appeared on Grey’s Anatomy in 2012, and her last appearance as Addison came during the Private Practice series finale. It’s been enough time that seeing her now would be refreshing.

Do you want to see Kate Walsh again on Grey’s Anatomy? Share now in the comments below!

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