By Fiona Finchem, Staff Writer
Warning: This story contains spoilers.
16 seasons, 365 episodes, 15 years and only three original characters left… “Grey’s Anatomy” season 17 is finally here, and it’s nothing like what was expected.
After season 16 was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the producers and cast of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” are back for yet another season filled with laughs, tears and even more twists and turns.
On Nov. 12, 2020, season 17 aired after a long seven months of waiting.
If you haven’t seen “Grey’s Anatomy” before, there’s no need to rush through 15 years worth of the show just to get to season 17. But if you are anxious to watch, especially since the season demonstrates what it’s like to be a healthcare worker during COVID-19, here’s a quick recap of where the show left off:
At the end of season 16, Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) was showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. He was forgetting things, having conversations with people who weren’t really there, unable to draw shapes and was even caught holding a scalpel to his own stomach, thinking he was a patient. His dementia was actually connected to his previous hip transplant, as the cobalt from the hip had entered his blood stream and was doing some pretty serious damage.
Then, Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) cheats on her life-long lover and new fiance, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), and pocket dials him at the time, resulting in him hearing the whole thing.
Unfortunately, the show had to shut down sooner than expected due to COVID-19, and we were left with a huge cliffhanger, but that didn’t stop the “Grey’s Anatomy” producers.
In order to ensure safety and the continuation of the show, the actors and producers decided to shift the show’s point of view to that of doctors during this pandemic, quickly becoming one of the most coronavirus-centered TV shows of 2020-21.
Because “Grey’s Anatomy” is a show about doctors, the producers knew it was their duty to focus the show on the coronavirus, but how could they make a show about surgery revolve around COVID-19?
Without giving too much away: The surgeons in the show barely get to perform surgery anymore, especially since Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is a COVID-19 oriented hospital. In the previous 16 seasons, viewers got to witness a lot of surgery, but now the main focus is on doctors, COVID patients and their families.
“I have been watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for about three years,” junior Maren Ingram explained. “So far, I’m kind of stunned with the new season. I’m shocked that some of the old characters came back and I always look forward to who Meredith is going to see on the beach next.”
Star Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) has hinted that this will be the show’s last season. So far, the season has already included what it’s like being a doctor during COVID-19, what it’s like for people passing from COVID and their families, with some of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital’s own beloved surgeons suffering from COVID. We even got to see some of our dead but favorite characters one last time.
“It’s a great season, and I think they’re doing a great job with it,” Ingram said. “I loved that they incorporated COVID into it, as Meredith gets the virus and shows hospital life in a pandemic. I think it makes it more relatable to people, especially people that have had it or lost loved ones to it.”
Watch Grey’s Anatomy every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
Junior Fiona Finchem can be reached at 22finchemfi99@daretolearn.org.
