Sorry, But It’s Time For Ellen Pompeo (and Meredith) to Permanently Exit Grey’s Anatomy
The news that Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith will be returning to Grey’s Anatomy for as many as 14 of next season’s slated 18 episodes is being cheered in many corners. But we’re left feeling like the mother of a 40-year-old who’s moved into the basement: “How can we miss you if you refuse to leave?”
If it feels as if we’ve been talking about Pompeo’s exit for years, that’s because we have. It was back in Season 19 that the actress’ decision to cut back her appearances led to Meredith relocating with her kids to Boston. Yet rather than cut the chord, the often exasperating doc around whom the show has centered from the beginning not only continued to sporadically appear, but also remained the omniscient narrator guiding us into and out of each episode.
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Worse, her storylines became lackluster at best. Mer spent what seemed like an eternity hanging out on what became known as “Covid Beach” before finally coming out of the coma we all knew wouldn’t actually kill her. (Imagine if instead, she’d actually perished in a heartwrenching and all-too-realistic twist, allowing her to continue narrating from the great beyond.)
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The character’s romance with Scott Speedman’s Nick showed promise from the beginning — how could it not, given his sex appeal? Unfortunately, the relationship brought all of Meredith’s worst tendencies to the fore. Frankly, her treatment of Nick was so appalling this past season — especially the way she made huge life decisions without consulting him — that we wanted him to pull a Sex and the City by dumping her via Post-It note. (Actually, how funny would it be if instead he did it via a scribbled note on a prescription pad with handwriting so illegible — him being a doctor and all — that it took her days and a consult with Yang to realize what it said.)
Don’t get it twisted: For many years, we absolutely loved Meredith. But this is an ensemble show and for far too long, it’s felt as if too much attention has been paid to the “Will she stay or will she go?” questions surrounding Pompeo and her alter ego. Let’s just resolve it once and for all by letting Meredith go so that the show can become whatever it’s meant to be next.
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