Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff is defending how Meredith's exit was handled after being met with lackluster reactions. After 19 seasons and many traumatic events, Meredith Grey departed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Meredith has been played by Ellen Pompeo since 2005, and she is one of the few original cast left on the show. While most of the beloved characters are sent off with some emotional fanfare, Meredith's exit was surprisingly subdued.

Despite the reactions, Vernoff revealed to TVLine that Meredith's send-off was intentionally simple for Grey's Anatomy. She's now defending how Meredith left, explaining that the show has a plan for the character. Read Vernoff's full explanation below:

It wasn’t a farewell episode, it was a leaving-Seattle episode, because we knew we were going to see Meredith again this season and more next season as well. So it was a different kind of farewell than some that we’ve done where it’s like, ‘That’s the last you’re ever going to see that person.’ We didn’t want to do that. We wanted a sweet ‘See you later’ kind of thing for Ellen. And then, we’ve still got her voiceover anchoring the show, which I think has a much bigger impact than anyone is fully aware of. Maybe for that reason, I have felt that the show’s been pretty steady.

Meredith’s Send-Off Was Fitting

Meredith Grey has overcome quite a bit in her 19 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and despite disappointment with Meredith's exit, it was fitting for the character. She started as an intern and made her way up to chief of surgery before her departure and faced her fair share of trauma during her years at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. From a bomb inside a patient to a gunman in the hospital, it's been a hard 18 years for Meredith. With such a hectic career it's fair to say that she deserves some simple every once in a while.

Viewers may have been dismayed by Meredith’s exit, but it provides the closure that both the character and the audience need. Other major characters have had sudden departures and tragic deaths that shocked audiences, leaving them grieving the loss of a beloved character, but that isn't quite the right exit for Meredith Grey. Unlike other character departures, Meredith's exit isn't permanent, with Vernoff and Pompeo already teasing Meredith's return in future episodes.

The decision to send her off in a casual and light-hearted scene was a smart move and it makes Grey's Anatomy all the better for it. It's predictable at this point in the show to kill off major characters, but it's refreshing to see one actually get a happy ending. It may have been simple, but the exit was sweet and as the show's heart and soul, Meredith deserves it most of all.

Source: TVLine