‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Unpacks Episode 3 Cliffhanger: Lucas ‘Has to Look Out for Himself’
Niko Terho tells TheWrap “there aren’t many options” after moving out of Meredith’s — and previews Jessica Capshaw’s April 4 return
Note: This story contains spoilers from “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 20, Episode 3.
Tensions rose on this week’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” culminating with Dr. Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) moving out of the house he shared with some of his fellow interns in the hour’s final moments.
The episode, titled “Walk on the Ocean,” saw Lucas get into heated blowups with his closest friend in the hospital, Dr. Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), as well as his on-again, off-again lover Dr. Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd). The roommate friction had been building up since Simone’s failed wedding, along with their traumatic experience watching a patient die after Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) collapsed in the operating room during the Season 19 finale.
Thursday’s new episode saw Simone attempt to officially end things with Lucas, claiming to be choosing herself, only for him to call out her selfishness throughout their relationship. When Simone tried to go to his room and apologize later that night, she found the room empty and all of Lucas’ belongings gone.
“It wasn’t a conducive environment for him to be happy, which I think is his goal,” Terho told TheWrap. “I think he thought it’s better to just leave the situation than to deal with all that anymore.”
No need to panic, though. Lucas’ decision to leave Dr. Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) house does not mean Terho has left the ABC medical drama. Terho teased that “there aren’t many places for him to go” with his living situation now in flux. And he’ll still interact with his fellow doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, so expect his decision to continue bringing tension to the new class of interns.
“Lucas doesn’t have a ton of friends at the moment … so now that both Simone and Mika have essentially abandoned him, it’s going to be a tough journey for him,” Terho said. “I think we see him coming to the realization that he has to look out for himself a bit more.”
Beyond the intern drama, “Grey’s Anatomy” is gearing up for the anticipated return of Jessica Capshaw’s Arizona Robbins in Episode 4, airing April 4. A logline for the episode teased that a “particularly complicated case” brings the beloved doctor back to Seattle, as “the interns are interrogated about their past mistakes.”
“She’s an icon in the ‘Grey’s’ family, so it’s very much like someone coming home,” Terho teased of the upcoming episode. “She was super kind and willing to give us advice. We’re like the new members of the family, so we can feel the presence and the history that’s been there.”
But playing the nephew of Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) gives Terho’s Lucas a direct connection to the show’s beloved characters. He said he looks forward to exploring those family connections further as the show progresses.
“We’ve gotten to see moments with him and his aunt, and I would love to explore more of that relationship,” Terho said. “It’s something we don’t see very often depicted on TV, different from a friend relationship or a mother-son relationship … I think it’ll be very interesting to do that.”
“Grey’s Anatomy” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes are available to stream the day after premiere on Hulu.
