‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Some Fans Are Struggling to Make It Through Season 17
The COVID-19 pandemic has really thrown a wrench into television and movie production this year. Many shows had to call it quits before their seasons were wrapped up in the spring, while others have faced numerous delays in filming.
When these series were finally able to begin filming again, they had to make some serious changes. It seems that many shows wanted to address the world’s current situation in some way. Grey’s Anatomy had an easier time working COVID-19 into the plot of the show, as it’s already set in a hospital. As it turns out, some fans aren’t too fond of this season.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’: The COVID-19 focus is too much for many viewers
It seemed like the perfect fit — a global pandemic as the plotline of a television series set in a hospital. Everyone’s wearing surgical masks and gowns all the time anyway, so they don’t even have to make that many changes. So what’s the problem?
The problem is that fans aren’t exactly loving the whole COVID-19 focus that’s taken over one of their favorite shows. They’re feeling suffocated by the pandemic all around them in real life, and to have to watch it unfold in a fictional world just hits too close to home.
One of the main reasons people watch these shows is to escape from reality for a while, not to have it crammed down their throat during their relaxation time.
Grey’s Anatomy has focused so heavily on the pandemic this season that little else has happened. Not only is it depressing, it’s also fairly boring. Fans have been subjected to long-winded discussions about how COVID-19 is destroying everyone’s lives.
As if that isn’t enough, they’ve also had to watch as the protagonist of the whole show, Meredith Grey, sits in a hospital bed and withers away from the virus.
Quite a few fans have taken to Reddit to share their opinions of this season, and many are in agreement that it’s just too much.
One Redditor said, “If I wanted to see the effects of the pandemic, I just look around me, we are already living it. I can’t watch Greys to escape anymore….. I’m so overwhelmed with this pandemic I hate seeing it infiltrate my favorite tv program too.”
‘Grey’s’ has covered plenty of tragic topics in the past
Grey’s Anatomy is no stranger to tragic storylines. The people from Grey Sloan Memorial have been put through the wringer time and time again, and it seems as if some of them actually have nine lives like a cat.
Fans have had to watch the heart wrenching deaths of several main characters. Sweet and lovable Denny Duquette fought like hell for a new heart, only to be brought down by a blood clot that caused a stroke. Fan favorite George O’Malley was hit by a bus when he pushed a woman out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.
Everyone’s favorite neurosurgeon, Derek Shepherd (a.k.a. McDreamy) died after a horrific tractor trailer accident.
In addition to the numerous deaths of major characters, Grey’s Anatomy has been full of other tragedies. April and Jackson lost their baby a few hours after his birth. Cristina was left at the altar. Arizona and Callie were in a terrible car crash while Callie was pregnant. The hospital has also been subjected to hurricanes, explosions, and earthquakes.
All of this pales in comparison to what the show’s heroine, Meredith Grey, has faced during the past 16 seasons. She survived a plane crash, a hospital shooting, and a near-drowning. She was also beaten so badly by a patient that she nearly died.
She had a miscarriage, and later, a very bloody c-section during a power outage. Early on in the series, when she bought a dog to help her get over Derek (whom she learned was married), the dog died from cancer. Seriously — what else could they do to this poor woman?
‘Grey’s Anatomy’: What’s in store for the rest of season 17?
Although the fans feel like this season has been pretty depressing so far, Grey’s creators promise that the focus won’t be all negative. Krista Vernoff, executive producer of the show, says, “There’s a lot of story to tell that is sort of COVID-related, but not about death and despair.”
She also says that they will be honoring the heroes on the front line and that fans can also expect a bit of humor and romance this season.
