In the aftermath of the shooting, several characters have really had emotional journeys, especially Cristina.
Shonda Rhimes: We really worked hard to—when I said last season that we were going to [do] the shooting, one of the commitments I felt like was important to make was our people struggle through it, and it was going to be a full 13-episode arc to see them come back to themselves, which is what it took. It took 13 episodes to watch Cristina, who really was our way into this [story], come back to being herself. Now I feel Cristina is back, and she's stronger than ever, and she's a little bit more Cristina than ever. She also has a new layer of compassion to her, that is unexpected for her, as well as, I'm sure, for the fans.
Was that moment when she was compassionate with a patient just to get back at Jackson or is she really more sympathetic?
SR: It was a real moment. Sandra and I talked about it a lot. It's a real moment for her to connect with a patient and that's something she wouldn't have been able to do, she wouldn't have been able to fake that before, so I thought that was really nice.
Source
