Much of the conversation surrounding Grey’s Anatomy’s impending return to the 2025 TV schedule revolves around the explosion that closed out last season. The Grey Sloan Memorial operating room wasn’t the only thing that blew up in “How Do I Live,” though, as Teddy and Owen’s marriage also went up in flames. Does that open the door for Sophia Bush’s Cass to return in Season 22? Showrunner Meg Marinis shared her thoughts, and I’ve got some strong opinions of my own.
In Season 21, Teddy Altman and Owen Hunt (Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd) decided — for, like, five minutes — to open their marriage. During that time, Teddy had a hot makeout sesh with Cass Beckman but decided she wanted to remain faithful to Owen. The trauma surgeon, meanwhile, had no such hangups, sleeping with his sister’s childhood friend Nora (Floriana Lima). Now that Teddy and Owen are no more, is it possible she and Cass could pick up where they left off? Meg Marinis told TVLine:
Oh, my gosh. I think it’s a very logical leap. And Sophia is such a lovely person. We’d love to have her back.
After her hookup with Owen, Nora — who was in Seattle seeking medical care from Teddy — thought she was dying, so she professed her love to her best friend’s brother. I rightly predicted that Teddy would figure out a way to save her life, but I may have been wrong about that complicating the situation.
Instead, when Owen refused to reveal if he reciprocated Nora feelings — only saying he was willing to cut her out of his life to save his and Teddy’s marriage — Teddy surprised me by choosing to walk away. Maybe, possibly, finally, this time for good.
I think Owen in general is one of Grey’s Anatomy’s worst love interests, and his and Teddy’s toxic relationship lasted too long. I'd love nothing more than to see Teddy explore something different.
I loved when Cass mixed things up for Teddy and Owen in Season 21, and Meg Marinis sounds ready to bring the character back, as she continued:
Yeah, I think Sophia’s an electric person. She brings a lot of energy [to the scene]. And the character that we crafted for her has kind of the same effect. No matter if she’s interacting with people on a professional level or a personal level. I feel like people are drawn to her, which is really, really fun to play with as a writer.
Please, I’m begging the writers to do all of the fun things they can think of with Cass, and no character is more deserving to partake in that fun than Teddy. It doesn’t hurt that she’d get to rub it in Owen’s face, either.
Sophia Bush has not been confirmed for Season 22, but Floriana Lima is set to recur, so there’s still a lot of juice left in this story. We also need to find out if Link (or anyone else) died in the explosion (and I've got a wild theory about that, too). Thankfully the long wait is almost over.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 premieres at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, October 9, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
