Grey's Anatomy Drops the Ball on Meredith Grey's Farewell Episode
Did the writers forget that I'll Follow the Sun was supposed to be Meredith Grey's big sendoff?
Grey's Anatomy's winter premiere was billed as something special. Longtime viewers knew it would be the farewell episode for the show's longtime protagonist, Meredith Grey, and were on the edge of their seats waiting for it to air.
The hiatus of over three months and the heavy promotion of the episode also contributed to the general atmosphere of anticipation and anxiety in the fandom.
Fans were not ready to say goodbye to the character who had been a part of their lives for 19 years, but accepted that Ellen Pompeo had to move on.
At least, they thought, the beloved protagonist would get a proper sendoff. But alas, the show disappointed. Once again.
Fans feel that those who created the trailer ABC aired for the episode were more interested in giving viewers real emotion than the writers of the actual episode.
While the trailer featured a touching montage of Meredith's most heartwarming moments with her loved ones at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, accompanied by an emotional voice-over, the episode was nothing like the farewell you'd give an iconic main character who's been on the air for nearly two decades.
There was very little Meredith, and even less farewell. In fact, it felt more like a regular episode that could have easily been skipped.
"I kept thinking it was gonna get better…they had 30 minutes to turn it around…20…10…5. What a waste," a fan wrote in one of many threads where viewers turned to vent their frustration.
There were no flashbacks, no special guests that many viewers were expecting, and too much screen time was spent on other characters who have a ton of future episodes to be a part of.
Fans felt that such an anticlimactic ending was just disrespectful to the viewers, Meredith, and the show itself. Yes, Pompeo will appear in at least one more episode, but why was this particular installment promoted as a big sendoff?
Disappointed fans feel that much less important characters than Meredith got far better final episodes. Cristina Yang and Jackson Avery's sendoffs seem to be the near-perfect champions when it comes to viewer preferences.
And the fact that the writers actually had good examples to follow and chose not to is somehow even more frustrating.