Grey’s Anatomy: Should Amelia Get a Visitor from Los Angeles?

When Private Practice ended, Dr. Amelia Shepherd had the most story left to tell, so thankfully, she was brought to Grey’s Anatomy to continue her journey.

While the medical drama has done quite a bit with Amelia – a marriage and brain tumor for instance – the show has yet to tap into her time in Los Angeles.

Amelia is now going into her fifth season as a series regular on Grey’s Anatomy, and it’s about time one of the doctors from Seaside Health & Wellness to visit Grey Sloan.

Sometimes it feels like Amelia’s life in Los Angeles didn’t exist. She left the man she ended Private Practice with and she started a whole new life at Grey Sloan. Her friends and ties to Los Angeles just sort of went away as if her life was not one many Shondaland viewers knew when Amelia came to Seattle.

Amelia was not waiting on the ropes to be tagged in just in time for Derek’s final arc. She isn’t the replacement Shepherd; she’s a beloved character with history with many viewers.

Especially given how the show has tapped into characters’ histories, meeting Alex’s mom and Meredith working through her issues with Ellis, for example, recently it’s odd to leave Amelia’s history out.

Addison is the connective tissue between Amelia and her new colleagues on Grey’s Anatomy and its viewers. Even if you haven’t seen Private Practice Amelia can mention a story about her past with Addison without losing a viewer or character.

When she joined there wasn’t much time to think about her past because her life in Seattle developed quickly. She lost Derek, met Owen, gained lovely sisters and learned that she had a brain tumor. Amelia was thrown right into the thick of it.

Grey’s Anatomy didn’t subtly reintroduce the younger Shepherd, so not discussing a lot of her backstory makes sense. But now, we are seasons into her time on the show and the show has waited too long.

There have been opportunities, though. When a patient’s daughter revealed Amelia’s recovery to the staff and when Amelia thought she was pregnant. Revealing her past could have been part of those stories, but it wasn’t a road the show traveled.

Revealing Amelia has a tumor is what would make a crossover about much more than seeing a familiar face. Amelia’s tumor could have impacted her actions for years, including her years on Private Practice.

Amelia’s world has fundamentally changed and without Derek around someone from her past should appear to delve into what the tumor could mean for her past. Her LA family was there for many incredibly difficult moments in her life.

Watching Amelia’s tough times play out on Grey’s Anatomy can be hard to watch for Private Practice fans. The tumor has become this one-stop-reason for her issues, but it’s more than that.

Amelia showed up in Los Angeles a rock star brain surgeon, which shocked Addison who only knew her party-loving sister-in-law. While Amelia did bring a vibrant energy, she was also part of some incredibly powerful storylines. One series of events even changed her life forever.

Amelia was hiding her relapse from her colleagues when her old friend came to town from Italy asking for her help with physician-assisted suicide because she had Huntington’s disease. Amelia agreed to help, but her friend had second thoughts, so they rushed to the hospital.

While they did save her, in the end, she chose to end her life, and that resulted in Amelia going on a bender with a man named Ryan. Despite an intervention by her colleagues, Amelia only asked for help after Ryan died of an accidental overdose.

Although she got back to her recovery, Amelia discovered she was pregnant with Ryan’s baby. And after choosing to keep the baby, she discovered the baby was going to be born without a brain.

Leaving Owen, not wanting to have a baby, and clashing with Teddy and Owen’s family when Megan resurfaced — all of these things were explained away when Amelia revealed the tumor to Owen.

Yes, Amelia had a tumor, but she also lost a fiancée and a baby. Her struggling with the idea of having a baby with Owen is wrapped up in what happened to her in the past. Watching her tell Alex that she never told Derek or Meredith about her child brought the point home that Amelia needs her people.

Sure, Maggie and Meredith are there. So are Alex and Owen, but they can’t help if they don’t know, so Amelia needs her people. And, they are in Los Angeles.

An interesting thing about a Private Practice crossover is that Amelia’s introduction means that Addison Montgomery isn’t the only option anymore. It would be great to see Kate Walsh again, but it’s not necessary.

When Addison left for Los Angeles she had many relationships on the show. Since her exit, Callie moved to New York, Mark and Derek have died, so while it would be nice to see her catch up with Miranda, Richard, and Amelia, it’s not the only option.

Barring a medical situation requiring Addison, there’s no reason another Private Practice star couldn’t make the trip.

Sheldon, Cooper, and Charlotte all had great relationships with Amelia. Then there’s James, the fiancée she dumped. Any of them paying Seattle a visit would make for great television.

Of the bunch, Charlotte could be the most compelling choice. She was one of Private Practice’s best characters and her biting wit is enough to keep everyone, Meredith included, on their toes. Also, Amelia and Charlotte’s friendship was one of the show’s best.

One of the great things a crossover could do is tap into Amelia’s history. On the LA-set Shondaland drama, she brought both a fun, vibrant energy and had incredibly powerful storylines. It would be a missed opportunity not to tap into that history.

Regardless of who it is, it would be great for someone to make the trip from Los Angeles to Seattle because otherwise, Grey’s Anatomy is leaving a great Amelia story on the table.

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Do you agree? What characters from Private Practice would you want to see on Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Grey’s Anatomy returns Thursday, September 27th to ABC.

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