If you’ve never seen Grey’s Anatomy, I feel for you.
I feel for you because I’m partially jealous. My heart has been ripped out of my chest, tossed in a garbage disposal, stomped until it’s dead, then fixed by Dr. Burke, and stuck back in my chest. I have never watched a show that has given me such heartbreak and heartache for fictional characters, but I also feel bad for you. My heart has never felt such joy for a show, specifically when Meredith and Derek finally stay together, or when Jane Doe/Rebecca/Ava from Season 3 makes it through her surgeries, regains her memory, and finally goes home.
Shonda Rhimes knew exactly what she was doing when she created Grey’s Anatomy.
When I was a senior in high school, all my friends were talking about this show on Netflix. I had heard of it, but I had no idea what it was about. I had finally caught up on Pretty Little Liars, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Around this time, I was at a low point in my battle with depression. That’s probably why I was hooked after the first episode. Unlike other shows with lead characters who were damaged, Meredith shows it and owns up to her damage. She doesn’t hide it, she almost flaunts it. And, she’s okay with it! Yeah, she hates that her mother wasn’t there a lot and her father left, but she deals with it. I’m able to relate with Meredith a lot. She’s damaged, I’m damaged. She’s a doctor, I want to be a doctor. She wants to happy and shiny and tries to be most days, as do I.
Shonda, thanks for giving me someone I can connect with.
And about McDreamy and McSteamy, thanks for just adding them in. Derek, unfortunately, is the man I’m looking to marry (so if you’re out there, hit me up). He cares for Meredith more than he ever did for Addison. Although they’re so different, I think that’s why they’re perfect. Meredith shows Derek that not everything is so happy and goes so well in life, while Derek brightens up Meredith’s gloomy mood and makes her easier to be around. Their relationship is not perfect, nor one to model after, but it’s as real as it can be for a TV drama. They have problems, but they grow. They strive to make things work and further their relationship.
TV shows aren’t always true, and most are fictional, but they take you away from your everyday life. They take you away from the stress of school, drama from friends, or anything else. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll influence you to change the world.
Thank you, Shonda Rhimes, for the TV series that I continue to rewatch, cry over and over again, and will keep obsessing over until the day I die.