‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Have Some Wild Theories About This New(ish) Doctor Character

Who is Dr. Dani Spencer (Jade Pettyjohn) anyway? That’s what some Grey’s Anatomy fans are wondering after the character reappeared on Thursday (February 26) night’s episode and had some curious interactions with Lucas Adams (Niko Terho).

In the episode, Adams continued trying to find a solution for Katie, the cancer patient whose promising clinical trial was abruptly ended due to government policy shifts. Dani, who tried to more casually relate to him over things like cooking, was confused about his dogged dedication to the case but said she understood in the end.

“I get it. It’s like when you meet someone, and you feel like you’ve already met them before, like they’re supposed to be in your life?” she mused with a smile.

Later, after seeing him have a showdown with Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) over the subject, she was upset with Lucas because his distraction and lack of leadership led to her accidental mistreatment of another patient.

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This was the first time we’d seen Dani in action for a while. The character was introduced as part of the new class of interns at the start of the season; in the aftermath of the explosion, she revealed that she’d snuck into the hospital to take a selfie for her proud dad and was injured in the blast. She was later treated by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who said her experience would separate her from the pack. She also had a dust-up with Lucas in the past when he ignored her suggestions in the treatment of a patient and later apologized for doing so.

Other than that, we know very little about her, and so her pointed comments to Lucas on the most recent episode had some fans wondering if there’s not more to the story with Dani than meets the eye.

After all, we’ve certainly seen it happen before that new characters have a hidden history with others in the hospital. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) was the secret love child of Ellis (Kate Burton) and Richard (James Pickens Jr.), and thus Meredith’s half sister, and Lucas himself is the nephew of Amelia (Caterina Scorsone).

On the show’s Reddit fan page, viewers volleyed around their theories about who Dani Spencer really is, and some of the guesses are truly intriguing.

One fan, for example, guessed that she could be someone who appeared as a patient much earlier in the show: “The girl Derrick saved the day he died was called Winnie but would the age work?” Another fan agreed with the possibility, writing, “Kinda reminds me of her like look wise so I feel like that could be cool.” As a reminder, Winnie was the little girl in the car accident that Derek (Patrick Dempsey) helped in the events leading up to his own death.

Someone else on the thread speculated that she might be the little girl Meredith interacted with during the ferry crash episode when Meredith went over the edge and almost died, while another speculated she could be the child of someone who did or did not get saved by Meredith in the past.

Another fan pegged her for a relative of another throwback character, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), while someone else wondered if she might be related to Meredith’s other half-sister, Molly, who we’ve barely met on the show.

Overall, a lot of the fans definitely think she’s getting main character energy with this latest episode, as one fan noted, “The way they’re framing her and giving her those loaded lines makes it feel intentional. Grey’s doesn’t do coincidences, especially when it comes to secret family ties.”

So do you have any theories about the potential hidden significance or character connections of Dani Spencer? Hit the comments below and let us know!

Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC