Oh, Shonda, you lost me at incest.
Thirteen years, 14 seasons and 317 episodes ago, then-medical intern Meredith Grey of executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ hit show “Grey’s Anatomy” introduced us to “the game,” saying “a person either has what it takes to play or they don’t.”
When I started watching this show three years ago, I would have never realized that “the game” referred not only to the characters’ tumultuous years at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, but also to the torture that Rhimes has been putting us through season after season with her unsettling, albeit incredibly creative, plot twists. But after 14 seasons, it’s time to finally put an end to the show.
The series originally focused on the lives of five interns — Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Alex Karev, George O’Malley and Izzie Stevens — but as the show progressed, it started to portray the other characters solely in relation to Meredith.
Now don't get me wrong, I never had a problem with that until recently, because, after all, the show is called “Grey’s Anatomy.” I was in love with the show, to the point where even after almost all of the original cast left and the storylines became overused, Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith, is still my celebrity crush.
In Season 12, Meredith’s storylines began to fall flat. At the beginning of the show, her main plot and character development revolves around her love interest, Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka, McDreamy); her mother, Dr. Ellis Grey, whose shadow Meredith can’t seem to escape; and the second half of the “twisted sisters,” Dr. Cristina Yang.
Then Rhimes kills off both Shepherd and Dr. Ellis Grey, and Sandra Oh, who played Yang, walked away from the show. To make up for the gaping hole in her storyline, Rhimes begins playing around with Meredith’s love life, and consequently with all of our hearts. Meredith cycles through a series of partners who could never compare to Shepherd, and judging by the promo, she’ll have another this upcoming season.
Rhimes needs to realize that fans will never be satisfied with any love interest for Meredith besides Shepherd. She should either bring him back from the dead or move on with the show to a more creative storyline. Perhaps the show could focus on Meredith’s inspirational medical innovations instead of her love life or delve deeper into one of the other characters.
Meredith’s closest family — her half sister Maggie Pierce and her sister-in-law Amelia Shepherd — would be brilliant options for new storylines. I was so excited when they brought Pierce onto the show, because as a cardiothoracic prodigy she was able to fit into Yang’s position perfectly. So naturally, my wish was for Pierce to find her soulmate, her “McDreamy.”
There were so many potential partners to choose from, but Rhimes decided to pick Pierce’s biological dad’s wife’s son, practically her half-brother, as Pierce’s love interest. It's gross. It's pretty much incest.
This is just one example of the show ruining its characters just to stay on air. When will enough be enough, Shonda?
However, there's nothing I can do to stop Season 15 from airing. So I am begging, please make this the final season. Fifteen is a pretty number. It evenly divides into 5. Plus, the show has already made history with Season 15 as the longest ABC drama to air.
But I’m over it.