Meredith Grey is scrubbing out.
“Grey’s Anatomy” said goodbye to the end of an era as longtime star Ellen Pompeo and her beloved character bid farewell in her last episode as a series regular in Thursday’s emotional winter premiere. Titled “I’ll Follow the Sun”, a reference to the 1964 Beatles song, the doctors at Grey Sloan plan a surprise send-off on Meredith’s last day at the hospital, as they toast to her one last time before she begins her new life in Boston.
“You know, once upon a time, you were the bane of my existence, but no, you grew up to become one of my points of pride,” Dr. Bailey said before choking up.
“Dr. Grey, what Dr. Bailey is trying to say is that this place won’t be the same without you,” Dr. Webber said before officially sending Meredith off to Boston.
Meredith made sure to make her mark before saying goodbye to Grey Sloan. While her final surgery didn’t go as planned, she was sure to take a stand when it came to her relationship with Dr. Marsh with a speech that called back to the infamous “choose me” monologue she delivered to McDreamy.
“I want you in my life if you want to be in my life,” Meredith told Nick before scrubbing out. “But if I have to choose, I’m going to pick me. And I am not going to beg you to love me.”
While Nick tried to share his love for Meredith before she made her departure, it seemed all too clear that she was putting her focus on her life, her career and her family as she made this major move.
Though Thursday’s episode marks Pompeo’s final appearance as a regular, this won’t be the last time viewers will see the character. The 53-year-old actress is expected to appear at least one more time before the current 19th season is over. She will continue to narrate the rest of the season and fulfill her duties as an executive producer, and the door remains open for her character to drop by in the future.
