I watch the show because it is hard for me to not finish something I stated and got invested in it (I still watch Grey’s Anatomy). I had two friends who used to watch it, but one stopped after 402 with no intention to ever see it again, and the other stopped at the beginning of the current season, she might return to watch it sometime if she has the time. My mother and sister only watch it only because I do. I don’t think the show can disappoint me anymore after 5A, it took me a long time, but finally I accepted that the show I used to love is over, it’s not the first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last. Now, instead of being angry, I just laugh at what they’re doing, take everything more lightly and come here and enjoy a discussion and other people’s insights and read critical reviews that I enjoy even more than the show itself.
I still love Grey’s Anatomy. The problem with Ouat is how things happen. They happen in ways that don’t make sense. While i could totally understand being annoyed that they killed Derrick on Grey’s Anatomy, i don’t think that the characters on that show reacted to that in unrealistic way. I think the characters were completely consistent and coherent in their reaction to that event. I also, personally, don’t think that Meridith and Derricks’ relationship was central to the show and certainly it wasn’t central to the majority of the main character’s arcs on the show like Neal was on Ouat. Grey’s can go on fine without him. I actually think the loss of Cristina was more of a loss to the show then Derrick. I think there is no one that can fix the loss of Neal on this show. There are too many things that can’t happen now, too many conversations that will never happen, too many relationship moments, too many parallels that can’t happen. It really is a complete loss of the integrity of the story.