Pompeo agreed to a decreased position for Season 19, solely showing in eight episodes — with this mid-season finale marking her sixth.
The clock is ticking on Meredith Gray because the beating coronary heart of Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital, with a fiery fall finale that units the stage for a dramatic departure.
Ellen Pompeo had already made it clear forward of this nineteenth season of “Gray’s Anatomy” that she was taking a look at a decreased workload, to accommodate her work on an upcoming Hulu restricted sequence. She and producers settled on eight episodes.
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Thus far this season, Pompeo has continued because the sequence lead and in a sequence common capability, which means she’s been burning via these episodes fairly shortly. Thursday evening’s marked her sixth.
The following shall be her final — a minimum of as a sequence common. It should be some time, too, with the teaser for the winter premiere revealing that “Gray’s” will not be again till February 23. When it does return, it is to say goodbye.
All season lengthy, an enormous transfer to Boston has been teased on the present, with Meredith and household deciding on this as one of the best place for Zola, who’s been combating nervousness assaults attributable to her being gifted.
Zola was drawn to Boston’s Brookline STEAM Academy, whereas Jackson got here via with a proposal for Meredith to work towards an Alzheimer’s remedy on the Catherine Fox Basis.
Then, with this dramatic fall finale, the choice of when to make the leap was all however made for them as a dramatic lightning storm enguifed Meredith’s residence in flames. Everybody received out safely, however that was nearly all that survived the hearth.
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In a teaser for the upcoming February 23 mid-season premiere, Meredith is stunned with a touching farewell from what appears to be like like everybody who works on the hospital.
“That is very considerate,” she tells her colleagues. “And ridiculous.”
Pompeo is scheduled to make her penultimate look in that mid-season premiere after which will not return once more till the season finale. She is going to proceed to supply voiceover narration for the rest of this season.
As for the way forward for “Gray’s Anatomy,” Shonda Rhimes has at all times stated that has to do with Pompeo, suggesting that there is no such thing as a “Gray’s” with out Meredith. Nevertheless, she seems to be testing that idea proper now, returning to the roots of the present with a brand new batch of medical interns.
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The ensemble will proceed even after Meredith’s departure, so it may nicely be that the again half of this season will take a look at how audiences really feel about “Gray’s” minus Gray?
If it really works and Pompeo does resolve to step away, the present may at all times proceed beneath a brand new identify, or simply lean into the truth that Gray is within the hospital’s identify, now. Or Pompeo may decide to return as soon as her Hulu dedication is fulfilled, although that will be awkward with Meredith constructing a brand new life in Boston.
Perhaps they each proceed with “Gray’s Anatomy” and “Gray’s Anatomy: Boston” following Meredith’s new journey (with Jackson). Why not? The whole lot else is a franchise today!
