Time to celebrate with wine and cheese? It’s no secret that Grey’s Anatomy fans have long hoped for a romance to commence between longtime friends-without-benefits Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). And now series creator Shonda Rhimes‘ recent remarks to TV Line appear to provide the potentially door-opening nudge we’ve all been waiting for.
When the prolific TV producer was asked why she hasn’t made the characters consider a more-than-friends relationship, Rhimes offered a snacking analogy: “That’s like asking me why I haven’t had a certain kind of cheese. The answer is, ‘Because I haven’t had that kind of cheese.'” Wait, that’s all that is holding the pair back? Start trying some new flavors already, Shonda!
Rhimes added some vague comments about Meredith’s future with Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), saying that the Grey Sloan head of general surgery is always “interesting and complex.” She also weighed in on whether a wedding could be in the cards for the duo: “Weddings do not define my characters,” she said. “I thought we all learned that when Meredith nailed a Post-it note to her wall.”
This comes on the heels of the show’s dramatic November 17 midseason finale, when Meredith tried to convince Alex not to take a plea deal that would land him in jail for two years. “There were five of us, and now it’s just you and I, and it can’t be just me,” Meredith pleaded with him. “Please don’t.”
Needless to say, the finale’s emotional scenes led to an onslaught of tweets from fans hoping that a romance for the two characters might be just around the bend. And the social media messages about the would-be couple have not let up during the show’s current hiatus.
See how fans reacted on Twitter to the hints that their favorite pair of coworkers could possibly become more than just friends.
Am I the only one that would want Alex and Meredith to get together
— Jennah D (@Jennahh_Dawn) December 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/abbdirks12/status/811673472468336640
Alex and Meredith have been the real love story of Grey’s Anatomy the whole time
— Shelby Marie (@bbspooks) December 22, 2016
I have so much love for Alex and I’m actually getting more & more fond of the Alex/Meredith pairing.
— Mrs B (@Rachies_Wife) December 10, 2016
Me: I love Meredith and Derek together
Also me: lowkey ship Meredith and Alex pic.twitter.com/J8eS7JHxOL
— Jasmine Everett (@jasmineNE1999) November 24, 2016
Grey’s Anatomy returns to ABC Thursday, January 19, at 8 p.m. ET.