“Grey’s Anatomy” will kick of the second half of Season 11 with a bang – or should we say a sob? According to actresses Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington, fans of the hit ABC series are in for a seriously emotional winter premiere when episode 9 airs Thursday, Jan. 29.

“There’s such huge stuff coming! And it’s so top secret we can’t even tell you who it involves,” Capshaw teased during an interview with TVLine. Luddington then had us inching even closer to the edge of our seat when she advised viewers to stock up on tissues and wine.

“At the table read, people were crying. ... There’s no relaxing. There’s no calm before the storm. It’s just storm. All storm, all the time,” she said of the whirlwind of drama set to hit TV screens.

We previously theorized that the installment might have something to do with the heartbreaking story line of Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April’s (Sarah Drew) yet-to-be-born baby. In episode 8, it was revealed that their little Buddha baby has a life-threatening disease: osteogenesis imperfecta.

Dr. Herman (Geena Davis) explained to Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton), who discovered the deformity, that babies born with the brittle bone disease “usually don’t live more than a couple of days or weeks.” As if the scene wasn't heartbreaking enough, the winter finale concluded with Jackson confronting Stephanie about the grim topic he overheard concerning his son.

According to Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the medical drama, our theory regarding the midseason premiere sob-fest focusing around the Buddha baby -- he appears to be cross-legged in ultrasounds -- isn't too far off. The “powerful” plot will continue to evolve when “Grey’s Anatomy” airs episode 9, according to reports.

“For Jackson, who is a man of science, and April, who is a doctor filled with faith, it is going to be a very interesting struggle,” Rhimes revealed to TVLine. Although the showrunner remained mum on the details, she did dish that audiences shouldn’t expect Jackson to keep the terrible information to himself. “That would just make him an awful human being, so we’re not playing that,” she confirmed.

What do you think will have viewers weeping when “Grey’s Anatomy” returns Thursday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC? Let us know in the comments section below.

RELATED STORIES