Grey’s Anatomy Sets Return Date – But There’s a Twist!

‘Grey’s Anatomy‘ will launch its seventh season on Thursday, September 23, a source tells Fancast, effectively confirming that which was disseminated over the weekend via Twitter.

Ah, but there’s a twist. Whereas in recent years the show has kicked off with a two-part, two-hour opener, I am hearing that that as of right now, the plan is for Season 7 to opt for traditional, hour-long premiere.

Last season’s opener, after all, had much territory to cover, what with George tragically dying and Izzie almost checkout out as well. Here, you can watch Part 1 (”Good Mourning”) and Part 2 (”Goodbye”).

When Season 7 starts up, however, the aftermath isn’t quite so immediate. Last we tuned in, a gunman had terrorized the halls of Seattle Grace, shedding much blood and leaving several dead (RIP, Reed). The shooter ultimately met his own grisly fate, but not before shaking up the docs we know so well.

As such, some of the questions going into September 23 are:

* How have Meredith and Derek bounced back from her miscarrying the little life that was inside of her for so sadly short a time?

* Where do things stand between Cristina and Owen? Yang entered the Season 6 finale not knowing where her man stood, only to see him pronounce her “the woman I love” during a harrowing moment. Has Hunt been backing up his words with actions? Is Teddy once and for all surgically excised from the mix?

* Lexie, poor Lexie: Has she given Alex the hook, seeing as his thoughts were all about Izzie as his life hung in the balance in the finale? Do she and Mark – who impetuously popped the question the week before the gunman crisis – have any chance at a second chance?

* Is Callie truly at peace with the notion of her and Callie mothering “10 babies on a beach in Spain”?

* Where stands Bailey’s nascent romance with gasman Ben – if only since Jason George is now shooting the Shonda Rhimes-produced midseason series, ‘Off The Map’?

* Was Webber empowered by his bit of bravado, where he stared down the shooter? Did that defining moment solidify his seat “on the wagon”?

* Now that Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew have been promoted to series regulars, how will Jackson and April fit into the SGH tapestry? Are their respective crushes (Cristina, Derek) behind them… or might there be unfinished business?

Source: Fancast