Thank God For Thursday! The arrival of Thursdays means Friday is coming and therefore, finally, the weekend. Fall is equally great. Leaves will begin to change and orange-colored things will erupt in number in stores everywhere.
Thursdays in the fall are also the best because they signal the start of a new season of Grey’s Anatomy. September 27th marked a special occasion for the series: the premiere of its 15th season with a gift from the gods in the form of not one, but two, episodes.
My hope for this season was that the story would stay true to the characters. There’s a fine line between telling the stories that still need to be told and elongating a painful exodus from America’s screens. With the possibility of surpassing ER as the longest-running medical TV show on the horizon, Grey’s Anatomy started its 15th season in the way that Grey’s knows best: with a lot of drama and a hint of romance.
Even before the title sequence appeared, season 15 of Grey’s had me hooked. The opening scene was, to say the least, surprising. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti)? It felt like they were haphazardly coupled, but I do know that the show has a sense for pairings that, while sometimes surprising, the audience often grows to love.
However, the scene of Meredith and DeLuca as a couple was short-lived, and I was not exactly sure whether I felt relieved or a little curious about them together. The show managed to hint not-so-subtly at Mer’s love life only two minutes into the season. After a long, drawn-out flirtation with, and subsequent departure of, Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), Meredith has been on her own for a while. And she’s doing fine.
However, it’s Grey’s Anatomy we’re watching, and she needs more—namely, a handsome doctor boyfriend. I just hope that the show will handle her new romance well, without overshadowing her sadly long-past relationship with Derek (Patrick Dempsey), or making the budding romance seem forced. Whether it be poor DeLuca, who can’t catch a break with love, or the extremely chiseled Dr. Link (Chris Carmack) who becomes Meredith’s love interest, I wondered whether another doctor would be able to complement the complex character of Dr. Grey. We came oh-so-close with Riggs. It’s certainly not an easy task, and Dr. Helm (Jaicy Elliot), an intern hopelessly in love with Meredith, knows so.
After a quick stop in Meredith’s dreams, we got a glimpse of a happy Jackson (Jesse Williams) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary), a prime example of the initially-rejected-but-now-sort-of-beloved Grey’s couple. And then—with the slap-in-the-face drama that never fails to punch me in the gut—the car crash, which had consequences I’m still not over.
As the storyline progressed, we saw more of the characters and their development since the twisting and turning season 14 finale. Jackson seems to be having a huge step in character development, and I am here for it. I want to see if and how well Grey’s will turn a former critic of faith into one looking toward divine answers. Fan-favorite and secretly pregnant Teddy (Kim Raver) reappears to interrupt eventually the currently blissful Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), whom I want desperately to find the happy ending they deserve.
The new, self-titled “Ortho God” (who is, in actuality, still Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), who may or may not be coming back??) Dr. Link makes his entrance in slow-motion with his suave assistant Dr. Kim (Alex Landi). The introduction of the duo was handled smoothly, and they fit in with the characters reasonably well. Kim’s flirtation with Schmitt (Levi Borelli) was unforeseen, and I am eager to see the first relationship between two gay males on Grey’s. Last but not least, Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Alex (Justin Chambers) have accomplished some major feats in just two episodes. Jo now has her own fellowship, and Alex is interim chief, a move that was happily unexpected.
All in all, I am satisfied with the first two episodes of the new season. They opened more pathways for the development of all the characters. Even though fans will miss Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew), things are looking up for the series. I did not feel as though the show was doing the same old, same old. Judging from the big return of Grey’s Anatomy, I can’t wait for another whirlwind of a season. These episodes show why Grey’s is so successful, why fans keep coming back, and why more people keep finding themselves in a 14-season binge on Netflix—their mastery of stories and constant innovation. Goodness knows we’ve lost quite a few characters, but the show manages to keep us in its thrall. So raise your pumpkin-spice lattes or what-have-yous, here’s to another season of Grey’s Anatomy!
