Why Grey’s Anatomy Season 20’s New Romantic Twist Is So Controversial

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9.

Summary

• Fans are outraged over a new romantic twist in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9, raising questions for the season finale and upcoming season 21.
• Season 20 sets up exits for key characters and reduced roles for cast members in season 21, leaving viewers anxious about who will return.
• The surprising hookup between Monica and Winston upsets fans who expected a romance with Amelia, raising concerns about LGBTQ+ representation.

Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 introduced a new, surprising romantic twist that led to a social media outcry from viewers who don’t approve of the direction two characters’ storylines are heading. With just one episode left in season 20 and Grey’s Anatomy season 21 on the way, many questions and plot twists were introduced in season 20, episode 9 that need resolving or continuation. While some of these shocking storylines were built up throughout the season, another felt like it came out of left field for many loyal viewers.

Grey’s Anatomy season 20 is already setting up exits for important main characters. It has been confirmed that two actors are leaving the series in the upcoming season 21. Grey’s Anatomy is also facing reduced roles for cast members next season. This is keeping many viewers on their toes, eager to find out who won’t be returning in major roles for future Grey’s Anatomy episodes. Due to this, many viewers are already on edge, and Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 didn’t do the series any favors with one poor choice made.

Monica & Amelia Were Building Their Relationship In Grey’s Anatomy

The Duo Have Been Flirting All Season

From the moment the trailer was released for season 20, Grey’s Anatomy has been teasing its new great couple. Though Monica hooked up with Winston in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9, they were not the couple that was being teased. Rather, Monica and Amelia have been flirting with each other since Monica was first introduced as the new pediatric attending surgeon in season 20, episode 5.

Many viewers eagerly awaited the moment their teasing flirtation would finally turn into actual romance. They thought they’d finally gotten their wish when Amelia asked Monica out in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 8. Abbey shared a post about the scene on X, claiming she was “losing [her] mind,” and many others felt the same way.

Unfortunately, Monica told Amelia she was going through a messy divorce with her wife, who was still in Texas. Monica didn’t explicitly turn Amelia down in Grey’s Anatomy, and she never got the chance to say yes or no, as Winston interrupted with news about a patient. With Amelia focusing on her Alzheimer’s research with Meredith in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9, the potential new couple didn’t get the chance to interact.

Monica & Winston’s Grey’s Anatomy Hookup Came Out Of Nowhere

Monica Has Never Shown Interest In Winston Or Other Male Characters

As aforementioned, Monica hooked up with Winston at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9. While Monica and Winston have teamed up on multiple cases in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, their chemistry never seemed to extend beyond colleagues who worked well together. Certainly, Monica never expressed any romantic interest in Winston before their hookup, or in other Grey’s Anatomy male characters. She only seemed to have eyes for Amelia, but things appear to have gone sideways between them after their awkward scene from the previous Grey’s Anatomy episode.

There is nothing wrong with Monica being interested in men in Grey’s Anatomy. Monica provides important LGBTQ+ representation to the series that has been steadily growing with current characters Taryn Helm, Mika Yasuda, Amelia, Teddy, and now Jules Millin, who came out in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9. However, Helm is the only one of the six female LGBTQ+ characters in Grey’s Anatomy who identifies as a lesbian.

Bisexual representation is extremely important, but so is lesbian representation. Monica doesn’t have to be a lesbian in Grey’s Anatomy, but many were taken off guard by her sudden hookup with Winston when they had assumed she was a lesbian due. X user Mickey even called Grey’s Anatomy “sick and twisted” for the multiple reveals from season 20, episode 9. Monica also would have been the first lesbian Latina character on Grey’s Anatomy, as former character Callie Torres also identified as bisexual.

Winston’s Romantic Storylines In Grey’s Anatomy Have Been A Mess

Winston Just Divorced Maggie In Season 20

Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 also saw Winston finally sign his and Maggie’s divorce papers. Maggie’s surprising return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 served as a reminder of just how messy Winston’s romantic storylines have been since he was introduced to the series at the end of season 17. It also showed how much Winston’s storylines have revolved around romance and his romantic interests.

Even with Maggie’s sendoff in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, much of Winston’s storylines have focused on her and their marriage falling apart. Maggie treated Winston poorly in the previous season, but he still fought to save their marriage. Additionally, Winston’s character has always been somewhat of an extension of Maggie’s in Grey’s Anatomy, leaving him directionless with her gone.

Even when Maggie returned in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9, Winston’s professional accomplishments were tied to hers. He will always be known as Maggie’s former student and ex-husband, even though he’s now chief of cardiothoracic surgery. By having Winston hook up with Monica at the end of the episode, his romantic life gets messier, and his character continues to be reduced to his relationships.

Grey’s Anatomy Is Getting Rid Of Two LGBTQ+ Characters

Yasuda & Schmitt Are Leaving In Grey’s Anatomy Season 21

The two major characters leaving in Grey’s Anatomy season 21 are Levi Schmitt, a gay man, and Mika Yasuda, a queer woman. Schmitt is currently the only gay male character on Grey’s Anatomy and Yasuda is the only Asian LGBTQ+ character, as well as the show’s first female Asian LGBTQ+ character. Their pending exits mean an important loss of LGBTQ+ representation in Grey’s Anatomy. This could worsen with Teddy’s potential exit, as she was fired from her job as chief of surgery in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9.

Though Monica being with Winston doesn’t erase her LGBTQ+ identity, there was only one main same-sex couple in Grey’s Anatomy season 20. With Yasuda leaving next season and breaking up with Helm in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9, there are now zero LBTQ+ relationships in the medical drama. If Monica’s hookup with Winston means she and Amelia never officially get together, it would mean another missed opportunity for an LGBTQ+ relationship in Grey’s Anatomy.

X user Tom referred to Helm and Yasuda’s Grey’s Anatomy breakup as “disappointing.” After all, this was Helm’s first relationship on the show. When she was first introduced, her sexuality was somewhat the butt of a long-running joke, with one of her only character traits being her obsessive crush on Meredith, a straight woman. Helm has come a long way, but for many, this breakup feels like a step backward.

Monica & Amelia Can Still Get Together

Making Winston A Road Bump In Their Relationship Is Problematic

The good news is, Monica and Winston’s hookup doesn’t mean they can’t get together in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 or 21. The Grey’s Anatomy season 20 finale is shaping up to be one of its most dramatic yet. The Grey’s Anatomy season 20 finale is a major crossover with Station 19, which is having its series finale. With a previous cliffhanger ending, Theo could die in the Station 19 series finale, but not without the Grey Sloan doctors fighting to save his life first.

Jo’s collapse, Lucas potentially leaving, and Meredith and Amelia’s secret research will also be major storylines. Though this is thrilling, it, unfortunately, means Monica and Amelia’s feelings for each other and her hookup with Winston could go unaddressed until Grey’s Anatomy season 21. This is problematic because Winston is Amelia’s former brother-in-law, and they have started to bond over missing Maggie. Amelia has suffered many losses and betrayals throughout her time on Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy.

Amelia will, understandably, see Monica and Winston’s hookup as an ultimate betrayal. X user Thea even predicted Amelia would react similarly to how Maddy did in Euphoria when she found out about Cassie and Nate’s relationship. This is the last thing Amelia needs right now. If Monica and Winston had to move on from their impending divorces through drunken hookups, they could have hooked up with other people. Monica and Amelia started Grey’s Anatomy season 20 as frenemies, and Amelia finding out about the hookup could bring them back to where they started.

Grey’s Anatomy Could Be Repeating An Old Callie & Arizona Storyline

Callie Slept With Mark When Arizona Turned Her Down

Drinks at Emerald City Bar have led to many hookups in the show’s long history, and they don’t all end in a relationship like Meredith and Derek in Grey’s Anatomy season 1. Monica and Winston’s hookup in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 should be a one-time thing. It would make sense, given they had briefly bonded over their divorces and hadn’t expressed any prior romantic interest in each other. However, Meredith’s voiceover during their hookup at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 could suggest otherwise.

Meredith said, “One small misstep becomes one small habit,” which could mean this isn’t the last time Monica and Winston hook up. If so, Grey’s Anatomy could be repeating an old Callie and Arizona storyline where Callie became “sex buddies” with Mark while they were on a break. This also led to an unexpected pregnancy. Amelia and Monica were never officially together in Grey’s Anatomy, but Monica and Winston lack the friendship and history Mark and Callie had, making this a poor potential storyline.