Bailey has always been a key figure the Fox Foundation found dependable, but Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer showed the general surgeon’s potential change of heart. Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s cliffhanger ending left the fate of many doctors unknown, chief among them Lucas Adams’, as Catherine Fox herself was supposed to decide what to do about his spot as a first-year resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Believing Catherine would fire him, the interns decided to stand up for Lucas and threatened they would all go if Catherine fired him. While that didn’t sway Catherine, Bailey taking their side could.
Standing up for the interns was something Bailey would not have considered at the beginning of Grey’s Anatomy season 20. However, by the end of season 20, Bailey could also see how much they had grown following their mistakes in Grey’s Anatomy season 19’s finale, how much their bedside manners improved, and even personally benefitted from Lucas’s ideas, as Bailey was incredibly worried about Ben, but knowing he was safe thanks to Lucas’s database let her go on with her day. Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer showed how far Bailey went standing up for Adams, hinting at a massive change.
Miranda Bailey Slaps Catherine Fox In Grey's Anatomy Season 21's Trailer
The Shocking Development Hints At Even Bailey Not Supporting Catherine
In a twist of events, Bailey can be seen slapping Catherine Fox in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer in response to her quip, "You think you're God's gift to this hospital? You're just another doctor." While it’s unclear whether something else transpired between Bailey’s arrival to support Lucas and Catherine’s answer, Bailey’s reaction was unlike anything seen before in Grey’s Anatomy. Flashbacks of Bailey’s past showed her meek attitude, which changed over the years, turning her into a much more outspoken character, but she never defied authority figures that openly.
Indeed, while Bailey always took care of the interns in her care, even when they made mistakes, she also appeared as determinate and direct, but that happened more often with subordinates rather than authority figures. Bailey didn’t shy away from calling out injustices, but she was always respectful and restrained. Bailey slapping Catherine marks a massive shift for Bailey, who always had a good working relationship with her when she was chief, abiding by her rules to the point of leaving the post once she realized her job was consuming every part of her life.
Why Bailey Finally Changes Her Obedient Ways In Grey's Anatomy Season 21
Bailey Chooses To Do What She Believes Right By Joining Meredith, Teddy, Owen & Amelia
Bailey’s slap in Grey’s Anatomy season 21 might be a knee-jerk reaction to Catherine’s affront, but it could also be the consequence of months of feeling the hospital was undervalued. Catherine repeatedly showed how she cared about donors more than Grey Sloan Memorial’s interests in Grey’s Anatomy season 20. On top of that, Catherine dismissed the issues of those at Grey Sloan, not seeing their side and not caring about who she lost, happily getting rid of key Grey Sloan Memorial surgeons and interns, whom the hospital greatly needed and was lacking up until Grey’s Anatomy season 18.
While Catherine owned many different hospitals, Bailey always cared about Grey Sloan specifically, and, like her, Richard, Teddy, Owen, Amelia and Meredith did too. Bailey’s impulsive reaction to slap Catherine can cause her various problems, but it can also be the jolt Catherine needs to realize how tyrannically she behaved in Grey’s Anatomy’s latest seasons, especially coming from someone like Bailey not prone to rebel. Whatever that exchange’s outcome, Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer undoubtedly showed various shocking moments, with many of them being connected to Catherine’s choices, foreshadowing a brutal fight between the Fox Foundation and Grey Sloan Memorial.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 premieres on Thursday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
