Over the last few weeks, Grey’s Anatomy fans have been left wondering if Nathan Riggs would finally choose Meredith Grey or Megan Hunt following Megan’s miraculous return to civilization. While each woman tried to push him toward the other, it sometimes felt like nobody would get the guy…until October 26’s “Danger Zone,” when all of a sudden, Riggs was attempting to renovate a house in Los Angeles with the support of Megan’s son. Riggs’s departure from the show feels awfully sudden from the outside looking in—I didn’t even register that the end of the episode signaled his exit until later that night—but his exit was inevitable.
Martin Henderson, who plays Riggs, told Deadline that when he joined the show in Season 12, shortly after Patrick Dempsey’s departure, he knew his contract was short-term. So while some viewers were given a new hope for Meredith, Henderson always knew that the couple was never meant to be. And for those of us who are forever and always rooting for Meredith to catch just one break, we’re left disappointed once more. Why ya gotta play us like that, Shonda? Why?
With this being the last year of his contract, Henderson expected Riggs’s storyline would soon be wrapped up. “Bringing in Megan and tying up loose ends provided a reason,” he told Deadline. What? Contract renewals couldn’t have been the solution? But Henderson also told Deadline that he doesn’t do long-term projects, so chances are he was ready to leave, too. The good news? It sounds like neither he nor Shonda have closed the door on possible future projects. “If the opportunity came in the future with an interesting storyline,” he said, “I’d be happy to explore it.” And if a return doesn’t work out, fans might be able to see him again in another Shondaland show—this was his third, and he said that Shonda has already mentioned “she’d like to put me in a show with a gun in my hand.” Officer Riggs? I can get behind that.
He also said that he feels bad for the fans who were rooting for Meredith and his character to make it. “But it makes for nice drama, and it’s something that Shonda does brilliantly: Dashing people’s hopes and expectations.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, tbh. When is the last time an episode didn’t leave a gaping wound in your heart?
I’ve got to be honest—the only thing that would satisfy me would be to see Derek walk through the door and apologize for the confusion (screw continuity) because MerDer for life, am I right? I’ll never give my full support to any of Meredith’s SOs, but Riggs made her happy and, despite the fact that she is clearly okay with how it turned out, I am sad and offended on her behalf. If nothing else, I guess we can be grateful that he had a peaceful exit? For once, no one succumbed to terminal illness or heavy machinery or fire.