Grey's Anatomy dedicated an entire hour to the Derek-less Shepherd family this week in an episode titled "Good Shepherd," where an impromptu and long overdue New York City reunion between Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), mom Carolyn (Tyne Daly), and sisters Nancy (Embeth Davidtz) and Kathleen (Amy Acker), the latter of whom has often been mentioned but never seen, drudged up Amelia's past inhibitions and personal battles during an explosive conversation around the dinner table. (The fourth Shepherd sister, Liz, portrayed by Neve Campbell in season nine, was "out of town.")
Ever since her Private Practice days, Amelia has been the definition of tumult -- with her share of failed romances (her recent divorce from Owen), battles with substance and alcohol abuse, and health problems (her brain tumor in season 14) keeping everyone on their toes. And as the youngest Shepherd sibling, she was often seen as the baby of the family, with her late brother, Derek (Patrick Dempsey), taking responsibility as her unofficial caretaker following their dad's death when they were kids. Those factors, mixed with Amelia's lack of communication with her family over the years, compounded her sisters' perceptions that she was still the "black sheep" of the family, no matter how successful she became or the strides she took to improve upon herself.
But a deep heart-to-heart between Amelia and her mom in Central Park provided the answers she had been seeking about her error-prone, directionless past. "Do you think I sabotage my relationships? I don't know how to love?" Amelia asked, after coming clean to her family about her divorce from Owen (Kevin McKidd) -- and her mother's response was both heartbreaking and illuminating. "Every time you fell down, you got up and came back stronger... You weren't afraid of it. And that's what made you -- out of all the kids -- the most like your father," Carolyn said, explaining that it was difficult to be around her youngest daughter following Papa Shepherd's death, hence why she handed the reins over to Derek. "You deserved a mother... and it is my biggest regret."
Following the episode, ET spoke with Scorsone for a breakdown of the Amelia-centric hour, reuniting the Shepherd family members (and finally meeting Kathleen!), Amelia's romantic future with Link (and if Owen is still in the picture) and the touching Central Park moment between Amelia and Mama Shepherd.
ET: When did you know that you were going to get a standalone hour dedicated to Amelia's story?
Caterina Scorsone: One of the nice things of having an Amelia-centric episode was a lot of stuff that was developed when Amelia was a regular character on Private Practice. There was a lot of backstory that we learned about her on Private Practice that some Grey's fans haven't seen. Getting to go back and encounter her family of origin, as opposed to the family that she's built in Seattle, is great. You kind of get to see a little bit of where she came from and where she fits into her family dynamic.
You've been playing this character for almost a decade now, and I feel like the theme of this episode is a lot about Amelia confronting her past and her place in the family -- that many of them still look at her as the "black sheep." You really see Amelia work through this with her sisters and her mother, especially.
Right, although she's encountering the behavior that triggered a lot of her childhood stuff to come up. I think one of the things that's beautiful about it is I think it's a really relatable, universal story -- maybe it's a bit more extreme in Amelia's case. Often we grow up and we encounter new ideas and we have new experiences and we change and evolve into a different person [than] when we were a child or when we were surrounded by our childhood dynamics. But I think there's a part of most people that doesn't notice the change happening, so when they go back to see their family at holiday times, they have an opportunity to excavate some of the dynamics that formed who they became and some of the dynamics that led to them wanting to change that dynamic. It's a beautiful opportunity to see somebody working through therapy. She's like, "Wow, I think I'm a different person but these are the conditions that formed the person that I became."
One of the most beautiful moments was Amelia's conversation with her mom, Carolyn, in Central Park, where they hash out their nonexistent mother-daughter relationship...
Ugh! Tyne Daly is unbelievable. I'm so grateful that I got to work with her. That was the part of doing the standalone that made me most excited and nervous. I couldn't believe that I was going to have an opportunity to work opposite Tyne Daly. (Laughs.) Because I've been playing Amelia for so long and I've known Tyne played my mom -- I've seen all of the footage of her with Derek [in the season five episode, "Sympathy for the Devil"] -- and she was a big part of my backstory even when I was playing scenes without Tyne. Whenever I would do scenes about her, I would picture Tyne as my mom as Amelia -- whenever I had to remember something or telling a story. She was an active part of my creative life. So when Tyne walked into the lobby of the hospital where we did our first scene and I saw her, I burst into tears! (Laughs.)
When Carolyn conceded that she wasn't there for Amelia when she needed her in her formative years, that was truly heartbreaking. Have you thought about how differently things could have turned out for Amelia had her mom taken the reins more as a parental figure?
Absolutely. In that moment, Amelia's mom [stepped] up as a mother and took care of Amelia's inner child and said, "Listen, you weren't given what you needed at the time when you were forming your ability to attach. I was not there." There was an absence. In terms of psychology and attachment theory, Amelia went through some incredible trauma at a formative time -- she was 5 years old and she was sitting in that store and she witnessed her father murdered in front of her. After that, her mom -- from what she says in this episode and from what I established in my backstory on Private Practice -- her mom, because of her grief, wasn't able to mirror Amelia and be present for Amelia in the ways that would have helped her process that trauma. That trauma was guided in her body and in her amygdala [nerve tissue in the brain responsible for emotions, survival instincts and memory] and created this fight or flight response that wasn't cured. I think that she probably had a viron that was predisposed to addiction, but I absolutely think that the body attachment and the trauma that she witnessed at such a formative age was a big part of the road that her life ended up going down for a long time.
It's Amelia's strength that, despite all that trauma and broken attachment, she was able to overcome and go to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and create relationships and go to med school and start getting back to medicine and have friendships. Her mom was big enough to admit her part in that piece and still be available as a mother. It's a powerful story. Nobody does things perfectly, but when you're able to look at them and talk about them, and forgive them and yourself and others, that's a pretty good job that you're doing there.
We've met the other Shepherd sisters, Nancy and Lizzie, before, but it's pretty stunning that it took until season 15 for Kathleen to finally be introduced. What did it mean to be able to have a full picture of the Shepherd family with Amy Acker now in the mix?
Amy Acker is such an incredible actress. She's so talented, she's so funny and as a person, she's so kind and lovely. I had a blast working with her. I hope that she comes back and plays with us more. Working with her and Tyne and Embeth was incredible, and I'm so happy to have a complete picture in my creative, imaginative mind about Amelia's family. We're also so lucky to work with Chris -- he's so great in the episode and so funny. It was just a wonderful time. And Bill D'Elia, who was the director, and Julie Wong, who was the writer; I just feel super lucky to have this experience.
You haven't shared a scene yet with Neve Campbell, who plays Lizzie.I know! She has to come back! (Laughs.)
Shifting gears, Amelia and Link's blossoming relationship has been a pleasant surprise. Did you see them coming as a couple? What is their long-term future?
I didn't see it coming. It kind of a twist that Krista [Vernoff] came to me about, she was like, "We want to try this. You're going to go back to New York and he's going to be there." Chris Carmack is a super talented guy and so it's been fun to play with him. The chemistry is really good and there's been a lot of fun, comedic beats that we've been able to play, which has been a really refreshing turn for Amelia. A lot of what she's been going through were fun at times, but there was a lot of heaviness with the Betty storyline. This has been a little bit of a reprieve from that. In terms of long-term, I honestly don't know. We're doing some fun stuff, but I also think that "Omelia" is such a beautiful and rich relationship; Kevin [McKidd] and I love working together too. We're just trying to stay as present and open and as available for what flows through [the writers'] pens. Both relationships are really interesting and fun to play for me, so I'm trying to be in acceptance of whatever lands at my desk in the next script.
Amelia and Owen have been back and forth over the years; they're currently divorced, co-parenting baby Leo and at the same time, Owen is expecting a child with Teddy. Should we be closing the door on Amelia and Owen? What do you think their relationship status should be when it all comes down to it?
I would never say they're over for good. They do have so much history and they've shared so much pain and they both have their wounds and they've witnessed each through those. At this point, it's extremely complicated and they've reached a bit of an impasse at this point in their lives. At least where it stands right now, they're taking a step back and taking a breath and trying to figure it out. They can't keep ramming their heads into this wall right now, but they're just so beautiful together and their bond is so deep that I think it would be impossible for them to being nothing. They're going to either be incredibly cordial to each other or one day, they'll find each other again. I don't know. But what I can tell you is, as actors, Kevin and I adore each other and we love working together, so [maybe the writers] decide they are buddies, co-parenting babies in this new, structured way. Or could they end up re-finding each other and end up living happily ever after?
The actress talks with The Hollywood Reporter about Amelia's journey and how her long-awaited family reunion will impact the character going forward.
[This story contains spoilers from Thursday's Grey's Anatomy, "Good Shepherd."]
ABC's Grey's Anatomy opened up Amelia Shepherd's world in Thursday's bottle episode, which featured the long-awaited introduction of the fourth Shepherd sister — played by guest star Amy Acker.
The sibling reunion occurred after Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) and Link (Chris Carmack) flew to New York for a surgery and bumped into Nancy Shepherd (returning guest star Embeth Davidtz), who invited the duo over for dinner. The only catch being that Amelia never informed her family of her divorce from Owen (Kevin McKidd) — or her brain tumor, foster kid Betty or Owen's adopted son Leo, among other details.
The meal turns ugly when Amelia's mother Carolyn (returning guest star Tyne Daly) crashes the dinner and instantly remembers having met the real Owen (Kevin McKidd) when she visited son Derek (former star Patrick Dempsey) years ago in Seattle. The estranged siblings have at Amelia, recalling all the ways in which she screwed up her life and the (many) mistakes she made.
After Link — her current love interest — comes to her defense, Amelia reveals her frustrations that her sisters (and mother) only see her as the screw-up and "Black Sheep Shepherd," her childhood nickname. This is why none of her siblings or mother wanted to come to her wedding to Owen.
In typical Grey's fashion, Amelia and Link's patient — and his brother — provide a lesson for Amelia, who makes a bold surgical choice that ultimately gives a college-bound student a new lease on life. But it comes at a cost as Link pulls away from Amelia, whom he accuses of being reckless and making a risky decision because she needed to prove her family wrong.
The hour closes as Amelia and her mother have a heart to heart in which Amelia realizes that she sabotages her own relationships and doesn't know how to love. What's more, her mother fills in some gaps from Amelia's Private Practice backstory when she reveals that the youngest of the Shepherd siblings is the most like her father — whom loyal Grey's viewers recall was murdered before Derek and Amelia. Carolyn's biggest regret, she says, is not being there for Amelia.
Amelia comes away from the conversation with an understanding that she doesn't need her family's approval — she already has it in sisters-from-other-misters Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary) — and that it's up to her to realize she's worthy of love.
Below, star Scorsone talks with The Hollywood Reporter about the Amelia stand-alone episode and romantic future with Link (who apparently can be easily won over with a box of doughnuts from his favorite favorite spot in New York).
Amelia is having quite an emotional journey this season: reconciling with Owen, fostering Betty and Leo and learning of Teddy's pregnancy. Then losing her kids and splitting with Owen. What's been your biggest takeaway about Amelia this season?
We've seen Amelia be unbelievably resilient. She must be made of some sort of rubber because she seems to bounce! [Laughs.] One of the really nice things I've been able to play this season is some of the lightness, fun and humor that we got to see on [Grey's spinoff] Private Practice a lot more. She's got this wry life is crazy and is finding the joy amid all of the chaos. That's been really fun to do.
Amelia's mother helps her understand that she sabotages relationships and doesn't think she's worthy of love. What made her come to that realization?
There were a few hits a couple episodes ago when Owen and Amelia were at the lawyer's office talking about who would halve custody of Leo. Owen said something like, "You're just not capable of love." It was a knife to Amelia's heart and she was so devastated by it — especially after being so patient, amazing, loving and supportive of Owen and Leo all season long, and trying to be so patient with the Teddy situation. That was quite a quagmire! [Laughs.] That was really hard for her to hear. Then having her sisters confront her over and over again and seeing how she wasn't really connecting with Link even though he was being so charming, accommodating and lovely. Amelia was trying to keep him at bay emotionally. She's had enough clues that maybe there's something in her psyche that she's not been willing to look at.
Amelia's mother, despite all the twisting roads that Amelia has gone down, was courageous and generous to really face and admit to her part in the broken attachment Amelia had as a child. She endured a terrible trauma at age 5 when saw her father murdered in front of her. Then her mom says, "Listen, I'm sorry I wasn't able to be the kind of psychological container that you needed at that age to move through that trauma in a way that would leave your ability to connect intact." She really takes responsibility for her part in Amelia's early relationship with attachment and love. And then also says, "And I believe that you're smart, strong and brave enough that now that you have this last piece of the puzzle that I've given you, that you can put it all together and move forward and have beautiful relationships. That's on you." She hands baton back to Amelia, now with the final piece in place, and says, "I'm giving it back to you; you now understand your childhood. You can do the work and can have love."
This episode really filled in some gaps with Amelia's family and why she's not close with them. How will the dinner from hell and conversation with her mother help fuel what we see next from Amelia?
I do feel like there was an incredible healing and closure at two points in this episode. First, in that moment where she was able to tell her sisters that, as opposed to try and earn her sisters' approval, finally, after seeing how relentless they were to her at the dinner table and that they just weren't willing or able to see that Amelia had become a pretty wonderful person in adulthood — she's a neurosurgeon, she gives back to her community, she has relationships, she loves children. She does all these wonderful things and her sisters weren't willing to allow their narrative about her to change. Amelia accepts that finally and stops trying. At the door when she's leaving, she says, "I believe you that you love me but you don't like me and I don't really like you, either." She allows that to be OK for herself. She can love her family but if every time she's near them, they tell a story about her in their own minds that that traps her in an identity that doesn't match up with who she is today, she does have permission to not expose herself to that kind of judgment. She can go create family where she finds love: in Seattle with Meredith, Maggie and the people she has surrounded herself with — her chosen family. That was a huge moment for her. And the healing that was given to her by her mother at the end and the apology and the piece of the story that she was missing. And the reconciliation with her mother. I think it's going to free Amelia's psychological bandwidth up a lot. We'll see how that goes. She is letting go of the old story of Amelia as the black sheep and she was able to leave it in New York. Now we'll see next season what the new story is.
Amelia and Link reconcile on the plane. Amelia now has this liberation and missing piece of the puzzle. What will she do with that awareness now? Will Link or Owen be a part of that?
That I don't know. The writers are starting to break story for next year right now. All the irons are in the fire trying to think about where it goes next year. All I know is that they don't know anything yet! I'm trying to stay open. Chris Carmack is very talented and we've had some great comedic scenes that have been really fun to play. And Kevin and I are best friends and love working together. So whatever direction they decide to go in, I'm in a pretty great position as an actor.
If you're writing Amelia's next act and had the choice between Link or Owen, who do you see her with?
I can't possibly answer that! There are such good things about both of them. The nice thing is that Grey's is doing so well that I feel like we are going to get to play out whatever we want to play out. And if we love it we go with it. And if it's not working, we can go in another direction. We have time to play all those stories we want to play because our fans are so gorgeous and passionate. Knock on wood, hopefully we get to see all of the stories that we want.
How would you describe the season finale?
It's a Grey's Anatomy season finale! Debbie Allen is directing. There's some fun, big stuff happening. It'll be funny and it'll be delightful and there will be catharsis. Classic Grey's.
For a season that was dubbed — and delivered — the "Season of Love," is the finale a fitting end for that?
Yeah, I think so. Love in all its forms.
In tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) reunites with her two sisters — Kathleen (Amy Acker, making her debut) and Nancy (the returning Embeth Davidtz) — as well as her mom, Carolyn (the returning Tyne Daly). And boy, is it one mother of a get-together. We talked to Scorsone about the dinner sequence and what, if anything, Amelia took away from such a hostile encounter with the Shepherd women.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why are your sisters so mean?
CATERINA SCORSONE: I don’t know! I had that same thought. I went, really? We had a blast off-screen. I think probably deep wounds in their psyches. Usually, when people are mean to other people, it’s compensating for something they feel sad or scared about. I can only imagine the kind of trauma that comes from losing your father at such an early age. That created some pretty hard wounds for them. They want to blame her or categorize her to keep themselves safe. That’s my psychological analysis.
What, if anything, did Amelia learn in that moment with her sisters?
What I thought was a really beautiful moment in that whole sequence was… if she consciously forgave herself for her childhood. She is still carrying around this idea that she was bad and it was all because of her. She has a really clean side of the street, for the most part. She’s a neurosurgeon and has wonderful friendships. She takes care of people. She’s a good person at this point. Going back and seeing that her sisters are still stuck in time, they won’t let her escape this narrative that they have written for her. I think she is able to release the part of herself that is pulled back into that story. Instead of going, “Why isn’t she likable enough for them?” She was able to go, “Okay… whether or not I am likable enough for them, the way they treat me makes me feel like I don’t want to participate in this. I don’t like them. So why am I trying to paddle upstream and prove myself to people who are mean to me?” That was a liberating moment for her. She doesn’t have to spend the rest of her life trying to earn acceptance from people who don’t understand her.
Did she get closure from her mother?
I think so. First of all, working with Tyne Daly was one of the absolute highlights of my creative life. She is such an incredible woman. We have so many incredible conversations. I think Amelia didn’t even know she needed to see her mom. Her mom offered her apology generously and courageously. After the trauma she received when she witnessed her father murdered in front of her at five, her mom was not able to parent Amelia the way Amelia needed to be parented and loved. That had all kinds of psychological consequences for Amelia. Her mom was able to say that, that it was not all Amelia. She participated in a broken psyche. She’s sorry for that and she believes in her, that she’s smart and strong. Amelia can put these puzzle pieces together and go on and have a fantastic life. She validated her experience.
Will we see your sisters again?
I hope so. That dinner scene, they were so brutal to Amelia! I would hope there were room in the next season or two to have some sort of reconciliation, mostly because I love those actresses so much.
Does Linc [Chris Carmack] remain a possibility in Amelia’s life?
So far, he remains a possibility in her life. Nothing is set in stone. I think Chris Carmack is great. He is so fun to work with. But the writers keep saying we don’t know! I say, “Is it happening? Is Owen happening?” And they said, “We don’t know.”
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GREY'S ANATOMY
Relax, McDreamy diehards: New cast member Martin Henderson (Off the Map) is not replacing Patrick Dempsey as the new love of Meredith's life. In fact, romance in general is "not the focus" for the still-grieving widow, maintains series creator Shonda Rhimes, adding, "Meredith's on a journey and I'm taking her where the journey leads her." Season 12 will adopt a "lighter" tone, says Rhimes, with Alex and Jo settling into their new home and Callie and Arizona embarking on "exciting" new relationships. April, meanwhile, returns from her latest overseas jaunt to find her marriage to Jackson riding on fumes.
Grey's Anatomy - Episode 11.04 - Only Mama Knows - Preview + BIG Teasers
This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, titled "Only Mama Knows", is all about the Mama, Mama Grey that it. Throughout the episode, we get to know a lot more about Ellis Grey, through flashbacks from Richard and Meredith's memories and some video-tapings. We also get to see what actually was said between Richard and Ellis in front of that monumental carousel and moments that lead to it.
Meanwhile, the argument between Derek and Meredith reaches to a full on blowout, but they do halt their fight to discuss something important.
The ending is one of the most poignant in the show's history and is nothing like the show has ever done; it gave me chills.
Here are some teasers from the episode:
One of the events that happened at the end of last week's episode does have an effect on the hospital.
Alex finds the bitter truth behind Bailey's appointment to the board and confronts two of his closest on the the board about it.
Maggie finally gets a warm welcome at the hospital from someone at the hospital which involves an awkward hug.
Two of the old regulars are not seen throughout the entire episode.
Maggie performs an extraordinary procedure.
Richard and Meredith talk about what could have been...
Another doctor at the hospital assumes that there is something going on between Richard and Maggie
Only Mama Knows airs this Thursday at 8/7c on ABC.
