We knew that Midori Francis would be leaving Grey's Anatomy as a series regular at some point soon, and that was tonight. With that, it feels like high time to wonder the following: How did this happen, and why?

Well, first and foremost, we should state here that Francis' departure from the medical drama is something that we've been aware of for a really long time, so we've been able to adequately prepare. While it sounds like the actress was interested in spreading her wings and exploring other roles, this may also be a part of the change-up behind-the-scenes of the show that also led to the loss of Jake Borelli. With Grey's Anatomy now airing at a later timeslot with smaller live+same-day ratings, there may be some things that are happening in order to reduce the budget.

Yasuda's departure story-wise came about as she realized that in the wake of losing her sister Chloe, she would not be able to stay at the hospital -- everything reminded her of what they went through.