Why Meredith’s Grey’s Anatomy Exit Was So Disappointing

While Grey’s Anatomy has done several great send-off episodes, it failed one of its original character’s farewell episodes, Meredith Grey.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 episode 7.Grey’s Anatomy gave Meredith Grey a disappointing send-off. Ellen Pompeo only signed on for eight episodes for season 19 because she wanted to do other things. After 19 seasons playing one character, it’s unsurprising she wanted to explore different things. So, the writers had to give Meredith a reason to leave when it seemed she would never leave Seattle or Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Meredith’s oldest, Zola, started getting panic attacks because she feared her mom and aunt getting Alzheimer’s and leaving her. It also turned out Zola was very gifted. She wasn’t being challenged enough at school, and this was leading to panic attacks. Meredith searched for a school for Zola in Seattle, but she found one in Boston, and when Jackson Avery offered to give her a job at the foundation searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s, it seemed like the perfect reason to leave. Unfortunately, fans were not happy about Meredith’s exit.

Related: Grey’s Anatomy Hinted At Meredith Moving & Studying Alzheimer’s In Season 18

Meredith Deserved More For Her Grey’s Anatomy Farewell Episode

Meredith Grey has been the center of Grey’s Anatomy since the beginning, and thus, there were a lot of expectations about how the series would say goodbye to her character. Her last episode did show how much Meredith has grown on Grey’s Anatomy, but it didn’t do much else. The promotional social video farewell did a better job of saying goodbye to such an iconic character. She deserved more than what season 19 episode 7 gave her. She wasn’t even in the episode that much, with a lot of focus on other things going on in the hospital. The season 18 finale would have been a better send-off for her.

When Jackson Avery’s character left, he had goodbyes with everyone. There were flashbacks of him coming to what was then Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. That was a more fitting ending for a character that hasn’t even been in the series the entire time. In addition, viewers got a glimpse at Cristina Yang in a prestigious role in Switzerland. Grey’s Anatomy knows how to do heartfelt farewell episodes, so it’s surprising that it didn’t deliver for Meredith Grey.

What The Grey’s Anatomy Cast & Crew Have Said About Meredith’s Send-Off

Ellen Pompeo’s Grey’s Anatomy cast members took to social media to send their thanks and wish her luck. None of them said anything about how Meredith Grey’s exit played out. It was all about the woman herself. Jesse Williams shared photos and videos from their time on Grey’s Anatomy together. James Pickens Jr also shared a video montage of old photos. It was nothing but gratitude from the actors. Shonda Rhimes chimed in with: “What a journey these 19 seasons have been! Wouldn’t trade them (or you) for the world. Beyond excited for your next chapter. See you later, Dr. Grey.”

More: Why Grey’s Anatomy Could End With Season 20 & Why It Should