It's not easy to say goodbye to a character like Meredith Grey, who was quite literally a Grey's Anatomy staple until just several years ago. Of course, it helps that Ellen Pompeo didn't actually leave the show in technical terms. She's just no longer a main cast member and still shows up, just less often. But still -- after almost 20 years of appearing in nearly every episode, fans knew things wouldn't be the same after she stepped back from her starring role in the series.
No one knew exactly what to expect following her full-time departure. I suspect, however, that not many viewers expected the show to be just as good -- dare I say, if not better -- than it was before.
Meredith Grey will always be an essential part of the show whether she's in every episode or not, and there are plenty of good reasons for that. But perhaps what a lot of people started to feel, whether they consciously realized it or not, was that the show needed a hard refresh. And after almost two decades, there really wasn't much to refresh with Meredith, at least not as the main focal point of the series.
And this is largely because fans waited literal years for her to actually find love again after Derek. She finally did. And there was no point in breaking up that relationship since many before it had already failed. Closing out her story, at least as the show's primary focus, was exactly what the show needed to return with as fresh of a feel as it has ever since.
Grey's finally has room for new characters to shine and familiar characters to grow and evolve. Amelia has transformed more in the last few seasons than she possibly ever has before, for example, because the show finally allowed space to further explore her relationships and sexuality. And can we just acknowledge the new intern class for a second? It's no MAGIC, but it's still quite golden.
After all these years, this show knows what it's best at and how it can push its own boundaries. The back half of Season 21 is upon us, and there's no doubt it will be a wild, worthwhile ride.