How ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ Dealt with Ellen Pompeo’s Exit

Fear not, Gray’s Anatomy remains to be steady and in good situation after shedding a significant artery: its titular character, Dr. Meredith Gray.

Season 19 of the ShondaLand medical drama on ABC returned Thursday night time for a bittersweet but gracious send-off to Gray, who has been performed by Ellen Pompeo for almost 18 years.

In typical Gray’s Anatomy trend, Pompeo’s last episode is a cocktail of drama, despair, love, heartbreak, and (ultimately) hope that ends in Gray and her children flying to Boston, the place they’ll now dwell whereas she researches Alzheimer’s illness.

Notably — and fortunately — Gray wasn’t killed off, which leaves open the opportunity of a return, though loss of life has by no means stopped beloved characters from coming again to the present in dream sequences.

Nonetheless, Gray’s Anatomy with out Pompeo feels unimaginable, and a number of other solid members (in addition to followers) at the moment are tasked with embracing a brand new period on considered one of ABC’s longest-running and most reliable scripted reveals.

“I’m not likely certain how the present goes to work out with out her, as a result of she’s been there because the very starting,” Mariana Maciel, a fan from Mexico, informed BuzzFeed Information forward of Thursday’s episode.

Luckily, the present stays in good palms with Chandra Wilson (who performs Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber) taking over the reins because the longest-running authentic solid members.

“Her presence is not essentially gone. [Pompeo is] nonetheless very a lot part of the material of day by day Gray’s Anatomy life,” Wilson informed BuzzFeed Information. Nonetheless, she admitted, “It’s form of bizarre. It is like we’re saying goodbye, however are we?”

To be clear, no, they — and followers — are usually not. Pompeo will proceed to carry out the voiceovers that play initially and finish of virtually each episode to supply that sense of normalcy, however she’ll now not act in each episode.