EW: Owen and Cristina is a different story, though. What can you preview about them?
Shonda Rhimes: I think it’s very complex. To me — Sandra [Oh], Kevin [McKidd] and I have talked about this a lot — it’s very simple to say a guy cheats on you and therefore, the relationship is over and everything is done. But it’s very childlike and naïve to be in that place where everything is black and white. And what I love about what’s happening with them is that it really is all these interesting shades of gray. We understand why he cheated and how he got there. We understand her outrage and her feelings about it completely. I feel compassion for Owen even though I think he did a horrible thing, and I feel compassion for Cristina even though she hasn’t handled her relationship in the best possible way all along. I feel like we’re watching them come to a better place.
EW:Will that happen by the end of the season?
Sandra and I talked a lot and we were both very adamant that this journey needed to continue in a way that felt true to what was happening. So we’re not going to wrap everything up with a big happy bow at the end of the season. That’s just not where we’re headed with this couple. And the finale, I’ve said this before, if the finale works the way it should, that won’t be the thing you’re thinking about anyway. There’s so many more complex and dark things going on. And no matter what you see happen between the two of them in these last two episodes, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re finished or the story’s finished or everything’s happy or everything’s sad.