Grey’s Anatomy Season 21’s Tragedy Brought Back Meredith & Cristina’s Forgotten Replacement

Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 7 ahead.

Mika’s car crash and subsequent multiple surgeries caused dread among the interns in Grey's Anatomy season 21, episode 7, resurrecting one bond and its chance to become at last Meredith and Cristina’s replacement in the medical drama. Ever since their introduction in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, the new interns brought a different energy compared to past intern classes. From romantic connections to casual flings, the new interns eventually started to form bonds similar to those among MAGIC in Grey’s Anatomy’s earlier seasons, but even then, none of those mirrored unique friendships like that between “twisted sisters” Meredith and Cristina.

Being away from the OR in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 forced the interns to form new alliances, especially after Lucas isolated himself. Their new issues partially let the interns forget about the bonds formed in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, and with them went the tentative friendship possibly replacing Meredith and Cristina’s in the future. However, Mika’s tragic car crash and likely Grey’s Anatomy exit storyline inadvertently prompted one confession in season 21, episode 7, making Simone the only one to know about Jules and Mika’s romantic connection, thus bringing back the possibility Simone and Jules could replace Meredith and Cristina.

Mika's Tragedy Propels Jules & Simone's Friendship To Mirror Meredith & Cristina's

Simone Being There For Jules Makes Their Bond Stronger

Mika being brought to Grey Sloan by EMTs shocked all the interns, but her condition especially shook Lucas and Jules. While Lucas and Mika’s close friendship was universally known, Jules’ reaction puzzled Simone, even more so as it was unnecessarily vicious against Blue. Simone calling her out on it prompted Jules to reveal how she and Mika were more than friends in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 7. The unexpected confession inevitably pulled them closer, as Simone wanted to feel useful in the aftermath of Mika’s accident and Jules opened up to someone else, something she never felt comfortable doing.

Simone’s response to seeing Jules crumble when describing her and Mika’s situationship showed her genuinely happy for them, with understanding why Jules reacted extremely prompting Simone even more to help Jules deal with her feelings. Like Meredith officially became Cristina’s person after Cristina’s unplanned pregnancy and her wish to terminate it forced Cristina to choose someone to be her emergency contact person, Jules going through losing Mika can forge her and Simone’s unwavering friendship. Simone supporting Jules in unusual ways thus lays the foundation for their friendship, possibly forming a bond just as strong and peculiar as Meredith and Cristina’s.

Simone & Jules Share Key Traits With Meredith & Cristina

Simone's History & Jules' Attitude Mirror Meredith & Cristina's

Simone being teased as Meredith’s Grey’s Anatomy replacement in season 19 highlighted key similarities between the two. Simone’s introduction to the medical drama coincided with the revelation of her heartbreaking past with Grey Sloan Memorial. While Seattle Grace had been Meredith’s happy place growing up, it was the opposite for Simone, as her mother dying while giving birth to her there indissolubly linked it to a major tragedy in her life. Simone’s struggles in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 also mirrored Meredith’s in season 1, as Simone was dealing with a loved one’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, as her grandmother’s storyline proved.

Jules’ similarities with Cristina are less evident than Simone’s with Meredith. However, one key similarity involved their almost non-existent relationship with their respective families. Like Cristina barely tolerated her mother’s interest in her wedding to Burke in season 3, Jules’ values wholly contrast with her family's. Cristina’s pragmatic attitude got her to prioritize her surgical education above all else, and Jules proved just the same, albeit with different methods. Had her connection with Mika not taken her by surprise, Jules would have never considered a romantic relationship with someone, as focused as she was on her career and education.

Why Grey's Anatomy Sidelined Jules & Simone's Friendship

Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Forgot Jules & Simone's Season 19 Connection

Jules and Simone’s time together in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 7 can build upon Jules' choice to take over Lucas as a maid of honor after his and Simone’s feelings for one another became too big to be ignored. Indeed, Simone’s wedding being resumed gave her and Jules a chance to form a friendship similar to Meredith and Cristina’s bond, as they too didn’t know each other well before being thrust together to deal with something closer friends would have managed. Jules’ help and support for Simone seemed an even bigger feat knowing her aversion to what weddings represented.

While Simone’s wedding seemed too happy an occasion to mimic the beginning of Meredith and Cristina’s iconic bond, Simone and Jules’ oddities made the unlikely connection work. Still, Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s focus on Simone and Lucas not being able to communicate effectively to the point Lucas left Meredith’s house and Blue took his room, unexpectedly becoming friends with Simone, didn’t let Jules and Simone’s tentative friendship grow. Jules and Mika’s romantic spark in season 20 pulled the attention away from Simone and Jules’ friendship, but Simone supporting Jules after Mika’s tragedy can put them back on the right track.

Can Jules & Simone's Friendship Be Better Than Meredith & Cristina's In Grey's Anatomy?

Jules & Simone's Bond Is Just As Odd & Peculiar Like That Of The Twisted Sisters

Throughout Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith and Cristina’s bond was unwavering. Despite starting without the intention to make friends, wanting to focus on having more and more OR experience and succeeding, Cristina and Meredith became friends and supported one another, even when their goals pushed them to different places in life. The coexistence of Meredith and Cristina’s differences and their support for one another made their bond special, and Simone and Jules share part of their history with Meredith and Cristina already.

What made Meredith and Cristina’s bond steadfast were nonetheless tragedies. Jules having to go through a likely breakup and generally heartbreaking moment seeing Mika suffer as a consequence of losing Chloe can thus truly kickstart a meaningful friendship with Simone. The newness of their friendship can doubtfully compete with the history of Meredith and Cristina, but their peculiarities uniting them instead of dividing them can bring to Grey’s Anatomy season 21 one of the best qualities of Meredith and Cristina’s unique friendship.