Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Revisits a 9-Year-Old Plot — But One Character’s Growth Changes Everything

One character in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale found themselves in similar circumstances as 9 years ago, but their behavior showed how much they have changed for the better. Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 18 had many unexpected developments, including a hostage situation and an explosion, and they influenced the storylines of all the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

The hostage situation prompting an evacuation of the OR floor forced most patients not to receive the treatments they needed in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s ending. This heavily impacted the patient that Ben Warren was supposed to care for on his last day as a Grey Sloan resident. What happened almost exactly repeated one story from Grey’s Anatomy season 12.

Teddy Refusing To Recommend Ben Joining Grey Sloan Repeats A Grey’s Anatomy Season 12 Story

Warren’s Solo Operations Outside The OR in Grey’s Anatomy Season 12 Left Him Suspended

Bailey wanting to tell Warren that Altman wouldn’t be recommending the hospital to take him permanently as a resident in Grey’s Anatomy season 21 was reminiscing of a season 12 punishment for a similar situation Ben found himself in. Before moving to firefighting, Ben received a 6-month suspension in Grey’s Anatomy season 12 for performing a C-section with an intern.

Despite being deemed as having acted to the best of his abilities to save the patient’s life, Bailey chose to suspend Warren after both mother and baby had died. The development in Grey’s Anatomy season 12 highlighted Ben’s refusal to follow orders if they went against his values, something that returned throughout Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy.

Like any medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy also has some recurring things or storylines that end up getting repeated season after season, for good or bad.

Teddy realized she couldn’t trust Ben to follow orders during the heat dome when he didn’t turn away patients despite her direct orders to reroute ambulances somewhere else. While Ben never lost this tendency, what happened in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale with the patient whose life he saved showed how much Warren had changed for the better.

Bailey’s Reaction In Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Showed Her & Warren Grew In Their Jobs

Bailey Learned As A Teacher & Warren Learned From Being A Firefighter

Warren operating on his patient in the ICU could be mistaken for yet another example of sheer disregard for the rules and the protocols, but Ben truly only had his patient’s safety in mind. This was reflected not only in the patient’s outcomes, who survived, unlike the mother in season 12, but also in how Ben approached the case.

Bailey’s reaction was also different. In season 12, she had just become chief, which led her to worry about how Ben’s actions would have reflected on her. Instead, after seeing what Warren did in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale, she only saw his potential as a resident, for his skills and willingness to save the patient’s life at all costs.

Bailey’s focus not to have her actions mistaken as preferential treatment influenced her reaction in both Grey’s Anatomy seasons 12 and 21. Yet, Miranda eventually realized she could have pushed to protect Ben more, not because he was her husband, but because she would have advocated similarly for any other resident, marking a massive change from season 12.

How Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Can Continue Warren’s Story

Ben Warren’s Path In Season 22 Can Let Him Shine More

Bailey realizing Warren was worthy of her fighting to defend his ability to continue as a resident at Grey Sloan came too late, as Teddy had already made up her mind. Simultaneously, Ben was right when he said he needed to make a name for himself alone, as his teachers would’ve only seen his worth as a surgeon that way.

This opens up Grey’s Anatomy season 22 to finally tell Ben’s story without his wife influencing how he’d be perceived by his superiors. This could lead them to form an opinion on Warren based on his actions, finally letting him progress even more on his path as a surgeon in Grey’s Anatomy.