Chandra Wilson on Grey's Anatomy

Ever since Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) lost her leg earlier this season, her friends and loved ones have fought to get her back to her normal self. But if Bailey (Chandra Wilson) has her way, that’s a battle that is going to be won.

In tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, which is directed by Wilson, Bailey takes on the seemingly impossible — trying to get Arizona back in on the doctor action. “Bailey is really instrumental in getting Arizona Robbins off her behind and back to work in a fun way,” she says.

They key, says Wilson, is getting Arizona to “move into the next phase of what her life is going to be” and accept her new physical challenges. “She does find a way to at least jump start the process with Arizona,” she says. “[Arizona] is starting to acknowledge that things are going to be different now.”

Bailey could actually use a little of that “change happens” wisdom herself when it comes to her relationship with Ben. Now that they are engaged, Wilson admits that Bailey’s “sort of in denial that she’s made this commitment.” “He wants to get married and she understands that that it’s important to him, but everything with Bailey, she’s got to go kicking and screaming into anything,” she says. “She’s just gotta take the leap and quit complaining.”

Tonight’s episode marks Wilson’s seventh time directing Grey’s, but while one might assume she’s a pro by now, she says with a laugh, “it absolutely hasn’t gotten easier.” “Each time it feels like I’m starting over for the first time,” she says, “but I do try to give myself a new challenge each time I’m up at bat.”

Other scooplets from the episode:

+ The episode will feature Cristina being “reintegrated into the hospital” with hilarious results.

+ Per Wilson: “You’ll see more action from Jackson and April on their on-again-off-again relationship.”

+ And one patient will present with an illness that is very personal to Wilson. Her daughter suffers from cyclic vomiting syndrome, and Wilson said she saw the episode as a chance to “have that name out there nationally so that the sufferers out there can have that acknowledgement.” “I’m very aware of the voice [the show] has given me as an individual. And [going through] the journey that my daughter was going through, there were times when she felt like she was the only person int he world going through these terrible cycles of vomiting and nausea. I set out to prove to her that she wasn’t, but this turned into a whole other ambassadorship, in a way.”

Check out a clip from the episode:

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