By Kevin Perez 

This story contains spoilers

Grey’s Anatomy, the long-running ABC medical drama, wrapped up its 17th season on Thursday night, leaving viewers with yet another nail-biting cliffhanger.

Grey’s Anatomy’s 17th season premiered in November 2020 and consisted of 17 episodes. 

The show jumped ahead a few months at the start of the season, right into the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The season premiere, which consisted of two episodes, began with Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the show’s main setting, at full capacity. In the hospital, formerly retired hospital administrator, Richard Webber, who is played by Jamie Pickens Jr, was announcing that the cafeteria needed to be cleared to make room for COVID-19 patients.

Hospitals were frequently overcrowded throughout the season, and at the end of the premiere, main character Meredith Grey collapsed in the middle of the parking lot. Later diagnosed with COVID-19, she spent the majority of the season on a ventilator, dreaming of a beach, and former fan favorites such as Derek Shepherd, among others, returned for heartfelt moments with Meredith as she fought for her life.

The parallels to real-world situations grew stronger as the season progressed. Grey’s Anatomy did an excellent job of depicting the peak of COVID-19 and how it was affecting hospitals firsthand, allowing viewers to understand and appreciate those on the front lines. In every episode of the season, characters adhered to social distancing guidelines and wore facial coverings, presenting a positive image to the public and encouraging them to do their part in keeping themselves and those around them safe.

COVID-19 was not the only issue depicted on Grey’s Anatomy. The show depicted the death of George Floyd, as well as protests for social and political equality. After growing increasingly frustrated by the inequities in the health care system laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic, Grey’s Anatomy said goodbye to main character Jackson Avery, played by Jesse Williams, who has been on the show since 2010. 

In the fourteenth episode of the season, Jackson pays a visit to his father, Eric Roberts, and his ex-wife, April Kepner, the mother of his child, Sarah Drew. After speaking with both of them, Jackson decides to take over his family’s foundation, The Catherine Fox Foundation, and work to achieve racial equity in medicine. This exit depicts the modern-day problem of racial inequality in the healthcare system, which affects the service that each patient receives. As Jackson moves on, Meredith comes to realize she is the “last man standing” of her original residency class, proving that Grey’s Anatomy would not exist without Meredith Grey. 

With the portal of real world problems, the family of Grey’s Anatomy, for the most part, got a happy ending. In the season finale, closure was provided for many characters, but there is always the cliffhanger. Meredith was finally back in the operating room, Maggie and Winston had their wedding, Owen and Teddy got engaged again, Jo was able to successfully adopt Luna, and Link and Amelia’s relationship is strained following a failed proposal.

Grey’s Anatomy continues to attract viewers even after its seventeenth season. According to The Variety, the show ranked sixth among the Top 100 Series of 2020-2021. According to CNN, the show has averaged 15.7 million viewers throughout season 17.

Grey’s Anatomy will return for an 18th season this fall on ABC, allowing fans to follow the group of doctors as they navigate life and the E.R.