Much of what Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer highlighted involved the aftermath of season 20, episode 10, but the trailer ostensibly avoided revealing details about one character’s fate in particular. Grey’s Anatomy season 20 ending on a cliffhanger for many of Grey Sloan Memorial doctors guaranteed season 21 will have to pick up right after it, explaining whether those whose fate was hanging in the balance lost their jobs and how the others whose fate was set in stone were faring. However, the trailer curiously tackled the story of one character whose actions had huge consequences in season 20’s finale.
The decisions of multiple characters had a massive impact during the Grey’s Anatomy season 20 finale. From Meredith having to choose between continuing her Alzheimer’s research herself or securing Teddy her job back after her granting Meredith funds got Teddy fired to Catherine having to manage rebelling interns and defiant surgeons, season 20’s ending brilliantly set up Grey’s Anatomy season 21. However, while most doctors or interns lost or risked losing their jobs because of their unruliness, one character’s career was threatened following an avoidable mistake that killed their patient, despite Dr. Ndugu trying to salvage the tricky operation’s results.
Grey's Anatomy Season 21's Trailer Doesn't Mention Richard's Retirement Despite His Season 20 Mistakes
The Trailer Showcases Richard's Centrality By Letting Him Present The Medical Case
Grey’s Anatomy season 20 involved Richard temporarily stepping back from surgery. However, Richard still attended an aortic aneurysm surgery in Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s finale, letting Mika and Jules briefly suture in his place, which led him to believe it was their inexperience that killed Garrett. However, Richard soon realized it was his stitches that did not hold, prompting his sharing with Winston about who handled the posterior wall, revealing his part in Garrett’s death and freeing Jules and Mika of guilt as the two interns both did everything well.
While Richard and Meredith’s talk at the OR gallery openly discussed Richard’s belief that it was likely his time to retire as a surgeon, Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer never showed Richard’s smaller role in the medical drama. Instead, the season 21 trailer showed Richard in a relatively central position as he presented the unusual medical case of the bungee jumper whose cord snapped, hinting he might participate in the saving of the patient, something the events of Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s ending would have discouraged after Garrett died because of Richard’s mistakes.
Richard's Retirement From Surgery Can Potentially Make Him Chief Again In Grey's Anatomy Season 21
Catherine Needs To Appoint Someone She Can Trust After Season 20's Mutiny
While Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer never hinted at Richard’s retirement, which was a big part of season 20’s ending, Richard’s bigger role in explaining cases might point to Richard returning to be a Grey Sloan Memorial chief. Although Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s trailer didn’t hint at that in any way apart from Richard’s bigger role in presenting cases, it would make sense for Catherine to appoint someone she trusted as chief after half her surgeons and all her interns led a mutiny against her.
Were Richard to officially retire from surgery in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, becoming chief again would still let him hold a central position. This would make Richard a key character at Grey Sloan Memorial without letting him be too close to patients who needed surgeries, with his appointment being a win-win for the medical drama and the hospital, as Grey’s Anatomy could keep Richard front and center without having patients die from his mistakes.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 premieres on Thursday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
