George O’Malley Came Back To ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and Fans Are Freaking Out
"You changed my life, George," Meredith Grey said. "I didn't say it then, but it's true."
Grey’s Anatomy fans have been on quite the ride this season. They’ve watched their favorite characters battle coronavirus—both personally (Meredith Grey has been in and out of consciousness during her battle with the virus) and through other patients. And it’s been during Meredith’s dream sequences that we’ve reunited with some long lost friends. First, Patrick Dempsey’s McDreamy returned, and now T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley has come back to us—sort of, kind of.
George met Meredith on her dream beach as her health declined back in the real world. It was the first time these two were back together since Knight’s departure from the show back in Season 5. It was a real tear-jerker of a reunion as Meredith and George caught up on what he’d missed during his time away—the birth of Meredith’s kids, his own funeral, and the fact that his death changed Meredith in such a huge way.
“Because you went all in for everybody. For your friends, your family, a woman at the bus stop. You think that didn’t somehow affect me?” Meredith asked George as they hung out on the dream beach. “You changed my life, George. I didn’t say it then, but it’s true.”
George then told Meredith how important it was for her to wake up from the dream state and return to her kids and those who relied on her. The scene ended with Meredith, George, and the very-much-alive Richard and Bailey sitting together on the shore, a lovely callback to Grey’s OG days.
It was just…a lot to take in.
Obviously, fans had to cope, somehow, some way, with the surprise return. And many of them took to Twitter to vent about their emotions.
“I’m still trying to put into words how profound the experience was for me, so just hearing [about the final scene] made my eyes leak saltwater a little bit,” Knight told Deadline. “When Krista [Vernoff] first gave me the pages, Bailey was not in it yet, I think Richard was. And then I got the second round. It’s just hard for me to put into words, still, how meaningful it was.”
Yeah, no kidding! With the rest of the season to get through, we’re going to have to meditate, take deep breaths, and do some serious journaling in order to keep it together.