Meredith Gray is an iconic tv character.
Severely, she’s one of the crucial recognizable and fashionable feminine characters of the fashionable period.
Gray’s Anatomy’s record-breaking, history-making standing is one thing nobody can strip away from. So, regardless of what number of followers and foes might bemoan, it’s nonetheless operating on air.
Love Her or Detest Her, Meredith Gray is One of many Most Iconic, Influential TV Characters of All Time
We’re on Gray’s Anatomy Season 21, and only a few sequence have completed that feat. This medical cleaning soap has surpassed the enduring ER in its long term and attain, one thing it completed SIX years in the past.
There isn’t a denying Gray’s Anatomy’s affect and the way it has developed.
However there’s one factor that lingers throughout the sequence that it might want to present.
Sure, I’m speaking about Meredith Gray herself.
There’s an argument that Meredith Gray is just like the Olivia Benson of her sequence, and we all know that Mariska Hargitay has held down Legislation & Order: SVU for 26 years and counting.
Followers of essentially the most profitable Dick Wolf sequence of dozens can not envision a world the place Mariska Hargitay isn’t a part of the sequence. The second she steps apart, the sequence ought to name it quits, too.
Nevertheless, the enduring nature of those characters and their longevity in a sequence are the place the similarities cease when discussing Meredith Gray and Olivia Benson.
Not like Olivia, and it might be unpopular to say this, Meredith isn’t as integral to Gray’s Anatomy anymore.
Mer is Gray’s Anatomy’s Lasting Legacy, However It’s Not Solely About Her Tales
The sequence doesn’t begin and finish together with her presence. If there’s something we’ve discovered since Ellen Pompeo opted for a lowered position round Gray’s Anatomy Season 19, the sequence itself doesn’t require her to be on the forefront and even in it in any respect anymore.
Pompeo’s lasting affect on the sequence goes with out saying, and it’s not even up for debate.
Our introduction to the sequence was via Meredith’s eyes as she began her first day at Seattle Grace 20 years in the past. She uncovered us to this unbelievable, thrilling, dramatic, devastating, life-changing sequence.
We had been in for the experience of our lives, and for almost 20 years, Meredith Gray delivered that and a few.
The great thing about this sequence’ longevity is that we may observe Mer via all of the highs and lows of her life and see so many alternative phases, which is unprecedented when you think about storytelling, notably tales that includes girls.
Many people grew up with Meredith Gray and launched into our personal numerous phases in life whereas following her tales and people of her associates and family members, and it’s uncommon that anybody can have that specific expertise and may attest to that in life.
However as a lot as Gray’s Anatomy was about Meredith’s story, it wasn’t the whole lot of the sequence.
The sequence bolstered an ensemble forged with a number of the best trendy characters, and it’s one of many few reveals that efficiently managed a rotating forged.
Gray’s Anatomy Largely Succeeds In Revolving Solid Whereas Sustaining Fan Curiosity
Other than a number of controversies right here and there, we needn’t get into these; Gray’s Anatomy proved via time that so long as they stacked the sequence with compelling, various, relatable characters whom we beloved and even beloved to hate and rotated them appropriately, loyal and devoted followers may observe this sequence via each stage and each period.
At Gray’s Anatomy’s core, what was most compelling was watching a gaggle of younger interns simply starting their medical careers ascend to new heights or crash and burn alongside the way in which.
These characters navigate work and play, make errors, fumble via life, and blossom into one of the best they are often, which makes the sequence so intriguing.
With Gray’s Anatomy, we’ve been lucky sufficient to expertise the cycle of mentorship in a novel method.
The characters we watched stumble via the early phases of their careers excelled and have become acclaimed and recognizable, completed, totally realized, albeit nonetheless messy beings. They went on to mentor and train the subsequent generations and courses who got here after them.
In fact, Gray’s Anatomy’s legacy works so long as legacy characters stay like touchstones to these acquainted and may cross the baton.
So long as the sequence has Richard Webber or Miranda Bailey because the OG icons who’ve been on the sequence for its complete run and floor it in its later years, we don’t want Meredith Gray as the important thing determine.
Meredith Gray Isn’t the Glue Holding Gray’s Anatomy Collectively (And It’s Confirmed That)
If we’re sincere with ourselves as Gray’s followers, we all know deep down that Meredith Gray hasn’t been the glue to this sequence in a very long time.
After Alex Karev’s controversial departure throughout Gray’s Anatomy Season 16, it felt like we had misplaced what little of Meredith Gray we had.
With the character now not having a finest good friend and touching stone, one in all her finest associates and confidants since her early days at Seattle Grace, it was as if Meredith couldn’t discover grounding anymore in her personal sequence.
By the point we acquired to the COVID season of Gray’s Anatomy Season 17, which had Meredith bedridden, offscreen, or in weird and generally stunning dreamscapes for many of the season, it was as if we had been watching Meredith Gray slip away from our grasp in real-time.
Paradoxically, nevertheless, the sequence was nonetheless wonderful. It was the testing interval to see if Gray’s Anatomy had what it took really to outlive with out its lead, and you understand what? It may!
Meredith’s storylines in current seasons are perfunctory as a result of she’s completed every little thing she feasibly can as a personality. She’s resilient, extraordinary, and noteworthy; they’ve taken her to new heights.
Mer’s Story Feels Full, Clinging to Her Undoes That Progress
In some ways, Meredith’s story feels full, so each time she reappears within the sequence now, it seems like somebody who graduated from highschool years in the past who nonetheless retains lingering and hanging round.
They’ve psyched us out by throwing her grand departures not less than 3 times. It’s misplaced all affect and which means anymore.
Gray’s Anatomy retains attempting to anchor Meredith Gray to this sequence with these small arcs that really feel shoehorned in to scratch the nostalgic itch when they should belief the truth that they’ve succeeded in ushering in a brand new period of this sequence and the subsequent era of the OG interns with out her.
It took some time to search out that excellent formulation.
Nonetheless, most of us can agree that this contemporary twist on M.A.G.Y.Ok., not less than upon its introduction throughout Gray’s Anatomy Season 20, managed to search out that spark that paid homage to Gray’s Anatomy of yesteryear—what we beloved most in regards to the sequence and its unique characters, led by Meredith.
Shedding Mika Yasuda this early on is irritating as she emerged as among the finest new additions to the sequence in a decade.
Nevertheless, they nonetheless managed to strike gold with the gathering of characters, with these new characters and the potential to take them to new heights.
It’s the closest we’ve come up to now to recapturing a number of the magic, pardon the pun, of the early years, nodding at nostalgia from Simone’s similarities to Mer to Adams being Derek’s nephew.
The New Period with Subsequent Era Can Thrive With out Mer, Gray’s Anatomy Must Give Them Area to Do It
However they’ve managed to have a contemporary twist, the place these characters really feel like they’ve the essence of these we beloved however room to be their very own standout characters.
Nevertheless, we’d like them to have the area to be that. The sequence can’t totally decide to going all-in on these characters and trusting that this new period of Gray’s Anatomy can really work out simply wonderful if it retains clinging to the previous and attempting to anchor Meredith to the sequence.
To date, Gray’s Anatomy nonetheless feels unstoppable. It’s had extra lives than a dozen cats taking part in in site visitors as a result of it nonetheless resonates with viewers and followers, outdated and new.
However suppose Gray’s Anatomy ever needs to totally embrace the brand new period it has by some means managed to tug off. In that case, it must do one thing probably controversial however needed: let Meredith Gray go.
Over to you, Gray’s Anatomy Fanatics. Take our ballot and share your ideas beneath!
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