For the second season in a row, the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy has included the surprise return of a character fans had long since written off. In the first episode of Season 17, of course, it was Dr. McDreamy himself, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) beloved husband who tragically died in Season 11. In the Season 18 premiere, it was another suitor of Meredith’s, albeit one without nearly as long of a romantic history with Grey’s Anatomy’s leading lady: Scott Speedman’s, who appeared as Dr. Nick Marsh for a single episode way back in Season 14. In Speedman’s first (and until now, only) appearance on Grey’s Anatomy, his character was making a stop at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as a traveling transplant surgeon, sent to receive a liver for a patient. But after collapsing himself, it was up to Meredith to perform emergency surgery to remove a blood clot and save his life. During Nick Marsh’s short time in Seattle, sparks flew between him and Dr. Grey, enabling her to admit that she may someday be open to experiencing romance again in a post-Derek world. But at the time, that’s all it was; a small spark whose sole purpose was to show Meredith that the pilot light in her heart was still on, even if it was dim. Both Speedman and the Grey’s Anatomy creative team swore up and down that he was only brought in for one episode, and eventually, after years of him not ever showing up again, fans started to believe it.
What happened in the Grey’s Season 18 premiere?
So color us all surprised when Nick strode back into Meredith’s life during a trip to Minnesota, ostensibly to attend the grand opening of a medical research library being dedicated to her mother, although we later learn that it’s all part of an elaborate scheme to poach her away from Seattle to run a research lab focusing on developing an experimental surgery for Parkinson’s disease. Nick happened to be in a restaurant where Meredith was having dinner with Dr. David Hamilton (Peter Gallagher), as part of his attempt to woo her away from her current position at Grey Sloan. The two exchanged glances, but neither attempted contact. However, later, Nick showed up at the bar at Meredith’s hotel (remember that other guy she met in a bar? That turned out okay), explaining that he’d taken a guess on where she was staying, which had turned out to be right. The two caught up over drinks, and although Meredith initially said she was seeing someone – Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood), a.k.a. McWidow – she quickly backed off that claim, revealing that she and Cormac had hit the pause button after his teenage son reacted poorly to their courtship. Although the night eventually ended on a chaste note, it wasn’t without heavy flirting, and now it appears that Nick Marsh won’t be disappearing quite so quickly this time.
Who joined the Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 cast?
That’s right, Speedman has signed on as a series regular for Season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy, a development that was impressively kept under wraps until the episode aired. Of why he decided to return to the show years later to reprise his one-off role, Speedman said, “You put something in the back of your mind when you do have chemistry with somebody, and you do enjoy the work experience, because that’s rare, actually. So, when this opportunity came around, I was trying to think of why not to do it, and I couldn’t come up with any reasons. It was a great show, really fun people, and it just felt the right timing for me. So, I wanted to jump in, and then, when I heard what the storyline could be, that was exciting to me.” That storyline, according to Speedman and showrunner Krista Vernoff, will be channeling the spirit of classic romantic comedies. “It feels like an old-school romantic comedy,” Vernoff said of Speedman’s re-introduction, going on to hint that his storyline with Meredith will deepen as the season continues, although it will naturally be complex and nuanced, since they’re both adults with rich and complicated histories. Still, regardless of where Nick’s storyline with Meredith goes, audiences can look forward to getting to know him pretty well. “You’ll see a lot of him,” Vernoff assured Deadline. Grey’s Anatomy won’t be Speedman’s only full-time commitment this TV season. The Felicity alum has also joined the cast of Netflix’s dark drama You as a series regular for the third season. In addition to Speedman, Season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy is also bringing back several other significant characters from prior seasons, although Speedman is the only one the show has signed on as a regular cast member. The series premiere featured appearances from Meredith’s mother Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) and Owen Hunt’s (Kevin McKidd) sister Megan (Abigail Spencer), while former series regular Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) is set to make her return later this season. But despite Grey’s Anatomy already confirming an all-star roster of guest stars, if Speedman’s shocking return is any indication, we doubt these delightful casting treats are the only fun surprises the medical drama has up its sleeve this season. Can’t get enough of romantic stories? Check out Lifetime’s Christmas movie schedule.
