IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Grey's Anatomy: Shonda Rhimes Addresses Meredith & Derek's Baby "Frustration"

Don't ever change, Grey's Anatomy! We love the way you hurt us so good.
/ Source: E!online

Don't ever change, Grey's Anatomy! We love the way you hurt us so good.

This season of Grey's Anatomy is chock-full of juicy baby-related storylines, and when we were lucky enough to catch up with Shonda Rhimes at the TV Summit sponsored by Variety and the Television Academy Foundation, she revealed that there's much more to come for our beloved and oh-so-troubled favorites at Seattle Grace Mercy West.

Find out what Shonda shared about Mark and Lexie's romantic struggles, how Cristina Yang has changed since the shooting trauma, and the way in which Callie's pregnancy is intertwined with Meredith and Derek's fertility struggles:

MORE: Who's singing in the Grey's Anatomy musical episode?

In the aftermath of the shooting, several characters have really had emotional journeys, especially Cristina. SR: We really worked hard to--when I said last season that we were going to [do] the shooting, one of the commitments I felt like was important to make was our people struggle through it, and it was going to be a full 13-episode arc to see them come back to themselves, which is what it took. It took 13 episodes to watch Cristina, who really was our way into this [story], come back to being herself. Now I feel Cristina is back, and she's stronger than ever, and she's a little bit more Cristina than ever. She also has a new layer of compassion to her, that is unexpected for her, as well as, I'm sure, for the fans.

Was that moment when she was compassionate with a patient just to get back at Jackson or is she really more sympathetic? SR: It was a real moment. Sandra and I talked about it a lot. It's a real moment for her to connect with a patient and that's something she wouldn't have been able to do, she wouldn't have been able to fake that before, so I thought that was really nice.

You often take to Twitter to calm the fans, most recently the Mark-Lexie fans. Where do you see that couple going through this Callie baby storyline?Shonda Rhimes: I think it's interesting, we have great fans, and I love that. I have to say I really do love them, even when they are sending me tweets of hate, I love them. It feels like everybody can't be happy all the time, that's not television, that's a Hallmark card, and it's charming, but it's not what we set out to do. Mark (Eric Dane) has some growing up to do, and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) has some growing up to do, and we're working through that.

How does Mark and Callie's having a baby impact Meredith and Derek's journey to have a baby?SR: It doesn't, if I have a baby, it doesn't mean my friend can't have a baby.

But are they affected emotionally because they are struggling to get pregnant?SR: Yeah, I feel there's a real level of frustration there, I'm sure, from a couple having trouble conceiving versus a couple who had a one-night stand and got pregnant.

Do you think Meredith and Derek will succeed in having a baby this season? Will Mark and Lexie do all that growing they need to do, or will they just grow apart? Hit the comments!

MORE: Sarah Drew joins the cast of Grey's Anatomy