Tell-Tale TV Panel: Grey’s Anatomy Season 13

After 13 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy is still going strong, and Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 gave us an explosive ending — literally.

See what our panel of writers thought this season, and be sure to join the discussion by responding in the comments below!

Our panelists are:

• Lauren Busser, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Shadia Omer, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Jamie Steinberg from Starry Mag
• Lisa Steinberg from Starry Mag
• Jasmine Peterson from TV Fanatic

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the season overall?

Jamie: I’m going with a 7. A solid 7. Meredith found a new love interest. Maggie lost her mom. Jackson and Kepner split. The fire!

There were some solid moments this season, but a lot of it dragged, too. I can’t say this was my favorite season, but it held up to the tried and true Grey’s Anatomy that we have come to love.

Lauren: I’m going to give it a 6. I was bored with many of the episodes this season, but I did enjoy a lot of the character episodes that they presented, and overall I was happy with where this season ended.

Jasmine: I’m going to agree with Lauren. I give it a 6. The beginning and end of the season were decent. There were a sprinkling of good episodes in the middle  (particularly the character driven “bottle” episodes), but overall it was mostly disappointing.

Lisa: Although there was a lot of suspense this season and it started off strong, I think it was too uneven and unbalanced. The ending didn’t even feel like a finale, and it seemed like everyone but Arizona really had a storyline. Hers only really revolved around Minnick and even that didn’t get the fireworks it deserved.

Shadia: I’ll give it a 7.5. This season has kind of been all over the place for me. But then again, my wishful thinking of this show the way that it used to be won’t become true. Especially towards the middle of the season, I found myself bored. But the finale was alright to me.

What was this season’s biggest problem?

Jamie: Intensity. Okay, some of you are going to fight me on this. I don’t think there were enough “edge of your seat” moments. Yes, Meredith’s plane ride was hella scary. Yes, Maggie moved me with losing her mom. Alex almost went to jail and lost his relationship with Jo. Edwards and that finale was a surprise. All of these are true!

However…I just wasn’t moved enough as I had been in past seasons. I felt like no one had a big enough arc this year. I certainly wasn’t blown back by the season finale episode. First, it was only one hour. Secondly, I just don’t think it brought the jaw dropping kind of shocks we have grown accustomed to on Grey’s Anatomy.

Lauren: In many cases, it didn’t feel like the stakes were high enough. We started off with DeLuca being brought in after Alex punched him, and for many of the episodes after that, it seemed like it was business as usual, which is unusual for Grey-Sloan. Towards the end of the season there were some great tear jerker moments, but I think the first half really plateaued.

Jasmine: I agree with the others that the stakes weren’t high enough. We knew Alex wasn’t going to prison. We knew Meredith wouldn’t die in the plane crash. We knew we’d see Jo’s husband, and that Megan wasn’t dead.

Speaking of the last two, the entire season felt like filler leading up to either Jo’s husband or Megan returning. The rest of the plot points were unnecessary, dragged on, or were just frustrating.

I also felt like there were characters who were underused and misused. DeLuca was terribly used and Alex just disappeared for half the season. I didn’t get the sense that it was the season of Originals like we were told.

Lisa: I missed the core dynamics of the characters, it seemed like everyone was living out separate storylines rather than one as an overall whole.  I didn’t enjoy the back and forth tug between Meredith and Riggs, I never saw the spark there and it always felt like they were just trying to find a way to force Meredith to move on.  The whole storyline between Alex and Jo was so separate and it didn’t piece together with the second half of the season.

Shadia: Alex’s storyline SUCKED. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think he was way too sidelined this season and it made me mad. I’m a huge Alex fan, I think his character development over the years really did it for me. But his whole arc this season of going to jail for Jo, etc didn’t do it for me.

Also, like Lisa said, I too missed the core dynamics of the characters. We were told Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 was going to focus on the original characters, and we barely saw that. Not with Alex and not even with Arizona. I’m also not a huge fan of Meredith and Riggs together; their pairing just didn’t seem all that great to me. It’s not because I still miss Derek, because I still very much do, but the way he was so adamant in being with her didn’t interest me.

What worked really well this season?

Jamie: Minnick. The staff love working for Bailey and they tend to get some pretty tough cases. But they needed something to unite the team again. They needed something to bring them all together and it was their distaste for having Minnick shove Richard out of the picture, that was what they needed to find them all in one place and all fighting for the man that mentored each of them.

Lauren: While I did appreciate Minnick’s storyline, I think Alex really had a lot of character growth this season, particularly in the last couple of episodes.

We saw him lose his temper at the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 12, fight for his medical license this year, and then in the penultimate episode we watch him act, like an adult, and do some forward thinking. I’m a big fan of Alex, so watching him think about his future, and Jo’s, shows just how far he’s come as a character in the last fourteen years.

Jasmine: I also appreciated Alex’s growth. I actually hate that we didn’t see a lot more of it. I loved how it reflected on his relationship with Meredith. For Meredith’s part, I love her growth too. She’s come a long way in learning how to be a good sister.

The relationship between Alex, Meredith, and her sisters, all of the bonds, they were the best thing about the season for me. I will forever be in love with the family dynamic that Meredith has cultivated over the years. Any and every time there’s a scene, especially at Meredith’s house, with any combination of Alex, Meredith, Maggie, and Amelia it warms my heart.

Lisa:  I enjoyed the addition of Minnick into the group dynamic, they really needed a shakeup and she definitely brought a big change to the hospital it ended up not being as dramatic and titular as I had expected. I enjoyed the chemistry she had with Arizona and how her methods were not always right for everyone, she at least knew she could teach everyone a few tricks.  

It also really broke watching Maggie’s struggle with her mom and then her realizing that her mom actually has cancer and all the lessons she got to learn from her when she finally accepted what was happening.  

Shadia: I’m always going to say Meredith and Alex’s devoting friendship. She was there for him at his toughest this season with his whole trial. Their friendship makes me so happy. Minnick’s storyline did add a little bit of fire this season as her presence really did divide most of the characters which brought in more drama than this show already delivers.

What was the biggest surprise of the season?

Jamie: I’m going to say Meredith being ready to move on. We watched her put away all forms of Derek reminders (tumor included) and the post-it marriage certificate. She finally found herself ready give it a go with Riggs and risk adding him to her world. When you lose the love of your life, you are bound to be devastated and for however long it takes you to recover, we have to give you space and time. I’m glad she finally found her space and time limits.

Lauren: I think the explosion at the very end of the penultimate episode was the biggest surprise for me. To be clear, it’s not that it’s uncommon for Grey’s Anatomy to do something like that, but I wasn’t expecting it at the end of this season.

Most of the moments that really drew me in were more emotional like Maggie’s mom dying, Alex’s patient dying, the patient on the plane — but I really didn’t see the explosion coming, especially since I keep thinking back to the bomb in a body cavity episodes where Meredith realizes she’s standing over an oxygen line and the whole hospital will blow up if the bomb goes off. It should have been predictable, but in an season that seemed to play on one note, or go for an emotional reaction than shock value, it was surprising.

Jasmine: Stephanie surviving that blast. As I said earlier, all of the other “twists” were things we sort of saw coming, so they weren’t shocking. I was genuinely surprised that Stephanie made it out of that blast alive. I was also extremely grateful. We got a season finale with no casualties and mostly happy tears. Who saw that coming?

Lisa:  I agree with Jasmine, Stephanie surviving the blast.  Shonda likes to give these epic deaths to characters when cast members leave the show and Stephanie was different, she survived. The perseverance and brilliant acting by Jerrika stole all of my breath and captivated me.

Shadia: Stephanie’s survival for sure! My goodness, that finale was so emotional to me. I wasn’t a big fan of Stephanie, but the finale made her so heroic and so honorable. I’m glad no one died on the finale this time too. Maggie’s mom’s death was also surprising to me, I wish she got to stick around more.

What are your hopes for next season?

Jamie: DRAMA! Alex and Jo are single now. Can they find their way back to one another? Will they date other people now? Edwards is out so bring on the new residents.

We’ve got some good ones leftover in DeLuca and Cross, but let’s rejuvenate the cast and see who can bring a new air and a new vibe to the new season. Now that Minnick is out, will Webber insist she stay? Will Arizona fight for her to stay? We’ve got a lot of questions that need some answers.

Lauren: I am going to go with Jamie, they set up some great drama this season and I really am hoping they can keep that momentum going into Season 14. I am really interested in Alex and Jo, even though I’m not a fan of their relationship, I just want to to see how it plays out, I want to see how the new April, Jackson, Maggie triangle is going to play out.

Most importantly, I want to see how Owen’s sister fits into this family dynamic. There is no shortage of “lost” family members on Grey’s but I think this story is really unique and will disrupt several relationships including Owen and Amelia’s and Meredith’s and Riggs. But also, I just want to them to explore this new character who for all we know could a useful addition of new blood to Grey-Sloan down the line.

Jasmine: I am mostly looking forward to the Megan storyline and how it affects Owen, Riggs, and Amelia and Meredith by association. There is so much to he explored there and Kevin McKidd slays me every time. Owen could use some more screentime and some happiness.

I also hope we can put the kibosh on love triangles for a bit. I want Alex to have decent screen time again. I also would like to see him start dating, that goes for Maggie too. She deserves to do everything Diane wanted her to do including wearing lipstick and being slutty. I want DeLuca, Cross, and Ben to rock it out as residents now that Stephanie is gone.

Lisa: I would like to see Meredith find her way back to her core where they don’t have to share the house, but they reignite that spark and connection that they had in the first few seasons. Bring back some of that drama where you find yourself on the edge of your couch cushion and have chewed through all of your nails.  

They definitely need to shake things up more as well, find some new doctors who will add some of that layered drama and delight that Shonda has perfected.  Make us care about these characters and their journies again.  I am looking forward to where they go with Maggie and the lessons she learned in this season if she carries them with her.

Shadia: I want more Alex! I need his arc to be more meaningful, I want him to be HAPPY. It’s like he never catches a break when he finally thinks everything is going well for him, ya know? Amelia and Owen’s relationship has been nothing but a borefest to me. I think he deserves better than her — I know I’m being mean for saying that. But I’m tired of seeing Owen get hurt.

I just hope they find a definite ground with their relationship/marriage next season. And oh, no more love triangle dramas please! I think we’ve seen an April, Jackson, and Maggie love triangle just waiting to happen and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’ll always been this huge fan of Grey’s Anatomy, and even though this season was just OK, I’m still just as excited for Season 14. Love this show. Shonda, show us what you got next season!

What did you think of Grey’s Anatomy Season 13? Share your thoughts in a comment below! You can also check out all of our other season review panels right here. There are more to come!

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