Ask Matt: Meredith’s Meh Farewell, ‘SVU’s Nod to Mariska’s Past, Loving ‘Will Trent’
Welcome to the Q&A with TV critic — also known to some TV fans as their “TV therapist” — Matt Roush, who’ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today’s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud, but there’s always closed-captioning.)
One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t be addressing upcoming storylines here unless it’s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected] and follow me on Twitter (@TVGMMattRoush). Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays and very occasional Fridays.
Was Meredith’s Farewell Anticlimactic?
Question: What did you think of Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) farewell episode on Grey’s Anatomy? I found it epically underwhelming. I’ve never missed an episode, but I found it amazing just how much this episode failed to resonate with me. I know the new interns are main characters now, but I felt like they could have dialed them back for a week in order to give all of the legacy characters moments with Meredith before her departure. I didn’t really feel that with the party scene. I also couldn’t believe they actually did the “Nick rushes to the airport” thing, which is such a cliché. And while the show seems to want us to sympathize with Meredith, I think he was absolutely correct in their argument that she should have consulted him. Considering that she’s not back until the season finale, they’ll have to resolve that phone call with Nick off-screen. I really wanted to like it. Is it just me or is this a big yawn? — Jake
Matt Roush: I won’t argue with this assessment, as it all felt anticlimactic — especially the party scene, which seemed awfully perfunctory given all the history between these characters — but with a couple of days’ distance, I now wonder if they chose this path so it wouldn’t seem like an ending to Meredith’s or anyone’s story. She’s not retiring, and we know she’ll be seen again, maybe more frequently if the series gets renewed (which most expect it to be). But if this was intended to be an event, it was a pretty big fail. That said, it was interesting that she didn’t score a win in her last surgery, and while the Nick subplot had clichéd romcom vibes — especially when he was drowning his sorrows at the bar — he didn’t get the last-minute save at the airport some might have expected. And while Meredith’s cold response to his “I love you call” lacked sympathy, it reminds us what her priorities are right now. We’ll see how it plays out in the long run, but I mostly agree that this hour shouldn’t have been weighted so heavily with the interns. They might be Grey’s Anatomy’s future — especially now that most of them are camping out in Ye Olde Grey House — but in the present, the show’s star deserved a more memorable exit.
Who Were Those Wacky Ladies on Station 19?
Question: I know you must be receiving a lot of mail about last week’s solid “Meredith leaving Seattle” episode. I bet if Grey’s is renewed, we might see more of her as a recurring character. I feel the other very good cast members will be able to keep this show going for at least another season. It really is well written and acted. The Station 19 episode that preceded it featured multiple older veteran actresses that look so familiar to me. One looked like Sharon Gless (same features as when she was younger) and Shari Belafonte (she also didn’t change all that much if that’s her). Do you know the names of all four of them? They were all terrific! The lightness of their scenes helped to balance the seriousness of the hospital scenes and the story of the aggressive police action against that innocent young man. Great episode and a wonderful spinoff (sometimes even more enjoyable than Grey’s Anatomy). — Fred
Matt Roush: Even if Grey’s Anatomy falters without Meredith, ABC will be reluctant to let go of one of its most popular and important franchises. As for Station 19, which I tend to watch only when there’s a significant crossover (I was fooled this time), I got a lot of “wasn’t that …” mail about those familiar faces playing the ladies on the scavenger hunt. Indeed, that was Sharon Gless and Shari Belafonte, joined by veteran character actresses Jenny O’Hara and Nancy Linehan Charles. They were a hoot.
SVU’s Callback to a Star’s Family History
Question: At 79 years old, I know who Mariska Hagerty‘s parents were, but I am sure that thousands of younger folks have no idea. I was touched by last week’s Law & Order: SVU when Bradford Whitley as an old man with dementia was flirting with our gorgeous Capt. Benson and said she had “a face like Jayne Mansfield” (Mariska’s real-life mother, who died in 1967). Did the writers arrange this nod to Mariska’s mom? — Mike M
Matt Roush: This was obviously intentional, and even more personal given that Mariska Hargitay was the episode’s director. I got quite a bit of mail about this as well, with most everyone aware of the connection. Jayne Mansfield’s tragic death is part of Hollywood lore and an important part of Mariska’s family history. This moment resonated for many fans.
In Praise of Will Trent
Comment: Last week’s episode of ABC’s Will Trent was my favorite yet. The actors are so good. Ramón Rodríguez and Erika Christensen really convey their characters’ emotional wounds and their long history. Both are doing such stellar work. The show really is doing a great job filling in their backstory. And wow, those actors they cast to play their younger selves were spot on. I don’t recall seeing a procedural with this much character depth. I’m not a procedural guy so I’m sure there have been others, but this show is more than an average procedural to me. —Marc
Matt Roush: I feel the same way. There have obviously been other great crime/police dramas with outstanding character development, from Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue to Homicide: Life on the Street and the better parts of True Detective, to name just a few. But I appreciate Will Trent’s light touch, even when it deals with dark emotions, and the leads are brilliant (as was the casting of their younger versions). I sometimes wish they weren’t so determined to juggle A and B stories every episode, but it’s a very satisfying hour I look forward to each week.
Question: Why does Will Trent need to be stuck on Tuesday night? I LOVE THIS SHOW! It’s original, quirky, and the dog Betty … what a great addition! Please tell ABC to give it a better spot. Tuesday is a real juggernaut for good shows. — Linda W
Matt Roush: My sense is that ABC is pleased enough with how Will Trent is performing behind the two-hour Rookie block. I don’t dwell on ratings much, since few shows on paper look like breakout hits anymore. This one at least has positive buzz, which is half the battle. If your unhappiness with its scheduling has something to do with ABC competing head-to-head with CBS’s three-hour FBI block, that’s the calculated risk ABC took in trying to establish a crime-drama beachhead on a new night. This for me is the night’s standout, and given the various ways so many of us consume TV these days, I’m not sure it matters much when it airs. I just hope more people follow Linda’s example and discover the show.
So Bad It’s Good?
Question: I find Showtime’s Your Honor to be compelling because every aspect of it is so absurd. Do you think it is possible that the creators’ vision was a series in which practically every character makes the worst possible choice every time they need to make one? — Mike
Matt Roush: That theory works for me. I made myself finish the idiotic first season, and when I started on the second, realized it hadn’t improved, so bailed. But I understand the whole “being fascinated by a train wreck” theory, which is the only explanation I have for tuning into La Brea this year.
And Finally …
Question: The Daytime Emmys finally came back to the networks, and now the Screen Actors Guild Awards went to streaming? What are the chances of the awards coming back to TNT & TBS (with an immediate rerun on the former)? — Randy
Matt Roush: Given the upheaval at the Turner networks in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, where most if not all scripted shows were scrapped in a cost-cutting frenzy, I wouldn’t expect to see the SAG Awards back there even if the show does manage to return to a linear platform. For now, though, the SAG Awards will be exclusive to Netflix in a multi-year deal. Sunday’s ceremony was carried on Netflix’s YouTube channel, but in the future, it’s expected to air live on the streamer for the foreseeable future.
That’s all for now. We can’t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to [email protected] or shoot me a line on Twitter (@TVGMMattRoush), and you can also submit questions via the handy form below. (Please include a first name with your question.)
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