Dr. Cristina Yang Set To Return To ‘Grey’s Anatomy’? Meredith Grey Needs Her ‘Person’ To Cope After Brutal Attack

With Grey’s Anatomy returning from its winter break, fans are in for quite a few surprises in the second half of Season 12. Apart from all the drama between Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), the show might see the return of a familiar face in Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh).

According to Bustle, fans have long waited for the return of Cristina ever since her departure in Season 10. Cristina left Grey Sloan Memorial in order to take a position as the head of Burke’s Hospital, located in Zurich. Because Oh’s character was not killed off, there has always been a possibility that she would make a cameo in the series.

Indeed, Season 12 might be the perfect time for Cristina to return to Seattle. After all, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has been through some awful times as of late and could definitely use the support of her old friend. However, is Oh really set to reprise her role on the hit medical drama, or is it all just a hopeful rumor?

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, McKidd hinted that Oh’s character has already made a return to the show this season. Apparently, Cristina attended Derek’s (Patrick Dempsey) funeral, although only the back of her was shown and a body double was used.

“Cristina was there. I presume Sandra was busy and unavailable for that episode, which was the only reason why [the body double was used],” he stated in the interview. “That funeral sequence was meant to imply that Cristina was obviously there for Meredith. Her presence was felt.”

Was this a way for Shonda Rhimes to set up the story for Cristina’s return, or was her appearance at the funeral a one-time thing?

According to Movie News Guide, Oh has expressed a willingness to return to Grey’s Anatomy if the timing was right. Furthermore, Oh has remained close with some of her former cast members. In fact, she recently posted an image on Twitter with McKidd.

“Omg it’s Cristina Teddy & Owen reunion! (And Tony) Look how handsome and brooding Kev is! Happy New Year All!” she wrote alongside the photo.

Considering her desire to return at some point in the future and her solid relationships with other cast members, there is a good chance that Oh will eventually reprise her role. Whether that happens during this season is till up for debate, although Meredith could certainly use her help.

Speaking of Meredith, the character is expected to have another rough time this season. In fact, during a recent interview with People, Jerrika Hinton, who plays the role of Stephanie Edwards on the drama, promised some epic moments on the road to the season finale.

“We’ve got some serious stuff going on with [Dr. Meredith Grey] right when we get back,” Hinton told the outlet. “Some stuff that in a way makes it feel like, ‘Whoa! We’re doing this in the middle of the season? This feels like finale stuff.’ At the table read, we were all like, ‘What?!'”

Exactly what Meredith is up against is unknown, but if the rumors of Cristina’s return are true, then she will definitely need some help getting through it all.

Meanwhile, additional details on the past beef between Riggs and Owen is also expected to be revealed in coming episodes. Does their current feud have something to do with Owen’s mysterious sister? Or is something else going on between the characters all together?

The answers to these questions and more will be revealed as the 12th season of Grey’s Anatomy continues Thursday nights on ABC.

Tell us! Do you want to see Cristina Yang return to Grey Sloan Memorial to be there for Meredith? Let us know in the comments, and check out a preview for the next all-new episode of Grey’s Anatomy below.

[Image via ABC]