Don’t expect Meredith Grey’s date from the latest episode to try to redeem himself in a future episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
Josh Radnor, who played a tech worker and the accidental first blind date for Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) during “Momma Knows Best,” will not reprise his role later this season.
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According to TVLine, the How I Met Your Mother star only signed on for one episode of season 15 of the long-running ABC medical drama, and given the way the date came to a crashing halt after John stuck a foot in his mouth, we can’t say it’s really a surprise.
John was introduced as Meredith was set up by matchmaker Cece for the first time during the latest episode. When she walked into the restaurant, John approached her and the two seemed to hit it off pretty quickly.
As the pair exchanged anecdotes about their respective jobs, including Meredith revealing she works as a surgeon “in her pajamas,” she is encouraged to move things around at work so she doesn’t have to cut it short too quickly. They then realize that they accidentally met up with the wrong person at the restaurant and notice that their respective dates also found each other and seemed to be having a nice time.
The accident seems to be a happy one, however, as they both decide to invent excuses for ditching their actual dates and they rush out of the restaurant.
Later, Meredith and John go on a walk and talk further, when he starts to criticize single mothers. He says that he has had trouble dating them in the past as they seem “desperate” and he does not really like kids that much. The comment proves to be the one thing that ruins an otherwise perfect date โ given that she has three kids herself โ so Meredith politely says goodbye to him and walks away.
The date was Meredith’s first attempt at dating as she embarks on her journey in the Season of Love, which showrunner Krista Vernoff teased will be a season-long arc.
“I was really interested in seeing someone as beautiful and smart and funny and complex as Meredith actually have to put herself out there,” Vernoff told press ahead of the season premiere. “It’s something that somehow we’ve never really seen in 15 seasons of this show.”
Radnor joins Scott Speedman as big name actors who have made one-episode appearances on Grey’s to woo Meredith, though Speedman’s character Nick Marsh left a much more pleasant impression on fans, who hope to see him again some day.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.