Greys Anatomy Abc

Grey's Anatomy Spoiler: New Chief of Surgery Named!

James Pickens, Jr., will remain a regular cast member on the show, but for the second time in as many years, the man known as the Chief will no longer be so.

So who will replace him this time?

He or she is “as surprised as anybody else about this" and also "nervous about it,” says the cast member in question, speaking on the set of the show.

Follow the jump to find out who it is ...

“He’s a man of action, really, and the head of trauma surgery - that’s what he knows. Suddenly, he’s in a more administrative position. I think the way he deals with that is going to be very interesting,” says Kevin McKidd of Owen 's promotion.

Surprised?

Richard opts to step down “because of what’s happening with Adele [and her Alzheimer's] and what happened with Meredith” and Derek’s tainted drug trial.

But, according to McKidd, whereas Webber’s previous demotion was involuntary and met with animus toward Derek, he's “made his peace with it” here.

That doesn't mean it's going to be easy for Owen.

“People give him a hard time,” McKidd tells TV Line of his new role. “It’s not going to be easy for Owen being the chief in the aftermath of Richard Webber.”

The situation, clearly, is “complicated, because these doctors and surgeons have huge egos, and they don’t like administrative change,” McKidd says.

As an actor, however, he anticipates “a fun ride” as Owen “tries to really shake things up and bring things up to the 21st century in the hospital.”

How will Cristina react, personally and professionally, to her husband's change of status? Will this help or hurt Meredith's status at the hospital?

Weigh in on this and other hot topics from Grey's Anatomy Season 8 , which kicks off with a two-hour episode September 22, in the comments below!

ABC's Grey's Anatomy Recap (07x21): I Will Survive | TV Recaps and ...

Cristina, frustrated at having been excluded by Teddy on cardiovascular disease, takes a total of Lysistrata and bans him from having sex with her until after the decision is made to the chief resident. Owen called blackmail; Cristina called impartiality. Meredith is nervous that Alex might spill the truth about his interference with Adele and clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease during his meeting with Owen. It’s Callie’s first day back at the hospital without baby Sofia, and she’s trying to keep focused on being a surgeon but Mark shows up wearing baby Sofia in a sling so that Callie can check in periodically throughout the day, and also so the interns and residents can coo over the little girl. Derek and Meredith are preoccupied with trying to make a good impression with the international adoption social workers to make bab Zola their adopted daughter; Meredith remains haunted by the poor mothering of her own mother and the possibility that someday she, too, might get Alzheimer’s.

Arizona, Alex, and Lucy are called in to save the life of one of the African patients’ older sister — who turns out to be pregnant, and surprise! the baby is growing not in her uterus but her intestines! — and Arizona suggests that Alex take the job at the African clinic and continue to make a difference with the kids. Alex hesitates because of his still-forming feelings for Lucy, only to find out that Lucy jumps the gun and snatches the African clinic job out from under him before he can make his decision. Avery quits the Chief’s clinical trial and subsequently ruins his chances at being Chief Resident, but throughout everything seems totally okay with it all. Lexie is drawn to Mark again, though she refuses to admit it; there’s something about a man with a baby or a puppy, she says. April is fighting valiantly for Owen’s attention, and tries to show off her skills with protocol and rules, but when Cristina finds a tree — yes, friends, a TREE — has started to grow inside a man’s lungs, Cristina sidesteps the protocol and sets things in motion to have it removed. April, Teddy, and the Chief come down on her hard, but the Chief (persuaded by the weary patient) allows Cristina to perform the surgery to remove the growing conifer from the lung anyway.

So, to review, the people that have been struck from the running of Chief Resident are as follows: Avery, Cristina, and possibly April. All have been deemed unfit for the position. Alex is still a candidate, as is Meredith, but in a twist of bitterness, Alex reveals Meredith’s secret to Owen at the very end, so chances are good she won’t be in the running much longer.

Grey's Anatomy 101, Seattle Grace, Unauthorized

Grey's Anatomy, Jute

Billboard

Los Angeles Magazine

The Hollywood reporter