Grey's Anatomy Scoops: Crisis For 'Calzona,' Mer/Cristina Ep Intel, Owen's New Foil And More!

GREY'S ANATOMY – "Going Going Gone" – (ABC/DANNY FELD)
SARA RAMIREZ, PATRICK DEMPSEY

Derek Can't Hand(le) the Truth

Though last May's plane crash caused irreparable damage to McDreamy's hand, not to mention his career as a surgeon, he may be in a little denial at the start of the season. "The first couple of episodes, he's trying to perform surgery, and it's not working," notes Patrick Dempsey, "so he has to make an adjustment. I'm anxious to see where we end up going with it." Enter orthopedics whiz Callie, who makes fixing Derek one of her top priorities. "I think that she absolutely puts pressure on herself [to repair Derek's hand]," concedes Sara Ramirez. "That's kind of who she is. I think that she probably has some fear around what all the possibilities are. And how involved to get. And that ultimately comes back to her own belief in herself, or lack thereof."

'Calzona' Fans, Buckle Up!

Under a strict gag order not to discuss the fate of her on-screen wife, Arizona, Sara Ramirez (Callie) instead discussed the impact that "Calzona" has had on viewers. "Jessica [Capshaw] and I talk about this a lot, and we're both really grateful that people are invested," she shares. "I know I am. And we hope that they will continue on this journey with us, because it's definitely going to be an intense one."

Owen Makes a New Frenemy

Look for Owen to clash with new intern Wilson, played by Camilla Luddington. "She's very strong-willed — she reminds me of Izzie in a way," shares Kevin McKidd. "She has very strong views. And Owen, being the chief, has to rub up against her and sort of get into ethical battles with her, so it's interesting to see that." McKidd adds he's enjoying the new blood on the set this season. (In addition to Luddington, Tina Majorino and Gaius Charles have joined the cast as recurring interns.) "Suddenly, I feel like one of the seniors at school," he says with a laugh. "I felt like I was new just two seconds ago, and now I'm one of the seniors here. And it's great. The new guys are brilliant. They're really all talented. It's exciting to see a show shifting and changing. It shakes up the show in a really good way."

The Meredith and Cristina Hour

Earlier this month, TVLine scooped that Grey's was planning a special episode focused solely on BFFs Meredith and Cristina, but the premise of the episode was a secret — until now. Says Ellen Pompeo, the change-of-pace hour will have a parallel structure in that it will split its time between Meredith at Seattle Grace and Cristina at her new job at the Mayo Clinic. "Usually, we do one episode a year where it's all Meredith," she explains. "And this season, they decided to do Meredith and Cristina to break it up a little bit and just focus on two people. They're individual storylines, but in our own storylines, it's sort of ALL us." In Pompeo's half of the episode, "[Mer] has a super-critical patient. The underlying subtext of my medical case, as usual, is dealing with issues of like my sister's death. Emotionally, things that I haven't dealt with, I sort of play out through taking care of this patient."