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Grey's Anatomy Just Heavily Teased Season 19 Will Be The End
Grey's Anatomy season 18 episode 16 had Meredith making a key change in her decision that heavily hints at season 19 being Grey's Anatomy last season.

Warning: Spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 16, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.”

It’s not a mystery that Grey’s Anatomy’s end will probably come sooner rather than later, but season 18, episode 16, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” might have just confirmed that Grey’s Anatomy season 19 will be the final one. Talk about the end of ABC’s medical drama have increased in recent years, helped both by the increasing number of central Grey’s Anatomy actors leaving the show and by Ellen Pompeo’s revelations about how she tried to suggest to everybody that Grey’s Anatomy should end. One detail about Meredith’s decision in the most recent Grey’s Anatomy episode might have just confirmed that not only will the show’s end happen soon, but that it will end with next season.

Miranda Bailey’s (Chandra Wilson) outburst to Meredith in the previous Grey’s Anatomy episode was the catalyst for Meredith realizing it was time for her to leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, with her deciding to accept David Hamilton’s (Peter Gallagher) offer to work at the Grey Center in Minnesota. Meredith’s decision, though, was made at the same time Grey Sloan’s residency program was put on probation, which caused many of Meredith’s colleagues to dub her disloyal. “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” saw Miranda, Richard (James Pickens Jr.), Catherine (Debbie Allen), and even Maggie (Kelly McCreary) upset with Meredith and letting her know about it, especially as the news about the residency program on probation had just been made public.

From the way the storyline was presented, it’s clear that Grey Sloan’s residency program on probation will be Grey’s Anatomy seasons 18 and 19’s big challenge. What also might cause it to be Grey Sloan Memorial’s final challenge is Meredith’s change of heart about her decision in the most recent Grey’s Anatomy episode. At the end of the episode Nick (Scott Speedman) went to her house to convince her to stay in Seattle. But after Meredith’s rightful anger at his suggestion, she conceded, especially after Nick made it clear they would stay in Seattle just long enough to save Grey Sloan’s residency program. Nick’s offer to stay with her in Seattle will prolong Meredith’s stay at Grey Sloan just enough for the probation problem to be solved, which would also give Grey’s Anatomy the chance to end on a high note, with the program saved and Meredith Grey yet again hailed as a hero in that hospital. Considering saving the residency program will likely be a season-long arc, it means Grey’s Anatomy will almost certainly end after season 19.

Many different theories about Grey’s Anatomy’s ending have been floated, raging from the tragic to the happy. Based on Meredith spending less and less time at Grey Sloan Memorial in the last two seasons, this would lead to the fairest possible ending. It would give Meredith the chance to spread her wings and build a new career for herself, while also confirming her loyalty to Grey Sloan. With only four episodes left in the season, Grey’s Anatomy season 18 skillfully transformed Meredith’s exasperation at the way everybody reacted to her reconsidering in a way that could see her giving her all to save Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. It’s the perfect way for her story to end while cementing her legacy at her longtime hospital.

Nick’s compromise with Meredith is the best of both worlds. Delaying her departure in order to save Grey Sloan would guarantee her presence and active participation in fighting for the hospital’s survival, the best balance of what’s fair for both Grey Sloan Memorial and Meredith’s personal wishes. In giving firm parameters around how long Meredith will stay in Seattle, Grey’s Anatomy is respecting Meredith Grey’s character. In setting up such a fitting and elegant solution, it also makes it more probable that Grey’s Anatomy season 19 will be its last hurrah.