Kevin McKidd used to always believe that Cristina and Owen were MFEO on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, but following the couple's emotional split in the season-nine finale, that may no longer be the case.
"Should we hold out for Owen and Cristina being a couple? I don't know anymore," the actor behind Dr. Owen Hunt tells The Hollywood Reporter of the couple's long-term prospects.
In the ninth-season finale, Cristina broke things off with Owen for what seems like the final time in the duo's tumultuous relationship when she realized that she was the only person standing in the way of Owen following his dream of becoming a father.
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"Cristina has given him this huge gift and she, in a way, helps him at the beginning of the season -- pushing him toward it in a very loving way," McKidd says, noting he'll still have just as many scenes with co-star Sandra Oh (Cristina) as he did when the pair were an on-screen item. "She's going to be helping him navigate new waters, trying to find a person who's going to be the person who has a kid with him. She's definitely encouraging him. He's definitely going to explore how he's going to construct a world and a life to become a father, and Cristina is trying to encourage him.
McKidd notes that the couple's most recent split -- which came after Cristina and Owen divorced so the former could reap the financial windfall from the plane crash settlement -- represents their most adult breakup and one that even Owen didn't protest.
"Owen tried to convince himself because he loves her so much that he doesn't want to be a father. He tried to convince himself of the fact that he can do without being a dad as long as he has Cristina," he says. "Then the complication comes when Ethan shows up, and Cristina, because she's a sharp cookie, can see what's going on -- that he's in denial because he loves her. The sad fact is this breakup is the first time they've broken up in an adult way and for an adult reason, ever. She's seen what he needs and is ready to give it to him, and sadly that means breaking apart."
The season 10 premiere picks up immediately where last season ended, with the hospital in the thick of a crisis from the super storm that soaked Seattle, causing everyone working in close quarters to manage the crush of patients.
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And while the realization has yet to set in for Owen that this could truly be the end of the road for them, that doesn't mean he won't make an attempt to win her back -- even though he failed to pursue her immediately following her decision to break things off for good.
"I definitely think we'll see him try to get her back, but I think he realizes that maybe she's right. Maybe what she's doing here, even though it's heartbreaking, is the most loving act that she can do," McKidd says. "It's scary because potentially these two people are going to be alone in the world, so I hate to say this because I feel like Cristina/Owen fans feel suicidal, but I don't think it's the end of the relationship between Cristina and Owen."
"You'll see in the first few episodes that the attraction between Cristina and Owen still burns," he teases of the duo's workplace tension.
Grey's Anatomy returns Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. with a two-hour season premiere. Hit the comments below with your hopes for Cristina and Owen this season.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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