The doctor is back in the house!
“Grey’s Anatomy” fans rejoiced Thursday night as Kate Walsh returned to the long-running medical drama for the first time in almost a decade.
The red-headed actress, 54, is reprising her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery, last seen on the show during its eighth season, back in 2012.
Earlier this year, ABC announced Walsh would be coming back for a multi-episode arc on the current 18th season, sending fans into a frenzy.
Thursday night’s episode marked her character’s return, with Addison forging a surprising bond with her one-time nemesis, Dr. Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo).
During the early seasons of the show, the pair were embroiled in a love triangle with Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), whom Meredith went on to marry. They had three children together before Derek died in a car crash in Season 11.
During Thursday night’s episode, former foes Addison and Meredith performed a uterine transplant together before speaking about how much they both missed Derek.
Fans flooded Twitter to express their elation over the emotional moment, with others adding that they were ecstatic to see Walsh on the show once again.
“THE QUEEN IS BACK,” one viewer enthused, using all-caps to emphasize their excitement.
“All the feels of Greys good old days. So needed,” another remarked.
Walsh made her “Grey’s Anatomy” debut in 2005 when she was initially booked as a recurring character. However, she clicked with fans and quickly became a series regular.
Show creator Shonda Rhimes later created “Private Practice,” a spinoff built around Addison, who relocated to Los Angeles. The series ran for six seasons from 2007 to 2013.
Walsh told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday that her return to “Grey’s Anatomy” was “surreal.”
“There’s no way to even articulate it. I knew it would be odd but it was so emotional, and so big and yeah, beyond, because when’s the last time you’ve ever gone back to a job that you started 18 years ago that you left 10 years ago?” she stated.
“There’s no infrastructure. There’s no construct for it because even if you say, ‘Oh, it’s kind of like going home to your parents,’ and you’re like, ‘Wait, this is my room? OK, yeah, that’s right I have an airplane bed.’”