Spoiler alert! This story discusses the back-to-back episodes of Grey’s Anatomy that aired April 13.
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy experienced another loss in the most recent episode, as Maggie Pierce followed her passion for saving lives to an opportunity in Chicago. The episode had big implications for her marriage to Winston; however, the most emotional moments came as she tried to reconcile her decision to prioritize her career and whether or not that meant she'd inherited some negative traits from her birth mother Ellis Grey. Maggie’s contribution to Grey’s Anatomy over the past nine years — from being a cardio goddess to finding family in Richard, Meredith and Amelia — was perfectly captured in a sweet video posted after we said goodbye.
Kelly McCreary joined Grey’s Anatomy in 2014, and she really shook things up with the revelation that Meredith’s mother Ellis had birthed a love child with Richard Webber. The scene when Maggie unknowingly told Richard that she was his daughter, and his parting gift to her that recaptured that moment, were just two of the emotional highlights in a beautiful tribute shared to Grey’s Anatomy’s Twitter page:
Countless memories we'll never forget. Miss you already, Maggie. 💙 pic.twitter.com/ZZQOW2L8ngApril 14, 2023
Maggie’s addition to the hospital staff in Season 10 — and the revelation that she was Meredith’s half-sister — was poignant, as it came not long after Meredith’s other sister, Lexie Grey, died following their plane crash and just one episode before her “twisted sister” Cristina Yang left for Switzerland.
Many Grey’s Anatomy fans took to Twitter with their own emotional reactions to the two-hour event — including many complaining that Ellen Pompeo’s sendoff should have been as good as Kelly McCreary's. One viewer pointed out what a shame it is that Amelia no longer has her sisters around, tweeting:
Amelia and Maggie's hug has me emotional. They'll go down as one of the best female friendships on the show. The sister-in-laws are up there with the twisted sisters for me.
And another wishes we’d gotten to see Maggie become more of a mentor to new first-year resident Simone, writing:
I'm going to be in denial about Maggie being gone for a while. My one regret is not having enough teaching moments. Maggie would've been a great mentor to Simone.
But for many, it was Maggie’s final exit from the hospital that really opened the floodgates. When the elevator doors opened, already standing inside were her birth mother Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) and the woman who raised her, Diane Pierce (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), both of whom have passed away. Fans saw it as the perfect farewell, tweeting:
- Ellis and Maggie’s mom 😭😭😭 Perfect scene – jmacfan1
- NGL, that last Maggie elevator shot gave me *chills* – TnsBAW
- Maggie in the elevator with both mothers ?!!!! 😭😭😭 – @Crephlo_Dolla
- Ì loved the elevator scene with Maggie, Ellis, and her Mom. But, I wish she wouldn't leave. I still love [Grey’s Anatomy]. – @Betty_Nashville
- The final shot with Maggie, Ellis, and Diane was the perfect way to send Maggie off. – @Kaitlin__floyd
- Maggie with her two moms watching over her in the elevator was beautiful. Thank you Kelly McCreary for Maggie Pierce. – addisonsdrew
Losing Kelly McCreary so soon after Ellen Pompeo — and ahead of showrunner Krista Vernoff’s exit at the end of Season 19 — makes us wonder how long the other Grey’s Anatomy veterans will stick around. However, there’s a ton of drama still to come for the Grey Sloan doctors, both old and new, so tune in at 9 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC, because we’ve still got a handful of episodes left before Meredith returns for the Season 19 finale. Also be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other shows are coming up.
