Grey’s Anatomy season 19 is once again rehashing an old Meredith and Derek storyline, this time with newlyweds Maggie and Winston. The season 19 fall finale left Maggie and Winston in a rocky place in regard to their careers and positions at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and the dynamic that was created because of it. A similar Grey’s Anatomy seasons 10 and 11 storyline with Meredith and Derek threatened to be the end of the couple, though hopefully when season 19 returns in February, Maggie and Winston will be in a better place.
Maggie and Winston broke a Grey’s Anatomy happy ending curse in season 18, and hopefully will be able to do the same in season 19. Much of their storyline this season has taken place at the hospital, which makes sense considering it is their jobs that have created a rift between them. However, in the fall finale, they were finally able to have an almost uninterrupted discussion about their future. Throughout the season, Winston has struggled with having his wife as his boss, and when he tells Maggie he wants to change specialties to help their marriage, it is reminiscent of Meredith and Derek.
Derek Chooses His Family Over Job With The President
From the start of Meredith and Derek’s relationship in Grey’s Anatomy season 1 there was a power dynamic that was again featured in a Grey's Anatomy season 19 throwback. Unlike another early Grey’s couple, Cristina and Burke, Meredith and Derek were able to get past this, at least initially. Every surgeon on Grey’s Anatomy is constantly grappling with trying to find the balance between their families, relationships, and work, with their careers sometimes getting in the way of those relationships. Derek had promised Meredith that he would take a step back in his career so she, now a mother and an attending, could focus on hers.
Yet, when offered a chance to work for the president on a brain mapping project in season 10, Derek is faced with having to go back on his promise to Meredith. A move to Washington, D.C. would have given them both jobs, and Meredith was initially supportive. Except, before Cristina left in the season 10 finale, she told Meredith, “You are a gifted surgeon with an extraordinary mind... Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are."
It was these words from Cristina that made Meredith change her mind about the move and, though she didn’t ask him to, Derek chose his family over the job with the president and stayed in Seattle with them. At first, all seemed to work out, but Derek became increasingly irritated and resentful of Meredith for seemingly holding him back, to the point that she told him to just go to D.C. anyway, which he did. Just as he was about to return to D.C. and his family, Derek was killed off of Grey’s Anatomy, meaning Meredith and Derek were never able to properly repair their relationship.
Meredith & Maggie Hate Their Husbands Sacrificing Their Careers For Them
In true sister fashion, Maggie and Meredith had similar reactions in Grey’s Anatomy to Winston and Derek respectively making career decisions on the basis of their marriage/families. Though only one was raised by Ellis Grey, both Maggie and Meredith exhibit an ambition that rivals that of their biological mother, which is part of what makes them so great. Whereas Winston believes that this is the best decision and will make both him and Maggie happier, she cannot understand why he would ever do such a thing to his career.
While Meredith worried about Derek resenting her, Maggie simply lacks respect for Winston’s decision. Grey’s Anatomy has featured many strong women willing to put their careers first, such as when Cristina was ready to give up Owen to Teddy to keep her mentorship. Maggie simply cannot understand why Winston would give up cardio for her, calling it “the dumbest thing” she’s ever heard, and saying “that’s the opposite of what I would do.” She does not want Winston to give up his passion just for their relationship, even when he tells her that she is his passion.
Will Maggie Follow Meredith & Force Winston To Go Back To Cardio?
Meredith and Maggie were in different places in their lives and marriages when their husbands attempted to sacrifice their careers for them. Meredith and Derek had children together, and Derek’s sacrifice involved giving up a cross-country move. Winston would just be switching specialties so that his wife would no longer be his boss, as Maggie is the current head of cardio at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Still, her reaction in the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 fall finale shows that it’s likely she will at least attempt to force Winston to go back to cardio.
As it has always been, the cardio department in Grey’s Anatomy is stacked with talent. Now that Teddy’s back as head of trauma and cardio attending, Winston has been left with all the surgical scraps of these powerhouse women. Leaving cardio might help his career by giving him a chance to get out from under their shadows. However, it would be smartest for him to simply leave Grey Sloan for another local hospital, like Seattle Presbyterian Hospital, so he can pursue both his passions: cardio and Maggie. Grey’s Anatomy tends to make Grey Sloan a prison for its doctors, and Winston is in need of an escape.