After making headlines all season for their surprising episodes, Grey’s Anatomy left fans with quite the cliffhanger in the Season 17 mid-season finale on Thursday.
The winter finale, half of a two-hour crossover with Station 19, ends with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) seeming to be on the mend after contracting COVID-19.
While she tried to help a patient, she collapsed and, against her own wishes, was put on a ventilator as she’s seen on the beach, where she’s had several dream sequences in the first half of the season, as the winter finale ends, leaving fans wondering how series Grey’s condition really is.
Cliffhanger: After making headlines all season for their surprising episodes, Grey’s Anatomy left fans with quite the cliffhanger in the Season 17 mid-season finale on Thursday
Ventilator: While she tried to help a patient, she collapsed and, against her own wishes, was put on a ventilator as she’s seen on the beach, where she’s had several dream sequences in the first half of the season, as the winter finale ends, leaving fans wondering how series Grey’s condition really is
Executive producers Andy Reaser and Meg Marinis spoke with Entertainment Tonight, where they shed some light on the rather shocking finale.
This season has already featured several big moments, including the shocking return of Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepard in a beach dream sequence.
Maranis admitted the writers have been ‘on fire’ when it comes to pitching stories this season, partially because of what’s happening with COVID-19.
‘And because of what’s going on the world, we all feel this passion to tell stories that resonate with people and what they’re going through in the world right now, due to the circumstances, due to COVID, due to racial injustice, due to the isolation that we’re all feeling on a daily basis,’ she said.
Ventilator: After the finale fans are naturally concerned for Meredith, after her medical proxy Webber (James Pickens Jr.) decided to put her on a ventilator, since it exponentially increases her chances of survival, even though it’s directly against Meredith’s wishes
Passion: ‘And because of what’s going on the world, we all feel this passion to tell stories that resonate with people and what they’re going through in the world right now, due to the circumstances, due to COVID, due to racial injustice, due to the isolation that we’re all feeling on a daily basis,’ she said
After the finale fans are naturally concerned for Meredith, after her medical proxy Webber (James Pickens Jr.) decided to put her on a ventilator, since it exponentially increases her chances of survival, even though it’s directly against Meredith’s wishes.
When asked how ‘dire’ things are for Meredith, Reaser said that they wanted to be as accurate as possible about portraying Meredith on a ‘COVID high,’ when she tried to help the patient and collapsed.
‘We wanted to be as realistic as we possibly could about our portrayal of the virus and the dangers that it poses, and the COVID high or happy hypoxia is something that we’ve heard about again and again and again and again where you’re like, “Oh, we’re all better,” and then the person, just on a dime, completely crashes,’ Reaser said.
‘It’s not something that we take lightly and we don’t want to feel like Meredith is being let off the hook too easily. The virus keeps everyone guessing and it’s relentless, so it’s going to take relentlessness to fight it,’ he added.
Realistic: ‘We wanted to be as realistic as we possibly could about our portrayal of the virus and the dangers that it poses, and the COVID high or happy hypoxia is something that we’ve heard about again and again and again and again where you’re like, “Oh, we’re all better,” and then the person, just on a dime, completely crashes,’ Reaser said
Maranis added they, ‘read about doctors doctors, even being hospitalized, were still trying to help patients as best as they could, even when they were patients themselves because you have this calling and you can’t stop it.’
When asked if Meredith is in any sort of grave danger or a fight for her life, Maranis only said that the disease is ‘so unpredictable.’
‘And Meredith Grey is as a young, healthy person, healthy doctor. The fact that it’s gotten this far, it’s super scary for all of us, as fans and also people living with this. There’s an urgency because it’s COVID,’ Maranis said.
Grey’s Anatomy returns from its midseason hiatus Thursday, March 4 at 9 PM ET on ABC.
Helping: Maranis added they, ‘read about doctors doctors, even being hospitalized, were still trying to help patients as best as they could, even when they were patients themselves because you have this calling and you can’t stop it.
Return: Grey’s Anatomy returns from its midseason hiatus Thursday, March 4 at 9 PM ET on ABC