Grey's Anatomy is not going anywhere anytime as it is expected to return for Season 17. However, new rumors have it that the series executives have been planning to kill off its titular character, Meredith Grey, in a dramatic storyline for the next installment.
According to the Globe, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) will die next season but only to be brought back to life later on. A source of the tabloid claimed Meredith Grey's death will be an explosive two-part episode that has a "blockbuster storyline."
"First, Meredith Grey will 'die' on the operating table. She'll get a glimpse of the afterlife... Then, when her fellow doctors are ready to give up all hope, she will come back to life!" the source said.
This seems to be a familiar scenario to many Grey's Anatomy fans. Remember an episode in Season 3 when she drowned and Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) found her? Mer fought for her life.
Just when the doctors of the then-called Seattle Grace Hospital were about to pronounce her legally dead, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) convinced them to do one more round of resuscitating drugs. Mer starts to breathe again.
Globe's claim also seems to be a very detailed spoiler for Grey's Anatomy Season 17 that also makes it more unbelievable. It is worthy to note that all of Shonda Rhimes shows have been known for giving out as little information as possible for their upcoming episode, let alone a major storyline for the next season.
Gossip Cop also dismissed the report, citing Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff's previous statement about what could happen in Season 17. The medical drama aired its season finale last week, which is four episodes short of its previous seasons.
Grey's Anatomy was forced to have an early season finale due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ABC series failed to film its last four episodes after it shut down production in late February.
Vernoff told Entertainment Weekly that the four episodes short in Season 16 affected some characters' storylines. She said the series writers need to "reset" their plans for the next installment. However, she admitted that she doesn't have a definite answer on how the show will proceed until they get into the writers' room. This means the series executives, that includes Pompeo, haven't ironed out the storylines for Season 17.
Meanwhile, the supposed near-death experience of Meredith in Season 17 is actually not new in the series. Grey's Anatomy had many episodes in the past where Mer almost died.
Aside from the drowning episode, the mother-of-three top-notched surgeon had her hand stuck inside a patient's body to stop a bomb from exploding. Mer had been in an airplane crash that killed her half-sister, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).
She also had prolonged exposure to toxic blood and survived a brutal attack by one of her patients. Mer also delivered a baby via C-section while there's an electric outage. All of these mean another catastrophic event in the life of Meredith Grey doesn't seem to shock fans anymore.
