Meredith Grey of Grey’s Anatomy left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in the 407th episode of the series because she decided to go to Boston for her and her children’s’ sake.
Meredith Grey has not only been part of some life-saving surgeries during her time at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, but she has also faced some life-changing experiences herself.
Now, Meredith has decided to leave the hospital for good and move to Boston to do what is best for her and her children.
Everything that has happened to Meredith Grey
Grey’s Anatomy fans are used to seeing patients who enter the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in all kinds of medical predicaments.
But the former chief of surgery at the hospital, Meredith Grey, could give any of these patients a run for their money with her medical history.
Over the years, Meredith has had her hand on a bomb inside of a patient, been in a plane crash, almost drowned, witnessed the murder of her husband, assisted in her own surgery and had a close brush with death on account of the COVID-19 virus.
These are only a few of the life-changing experiences that she has had on the series.
Grey’s Anatomy: Why did Meredith Grey leave?
To say that Meredith has faced her fair share of medical, personal, and professional drama during her time at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital would be an understatement. But now the show’s namesake can finally put all of this behind her.
The 23 February 2023 episode of Grey’s Anatomy, titled “I’ll Follow the Sun” marked the 407th episode and Meredith Grey’s departure from the series.
Technically, Meredith Grey is not leaving the show as much as they are “reducing” her “on-screen presence”, but this episode definitely marked a significant change in the show’s structure.
In this episode, Meredith makes the big decision to move to Boston with her three children, in order to get Zola an education that is fit for a real genius.
Although this episode did not have the usual drama and flashback memories that are usually included in the final episode of an important Grey’s Anatomy cast member’s departure from the show, it did feature a sweet call-back to Meredith’s infamous “Pick me. Choose me. Love me.” speech from the second season.
Meredith tells Nick that she is not going to beg him to love her after he grew frustrated with her decision to leave.
She tells him that she does want him in her life, but that she has to go to Boston, because she was going to choose herself and her kids if she had to choose, and this cements her decision to leave.
Will Meredith Grey ever return to the show?
Meredith Grey may be moving on from her role as chief of surgery at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, but she is not leaving the series entirely just yet.
Meredith Grey will continue narrating the show through her voice-overs in every episode, as she has done for the past 18 seasons.
She will also continue to make appearances in future episodes, as the character hinted in her farewell speech. Moreover, it has been confirmed that she will be part of the season finale episode, which will air on 26 May 2023.
Why did Ellen Pompeo decide to move on from the show?
Much like her character on the show, Pompeo has revealed that one of the reasons she decided to take a step back from the series was to be more present and spend more time with her three children.
She also admitted that she just felt like she just needed to “mix it up a little bit” after so many years on the show. Pompeo will continue as the executive producer of the series in the future.
How will Grey’s Anatomy continue without Meredith Grey?
By the time that season 19 started airing, Ellen Pompeo’s character, Meredith Grey had become so synonymous with the show that it seemed almost impossible that it could ever carry on without her.
However, since Meredith’s departure from the show was so well-planned, and everyone already knew that she would only be in eight episodes of this season, Grey’s Anatomy has already begun to fill the void of her absence by introducing a new class of interns early in this season.
These new interns, including Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd), Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), Benson “Blue” Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), and Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) have already brought a new life and energy to the series in this season.
Hence, they are expected to become just as near and dear to the hearts of fans as the original cast of the show.
