Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 7 Review: I’ll Follow the Sun

It’s the end of an era and the beginning of a new one on Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Episode 7, “I’ll Follow the Sun.” Unfortunately, the episode also offers a lackluster exit for the one character most assumed would remain central to the series until it ended. 

Meredith’s farewell isn’t given nearly enough attention, and the episode itself is mediocre at best — aside from a few key moments of greatness.

Considering the fact that she’s the show’s namesake and has been for more than 18 seasons, this sendoff should have honored Meredith’s character in a more powerful way. Instead, it’s run-of-the-mill stuff, including an anticlimactic surprise party that doesn’t hit the emotional notes it should have. 

It’s disappointing, to say the least. Other characters have gotten better send-offs.

And yes, maybe the point here is that it’s not necessarily a permanent exit. Meredith will still be the narrator, and the actress herself has stated that this is her final episode “for a while.”

What that means is unclear, though, and no matter how you slice it, we needed more from this episode. 

Meredith’s biggest conflict winds up being with Nick, who moved to Seattle for her only to see her make a decision to move to Boston without any conversation about it. Nick has certainly been a good match for Meredith, and he’s the kind of partner she needs at this stage in her life. That doesn’t mean it’s fun to see her final episode so focused on relationship drama. 

This does, however, lead us to the episode’s best scene. In a scrub room following a devastating surgery, Meredith gives Nick a speech that is directly opposite of the cringey, heartbreaking “Pick me, choose me, love me” speech Meredith once gave Derek. 

Meredith: I’m a grown woman with a big life, and a big career, and three kids. And this move is what my daughter needs. I want you in my life if you want to be in my life. But if I have to choose, I’m going to pick me. I pick my kids, and I pick what’s best for us. And I am not going to beg you to love me.

That speech, that moment, is the perfect representation of how far Meredith has come. Her character development has progressed in significant ways over nearly two decades, and this sums it up perfectly.

She’s successful, confident, and happy, and has allowed all of the tragedy — more than any person should ever have to bear — shape her worldview in a positive way. She’s no longer meek and she’s no longer willing to be defined by her relationships. If there’s a good note to end on with Meredith, it’s this one.

The surprise party also shows how beloved she is, but it’s too quick and manages to fall flat. The joke about the wrong cake is cute, and it’s fitting that Bailey and Richard are the ones to offer heartfelt words. Maybe this would have been enough for another character, but it’s not good enough for Meredith Grey.

I also find it frustrating that all of the action involving the house fire takes place on Station 19. It’s not very much action, either, which is a disservice to that entire story.

A brief montage on Station 19 suggests that damage might not be irreversible, but it’s not until the end of the episode, with a brief scene involving Meredith and her kids bringing cookies to the firehouse, that we learn the house is still standing. 

Everything else we learn about this comes from Grey’s Anatomy, but it’s not given the necessary amount of attention either. Through dialogue, we learn the only real damage is from a hole in the attic and that Amelia, Maggie, and Winston have all moved out permanently along with, of course, Meredith and the kids. 

It’s good news that the house is still standing, the incident sets up exactly what the new chapter of Grey’s Anatomy needed. The end of the episode finds three of the interns, Simone, Mika, and Lucas, moving into that very house. It’s another moment of legacy and more proof that the series is essentially rebooting itself, only it was never canceled. 

Elsewhere on this episode, Amelia and Winston have relationship troubles that it seems they won’t be able to come back from.

Their hurtful words to each other about the lack of respect they have for one another makes you wonder how they managed to come so far in their relationship as it is. It’s hard to watch, and it’s a little disappointing, even though their chemistry has always been off anyway.

The case they work on together is a groundbreaking one, and that does give good energy to the episode. Once again, it’s the kind of thing that harkens back to the earlier days of Grey’s Anatomy. That case also prompts Amelia to share the story of her baby from Private Practice — one of the most memorable moments on that entire series. 

I appreciate that callback because Private Practice is really the series that shaped Amelia. We need that backstory to understand the person she is now. 

There is also the matter of who will replace Meredith as chief. Teddy seems like a good choice for this, though the back and forth between her and Richard throughout the episode leaves it all feeling a bit muddled.

The previews also suggest that Teddy isn’t the only one who is going to put herself in the ring for the position. That has the potential for some fun storylines on upcoming episodes. 

What did you think of this episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Ashley’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2022