Summary
Grey’s Anatomyshowrunner Meg Marinis explains Meredith’s surprise resignation in the season 20 finale. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the hit medical drama first premiered on ABC in 2005, and it has since become a staple of the network TV space. Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey continues to play a crucial part in the overall narrative, and season 20 follows her as she conducts research into Alzheimer’s disease. In theGrey’s Anatomyseason 20 finale, however,Meredith posts her research online and resigns when she’s forced to hand things over to a new doctor.
In a recent interview withShondaland, Marinis clarifies Meredith’s decision to resign in theGrey’s Anatomyseason 20 finale. According to the showrunner, Meredith’s decision, from a writer’s perspective,stems from a desire to further explore the character’s relationship to Alzheimer’s, as well as her commitment to medical research.Check out Marinis' comment below:
“In the premiere, when Meredith got caught [doing her research], Catherine thought that she got the last word in. I always wanted to twist it back in the end, where Meredith could be on top. Because when facing off with Catherine, usually nobody wins. But the only person in my mind who could ever win over Catherine was Meredith, embodying Ellis Grey.
“I’m a huge, huge fan of the canon of Meredith and her mother, and I wanted her to own it and be happy with it. She has finally reached this moment where she’s like, ‘Well, yeah, maybe she was not a great mom, but she did teach me something, and it’s to stand up for myself, and it’s to stand up for medicine, despite who is coming after me.’
“Meredith always burns it down. And she’s not burning it down just because of her own history and relationship with the disease. She’s doing it for all of the people. I think this was the first time on the show where we’ve actually said that twice as many women get Alzheimer’s disease than men, and I’m hoping to explore more of that moving forward.”
How Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Sets Up Meredith’s Future
Ellen Pompeo Is No Longer A Series Regular
While the new season’s ending wraps up a number of key storylines that played out throughout the season, it also leaves many questions lingering. Thankfully,Grey’s Anatomyseason 21is confirmed to be on the way, meaning it’s not the end of the road for Meredith and the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. In terms ofMeredith’s role in the show, it’s expected to follow a similar trend set up in season 20.
Season 20 was the first in the show’s run not to feature Pompeo as a series regular. While this undoubtedly raised questions about the future of the show, the positiveGrey’s Anatomyseason 20 reviewssuggest the medical drama can still succeed when Meredith’s story isn’t a central focus.Pompeo is expected to return as Meredith in season 21 in this more reduced capacity,meaning viewers can expect her story to continue, but once again with some episode absences.
As far as Meredith’s resignation, the decision evidently frees the character up for some exciting storylines moving forward. There are sure to be repercussions for her decision to post her research online, and it’s likely thatCatherine won’t have a positive response to being outmaneuvered.It remains to be seen where things will go after theGrey’s Anatomyseason 20 finale, but it certainly ends the show on a satisfying note.
Grey’s Anatomy
Cast
A high-intensity medical drama which follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.
