Did Izzie and George die, or will they be back next season?

Shonda Rhimes obviously isn't saying, as we could have predicted. But she did offer this new, vague quote on the subject in a recent talk with TV Guide:

“We will definitely answer those questions in the fall. As with anyone you come to love, you don’t want to see them die, but it’s all part of the circle of life.”

Hmmm ...

Still, she allows, “there are some top-notch doctors at Seattle Grace and although there may not be miracles, there could be some good medicine.”

How do you interpret that one?

Have we seen the last of Izzie Stevens at Seattle Grace?

While the potentially tragic demise of Izzie and George cast a pall over the Season 5 finale, things did end on a positive note for some Grey's Anatomy characters.

Christina and Hunt are on again, or at least heading that direction, Callie and Arizona are forging a deeper girlfriend-ship, and Der and Mer had a wedding - their way.

“I wanted you to feel happy for some people,” says the Grey's Anatomy creator and producer, noting that “Meredith, our dark and twisty girl, is whole and healed.”

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.