The Only Episodes Of Grey's Anatomy Ellen Pompeo Wasn't In
Fans of "Grey's Anatomy" can attest that they've seen the main character Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in just about every episode. The show is named after her, so one would expect to see her pretty much all the time. It may surprise some fans to learn the actress is missing from two episodes, although that's not bad considering that the there are more than 370 episodes so far.
That's not to include the episodes where Pompeo's voice was featured at the beginning because those technically count as well. We're talking about the few episodes where you don't see or hear anything from Dr. Meredith Grey. Whether it was because of personal concerns or a situation within the series' storyline, there has to be a reason why Pompeo wasn't in two of the episodes of the TV show her character was named after.
Here are the only episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" Ellen Pompeo wasn't in.
The one where Jackson and April go to Montana
Meredith Grey's first non-appearance didn't happen until Season 13, Episode 16, "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?." In this episode, doctors Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) fly to Montana to perform a complicated surgery. Unfortunately for them, they were ill-informed on the situation they were walking into and are forced to make a difficult decision.
You'll notice the entirety of this episode focuses on these two doctors and this predicament they are in. At no point do we ever check back in with Seattle Grace Hospital, where all of the other doctors are. As a result, fans never get a chance to see or hear from Dr. Grey in this episode. There wasn't any mysterious reason why this was. The producers apparently felt they needed to branch out and explore the show away from Seattle Grace Hospital.
The one where Dr. Bailey is stressed
The next time Dr. Grey didn't show up was only a season later, in Season 14, Episode 11, "(Don't Fear) the Reaper." In this episode, the entire focus is put on Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), who opens with a monologue talking about regrets on deathbeds. Although the episode's story starts cheerfully, Dr. Bailey soon calmly shares that she believes she is having a heart attack. She is being pushed to her limits with all her responsibilities, such as being the chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. On top of that, her husband, Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George), has decided to become a Seattle firefighter. All of this results in Dr. Bailey requiring some medical attention.
Although this episode took place at Seattle Grace Hospital, there isn't a clear-cut reason why Ellen Pompeo wasn't in it. There's a chance a character break was necessary after all the drama in the previous episode, "Personal Jesus," where Dr. Grey scrambles to find who hit a patient that ultimately died.
Either way, fans are glad these are the only two episodes where she is missing. After all, there wouldn't be a "Grey's Anatomy" if there wasn't a Dr. Grey.