NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Anytime a star departs a show, their absence is felt. For Grey’s Anatomy, stars leaving is nothing new. However, how many would have bet the ranch that Ellen Pompeo would depart before the show was officially over? While her departure does not close the door on a return, many believe that Grey’s will not be the same. However, I’m one to believe it will get better.
What has made Grey’s so appealing for almost 2 decades has been their ability to shift focus. From the start, while the show does bare her name, when was it ever just about Meredith Grey? Where would the show be without Alex Karev, Derek Shepherd, Miranda Bailey, Richard Webber, and others? The storylines are the driving force behind the hit show, not the cast.
Think back to when Izzie (Katherine Heigl) left. That was a scary moment as fans grew to either love or hate her character. The same can be said for Cristina Yang and maybe even Preston Burke. But they left and the show kept going and striving.
Grey’s Anatomy Will Survive
As far as Meredith’s arc, what’s left for her? She has done everything except cure Alzheimers. But according to the storyline, that’s where she’s headed. Has she not suffered more than anyone else on the show? She has lost everyone. Her mother, father, sister, and husband. She has found love, lost it, and found it again. She has 3 kids, a tight bond with her sisters, and her career is next level. There is nothing left in the storyline for her to do. A departure is growth for the show.
Backtracking just a bit now, a departure from Grey’s Anatomy is always an opening for two or more characters to emerge from the shadows. Don’t view this as we’re losing Meredith, but look at it as we’re gaining new storylines and characters to embrace.
There will be some loose ends to tie up regarding her relationship with Nick but we know they will find a way to make it work. Watching Zola grow up has been great but her storyline can be replaced with the other kids at Grey Sloan Memorial.
Meredith is not dying, she’s just moving on to a new phase in her career as she helps her daughter find herself. Meredith will return but not in the capacity that we’re used to. Think of her as the new Addison Montgomery. She’ll come around for her expertise, drop some profound knowledge, and be gone with the wind.
The show has survived deaths, amputations, divorces, fires, and shootings. But through it all, fans of Grey’s Anatomy can always count on closure. Merideth Grey was the face of Grey’s Anatomy for almost 20 years, the show has evolved to a point now where she doesn’t have to be. She’ll be missed, but not as deeply as the naysayers would want you to think.
