This heartbreaking “Grey’s Anatomy” theory will make you question everything

While we love the holidays, we also get sad because GREY’S ANATOMY GOES ON WINTER HIATUS. So, while we wait for the show’s return on January 19th 2017 (!), we’ve been trailing around for our fix and stumbled upon this Grey’s Anatomy theory that’ll hit you right in the feels.

Now, there’s a lot of drama in Grey’s Anatomy. Whether it’s plane crashes, shootings, bombs, car crashes, bus accidents, health problems, surgeries, and the fact that Alex Karev just can’t stop beating people up, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital neé Seattle Grace is a hot spot for disaster (and, tbh, we love it).

Well, according to this theory on Entertainment Weekly what if some of these horrific events had never occured…?

Basically, according to writer Natalie Abrams, some theories seem to suggest that fans think that when Grey’s Anatomy does eventually end (which is hopefully never), Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) will get diagnosed with  Alzheimer’s disease. Given that in season 9 it was confirmed that Meredith had test positive for certain genetic markers for the disease, and the fact that her mother, the awe-inspiring but terrible Ellis Grey, suffered from Alzheimer’s, this is, upsettingly, 100% plausible.

Well, according to the theory, and assuming Meredith does indeed have Alzheimer’s, what if some of the events at the hospital had never happened. Could Meredith’s memories have been affected (in quite a negative way) by the slow degeneration of her mind?

In season 8 episode 13, “If/Then,” Meredith dreamed what it would be like if certain events hadn’t occurred. For example, what if George had never been hit by a bus, her mother had never gotten sick, or Derek had never died and had, instead, left her? Perhaps, as the theory suggest, Meredith has just imagined all these events in her head.

While we hate the idea that Derek would leave Meredith (although…Washington did come a’calling), we’re not 100% ruling out this theory. It would be kind of amazing if it did just all end up being a figment of Meredith’s imagination.

Hopefully, however, Grey’s will never end and we won’t have to figure any of this stuff. Or, as some seem to suggest, perhaps Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is just on top of the Hellmouth and they need Buffy and the gang to come and sort the whole thing out. Imagine that cross over…

Grey’s Anatomy returns to ABC on January 19th.