in_the_after | New spoilers from Shonda. :-(

:sigh. Guess who is returning?

Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes shared some explosive secrets about the season finale and the changes in Season 8, following in the wake of the much acclaimed musical episode.

“We had to do something really special in the season finale, we wanted to send more love letters to our fans, and of course we wanted to top last season,” the overworked writer/producer/showrunner of fifteen shows said. “So we decided to listen to what our fans were Tweeting at us 24/7, and bring back their favorites.”

In a move that is guaranteed to create controversy, actors Isaiah Washington, Katherine Heigl, and T.R. Knight will return, for what Rhimes promises is a “new and mature look at relationships.”

“Everything will be in a state of flux,” she previews. “The fans need to strap in and prepare themselves for some explosive events.”

When asked to explain the return of Knight, whose character was literally thrown under a bus two years ago, Rhimes simply shrugged off this reporter’s concerns. “Look, we did Dead Denny and I’m not aware of any negative backlash. But this will be new, and different. In an addition to reuniting with his beloved Izzie, Dead George is going to develop a crush on April, in what will be a very touching and innovative storyline. We discovered that people think that Stark is creepy, so we wanted to show our fans that we cherish their opinions and decided to go in a different way.”

Rhimes acknowledged that Cristina/Owen fans tend to “get a little heated” whenever they hear the word “triangle”, but she promises that the return of Preston Burke will bring “new and adult layers” to Grey’s Anatomy.

“Of course we’re not going to pair Burke with Cristina again,” she said. “This time, the object of his affection is going to be Owen. Instead of Owen struggling to choose between Cristina and Teddy, he will find himself torn between the woman he married, and the man that his woman almost married. Meanwhile, Cristina comforts a grieving Beth after her father dies, and they find themselves drawn to each other but it’s totally not like Arizona/Callie/Mark, it’s going to be new. It’s going to be Cristina/Owen/Burke/Beth, and I think Crowburth will be the best thing that ever happened on this show. ”

Rhimes promises that Mark/Lexie fans will also have something to look forward to. “We’re going to have them break up every other episode,” she enthused. “We want to see how many times we can build them up and tear them apart until the fans give up and stop tweeting me, for Chrissake. And of course Meredith and Derek will never have a big wedding with the fluffy dress, or a biological child of their own, or a hot and steamy sex scene, because that would make the fans too happy. Can’t have that.”

And Rhimes scoffs at the idea that the returning characters will cause an already bloated cast to burst at the seams. "Like there is such a thing as too many actors!"

When reached about the new plot details, Kevin McKidd could only shake his head and mutter "Deep, new, mature storyline, yadda yadda yadda."