Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Missed Opportunity Sees Reunion Falls Short
Grey’s Anatomy season 22 opened up with the fallout of last season’s major explosion, and while there was a tough death in the premiere episode, the show’s upcoming emotional reunion won’t make up for the missed opportunity of a bigger shock. Grey’s Anatomy season 22, which premiered this week on ABC, took the safe route when it came to the resolution of the explosion.
While Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale set up the circumstances for one of several of the show’s favorite doctors to meet their untimely end, the show made the decision to proceed with a somewhat less impactful death to start off the season. The Grey’s Anatomy season 22 premiere saw Dr. Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales) die after sustaining crush injuries during the blast.
Though Beltran’s death will be impactful to the Grey Sloan Memorial doctors, she wasn’t one of the big characters who was predicted to die as the season approached. After sustaining injuries of their own, both Atticus “Link” Lincoln (Chris Carmack) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) were rumored to be possible candidates to meet their difficult end on the show.
As Grey’s Anatomy season 22 continues, the show teased an emotional reunion in the second episode of the season, but after a somewhat disappointing resolution in the season opener, some are struggling with the series. Although the payoff was decent, Grey’s Anatomy’s emotional reunion won’t make up for the missed opportunities of shaking up the characters for another long season.
Grey’s Anatomy Chose The Safer Route With Its Season 22 Opener
Grey’s Anatomy’s Natalie Morales (Monica Beltran) SmilingCredit: ABC via MovieStillsDB
Throughout Grey’s Anatomy season 22’s premiere, it was clear that Beltran’s death was being set up while Link’s injuries would ultimately be resolved. Though it was possible that Link could’ve died from his injuries, the more sustainable, interesting choice within the premiere would’ve been to take the big swing and kill off Webber, one of Grey’s few remaining original cast members.
While Webber’s death would’ve been a shock to the system of the show, Grey’s Anatomy has handled large character deaths in interesting ways in the past. Viewers have been watching intently for years despite major character deaths that have altered the course of the show before, and doing so again would likely push the show to reinvent itself in a way it urgently needs.
Maggie Pierce’s Emotional Return To Grey’s Anatomy Will Be Bittersweet
Grey’s Amatomy Maggie Pierce smiling
Although Grey’s season 22 premiere was a disappointment to some, the series will be bringing back a familiar face in its second episode to try and soften the blow. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) was teased to return for the show’s next episode, as she and Meredith try to comfort a distraught Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) after she unintentionally caused last season’s explosion.
Maggie’s Return Doesn’t Make Up For Grey’s Missed Opportunities In The Premiere
Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) looks uncomfortable while Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) looks unsure in Grey’s Anatomy season 20
While Grey’s Anatomy bringing Maggie back into the picture for the first time since the show’s 20th season, viewers getting the chance to see her return isn’t going to make up for the premiere making the safer choice. Maggie’s return could’ve come on the heels of a tragedy that ran deeply through the Grey Sloan family, and impacted her directly as Webber’s biological daughter.
Though killing off Webber for emotional payoff surrounding a character who’s no longer on the show wouldn’t be the move, bringing in an emotional element of support in Maggie for Amelia after Beltran’s death feels like a similar misstep. Rather than the show engaging in tougher moments, Grey’s Anatomy is trying to search for emotional depth in a less-than-ideal scenario.
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