(Photo courtesy of ABC)When Grey’s Anatomy had it’s last episode this past November before taking a winter hiatus, we all had one single question in mind: Are Derek and Meredith really splitting up?
I sat heartbroken on my couch, thinking of all the romantic Derek and Meredith moments that have occurred over the past 11 seasons. Derek accepting a major position in Washington D.C. and choosing neurosurgery over Meredith? It just didn’t seem believable.
Last night’s episode opened with Derek hastily packing his things to fly away to D.C. when he flashes back to him and Meredith creating their post-it note vows.
In the flashback, Derek vows to Meredith, “to love each other, even when we hate each other, no running.” Even after that strong sentiment, he ultimately goes, leaving behind Meredith and his two children to pursue his career.
Meredith then enters their bedroom and has the same flashbacks. Instead of wondering if the correct decision was made like her husband, she throws the framed post-it note in the trash, and along with the frame, their marriage seems to be broken.
But seriously, did we really expect anything less from Mer? She has always avoided expressing her emotions in a conventional way.
It isn’t until she tells a co-worker, “my husband left me,” that I fell into a puddle of despair. “It’s my fault, I told him to go,” she later tells Owen, the chief of surgery. This may be true Mer, but he didn’t have to listen!
There seems to have been a reoccurring theme throughout the entire episode. When people encounter trauma, they run, as Derek so eloquently vowed not to do.
This concept was especially shown with April and Jackson’s conflicts. As we saw last episode, their unborn child has osteogenesis, a fatal disease. The best case is surgeries on top of surgeries. The worst case, the baby dies minutes after birth. April ran around frantically the entire episode treating patients, evidently running away from her own problems.
As for the other couples, Callie and Arizona are still broken up and their run has yet to come to a close. The only stable relationship seems to be Alex and Jo, although this couple didn’t have much of a story line this episode.
Of course, the running had to end at some point. April fell into a breakdown after a long day of work, sobbing into her husband’s arms after questioning why on earth this would happen to them and their unborn child, making this one of the most emotional moments of the episode.
Meredith reaches her breaking point as well. While interviewing a potential nanny for her children, Meredith gets teary eyed when telling her what she needs in a support system. She needs a “person." Someone to support her at the end of the day, to help her with the kids and to to always be there. She was clearly saying she wanted Derek, and tears formed in my own eyes as they formed in Meredith’s as she made her plea.
At the end of a seemingly bleak episode, I sounded the trumpets as I realized not all hope was lost. Meredith calls Derek at the end of a long hard day, and utters the words I had been waiting to hear all night, “this isn't us, this isn't how we end, is it?”
In the end, they agree to make long distance work. Enter yet another flashback of Derek saying, “this is forever,” on that magical post-it note vow filled day. Meredith retrieves the post-it note from the trash, rehanging the frame upon the wall, making their sacred vow all over again.
Grey’s Anatomy, as it so often does, taught me a pivotal lesson tonight. It’s easier to run from our problems, and avoid feeling any kind of emotion. Even though this is the far more appealing option, the only way we can gain any sort of reconciliation is to stop running, just like our favorite doctors did.
Tell the reporter what you thought of the drama filled episode at dpharias@asu.edu or follow @dpharias on Twitter.
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