As viewers anxiously await the next Grey's Anatomy episode following a tense and exciting mid-season cliffhanger, fans on Reddit are wondering what Easter eggs writers might hide throughout the end of the drama's 18th season. Grey's writers have never been shy about bringing back patients, visual themes, or diseases, and it's even easy to spot the setup when a character is slated to return to Grey Sloane. For example, anytime there's a neonatal emergency, Dr. Addison Montgomery is sure to follow.
But some allusions to past seasons, plot lines, and even behind-the-scenes figures fall through the cracks for the average viewer. Thankfully, sharp-eyed super-fans on Reddit have pointed out some of the Easter eggs viewers might've missed the first time around.
Meredith's Phone Background
Reddit user catspjs2388 posted a screenshot of Meredith, Izzy, and George lying under the Christmas tree at Meredith's house in Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy. This sweet moment at home is mirrored by the photo of Meredith's kids she uses as her phone wallpaper in Season 18.
The Redditor commented, "It is a picture of the kids by the Christmas tree, which mirrors the interns in season 2. There were many Easter eggs/mirrors from season1/2, it made me happy." This sweet throwback feels especially emotional considering that though Meredith's former roommates in her mother's house have departed in one way or another, the memories they made as interns live on through Meredith's family.
One Hallway In Minnesota
Redditor shmoobel noticed that Meredith and Christina's time in Minnesota— in Season 18 and Season 9, respectively—weren't just similar in location but in the hospital setting that the show used. This fan shared that the "hallway in the Minnesota hospital" was, in fact, the "same hallway as when Cristina was there."
Could this foreshadow Christina returning to her old stomping grounds sometime in the next season or two? After all, there were plenty of cities and hospitals that Meredith could have split her time between; why else would writers have chosen Minnesota?
Season 7 Foreshadowed Meredith's Community Service
Redditor hockeyh2opolo posted a video of Dr. Webber preparing the residents to teach their interns in Season 7. In the scene, Christina responded, "It's like court-ordered community service. I'd rather be picking up trash off the side of the highway."
Of course, fans who are caught up on the last few seasons of Grey's could easily connect this to Meredith's Season 16 run-in with the law for committing insurance fraud, for which she receives mandated highway cleanup duty. Playonxx34 wrote, "I watched this scene the other day and laughed to myself. If only you knew Meredith…." Grey's writers must just be brilliant enough to pull off a narrative teaser 11 seasons early!
Season 2 Foreshadowed Christina's Move To Switzerland
In another Reddit thread posted by ohmygoyd, they recalled, "When Meredith finds out Cristina has been sleeping with Burke, Cristina says: "It's different, you and Derek are in a relationship. Burke and I are....in Switzerland. It's very neutral there." They quickly connected this to Burke's eventual offer for Christina to take over his role at a prestigious Switzerland hospital, which she accepts, leaving Grey Sloane Memorial Hospital behind.
Though the Redditor wasn't sure if writers were aware of the coincidence or not, another fan, sarnott11, agreed that the parallel must've been intentional. "This was the first thing I thought about when Burke gave her Switzerland..."
Derek's Old Car
Reddit user ljc5 posted a screenshot of Richard Webber standing in front of a poster board in Season 15. The board had a flyer with a brain graphic advertising a trivia night and an ad selling a vintage 1974 Rover. The fan asked, "Is that not Derek’s old car in earlier seasons," and mingming87 responded, "Good catch!" Another impressed Redditor wrote, "I have no idea how you caught that. that’s insane."
Though it's unclear if the other board details—like an Irish flag or the name Charlie on the car flyer—are coded messages to the audience, the brain filled with question marks could undoubtedly have been an homage to the late neurosurgeon's intellectual drive and curiosity.
The Hospital Bridge
When StolenProphecy noticed the return of the classic bridge from the first few seasons in Season 14, they asked, "Was it just me or was the bridge where Meredith and Alex yell at the interns to “Slow down!!” The same one from the first few seasons?" Redditor whitekat29 responded, "It's the bridge that leads to the chief's office." But apparently, the benchmark Grey Sloan set piece's appearance in Grey's Anatomy's 300th episode was more complicated than fans might think.
Redditor melonlollicholypop shared, "They've changed filming locations since then and the bridge hasn't been in the previous seasons for a while now. At least 2 seasons. So, they had to go out of their way to film this there as an easter egg to the fans." ConspiracyRick saw even more allusions to early seasons in the storyline surrounding a new batch of Grey-Sloane interns. Perhaps the bridge represent the metaphorical transition from student to teacher. Or, the episode's director simply decided to bring back an iconic piece of the beloved hospital set to reestablish viewers' sense of place.
Christina Saying Goodbye To Derek
Reddit user sirczechs shared a screenshot of Christina and Derek's last scene together in Season 10 before she leaves for Switzerland and his tragic death in Season 11. They wrote, "This scene is an Easter egg, Cristina says Goodbye only to Derek as though.... he's gonna die." There is weight to this theory since her words, "Derek, goodbye," seem extra solemn, especially considering she doesn't say goodbye to Meredith at all.
Another fan had an understandably emotional response to this callback; ObjectiveAnt3422 commented, "I’m crying thanks." At least fans can be grateful that Christina Yang left the series without dying, unlike so many other beloved characters.
A Silly Note On Meredith's Whiteboard
Reddit user greys_anatomy-fan pointed out a funny bit of writing on Meredith's locker's whiteboard. They wrote, "why in the corner of this scene (s3ep5: oh, the guilt) on the whiteboard in meredith's locker does it say "eat eye boogies."
Other Redditors with experience in constructing film and theater sets confirmed that it can be a common practice to add random details to set pieces that make the crew smile. Reddit user rachelleeann17 also interpreted the writing as potentially in character for Alex Karev. They wrote, "I love this ... I feel like Alex or someone just scribbled it on there to be a troll." Though these inside jokes likely go unnoticed most of the time, Reddit reminds viewers to keep their eyes out for absurd additions to Grey's scenes' backdrops.
The Rhimes Café
Reddit user studiouscub caught a subtle nod to the show's iconic creator Shonda Rhimes in Season 6. They posted a screenshot of a waitress with a t-shirt that says "The Rhimes Café" in a small triangle. They also commented, "Shonda Rhimes directed, so no surprise."
Another Redditor realized that there more be even more Rhimes Easter eggs to be discovered throughout the show's 18 seasons. HelloEvie commented, "Now I'm curious about any other "Rhimes" establishments that have flown under the radar...." With Rhimes as the creator of hit series across streaming platforms like How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal, viewers have plenty of footage to review for potential homages to the Shondaland legend.
A Potential Supernatural Crossover
Redditor mmfq-death posted about a possible shoutout to the long-running CW show, Supernatural. The fan shared that in Grey's season 4, "A guy comes into the hospital with his son showing up with someone's severed arm in a bag. The guy also plays Lucifer on Supernatural..." Supernatural fans on Reddit have acknowledged fan-favorite characters appearing on Grey's, and Colorguarder08 said it was the "first thing" they noticed about Grey's.
Fans of both shows have been noticing mutual references for quite a few seasons: CiceroTheCat remembered Supernatural referencing “Seattle Mercy” hospital and shared, "I always thought it was just because Jeffrey Dean Morgan played Denny and the Winchester brothers’ father John ..." Plus, another fan remembered the show referencing "Denny's ghost" directly. It's incredible to think that the shows' writers were in cahoots, since they aired on different networks. But anything is possible within the magical world of television.