Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith Grey is on the verge of death.
It’s a scenario that would cause any diehard Grey’s Anatomy fan to worry while watching, but as with all things at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, it’s likely for a reason. After that explosive season 17 premiere in which Patrick Dempsey‘s Derek Shepherd returned to Meredith in a beachy dream sequence, she officially began experiencing the dirty and painful side effects of contracting COVID-19 during the Thursday, Nov. 19 episode.
But why, exactly, would the people behind ABC’s biggest hospital drama threaten the life of its main character? Well, it’s all about respect.
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter following Thursday’s episode, showrunner Krista Vernoff explained her decision to give Meredith the deadly virus. “Last week we felt Meredith Grey’s pain as a doctor treating an early surge of COVID patients,” Vernoff said. “This week we begin to experience what it is for her to be a COVID patient herself.”