‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss Shonda Rhimes: Callie ‘Isn’t a Victim’

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the season nine finale of Grey’s Anatomy.]

Callie Torres may be experiencing a case of deja vu on Grey’s Anatomy.

During the ABC medical drama’s ninth season finale, Callie (Sara Ramirez) learned that her wife, Arizona (Jessica Capshaw), not only cheated on her in an on-call room with Lauren (Hilarie Burton), but also hadn’t forgiven her for cutting her leg off in a (successful) attempt to save her life.

The reveal came after a season that seemingly saw the couple overcome both the physical injuries Arizona sustained in the plane crash that claimed the lives of Mark and Lexie as well as the emotional scars that lingered after the peds surgeon had her leg amputated.

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But all was not well between the couple after Arizona painstakingly confessed that she hadn’t forgiven Callie for breaking her promise that she would ensure her wife kept her leg and lashing out at the woman who has spent the better part of the season acting as if she were on the doomed plane. 

“Arizona made a move and did some things, and certainly that argument revealed a ton about who she is and how she feels about what’s going on,” Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes told reporters at a TV Academy event honoring Scandal. “How Arizona is going to figure out what she did means it’s going to be interesting.”

After noting that it feels as if she’s already “lost” Arizona, Callie is now in a position that she’s sadly all too familiar with: being on the other end of a cheating spouse.

“What the bigger question is, is what’s Callie going to do next?” Rhimes ponders of season 10. “Callie isn’t a victim; she’s never really been a victim, and she’s been cheated on before with George. So how she’s going to take this and what she’s going to do next is going to be the bigger issue.”

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Capshaw, meanwhile, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that by the end of the season nine finale, viewers understand that “something for Arizona is permanently damaged and lost.”

“Arizona does not forgive Callie for promising her that she would not amputate her leg and then amputating her leg. … I do think that with any kind of infidelity, on some level — unless you’re dealing with a sociopath — there’s always a reason. There will be an exploration of what that reason was and that will give the Grey’s writers fertile ground to play with next season.”

For her part in Arizona’s affair, Lauren made it very clear that she hoped their romp wouldn’t be a one-time thing after revealing how much she likes Arizona. As for whether Burton (who’s married to former Grey‘s heartbreaker Jeffrey Dean Morgan) would be back, Rhimes remained tight-lipped. (Worth noting: Burton does seem to be available after her Fox pilot The List was passed over at the network.)

Should Burton return for season 10? How would you like to see Arizona and Callie’s storyline play out next season? Hit the comments below with your thoughts.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit