Grey’s Anatomy: Amelia’s pregnancy could mean her story is coming to an end
By Meg Dowell
There hasn’t been any official talk of Caterina Scorsone’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy, but it could be the end of Amelia Shepherd’s time on the show.
When it comes to long-running shows like Grey’s Anatomy, it’s not uncommon for characters to come and go over the years as their arcs rise and fall.
While the Meredith Greys and Richard Webers of the Grey’s universe don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon (Krista, don’t you dare hurt Richard), some long-term cast members could be looking at the end of their time on the show.
In recent seasons, we’ve seen the departures of Arizona and April, two characters who had been on the show for years but whose stories had pretty much worn themselves out.
Caterina Scorsone has been a Grey’s Anatomy staple for years. Her character, Amelia Shepherd, has played a vital role in the series’ progression and, at this point, has pretty much survived the worst a person can. Could Season 16 be her last?
If you look at the character’s full story — even before she joined the full cast of the show — a pregnancy, and becoming a mother, seems like the perfect and most heartwarming way to finish out her story. Because, let’s be real. Killing off Amelia just wouldn’t be fair. She deserves better than that.
We’ve seen Amelia’s character experience continuous ups and downs even before she officially joined the regular cast during season 11. Before that, she was a regular on the first Grey’s spin-off series, Private Practice.
Her character’s history of addiction didn’t just affect her relationship with her brother (Derek Shepherd, aka McDreamy). It affected all her relationships. Amelia found out she was pregnant after her fiancé died from an accidental drug overdose. Even though she later discovered the baby had a fatal birth defect, she carried him to term anyway and he died in her arms.
Since then, she has constantly fought against the idea of ever having a family. It’s one of many reasons she and Owen Hunt couldn’t stay married. Recently, though, Amelia’s mindset has changed. And she has made massive strides toward accepting that her future can include long-lasting love, if she wants it to.
Near the end of last season, we finally saw her confronting her mother and sisters, all of whom had considered her the “black sheep” of the family for years.
It was at this moment she realized she was worthy of love. It was a long-awaited (and now, possibly necessary) development for her character, who spent many years doubting she deserved to be loved or that she could ever truly love anyone else.
She knows she is capable of maintaining a healthy relationship now. And, hopefully, she will be able to have one with the father of her child, whether it’s confirmed to be Link or someone else (we’re not 100 percent sure just yet).
Her “found family” — by-proxy sisters Meredith and Maggie — are likely going to serve as a vital part of her support system as she prepares for motherhood. Although, both have their own life happenings to manage, one having just broken up with the love of her life and the other, well, facing the possibility of prison time. Yay, drama!
So, will Amelia have to lean on an even wider circle of ladies and gents to get through what’s likely to be a tough milestone in her life, having traumatically lost a child and the father of that child? Absolutely. And it’ll be good for her. Give her and Katarina more screen time together. Let her and Tom be good friends. Let her and Link — if he is, in fact, the father — grow closer in a whole new way.
And for goodness’ sake, let the woman be happy!
No more loss. No more brain tumors or dead brothers or men who don’t want kids. No more shame. No more sad Amelia.
After all she’s been through, Amelia Shepherd deserves a happy ending. Though we’d hate to see her go, if she’s going to go, let her exit happen on a high note.
Next. Trauma is a shortcut in entertainment, but puts the brakes on in real life. dark