Isaiah Washington returns to Greys Anatomy

Publish date: 2024-09-21

Burke is back!

On Thursday’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) makes his first appearance on the show since he was fired in 2007.

The doc is returning as part of the goodbye to original character Dr. Cristina Yang as star Sandra Oh prepares to exit the ABC medical drama at the end of this season.

Burke was Yang’s love interest for the show’s first three seasons, and the two had a tumultuous affair before he jilted her at the altar. (That, his final episode, also airs Thursday at 8 p.m.)

Their reunion comes as Yang reaches a crossroads in her career at the hospital, but if the Taylor Swift-inspired title of the episode — “We Are Never Getting Back Together” — is any indication, it might not be a long one.

In anticipation of Burke’s return, here’s a look at the key moments in his love story with Yang.

The hookup (Season 1)

In Episode 5, Burke wins the attention of the prickly Yang by getting her coffee, and by the end of the hour they sleep together in the on-call room.

The two continue their office tryst, but the practical Burke pushes to define their relationship while the noncommittal Yang thinks he’s acting like a girl.

She then discovers she’s pregnant.

The miscarriage (Season 2)

Burke is made interim chief of surgery and breaks up with Yang to focus on the job.

She schedules an abortion but then collapses in the operating room during a surgery and discovers she had an ectopic pregnancy.

The miscarriage ultimately brings Burke and Yang back together, and she moves into his apartment.

The shooting and the coverup (Season 3)

After getting shot at the end of Season 2, Burke is left with a hand tremor, compromising his surgical skills. He enlists Yang to assist in all of his procedures to cover up his secret injury.

Feeling guilty, she finally confesses to the chief, and an angry Burke stops talking to her.

The engagement (Season 3)

Burke ends the freeze-out and proposes to Yang.

Her wedding planning is strained, however, when her mother and Burke’s mother push for an extravagant affair while she wants a small ceremony.

Yang’s former professor and ex-lover arrives at Seattle Grace and tries to convince her to break off the engagement, while Burke’s mother also tells her son the marriage would be a mistake.

The jilting (Season 3)

The Season 3 finale takes place the day of their wedding, and Cristina continues to take on work at the hospital even though she’s been given the day off.

Burke realizes he’s making her be a bride against her will, and calls it off the wedding at the chapel.

Yang returns to their apartment to discover he’s moved out, and she collapses in tears.