The big character exits fans were warned about ahead of Season 21 of Grey's Anatomy are coming to be. Shortly after the departure of Jake Borelli's Levi Schmitt, Midori Francis would depart the following week, which saw Midori Francis in her final appearance as Dr. Mika Yasuda.
In an interview with Deadline, Francis opened up about her exit from Grey's Anatomy. The character's exit episode saw Mika returning after the automobile accident that resulted in the death of her sister, and the trauma endured has left the doctor unable to properly work. Ultimately, Mika decides to leave Grey Sloan, as "everything around me reminds me of her." It was a sad way to see the character go, though Francis is very happy with the storyline from a creative standpoint.
"Creatively, it’s about coming together to find the right story, the right moment for Mika’s exit that could fit into the larger season and arc, and I think that the writers did such a good job," Francis said. "Because when I think about Mika, she’s so ambitious and she’s so competitive, so what would cause her to leave Grey Sloan? And boy, did they set that up well."
Midori Francis Was Thrilled With Her Exit Episode
She added, "But what it did is it made for a freaking great episode and so iconically Grey’s, which is a very full circle moment for me, because I started with watching Grey’s [as a fan]. I just felt like the only way Mika would leave the hospital is something really bad happening. And boy, they created something so incredible for me to play. I honestly, had such a great time this season."
"I feel that given the extent of Mika’s grief in that moment, I forgave her for walking away pretty quickly," Francis continued. "I’m deeply happy with with how it all played out. And I hope fans are too, happy in the way that sometimes you’re not happy when you watch Grey’s Anatomy, but you’re happy because it is Grey’s Anatomy."
The door is not closed when it comes to Mika returning at some point in the future of the series. Francis commented on if she might return one day to reprise her role as Mika, and she admits it's something she would be "delighted" to do. However, Francis also concedes that a return may not be the best thing for Mika anytime soon, given how much "healing" she still has to do before coming back to Grey Sloan.
"I think Mika has a lot of healing to do, and she’s going to go home and do that," she said. "In the back of my mind, because I know how passionate she is about what she does, do I think and do I hope that she will find a way to use this grief as a way to continue pursuing caring for other people? Yes, I do."
She added, "As far as returning to Grey’s, I would be so delighted. These people and this world has become part of my trajectory of acting families, and I would be absolutely delighted to return. I don’t know if Mika would, I think for Mika it would be triggering."
New episodes of Grey's Anatomy air Thursdays at 10/9c on AMC.
Source: Deadline
