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Alexis Floyd is teasing that Grey Sloan Memorial is going to look different in season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy.
The actress, 31, who plays surgical intern Simone Griffith, tells PEOPLE that there is “lots of cleanup to be had” both “emotionally” and “physically” when the show returns on Thursday, Oct. 9, as it picks up where season 21 left off. Season 21 concluded with a patient’s mother, Jenna Gatlin (Piper Perabo), inadvertently causing an explosion by leaving open a gas valve during a hostage situation involving Simone and Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone).
“We find our way to becoming the healing institution we promised to be, but not without some scars,” Floyd recently told PEOPLE at ABC’s End of Summer Soirée in Los Angeles on Sept. 5.
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In addition to the explosion, Floyd’s Simone will also be facing turmoil after Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) declared his feelings for her. However, unbeknownst to him, Simone had hooked up with a doctor in the new intern class after their breakup.
When asked about the potential love triangle, Floyd’s costar Chandra Wilson teased, “She nasty. That’s all.”
“Cannot deny,” Floyd agreed. “Simone [has] got some cleaning up to do in the heart chakra.”
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Floyd noted that Simone is figuring herself out this season.
“I’m on the journey with her,” she said. “But I am excited to see how a couple different new relationship dynamics, including in friendships, start to bloom. [I’m excited to see] Simone open [up] a bit. And I think that’s going to be a theme for her this season.”
“She’s going to soften and also light up in a way that we haven’t seen,” she added. “And I’m excited for her.”
To that, Wilson, 56, quipped, “Oh, you think she’s soft and light?”
“Not yet,” Floyd responded.
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Wilson also opened up about her character Miranda Bailey’s love of mentoring new doctors amidst the Grey Sloan Memorial chaos.
“Bailey, even though she denies it, she actually really loves to teach,” she said. “She actually loves to mentor. She takes pride in all of her babies’ successes and doesn’t even want to talk about failures. Just not interested in that.”
“Again, we’re in clean up mode,” she continued. “We’re in take care of folks [mode]. We’ve got some injuries and we’ve got some big things going on. But at the end of the day, Bailey is always the teacher.”
Camilla Luddington previously told PEOPLE that “every scene packs a punch” in the season 22 premiere.
“There’s so much story that’s told in that, that I don’t know how we’re not a two-hour premiere, honestly,” she said. “It feels like two hours worth of story. It’s intense. Explosive will be a great way to describe it.”
The actress revealed the episode will bring a mix of emotions for fans.
“It’s the Grey’s you know and love, but maybe also the Grey’s you love to hate a little bit,” she teased. “I think there’s going to be some throwing things at your TV screen, which is what Grey’s does best too.”
“I think that some things fans will be happy about and some things they’re going to be crying about,” she added.
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Grey’s Anatomy season 22 premieres Thursday, Oct. 9, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
