Mild spoilers, read at your own risk.

I still remember the very first time my little sister and I sat down to watch Grey’s Anatomy. It was a brand new series and we were there right from the start. I have grown as a teenager and adult alongside this series. I have cried when so many of the characters left, Cristina hurt as I kind of related to her. I remember a friend years later posting a spoiler about Derek dying and I stopped watching. To this day there are several seasons I have not seen as it is just raw and I am not ready for it.

I came back during Covid. There was a part of me that could sense we were building up to saying goodbye to Meredith. I once again did not feel ready for it. During the Covid seasons the show felt tired, like all of us. Then came season 19. And I was ready to say goodbye. Season 19 brought back the very spirit of the early Grey’s Anatomy. We were back to the basics. Hanging out in the corridors, figuring out life and if the newbies will have what it takes to make it through. It feels fresh again and one could start just like my sister and I did nearly two decades ago watching Grey’s Anatomy at season 19 and feel like they are watching a brand new show.

Sure, it is always bitter sweet saying goodbye to a beloved character, I cannot say that despite being ready for it and it having come to a natural place to say farewell it did not pinch a little but it was a good way of saying goodbye. Meredith is on to new beginnings as well and she might pop by maybe but we know life is going well for her and she has earned the right to move on and enjoy life with her family in a new exciting setting. I love that while some people might be starting this show, others might feel like they can also let go now, Grey’s story in Seattle is complete, life carries on though and it is fine. It truly is a rare moment of television to see an exit so perfectly and naturally carried while the series feels like it has been revived.

When did you start watching Grey’s Anatomy, how do you feel about Mer’s exit? Please let me know in the comments!

Love,\

N.