The doctors are in! On Thursday, your favorite surgeons will return to the small screen when ABC releases the anticipated “Grey’s Anatomy” midseason premiere. But before viewers tune into the jaw-dropping drama set to go down in Season 12, episode 9, titled “The Sound of Silence,” there’s a few things audiences should know about the upcoming installment, which was directed by Denzel Washington.

1. “Grey’s Anatomy” Goes Dark

Before Season 12 kicked off, Shonda Rhimes, mastermind behind the medical series, promised audiences that the new season would have a “lighter tone” following the death of McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey). And while that proved to be true, it seems that the series is stepping away from the light and inching toward the darkness.

Rhimes divulged to Entertainment Weekly that the first episode back will be “extraordinary and very, very powerful.”

“It certainly puts us on a path for the beginning of the second half of the season,” she added. And from what we saw in the trailer for the midseason premiere, it looks like that path will be a pretty solemn one.

2. Meredith Gets Attacked

A promo video for the Season 12 winter premiere reveals that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) will get brutally attacked in episode 9 by a patient who suffers from hyper-aggression. The gut-wrenching incident will leave Mer on the brink of death but, according to the synopsis, her fellow Grey Sloan surgeons will rally together to save their dear friend.

“The doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial rush to stabilize Meredith and remain by her side in the harrowing aftermath,” the summary elaborates.

3. Long-Term Damage

Even if the doctors are able to save Meredith’s life, Caterina Scorsone, who portrays Mer’s sister-in-law Amelia, dished to TV Guide that the attack will have some lasting affects on the widow.

“The attack itself is shocking. It’s quite brutal, and the damage is extensive,” Scorsone said. “It’s not just a couple bruises. It’s a pretty long-term situation.”

The incident will “impact everyone quite profoundly,” the actress continued, revealing that because Meredith is the center of the hospital, things will begin to crumble during her collapse.

4. Jo Answers Alex’s Marriage Proposal

“Grey’s Anatomy” left fans with several cliffhangers in the winter finale — one of them being Alex’s (Justin Chambers) unanswered marriage proposal to Jo (Camilla Luddington). But, according to Luddington, Jo’s response to Alex’s big question will be unveiled in the midseason premiere.

“Yes, you will get the answers to that [question] in [the premiere] … to the big question,” she said to Entertainment Weekly.

5. April And Jackson’s Fate Teased

Sarah Drew, who portrays April, explained that although fans won’t find out if Jackson (Jesse Williams) wants to continue his relationship with his wife until episode 11, episodes 9 and 10 will allude to his anticipated answer.

“You get little snippets in 9 and 10, but 11 is a big one,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “It was so much fun to shoot, an epic journey and every actor’s dream basically. It’s one of those special episodes.”

"Grey's Anatomy" will return with is midseason premiere on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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