Well, anyone who's been checking in on Grey's Anatomy in Season 17 will be well aware of how desperate the situation is getting for our favorite characters. The series has been doing a pretty thorough examination of what our many, many thousands of healthcare workers have been going through this year, as Bailey, Webber, and all of the rest deal with the hard work of trying to save lives during the overwhelming pandemic, and Meredith and Koracick trying to simply survive having the virus. Now, the showrunner is discussing Meredith's "rough road" to come after the winter finale.
The winter finale of Grey's Anatomy just aired, and while there were a couple of victories during the episode, there was way more to be worried about than anything else. This was true to the point where it's probably going to be difficult for many fans to see the light at the end of this very long, tricky, dangerous tunnel. So, when showrunner Krista Vernoff spoke with Deadline about the finale, she was asked specifically about what's in store for Meredith, considering what she went through in the episode, and said:
I will say that historically Meredith has defied statistics like that. She has top of the line medical care and an entire team of people dedicated to doing every single thing they can to save her and she has a rough road ahead.
As those who watched the winter finale may have guessed, Vernoff isn't talking about any random virus statistics when mentioning how Meredith will fair in future episodes, as things have now taken a very dire turn for the worse when it comes to her treatment.
Spoilers ahead! The hospital has now had to convert the cafeteria into a COVID unit, due to a surge in patients, and Koracick and Meredith are still very sick. Mer felt better for a bit, and even woke up enough to chat with Koracick, but she also took it upon herself (Stubborn Mer!) to get up and assist a patient when no one else was around, which led to her collapsing and Webber having to make the tough decision to put her on a ventilator. Unfortunately, patients who end up needing to be put on ventilators, especially early in the pandemic, do not have very positive prognoses. End spoilers!
Basically, things will likely continue to get worse for Meredith before they get significantly better. And Krista Vernoff also confirmed that there will continue to be some very intense episodes when Grey's Anatomy returns from hiatus in March. While this will likely mean that we'll get to see a lot more of Mer on her beach with Derek or others from her past who have...passed on, we don't know just yet who might show up on that lovely dream beach. When asked if new possibilities for guest stars to enter Meredith's dreams have already been recruited, Vernoff said:
The honest answer to that at this point is no...I hope I have a different answer to that at some point soon.
Well, at least it sounds like Grey's Anatomy is working on having some cool guests from the past show up as the series continues down Meredith's "rough road," right? The long-running drama will be back with new episodes on ABC, Thursday, March 4 at 9 p.m. EST, but for more to watch check out our guide to everything coming to the small screen early next year!
