Grey’s Anatomy: What Happens Without Mass Shootings and Plane Crashes

Grey’s Anatomy Season 11 is in full swing, and I still can’t decide how I feel about it. I’ve been a die-hard Grey’s fan for a really long time. I binge-watched Grey’s on DVD before I ever had a Netflix account. I watched the first few seasons over and over. And over. But as the show has progressed, we have to wonder, won’t it ever end?

The show has been on for so long that many of its primary characters have left. Izzie? Gone. George? Dead. Lexie? Dead. Mark? …Dead. See a pattern? And if that wasn’t bad enough, Christina left at the end of last season. Which means we are left with two of the original five interns. That’s right, just two. The series won’t be able to end like it probably should have—similarly to the way the pilot episode ended with all of them laughing and bonding together.

Not only have we lost a lot of our favorite characters, but the story lines are getting tired. And I say this with love. Even if Grey’s sticks around until season 20, I’ll probably keep watching. But good grief, Meredith has already had a sister she never knew existed show up to the hospital. And Meredith didn’t like her at first, didn’t trust her, and didn’t want to accept her. She was even down right mean to her. And now this is happening all over again.

After the first two episodes of this season, I was very close to giving up the show altogether – okay, probably not. Like I said, I’m loyal. But last week’s episode made me change my tune.

Instead of recovering from various major crises – mass shootings, plane crashes, and so on — this season is focusing on something different. Real life relationships and choices. And, even better, the main characters. The original ones who we’ve seen grow and change since the very beginning.

Pitting Bailey and Alex against each other was genius for a few reasons. For starters, it means that not only is Christina still very present despite her absence, but she’s also causing trouble. She’s leaving a reason for people to be upset with her, or in Alex’s case, to feel pride that she had confidence in him. But it also brings up a really important dynamic that has to be addressed, especially considered the show’s longevity. Bailey was Alex’s mentor, and now they were both up for the same position. Even though I hated the Alex wasn’t award the seat, especially since we saw how badly he wanted—needed—this, it was Bailey who deserved it most. Plain and simple. She’s been around the longest, she’s been loyal, and without her, most everyone else on the board wouldn’t be where they are now.

And then there’s Richard. I’m so happy to see a complex story focused on him again. No, I’m not thrilled by the “Meredith’s new sister” piece, but I love seeing Richard deal with the fact that he has a daughter he never knew about. The scene when he said that to Meredith broke my heart. Richard would have made a great father, but as he tells Meredith, Ellis stole that from him. She was the love of his life, and she was far from perfect, but now he has a reason to be truly, deeply angry with her. And it’s something he and Meredith can bond over.

Remember how this show used to be centered around the relationship between Meredith and Derek? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they ended up together. But it was time to take another look at their relationship. Not in a “we just survived a mass shooting, plane crash” sort of way. And not in a “we’re adopting a baby or having a baby” sort of way. But in a normal, everyday, “how do our careers fit into this” way. This story line rings so true. It’s the realistic, actual struggle that two career-driven surgeons would like have if they were married with children.

Derek made a sacrifice. And he went to the bar and chose Meredith, just as he did early in the season. Only this time, it wasn’t a decision that made her happy. Why? Meredith doesn’t want to be the reason Derek makes that kind of sacrifice. He’s given up a major opportunity to stay with his family, and as he tells Amelia in the most recent episode, he’s already feeling resentful.

What I don’t want to see, is for their relationship to end the way the Christina and Owen’s did. Derek and Meredith should stay together, or at least end up together. But seeing their struggle, their real life struggle, makes for interesting television.

I care about these characters, and I imagine I will stick with the show no matter what happens. But my favorite seasons will always be the early ones.

Grey’s Anatomy airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.