Fans Are Furious At Grey’s Anatomy Over Ellen Pompeo’s Last Episode
Fans had high hopes for Ellen Pompeo's Grey's Anatomy farewell episode, but what they got was a huge letdown.
Longtime fans of Grey’s Anatomy were less than pleased with the way the show handled the exit of the lead character Meredith Grey. Over the course of 19 seasons, Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, has been the one constant in the show’s revolving door cast. According to ScreenRant, fans wanted the character to go out with a bang, but instead, the show blew her a barely audible raspberry.
Fans took to Twitter and didn’t hold back when expressing their disappointment at Pompeo’s final Grey’s Anatomy episode. Some fans offered their alternatives for how Meredith’s run should have ended:
While others flat-out called it the worst episode of television they’d ever seen:
Some Grey’s Anatomy fans were so mad they had to resort to profanity to express their anger:
Many actors have departed the show over the years — Katherine Heigl, Kate Walsh, and Sandra Oh, just to name a few — and none of their last episodes sparked as much outrage as Ellen Pompeo’s. It’s understandable when one considers that out of all the characters that have come and gone throughout the history of Grey’s Anatomy, only one character shares a name with the title. While the show’s most beloved character might be subjective, everyone can agree that Dr. Meredith Grey is the most important character at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
While other actors were busy with burgeoning film careers and spin-offs, Ellen Pompeo remained faithful to the show that made her a household name. Pompeo was plenty busy before Grey’s Anatomy with roles in 2003’s Daredevil, the raunchy comedy classic Old School, and even the Leonardo Dicaprio vehicle Catch Me If You Can. But since 2005 when Grey’s first aired, the actress has barely done anything outside the show, choosing instead to save all her energy for Anatomy.
Ellen Pompeo’s IMDb page lists exactly three credits during the run of Grey’s Anatomy, and one of those is a three-episode stint on Grey’s spin-off Station 19. The other two credits are one episode as a voice on Disney Jr. cartoon Doc McStuffins and a cameo in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video. If the actress could give that much time and effort to Grey’s Anatomy, why couldn’t the show reciprocate?
Fans view the Season 19 mid-season finale, which ended with a literal going away party for Meredith, as a lackluster slap in the face after all the character had been through over the course of the show’s run, especially in light of some of the more dramatic exits given to other actors upon leaving Grey’s Anatomy. Giacomo Gianniotti, who played Dr. Andrew DeLuca had his character stabbed to death after a thrilling chase all over Seattle, a far cry from Ellen Pompeo’s goodbye party.
There’s still hope for a better sendoff in Meredith Grey’s future. Ellen Pompeo is still an executive producer on the show and has hinted at a potential return for her character in some small capacity in the future. Does this mean Grey’s Anatomy will learn from its mistake and give Meredith Grey the explosive, dramatic sendoff the character earned after 19 years? Let’s hope so for the fans’ sake.
