‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Teased Scott Speedman’s Nick Marsh Was Endgame For Meredith Grey All the Way Back in Season 14

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ fans have watched Meredith journey to find love again since Derek died in season 11
• Scott Speedman made his debut as Dr. Nick Marsh way back in season 14
• When Meredith spoke to Alex about meeting Nick, she teased that he could possibly be her endgame

Grey’s Anatomy set the internet on fire in the season 18 premiere with the surprise return of Dr. Nick Marsh. In the days leading up to the episode, the ABC medical drama teased that “someone from Meredith’s past comes back.”

But fans never expected that the mystery person would be Nick. However, his guest appearance in season 14 did have a few clues that he might return one day. The episode titled “One Day Like This” actually teased that Nick Marsh was endgame for Meredith Grey years ago.

Nick and Meredith randomly crossed paths in the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 18 premiere

The first Grey’s Anatomy post-pandemic episode took Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) out of Grey Sloan Memorial and sent her to the Mayo Clinic. The award-winning surgeon traveled to Minnesota for the opening of a library dedicated to her mother. But while she was there, Dr. David Hamilton (Peter Gallagher) attempted to woo her away by offering her a state-of-the-art Parkinson’s Disease research lab.

She also randomly crossed paths with Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman), a traveling transplant surgeon who she treated and saved in season 14 after he received his own kidney transplant.

Fans hoped Dr. Nick Marsh would become a series regular

Even though Nick only appeared in one episode, fans quickly noticed the chemistry between him and Meredith. It was so obvious, that many fans were convinced Speedman would be joining Grey’s Anatomy in season 15 as a series regular.

That speculation intensified when shortly after his Grey’s guest appearance, Speedman confirmed that he had left his leading role on TNT’s Animal Kingdom. However, at the Felicity 20-year reunion panel at ATX in the summer of 2018, Speedman broke the news that he would not be returning to the long-running medical series.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ teased Nick was endgame for Meredith in season 14

At the end of the season 14 episode that featured Dr. Nick, Grey’s Anatomy teased that he was endgame for Meredith. However, the timing just wasn’t right.

The final scene saw Meredith talking to Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) about her day. She explained that she had saved the life of a “smart, funny, and hot” transplant surgeon. And she confessed that he made her feel something she hadn’t felt since Derek (Patrick Dempsey).

But the possible romance never went anywhere because Meredith had just come off a string of relationships, and Pompeo wanted her character to take a break from that for a while.

“That season, if you’ll recall, Season 14, Ellen had come off a string of romances, and when I came in to run the show, she asked for a break from romance, and I thought that was a well-earned break,” showrunner Krista Vernoff told Deadline.

That season 14 episode had Krista Vernoff calling Scott Speedman to come back

Even though the original plan was for Nick to appear in that one episode, Vernoff says she wanted to hint at the possibilities of Meredith’s heart reopening in the future. However, after seeing the chemistry between the two characters, she changed her mind.

“So we conceived of this one-off episode and this character who would make her feel, I think she says in the end of that episode, I felt the way I felt with Derek, I felt things I haven’t felt in a really long time,” Vernoff explained.

“It was really designed for that purpose, to say she’s capable of feeling, and then I started to see the dailies, and I think I started calling Scott’s team, going, ‘But what if he came back, when might he come back?’ I called several times, but he was making movies and doing things.”

Scott Speedman is the newest series regular on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

The timing wasn’t right back in season 14, but it is now. Vernoff says she got the idea of Speedman’s return late last season. And when he said yes, she started planning accordingly. Grey’s Anatomy made Speedman a series regular for season 18, which means fans can expect a lot more Nick and Meredith.

“It’s been such a sweet job so far,” Speedman told People magazine. “I don’t know where it’s going, but I get to explore the character more and we can really draw things out. I’m excited to be back!”

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursday nights on ABC.