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"Grey's Anatomy" Preview: Oh Brother

"Grey's Anatomy" welcomes Jake McLaughlin to guest star as Alex's younger brother named Aaron. Since a family member is present at the Seattle Grace-Mercy West, past secrets or any things hidden by Alex are bound to be unveiled in this episode.

Aaron shows up at the hospital with a hernia and it's up to Alex to get Bailey's approval for his pro bono surgery. Matters are further complicated when Aaron discloses that his family has not heard from Alex since he arrived in Seattle, and parts of Alex's past long kept secret are revealed to his friends and fellow doctors.

"Sympathy for the Parents" airs on April 1. Beside largely focusing on Alex, the episode also draws the attention to MerDer. As creator Shonda Rhimes blogged on EW, "Derek and Meredith are going to have a very serious conversation that may or may not involve the word 'baby'.

Casting Shake-Up on Grey's

Grey's Anatomy is adding three new docs to solve a short-time problem - and perhaps lay the foundation for its long-term future. In the season's fifth episode, Nora Zehetner, Jesse Williams and Robert Baker debut as residents from Seattle Grace's rival hospital, Mercy West. They will rub shoulders - and in some cases butt heads - with their crosstown peers when a merger forces the staff to coexist on Seattle Grace turf. Might these three recurring players ultimately be keepers? "That's the hope," says a source close to one of the newcomers. A Grey's set-sider adds that it's possible some of the characters could take on major roles in the long run. Whatever the case, these changes will help the ABC series navigates a trcikly time. Having already lost George, viewers will see less of Meredith and virtually no Izzie this fall as Ellen Pompeo goes on maternity leave and Katherine Heigl takes a hiatus to shoot a movie. (Izzie loses her job in the merger.) Alex, Cristina and Lexie will interact the most with the Mercy folks. While Mer's pals may give them the cold shoulder, if views warm up with the new faces, Grey's could keep going for years, even if more original cast members decide to turn in their lab coats.