'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: With rehashed storylines and stagnant characters, it's time for the show to end
Over the course of 15 years, ABC drama 'Grey's Anatomy' has garnered somewhat of a cult status, giving it a little more edge over other medical dramas in terms of ratings. It began with five surgical interns, who were fighting for surgeries, and their personal lives. The heartbeat of the show was the couple, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and their complicated love story.
You had a distinct character like Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), Meredith's 'person', whose most powerful emotional scenes were not with her boyfriends, but her ambition to become the best cardiothoracic surgeon. There was the affable Izzy Stevens (Katherine Heigl) who cut her boyfriend's VLAD wire, so that he could he get a heart transplant. And there was George O'Malley (TR Knight) wrestling with his family problems and affection for Meredith. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) was a brash and blunt intern, who over the course of the show, became caring and protective, especially when it came to Meredith.
The first few seasons of 'Grey's Anatomy' witnessed a lot of things, brutal heartbreaks, deaths and exits. While it also had the ability to make you feel for the characters, it could deliver the required zingers and tension. The shooter in the hospital was one of the most nerve-wracking episodes till date after Derek's death of course. The beauty of the show was that it dealt sensitively with many delicate issues, including LGBTQ rights (Callie and Arizona), the importance of mental health, the travails of inadequate parenting and the slow-burning recovery after watching loved ones die.
It had powerful speeches and packed with emotional moments, a few being Callie telling her father she is bisexual, Lexie explaining to Mark how much she loves him, Alex and Izzy's conversation after she almost dies during her operation, and practically every scene between Meredith and Derek. The character development for Meredith, Alex and Cristina were probably the most profound. More than the relationships, the strong friendships between the central characters became the backbone of the show.
Slowly, it felt something was being chipped away from the originality and endearing qualities of 'Grey's Anatomy'. It began slightly with Izzy's exit, Mark and Lexie's deaths, and the first time the show felt different from what fans were used to, was when Cristina left the show in the 10th season. There was no more 'dance-it-out' sessions between her and Meredith, and those snarky confidential conversations were sorely missed. Yet, the show persisted. Another couple, Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew), added to the show with their chemistry, story of heartbreak. However, the big blow came when Derek 'died' or rather Patrick Dempsey left the show after unresolved issues with creator Shonda Rimes. The show seemed to be flailing. What was going to happen to Meredith now? No one could take Derek's place. That was certain. Yet, it was as if the show lost some confidence. The patient's stories were not so absorbing as they once were.
The love stories were not as enthralling as the earlier ones. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Amelia Shepherd's hackneyed and complicated tale was not a patch on his and Cristina's, it came across as rather tired and weary. Moreover, Owen, from being a complex military man who had numerous scars from his troubled past, just became a whiny character, who seemed to go from one woman to another.
April and Arizona left the show at the end of Season 14. Ironically, Meredith's romance with Andrew DeLuca was a little refreshing even if it could never come close to her relationship with Derek.
And then, Alex left too. With that, Meredith loses her closest friend, after Cristina. Truth to be told, Meredith and Alex's bond is what kept the show going, even if it seemed to be stumbling. Alex and Jo Wilson's (Camilla Luddington) love story is struck down. The show seems to be rehashing old storylines and patterns to keep itself going, and fans who have stuck on for 15 years, have seen it all before.
The love triangles are predictable, and the patient's stories have gone into the background. Owen-Amelia-Teddy's tale doesn't generate much interest, and the father of Amelia's baby being Owen is another example of the show beating a dead horse. Where are the powerful and distinct characters like Cristina Yang? Where are the layered themes that didn't just involve possible extra-marital affairs?
Jackson has become reduced to being someone in the background. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is still a potent force, but she's doing her best to work with a stale script. The professional realm has become stagnant too, either you're fired and brought back, or a badly-handled patient's death leads to blanking out.
The popular ABC show has explored as much as it could have for the past 15 years, but let's face it, the novelty that kept the show going has worn off. 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 has come to an abrupt end and now hopefully we'll see new and improved storylines in the final season of the medical drama.