The Grey Sloan Memorial doctors are back. "Grey's Anatomy" premiered its 12th season last Thursday. The pilot picked up after Dr. Derek Shepherd's tragic death. His widow, Meredith (played by Ellen Pompeo), opened the pilot episode with a monologue, saying, "So you might be thinking, I've been here before. This is familiar. This is old hat. Maybe you're wondering why we are here. But I promise, you are about to find out that everything has changed."
And indeed, in her life as well as in the hospital, everything has changed.
TV Line recounted that at home, Meredith is now living with her sisters Amelia and Maggie. At the hospital, the episode's main medical story was about two teenage lesbians who were rushed to the ER after a train accident. The doctors discovered that one of them was being abused, and the doctors decided to call Child Protective Services, saving one girl's life, both physically and emotionally.
Deep within the hospital lies the drama of who will be the next chief surgeon. Bailey was in for a surprise after being intimidated by Tracey (guest star Joey Lauren Adams).
By the end of the show, Meredith begins the next chapter of her career: a possible teaching stint about--what else--anatomy.
Fans and critics were pleased with the lighter turn of the medical drama, which has seen numerous deaths in the past. TV Fanatic noted that this season, based on its pilot episode, seems "brighter." It focuses on core issues like love and acceptance beyond drama and tragedies.
"This is the sort of thing that makes Grey's Anatomy great. It doesn't hold back when it tackles subjects like bullying and homophobia," TV Fanatic stated.
Even actress Ellen Pompeo seems to like the show's new leaf. In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, she said, "Doing a show this long, the challenge is to make every year fresh and new, and to give it a different feel to keep the audience engaged. Everyone can agree last year was pretty dark tonally. We were telling volatile stories, and this year we're going to turn over the soil, and the show has a lighter look. It's brighter. We're trying to go back a little bit more to the original Grey's and have a little bit of a lighter tone this year."
Things are looking up for our favorite TV doctors. "Grey's Anatomy" airs every Thursday, 8 p.m. on ABC.
