11 seasons is a long time. Since 2005, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy has been, in my opinion, perfectly brilliant. Although producer Shonda Rhimes messes with our hearts and our minds, longtime Grey’s fans have been through everything together.
When George died and Izzie left the show, I thought there was no way I could keep watching. When it took five seasons for Meredith and Derek to get together, and then he hit her engagement ring into the woods with a bat, I wanted to strangle Shonda. And then when Mark and Lexie died in the plane crash, I vowed to swear off Grey’s forever. But, even after 10 seasons of misery, even after Cristina left the show, even after Meredith discovered she had another unknown half sister who happens to be the most annoying character I’ve ever seen, I haven’t given up on Grey’s. And this is why you shouldn’t either.
1. Meredith and Derek deserve to be together. After everything that the two have been through – from unexpected wives appearing, to intense commitment issues, to constant struggles over balancing their careers – the two deserve to finally be happy. And although they haven’t spoken in weeks and don’t sleep in the same bed anymore, it’s worth it to keep watching to see if they finally get their happily ever after.
2. Will Alex finally settle down with the right girl? For nine years we’ve painfully watched Alex’s love life unfold – and it hasn’t been pretty. First, there was Eva, Rebecca, Shannon – whatever her name is – who seemed sweet at first, but then ended up being a wrist-slicer and couch-wetter. And then there was Izzie, who we all loved until she left Alex out of nowhere. I mean, if I just survived intense cancer and had Alex Karev as a husband to come home to, I’m not going anywhere. And then Alex went through a Lexie Grey phase, tried to deflower April Kepner, and then had a weird thing with an OB, until finally, he found Jo – the perfect girl. We need to keep watching because, let’s be honest – we’ve all been waiting nine years for Alex to find love.
3. We’re all on the edge of our seats. In 2009, none of us would have guessed that April Kepner and Jackson Avery would be married and expecting a child five years later. Part of the reason I am still watching is to see what kinds of parents April and Jackson will be. How often will they go to church? Will they say grace before every meal? And most importantly – what will their baby look like?
4. And finally, we come to Maggie – Richard and Ellis Grey’s love child from 20-something years ago who, whenever she opens her mouth or enters the scene, I cringe and reach for my phone. She’s whiney, unreasonable, and just flat-out annoying. But we love Richard, and we love Meredith, and we care about how her presence affects them. How will Meredith deal with accepting another sister in her life? Will Maggie and Richard ever develop a relationship? Will she stop being so irritating and making me pray for a commercial whenever she speaks? Stay tuned.