It’s a milestone 20th season of Grey’s Anatomy knocking on our doors, and they’re not holding back.
We saw that Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 felt like a soft reboot of the series, simultaneously tapping into the nostalgia with throwback formats with new faces and the return of series fan favorites.
And Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 promises to keep up that same energy.
To the relief of many, Ellen Pompeo didn’t hang up her stethoscope permanently despite her minimal role last season, and we know for a fact that she’ll make some appearances this season.
It’s even been teased that she’ll appear in the season premiere.
And Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 also excited long-time fans with the epic return of Kate Walsh as Addison Montgomery.
Throughout the season, she helmed a critical and timely arc about women’s health issues, taking on the abolishment of Roe v. Wade and showcasing the long-reaching ramifications of that decision on the healthcare industry.
It was inarguably one of the season’s strongest arcs, and die-hard Grey’s Anatomy fans were kicking their feet in glee over the prospect of the guest-star roster producing one of the franchise’s most beloved characters for a significant period, too.
And now, we have even more exciting guest-star news to look forward to as Jessica Capshaw will be reprising her role as the iconic Arizona Robbins.
In one of the hottest pieces of news from TCA Press this past weekend, Deadline shared that we can expect a Capshaw appearance sometime during the truncated 20th season.
For a milestone season, it only feels right if we can have a few nods to the series’ past in some aspect or another, but no one could’ve prepared for an Arizona Robbins return.
It’s mainly because of the controversy surrounding Capshaw and Sarah Drew’s dual exits ahead of Grey’s Anatomy Season 15.
Fans were left reeling and thoroughly pissed off when the news broke that Capshaw and Drew would no longer return to the series after years of not only building up their own devoted fanbase for their characters but as halves of two of the series’ most iconic ‘ships.
The only reason for the loss of these two actresses was that it was a “creative decision,” and we knew it wasn’t something either of them desired.
Fortunately for viewers, Drew reprised her role as April Kepner fittingly during Jesse William’s sendoff during Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 14.
And to the delight of Japril fans everywhere, by the time she reappeared with Williams during Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 20 in honor of the record-breaking milestone 400th episode.
Through that, we learned that the two characters had reunited romantically and that the ship viewers had been invested in for multiple seasons finally had their happy ending despite how the series previously left things.
And that’s where Capshaw’s return sparks some hope for Calzona shippers everywhere.
It’s confirmed that Capshaw will return to the series for a single installment, and it’s likely that it’ll have something to do with a medical case, similar to how things were for Addison Montgomery.
It’s typically the best way to bring characters back to the series organically and temporarily.
And with other casting news teases the return of Alex Landi’s Nico and two new faces, including Natalie Morales and Freddy Miyares. The latter of whom will play a patient.
However, Morales is slated to play a pediatric surgeon, Monica Beltran, who is notably one of the best in her field.
Arizona and this new doctor will likely be working together on a case, which could be fascinating in its own right.
While the medical component is interesting, we’re most enthusiastic about catching up with Arizona and getting some crucial information about what she has been doing since she left us.
And at the top of that list of pressing information we need to hear about is the status of Calzona.
Calzona and Japril so often mirrored each other, particularly toward the end, it wouldn’t be a stretch for the series to use this opportunity to make amends to viewers for the destructive nature in which they handled the characters, their relationship, and their departures.
We don’t know if Sara Ramirez will ever return to the series. Fortunately, as we’ve learned over the past few years, nothing is impossible, nor can it be ruled out.
But Arizona’s return can still reignite the Calzona spark and give viewers the closure they desire for this pairing.
Toward the end of their relationship, things became turbulent when they underwent that absolutely soul-crushing and shockingly volatile custody fight over Sofia.
The last we saw the pairing physically together was when Arizona showed Callie such grace by allowing Sofia to go to New York with Callie in Grey’s Anatomy Season 12 Episode 24.
But it wasn’t the last of their story. On the wedding-fueled Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 24, which served as Robbins’ final appearance on the series, we saw Callie’s promising text message about how excited she would be to see her.
Arizona decided to relocate to New York City to be with Callie and Sofia so they could co-parent her together, as it was in Sofia’s and both of their best interest.
Similarly to how Japril left things during Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, there was this delicious opening for interpretation about whether or not the two would pursue things romantically yet again, finding their way back to one another.
If Japril fans could get their “happily ever after,” even if it primarily happened offscreen, Calzona should get the same.
After all, it’s a historic pairing. Calzona is one of the first and few primetime female-led same-sex couples.
It’s a groundbreaking ship, and if the series is dead set on paying homage to itself and all that it has accomplished in 20 years, the pairing falls within the realm of something worth revisiting.
Calzona’s legacy isn’t up for debate, especially when it comes to queer representation in media.
So much of how the series and other television shows, especially primetime dramas, have had the space to evolve is credited mainly to those characters and that pairing.
Calzona ran so Station 19‘s Marina could fly!
It’s been the blueprint within its own series and the franchise, as well as many series across primetime that come after.
It would only feel right if Grey’s Anatomy respected the characters, the relationship, and the story itself if they gave us the confirmation that we craved regarding the status of Calzona.
Arizona’s appearance can give us this, even if it’s simply teasing something similar to how we learned Calzona was on great speaking terms and in a good place during Arizona’s final episode.
There are so many ways that the series can use Arizona’s return to drop little hints about Calzona and give us the closure or the proper teases that we need.
Interestingly, so much has changed since Arizona’s last appearance on the series. Since then, we’ve lost many characters: Alex Karev, Meredith, Maggie, Jackson, and DeLuca, all of whom she had some relationship or bond with in some respects.
But there are other characters who she could interact with and provide us with those little nuggets of information about her personal life.
Arizona and Richard Webber have always had a special bond, and there’s an avenue for her to confide in him about how things have been going for her since she moved to NYC.
It could be great for the two to catch up, especially since there’s a genuine concern about Richard relapsing, and Arizona had a great way of keeping him in line and calling him out when necessary while supporting him.
Arizona also formed a rather unusual friendship with Owen, which could provide for some entertaining scenes, especially when it comes to updating one another about how their lives have changed drastically since they last shared the screen.
Arizona would undoubtedly have something to say about Owen Hunt and Teddy’s marriage or their family.
While Station 19 crossovers have been few and far between, it would be wonderful if Arizona and Carina could cross paths, especially if it does relate to a case.
Carina is happy and in a loving marriage with Maya, which she likely never envisioned for herself back when she and Arizona were casually hooking up.
And an Arizona and Jo Wilson scene would be essential. Alex was Arizona’s most prized protege, and she was so proud of him when he and Jo were getting married.
It would be intriguing to see how she reacts or if she even mentions or acknowledges how Alex abandoned Jo for Izzie Stevens, or that Jo is a mom in a whole different field these days.
Of course, the more unorthodox but greatly appreciated angle that the series could work is having Arizona interact with Mika Yasuda.
It would be such a touching and full circle type of moment if Arizona got to spend some time with a proud and out Yasuda and Helm — it’d be a lovely “passing of the torch” to the new generation of queer women navigating a relationship together at Grey Sloan.
It would also be a perfect opportunity for Arizona to speak on her life now, whether or not she and Callie are together, and if they’re doing well as a family.
She serves as some source of inspiration on both a professional and personal front for these up-and-coming interns and residents still early into their careers and trying to figure things out.
So much of Grey’s Anatomy recently has been about paying homage to the series over the years, the characters we’ve come to love, and passing the torch on to a new generation.
Arizona’s return would be the perfect opportunity to showcase that more.
Combining Old-School Grey’s Anatomy with New School is an exciting prospect. And, like Addison, it could provide some comical moments and open up the possibility for more cameos in the future.
Catching up with Addison was one of the joys of Grey’s Anatomy Season 19, and it appealed to long-time fans spanning two series. Her return also provided more context for how things were for her after Private Practice‘s end.
It has been six years since Arizona left, and we have not heard anything about her, Callie, and Sofia. One of the many highlights of Meredith Grey‘s arc in recent years was seeing how much Zola has grown, and the prospect of getting updates on Sofia is also thrilling.
But in those six years, it feels like a reasonable amount of time for Arizona and Callie to have worked out their co-parenting situation in New York City and found their way back to one another organically without it coming across as “forced.”
They would have had ample time to find a new rhythm, work through some of their issues, and revisit what they had as two mature women who have evolved and worked on themselves individually before coming together again.
It’s a perfect amount of time passed to nail the “second chance at love” trope, even if it’s just in passing, through dialogue, and wholly one-sided through Capshaw’s appearance.
We know she can sell anything well, and viewers will hang on to her every word. It would leave fandom wholly satiated if we got something as simple as a throwaway line reference.
If Arizona Robbins’ departure left things open-ended so that viewers could interpret the state of Calzona as they deem fit, then her brief return should raise the stakes by giving us the confirmation we need.
It would be a true shock if the series doesn’t touch on this in the slightest.
Could we get our Calzona endgame after all?
Over to you, Grey’s Anatomy Fanatics.
Are you excited about Arizona’s return? What do you think this means for Calzona? Sound off below with your thoughts and theories.
Grey’s Anatomy returns Thursday, March 14, at 9/8c on ABC.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.