Grey's Anatomy Season 9 may finally give Alex Karev a real shot at true -- and more important, sober -- love. But first, he has to deal with a very heavy sense of guilt. Meanwhile, Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes is still keeping things suspenseful when it comes to Arizona Robbins. Will she, or won't she survive last season's tragedy?

Warning: Spoiler Alert. This article contains story developments in Season 8 and some Season 9 spoilers.

Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) was supposed to board the plane that crashed in the Season 8 finale of Grey's Anatomy. But his mentor and perhaps number one fan in the hospital, Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), took his seat out of spite. She was upset that Karev took a job at another hospital. He could not tell her personally that he is extremely grateful to her, but he has to try his wings on his own. Karev is not one to sweet talk. He called her on the phone without knowing that the plane she boarded had crashed.

How will Karev, the tough guy with so much ennui going on, take the news? A more pressing question is: Will Robbins survive the crash?

Speaking to TV Line, Rhimes gives a hint on how things will unfold for Karev next season:

"In the aftermath of being the person who was supposed to be on the plane but who didn't get on the plane, Alex has filled the void that he had been feeling in his life with a lot of sex with a lot of people... And he really paints himself into a corner."

Does Alex "fill the void" by taking on a very important role at Seattle Grace Mercy West (which will happen if Robbins would die)?

TV Line's Michael Ausiello wrote about Capshaw's future in the show, but not in a way that gives a solid answer. He said Rhimes described Robbins' story as a "really interesting journey."

Ausiello added that Rhimes spoke about wanting Grey's avid viewers to see Robbins' story from a clueless perspective "as opposed to already knowing what's going to happen. It's one of the journeys that I'm most proud of. The acting has been incredible. We just want to let it be what it is."

Who will catch Alex Karev's heart?

Despite the tragedy, it seems Karev would still manage to make time for love. Either that, or love will simply make time for him.

Ausiello wrote, "(T)he longtime bachelor has a few more personal demons to exorcise before he meets The One."

According to TV Line spoilers, Jerrika Hinton has been cast as Stephanie, an intern. And Ausiello suspects she may be "the one" for Karev.

ABC has confirmed Hinton will play a recurring role in Grey's Season 9. Hinton has been seen on Season 1 of Rhimes' Scandal. She has also guest starred on Bones and Lie to Me.

Also read:

Grey's Anatomy Season 9: 'I want to see that Derek and Meredith are a happy, sexy couple' - Shonda Rhimes

Grey's Anatomy Season 9: Another 'Seattle Grace' Doc Gets Married, New Doc Checks in from 'Desperate Housewives'

To contact the editor, e-mail: