The latest update to the Grey's Anatomy season 21 cast is a sign that it is finally time for Cristina Yang to come back. Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh, is one of Grey's Anatomy's best characters. Her friendship with Meredith and her romantic relationships over the years cement her as one of the most memorable characters on the show. As season 21 nears, and new characters are announced, it might finally be time to revisit her return.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 has announced the return of one forgotten character who conveniently coincided with Yang's time on the series. The latest cast update is set to include returning favorites Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens. But as several Grey's Anatomy alumni return, it is only natural to think about other alum stars that have turned Grey's Anatomy into such an amazing show. The latest character to return to the show is just one example, and it emphasizes how it is time for Cristina's return too.
Sydney Heron's Grey's Anatomy Season 21 Return Emphasizes The Need For Cristina Yang
Sydney Is Returning To Grey's Anatomy After 17 Years
Grey's Anatomy's showrunner, Meg Marinis, revealed that Kali Rocha would be returning to Grey's Anatomy season 21 as Dr. Sydney Heron, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. Sydney was a minor character in Grey's Anatomy seasons 2-4, but her character is mostly remembered because of the tension she unwittingly created with Yang, due to Sydney's positive personality. Speaking about the upcoming season, Marinis said that there will be "some funny interactions between Sydney and some of our newer characters who’ve never met her."
Given the significance of Sydney's appearance as a returning character, it is exciting to think about the possible interactions that could happen if Cristina were to return as well. Sydney's reappearance also emphasizes the possibility of characters returning after having left the show so long ago. Rocha's Sydney is returning to the show after 17 years, showing that returns are always possible in Grey's Anatomy. And with Cristina being such a memorable character, her return would also be highly welcomed.
How Cristina Yang's Return Can Impact Grey's Anatomy Moving Forward
Cristina's Return Would Revisit Some Of Grey's Anatomy's Best Moments
Other than being remembered for being a highly driven and intelligent character, Cristina enjoyed a noteworthy friendship with Meredith. Having Cristina return to the series would mean revisiting one of Grey's Anatomy's greatest friendships. Time after time, Meredith and Cristina were there for each other through heartbreak and personal struggles, to the point where Meredith even called Cristina "her person."
Given the tumultuous events of season 20, and Meredith's resignation from the Fox Foundation, she'll need more support in the show's return. She obviously has Scott Speedman's Nick in her corner, but Meredith is not a lone wolf character, and bringing Yang back, even temporarily, would be good for her.
Cristina returning to Grey's Anatomy would also allow the show to revisit her relationship with Owen. While she and Owen broke up after a difficult relationship, it would be nice to see the characters interact again as friends, especially since they were always better off as friends than as a couple. Cristina's return would also reveal exciting interactions between her and the newest Grey's Anatomy characters and possibly allow her to form new friendships and relationships with the current cast members.
Yang's Return Can Make Up For Her Unforgivable Snub Of Meredith
Cristina Can Heal A Pretty Big Wound From Season 17
IMDB's Highest Rated Episodes of Grey's Anatomy | ||
Episode Number | Title | IMDB Score |
S6.E24 | Death and All His Friends | 9.7 |
S6.E23 | Sanctuary | 9.6 |
S5.E24 | Now or Never | 9.5 |
S15.E19 | Silent All These Years | 9.5 |
S2.E16 | It's the End of the World | 9.4 |
Back in Grey's Anatomy season 17, Meredith came closest to dying, after years of near-death experiences, after contracting Covid. The show pointedly brought back important characters to Meredith, including several who had been killed off – thanks to Meredith's consciousness existing on a Limbo-like beach – but Yang was conspicuously absent.
Yang famously didn't return to support Meredith when Derek died, despite their bond, but not coming back to Seattle when her best friend was circling the drain looked even worse. If she was to return at another difficult point in Meredith's life, that snub may feel less painful, and the character can at least defend her past decisions.
Grey's is a show built on character relationships and the idea of found family, and the longer it continues without Yang returning in some way, the harder it is to believe that she remains as important to Meredith as she still seems to be. Before Grey's Anatomy's inevitable end, that needs to be rectified.
What Sandra Oh Has Said About Returning As Cristina Yang
Is A Return For Yang Likely Any Time Soon?
There are some obstacles to Yang returning to Grey's Anatomy, of course. Her character's storyline has so far successfully kept her away from Seattle, but there's also the small matter of Sandra Oh's willingness (or otherwise) to return. That has proved to be a major boundary that Grey's has seemingly been unable to overcome to date.
Unlike other actors who have moved on from such defining roles, Oh doesn't speak cynically about Yang, and recognizes how important the role was to her, and still is to fans:
“I love that people still love Cristina. When there is a 15-year-old girl who then comes to me and is like, ‘I’m in medical school because of Cristina,’ I love it. I never, ever forget how important Cristina is. I never do because those 15-year-old girls find me, and now 10 years on, I have much more appreciation for their appreciation.”
In another interview, with Entertainment Tonight in which she shared a similar sentiment, she offered a somewhat disappointing outlook for a future return for Yang:
"I love that, I love that people are still [fans]. I love that you asked me that, because Cristina Yang is, of course, near and dear to my heart. [But] I will say, not anytime soon, my love… I feel like I did my job, which is that I brought to life a character and she had a growth over 10 seasons, and that it was true. She was ready to move on, and so have I."
There is a positive there, of course, in the fact that she said "not anytime soon" rather than an absolute "no", but it feels like Grey's Anatomy would have to give Oh an irresistible reason to come back.
