After 21 seasons, you would think that Grey’s Anatomy would finally understand that its characters can have compelling story arcs outside of their messy love lives.
However, when it comes to the interns, or rather, residents now, it’s evident that they will still recycle the same things over and over again rather than focus on any more compelling angle for one of their characters.
A prime example of this is with Lucas and how the series has seemingly abandoned his neurodivergency arc.
Lucas’ Story Arcs Have Been Somewhat Interesting But Repetitive, Too
Admittedly, the appeal of Lucas and Simone was pretty great back in Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 when it felt as if they were nodding at the early days of the series with this group of interns, either with direct ties to the OG crew (Lucas) or with similar personalities or lore to match the original M.A.G.I.C.
However, since then, they’ve devolved into yet another messy couple, stuck in a cyclical loop of problematic behaviors and an inability to be together in a healthy or compatible manner.
And, oh, yay! Simone has already slept with someone new, and we can expect yet another love triangle in an endless stream of them for the series.
Of course, Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 mostly had Lucas being the only one to face real repercussions for a patient’s death, resulting in him spending the entire season set back from the rest of his peers and facing professional turmoil while those around him moved on.
The frustrating thing about this arc is that it was often used as fodder to drive a wedge between Simone and Lucas.
He often sought emotional support as he struggled to impress Catherine and regain his placement.
Meanwhile, Simone was often too preoccupied with her own career, and the others were facing their own personal and professional struggles, making it difficult for them to truly show up for Lucas when he needed them to do so.
It was unfortunate that Lucas appeared a bit isolated from the rest of the group, considering that initial connection was what made this batch of fresh new faces so interesting in the first place.
Grey’s Completely Abandons Lucas’ ADHD Arc
But the series never took the more obvious and interesting route with this storyline and used it to delve deeper into his ADHD. Some of the behavior he exuded that led him to make such a seemingly reckless and impulsive decision could have easily been attributed to that.
It would’ve been a nice throughline for the series to connect his recently diagnosed ADHD with his decision-making and his having to retake his intern year.
But Lucas’ ADHD arc seemed to have stopped in its tracks. It’s as if, beyond his ability to connect with Nick, someone who is presumably neurodivergent as well and thus able to clock it in the first place, the series casts the plot aside.
I don’t understand why they would do that, though. By doing so, they’ve stripped one of the most interesting things about Lucas away from him for status quo arcs that aren’t remotely meaningful.
The moment Lucas had this awakening about his own neurodivergency, it was truly something special. Sure, there was some embarrassment over the fact that Nick had chastised him.
Lucas’ Late-In-Life Realization About His Neurodivergency Is a Powerful, Compelling Storyline
Later, there was the confusion, denial, and then the realization that everything he had known about his life and how he functioned clicked into place.
It was as if his whole world had opened up, and he was able to unlock a new part of himself — or rather, this part that had always been there, but he couldn’t quite figure out.
The fascinating thing about Lucas having this diagnosis as an adult is that he’s young enough to be from an era where kids did get these diagnoses earlier in life.
Typically, when you learn of some people having this awakening about their neurodivergency, it’s someone older because they came from an era where people still didn’t have a grasp on things like ADHD or any number of things.
One of my mother’s close friends just got diagnosed at 50, only after her child was diagnosed at the urging of their school.
It’s the Perfect Chance to Flesh Out His Family History, Too
Similarly, a relative went their entire life not knowing. They still haven’t sought an official diagnosis, but they endured a situation, just like Lucas, a casual reference to them having their medicine recalibrated.
My point is that Lucas’ most compelling story yet is this late-in-life diagnosis of his neurodivergency because it looks entirely different on someone older than a teenager, especially in a professional setting.
There are so many layers that the series hasn’t even begun to explore yet. Offhand, based on the little things Lucas has shared, everyone in his life wrote him off as a problem child without ever considering that there might be something else going on.
While the series rarely delves into his heritage, as a biracial male, there’s a whole other layer to his neurodivergency. It sadly makes sense that he spent so much of his life with people dismissing him as a “problem child” rather than actually getting him the help that he needed.
It was easier to assume it was a behavioral issue of his own making than something beyond his control, thus resulting in Lucas facing negative labels and stigmas.
Grey’s Misses the Opportunity to Unpack the Layers of Lucas, Exploring This While Practicing Medicine
The series could’ve easily delved into that more. Maybe they’ve avoided it in part because they still refuse to share which of Derek’s sisters is his mother, but it’s a worthwhile arc to explore.
A plot that actually spends time recognizing Lucas for the rare, invaluable form of representation that he is would serve the series well and actually give Lucas the storyline he deserves rather than the stuff they often waste him on.
It was a truly special and gratifying moment when Lucas realized he had ADHD. I’ve personally seen many Grey’s Fanatics praising the series for the arc and expressing how they felt “seen” through that moment.
And that’s more reason why it’s frustrating that they dropped it randomly for no apparent reason.
To the best of our knowledge, he does not have an official diagnosis. There’s so much potential to this arc — so much to mine with Lucas seeking out a professional’s help, getting an official diagnosis, and going through the process of getting on medication for it.
Lucas’ Journey Navigating ADHD is Far More Interesting Than More Relationship Drama
Medications for neurodivergency are difficult because it takes a while to figure out what works well in what dosages. We could easily be following Lucas on this journey, seeing the difference in his personality or how his life improves or slips as he figures out what works best for him.
They could still use that thread to explore how it impacts his relationships and romantic relationships, too, if they choose to. This is Grey’s Anatomy after all.
But overall, we’d just get to follow his experience, navigating his newfound nerodivergency with his practicing medicine — where his ADHD serves as an edge in some ways and an obstacle he has to overcome in others.
Of course, we can’t do any of that if the series acts as if this arc never happened and barely acknowledges it further.
Hopefully, it’s something they’ll bring back in the upcoming season; otherwise, it would be a waste of a perfectly great, poignant, and important story arc.
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