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I don't doubt that Derek would have wanted the kids to have a relationship with his family, I actually agree. They do live with Amelia, his sister. But like you said, the writers have often ignored the fact that Meredith even has children in her home. There are so many characters around that I can't expect the writers to be accounting for how often Meredith's children see Derek's relatives that we don't even see. I do think Shonda will try to get Tyne Daly back at some point, but otherwise I wouldn't count on them referencing Derek's family much. This. A lot of these characters talk about the importance of family, but realistically that stuff just isn't shown unless it's for medical reasons or a very specific storyline. Have we even seen Sofia at all this season? I'll never forget the scene where Callie was drinking at Meredith's house last year and then Arizona showed up to crash there - where was their baby!? Derek's mother hasn't been shown since S5, and his first sister was last seen in S3. So, I can't fault Meredith for stuff that the writers just don't care to reference.

I don't totally disagree. She definitely has been increasingly cold and even rude, especially in the past two or so seasons (and especially towards Jo.) Like I said, I think I really noticed the shift somewhere after season 8. But I guess its the nature of the show that some of us just see these characters differently. I don't necessarily agree with Meredith's choices, but I understand a lot of her actions and think they make sense to me. The two big exceptions, for me, are: 1) Running away for an entire year after Derek died. I wish we had at least seen more of what was going on there. It had the potential to be really powerful - was she suicidal like Ellis? Was she having a breakdown? What did she do? Who did she talk to? As it stands, it was used only as a plot device and it really did a disservice to almost all of the characters. 2) How she's treated Jo. I think it seems like even Ellen has struggled to understand why the writers have really ramped that up without ever giving motivation. It seemed like at one point she was softening up to Jo, and then it went right back to her either ignoring or disliking her. I'm hoping for some Meredith / Jo scenes where they discuss it a bit, but I won't hold my breath. If Alex / Jo are endgame to Shonda, she needs to stop pitting them against each other for no reason. To be objective, we never really saw any of Derek's family show up more than once when he was alive. They've never really been part of the narrative other than when Shonda could cast someone buzzy to come in for one episode. Derek and Amelia both treated each other terribly when she came to the hospital. That storyline went on for months, basically until right before he died. I guess if we heard about Derek's family more it would bug me more, but other than that initial first episode after Derek died I haven't really thought about it. Either way, I do hope to see a lighter side of Meredith as this season progresses. I liked this episode, and I'll like it more if it really leads to some change. I'd love to get some real focus on Jo / Alex for a while and have Meredith interact with other characters (also besides Amelia and Maggie.) I hope they follow through with the Callie / Jo mentoring, because they both have been lacking stories. The issue is I can't see Shonda sidelining either Amelia or Maggie for too long. So, we have April / Jackson story coming up and then a big Owen / Riggs story in episode 14. I'm struggling to see how they can give everyone anything major.

I agree, she let a lot of non-family in - and then they all died or left. That's what I mean: I think there was a major turn somewhere after S7 / 8. The end of season 4 and majority of S5, to me, was about Meredith growing and getting over her past and learning to let people in. In the time since, she's dealt with an insane level of trauma. Maggie is her biological relative and she's had no trouble accepting her (aside from her initial shock.) They're very close now. She's been a lot more welcoming to her than Amelia, who technically isn't her family but her dead ex-husband's. I know plenty of people who grew up without a real family unit, and I think it tends to result in one of two extremes - those people either cherish the little family they do have and truly value them, or they just reject the concept of family entirely and make their own. I do get what you're saying, though. But I mean, for the record, if my sister-in-law was a narcissistic sociopath like Amelia, I wouldn't be jumping for joy over her either.

At this point, though, Meredith is more than just harping on a bad childhood. The writers have made her adult life almost consistently miserable and traumatic - dealing with Ellis' Alzheimers privately, finding out about her affair with Richard, Thatcher slapping her and blaming her for Molly's death, Lexi dying in a plane crash, Derek dying in a car accident, George getting run over by a bus, Izzie nearly dying of cancer and then leaving on a bad note (Meredith's final scene with Izzie still makes me sad because it was so harsh and feels so unresolved), suffering a miscarriage during the shooting, etc. She's also watched Alex and Cristina get repeatedly hurt, by Izzie, Ava, Burke, Owen and so on. Not to mention all of the trauma that has affected Meredith personally - bomb, drowning, plane crash. I do understand why a lot of people think Meredith's actions aren't justified, but for me - I can see why she's not keen on letting people in. I'm not saying she's necessarily likable or that it's a good trait, but I do feel like I understand the character and I enjoy watching her journey. I hope it's a lot lighter from here on out, though. Meredith's turnaround in season 4 / 5 was really great to watch, and I'd like her to get back there again. We've now established that she has a village of support around her, so I'd like to see her work on embracing that. That's one thing that really bugged me about the time jump after Derek died. I get what the writers wanted to achieve as a device to move the story ahead, but it was excessive. I can justify a lot of what Meredith does, but I think it's a weird oversight on the writers part to have allowed her to literally just disappear with two children right after Derek died. A few weeks? Okay, sure. But a year is preposterous. I assume all of Derek's sisters were at the funeral - I also assume his mother and Addison were. I'd think that's the last time any of them saw the children, minus Ellis obviously. It doesn't seem that Amelia really has a relationship with her real sisters, either, so there's no reason to believe they'd be visiting Seattle. I wonder if Shonda will try to get any of Derek's other relatives back in the future.

Dear God, I hope not. I thought Arizona's drunk flirting with Penny in 12x05 was pretty weird.

So correct me if I'm wrong: we know for sure that Jessica and Kevin are both going to stick around. Ellen isn't official but is basically confirmed. In addition, Giacomo, Jason, and Martin definitely signed multi-year deals, as I imagine Caterina and Kelly did last year. So Justin, Chandra, James and Sara all have contracts expiring at the end of the season. Anyone know the status of the rest of the cast in terms of contract periods?

Oh jeez, I never thought of that. I want Penny gone any way possible, but I'll be so sad if Sara / Callie's write-off leaves her somewhere with Penny. She deserves so much better. I loved how Cristina was written off, but giving her Shane somehow tainted it for me too. I could never stand his character.

I just can't imagine how they're going to write Penny off now. I have a bad feeling that she's going to be announced as a regular before the end of the year. I really, really, hope I'm wrong. But it seems like they've worked so hard to give her story above so many other characters, so I can't see her just fading into the background at the hospital now. And she just transferred to GSM so I'm not sure how she'd plausibly leave. Again - I really, really hope I'm wrong. I don't care how they write her off, honestly. The sooner the better. She just isn't needed. I loved the 250th episode, but she should have never come to work at the hospital after that. I may not like Amelia, but I've accepted the fact that she isn't going anywhere. Penny is a really dark spot on an otherwise enjoyable season for me.

It's especially funny because we've seen in the past that Arizona is capable of moving on pretty quickly. Now, for some reason, she's been standing still. Considering Capshaw's pregnancy I'm guessing that the writers are trying to give her some screen time without committing to anything major as she gets closer to the due date. I hope that means that they at least advance her story some in the next few episodes, considering she's been in the same spot for over a year now. Dito. I wish it was literally anyone but Amelia, but unfortunately she's our neuro doc now. * Sigh *

"Arizona considers dating again" is pretty funny. She's been separated from Callie for well over a year, and we've heard about her 'getting ready' to date for so long. The time jumps are tough to manage with such a huge cast, because while some stories advance quickly others are just stuck in the same spot.

Wow, the return of Katie Bryce. A PATIENT FROM MEREDITH’S VERY FIRST SURGERY IS READMITTED TO GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL, ON ABC’S “GREY’S ANATOMY” “My Next Life” – A patient from Meredith’s very first surgery as an Intern is readmitted to Grey Sloan Memorial with a new aneurysm, and Amelia takes her case. Meanwhile, Maggie suspects that Richard knows about her relationship with Andrew, and Arizona debates dating again, on “Grey’s Anatomy,” THURSDAY, MARCH 3 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST) on the ABC Television Network.

Meredith's arc with Wyatt in S4 as well as Cris / Owen's in S6 were both great. I'm eager to see what comes out of Meredith going back into therapy. I wish it were for longer, but I think he seems to be a one-episode guest star. We know that episode 11 will be April / Jackson centric, so there probably won't be much of any other stories that week. I wonder where they're going with Alex and Jo next week...

I hope part of what comes out of this episode, like I said before, is an exploration of these other relationships that Meredith has. I know many people disagree, but my opinion is that the show works best when she is at least used as an anchor. I'd love to see her getting more scenes with Arizona, Jackson, even April. Maybe mentoring Ben (and I'm hoping that the Callie / Jo work relationship picks up again next week.) If they're insistent on keeping this huge cast around, then lets at least start integrating all of these characters and showing some new dynamics.

I'm not an Amelia fan at all (she's my least favourite regular Grey's character ever, to be honest) but I don't think that they're using her to replace Cristina. They wouldn't have Meredith reject her so consistently if that was the point. If anything, they may have tried to use Maggie to fill that void. But they can't keep dwelling on Cristina - I appreciate that they haven't forgotten her, but Yang is gone. Yes, perhaps realistically we'd like to think Cristina would show up for something like this - but she can't. The actress left the show. They added a scene after Derek's death to imply Cristina was there. There are some constraints out of the writers hands. Beating a dead horse would get tired very quickly... Meredith, and we as the audience, have to move on if we're going to continue watching.

It should be noted that year-to-year, Grey's is up 7% (compared to the February 12, 2015 episode rather than the premiere which was 2 weeks earlier last year.) I think the extended break hurt TGIT quite a bit. Yup, TBBT is still an absolute monster.

Fantastic for Grey's. It also went up in half-hours: Greys - 2.3/2.5 Scandal - 2.2/2.0 HTGAWM - 1.9/1.7

As I was watching the ending sequence (Alex showing up to Jo's door, the April / Jackson scene, etc.) I was also thinking that it felt a lot like a finale. It could have worked as the mid-season ender, for sure. But I can see why they'd think it'd make a stronger lead, and I think it was the right call. Now in the coming weeks we'll start to resolve those lingering stories. It reminded me a bit of the S9 premiere where they picked up months after the plane crash and then did flashbacks in episode 2. Going forward, I hope we get some major focus on Jo / Alex and I'd really like to see some Meredith / Jo scenes as well. Justin Chamber was fantastic tonight, and I hope he gets a lot to do for the rest of the season (with Jo and Meredith - and on his own.) Otherwise (and maybe this is a bit OT) I'm most eager to see what the hell they have planned for Callie and Arizona, especially since I think there's a real chance of Sara leaving at the end of this year. During the middle seasons of the series, it'd be easy for an outsider to assume Callie was the lead - she got a lot of major stories, often all throughout each season. Now she's been sidelined for nearly 2 years. I know a lot of the cast has been back burnered, some for even longer, but none feel more obvious to me lately than Callie, Arizona, and Bailey. I was glad to see Meredith's revelation at the end - she truly does have a village around her. Now I'd like to see them shake up who she interacts with a bit more. Let Alex get a real storyline with Jo, and have the occasional Mer / Alex check-in scenes rather than them always together (as much as I love their friendship.) Give Mer an ongoing patient storyline with Arizona, Jackson, or anyone out of the norm.

It's well worth it, in my opinion. I think if fans can get past the fact that it's a Meredith-centric episode that pushes other stories aside for the week, and just look at it as a standalone episode of Grey's Anatomy, any fan should be able to enjoy it. It's really as great as many of the earlier 'event' episodes. You can feel how much went into making it great. The cast is fantastic, especially Ellen and Justin so far. The episode is really, really well written, directed, and put together. I've got about 15 minutes to go here.

15 minutes into the episode (2nd commercial break) on CTV. I won't post any spoilers until the episode is over on ABC, but everyone I'm watching with has been dead silent and on the edge of their seat. It's early to really say much, but the first bit of the episode really has been exceptionally shot, acted, and even written. I love seeing these doctors rally together.

Thanks for sharing! That's a great, honest interview. I love that Ellen accepts the challenges that come along with working in TV and also embraces how lucky she is to play the part she plays. It makes me happy to see all that Grey's has achieved and all that Ellen has achieved over the years. I'm excited for tonight's episode in a big way because I'm glad that she and the cast had the opportunity to work with Denzel. It's true that, especially in the past, work on a TV show was often put down. A lot of that stigma is gone now and Grey's has stood through the changes and been a part of that process. Her honesty is really refreshing. I especially loved this bit: "You have to suspend your disbelief to be able to watch TV and act in TV. Now that Meredith has kids … we don't see the kids! I do scenes all the time with the sisters in the house. And it's like, where are my kids? I don't get up in the morning and make myself a coffee and sit and kibbutz at my kitchen table. I get up, I start the French toast, I've got the smoothies going, this one's gotta get dressed. You say to the writers, "Shouldn't Meredith be getting her kids ready in the morning?" It's a little challenging just for my mama bear gut-level instinct."

Upcoming episode titles from SpoilerTV: Grey's Anatomy - Episode 12.11 - Unbreak My Heart Grey's Anatomy - Episode 12.12 - My Next Life

The only one seemingly getting defensive is you. My post wasn't directed at you. I typically enjoy your posts, and I think we've had good discussions in the past. We agree on several things we also disagree on several. That's what makes this board interesting. If we all liked the same characters and stories, there would be nothing to discuss. I'm not upset over anyone disliking Meredith, I think that's silly. I dislike several characters, as well. I just said I'm excited for the riled up reactions, because I often get a good laugh. No need to continue this conversation in this thread, it's off-topic... but there was no disrespect meant to any member of the fanbase, especially not any single poster.

No need to get upset, I was joking around. I've said here 1,000 times that I understand that everyone here likes and dislikes multiple characters. It's a huge (and passionate) fanbase. I'm not sure why you'd take anything personally.

Oh I totally agree (I've been on the receiving end of some wild PMs as well). I just know that with this Meredith-centric episode coming up, lots of interesting comments will be posted in the coming weeks. I read message boards as far back as the original ABC Grey's boards, and the Meredith hate was just as intense back then. I remember around the drowning arc there were tons of people asking for Meredith to be killed off and then only used as the narrator (a la Mary Alice from Desperate Housewives). If nothing else, this fanbase is passionate lol.

Thank you! Much appreciated. I'm super excited to have Meredith interacting with members of the cast that we rarely see her with. I loved the scene of Mer & Arizona during the plane crash episode last season, where they comforted each other in the closet. I'm always much more interested in the show - and think it works a lot better - when Meredith is used as the anchor to tie everything together, and I hope this episode leads to more of that. I'd love to see more Meredith / Jackson and Meredith / Arizona scenes in the future, in particular. I'm also excited to continue reading bitter reactions from Meredith haters. This board is going to be so fun after the episode airs, lol.