Why Thatcher Should Return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in a Post-‘Scandal’ World

When Grey’s Anatomy viewers met Meredith Grey in 2005, they soon learned her father Thatcher was not a fixture in her life. In fact, he left when she was a child and went on to start a new family, which was painful for her to accept.

We haven’t seen Thatcher since Season 7 because Jeff Perry went off causing mayhem as Cyrus Beene on Scandal. Now that the political drama has ended, it’s about time Perry brought Thatcher back to Seattle to see his daughter Meredith.

During Meredith’s first on-screen meeting with Thatcher was full of anger, setting up a potentially great arc for the father and daughter. The pair had some powerful scenes during Perry’s appearances on the medical drama, but when we last saw Papa Grey their interaction was lukewarm and things have been left quite unresolved.

The strongest reason for Thatcher’s return is the fact there’s just so much more to mine. Lukewarm is not the best end to an ongoing arc for a drama’s central character. We get a happy ending or, since its Grey’s after all, something tragic happens.

Grey’s Anatomy has thrown surrogate families and secret sisters to Meredith over the first fourteen seasons, but her father is a lingering storyline just waiting for the series to pick back up.

After all, having a viable storyline that does not feel like a retread after 14 seasons is nothing to scoff at. It’s something the show should embrace.

Thatcher’s return would also create a situation for the two to mine new territory. Meredith and Thatcher have not really had to deal with one another extensively. Others have been buffers managing their interactions and they both had other storylines that took precedence over their own dynamic.

First, Thatcher’s wife, Susan, was their buffer — Derek also did a stint trying to mend things — then that became Lexie’s job. Even Richard has played mediator on occasion.

Much of their interaction became about Lexie Grey, the second of Meredith’s surprise sisters, once she was introduced. As Meredith got to know, and love, Lexie, caring about Thatcher became something Meredith made about Lexie. After all, Meredith gave her father an organ because she loved her sister.

Thatcher’s last few appearances were mostly about Lexie. In fact, his last episode, which was Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 14, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” dealt mainly with Lexie meeting her father’s new girlfriend.

Lexie’s heart-crushing death during Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 created a chance for Thatcher to become part of Meredith’s story again, but he never showed up again. The loss of Lexie didn’t bring them together, but now’s the perfect time for a reunion because of how much Meredith’s life has changed since.

The airplane crash that killed Lexie, almost losing Richard, the introduction of Maggie and actually losing Derek all changed Meredith as a person. That’s all in addition to the growth as an adult, mother, and surgeon.

The loss of Derek specifically creates common ground between Thatcher and Meredith. Shortly before Derek died, Amelia and Meredith have a disagreement about Owen. Amelia explained that after her child and her child’s father died she dug herself out of quite the hole, so Meredith would not understand her.

Unfortunately, now Meredith does understand. And, so does Thatcher, whose wife Susan Grey’s viewers will remember died after coming into the hospital with hiccups in Season 3. Common ground and a shared history is a great starting point for revisiting this relationship.

Meredith has spent the last few seasons working through her complicated feelings about her own, so she may to ready to deal with the Thatcher of it all. Separating out the mother from the surgeon and following in Dr. Eliis Grey’s footsteps. Even going as far as winning a Harper Avery. And, most recently, learning her mom had a partner in her early medical achievement.

Meredith has learned to reconcile and hold people close, which she has worked hard to do with Amelia over the past couple of seasons. Longtime Grey’s Anatomy viewers know Meredith would have handled the situation very differently in the past.

Thatcher’s return would also greatly impact another longtime character, Richard Webber. The two men loved the same very complicated women and have quite the interesting dynamic.

They have known one another for a very long time and in spite of their problems bonded over their struggles with drinking. Whenever the two men share a scene something compelling is sure to occur.

Whether they are arguing over Ellis or sharing stories about the difficulties of staying sober, longtime viewers know they’ll get a good scene when they are together.

What makes a potential Thatcher return a great Webber story is the introduction of Maggie Pierce. Webber may have loved Ellis and had an affair, but Thatcher always had Meredith. The revelation that Ellis did, in fact, have a child with Richard surely would have an impact on Thatcher.

Whatever wounds of Thatcher’s have healed over the years could be reopened after he learns that the affair resulted in a child. Regardless of Maggie being adopted.

No telling how his return would ripple to impact Maggie, Amelia, Jackson, and Catherine.

As Meredith has started a new chapter after Derek’s death, Grey’s Anatomy has been revisiting the past and exploring what all the characters have been through. Thatcher is a big part of that history for both Meredith and Richard.

In a post-Scandal world, it would be a great thing for Shondaland to utilize Perry by bringing Thatcher back to Grey-Sloan.

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Would you want to see Thatcher return to Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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