WhileGrey’s Anatomyis first and foremost a medical drama, it has also made a name for itself as a romance series, anda wildly dramatic one at that. It seems that while patients are going through medical crises, the doctors treating them are going through crises of their own in their love lives. Now, you may immediately go to Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) as the most dramatic couple of the show, but on one of my many rewatches, I’ve realized there is a couple that manages to tug on my heartstrings far more than I originally realized and not one of the main couples of the show. It’s actually Adele (Loretta Devine) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.). I know, I know, it may seem a bit hard to believe, especially since they weren’t the main focus, but looking back on their story, you’ll realizetheir relationship was actually quite devastating,in trueGrey’s Anatomyfashion.
Grey’s Anatomy
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
Adele Wasn’t a Main Character on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Unlike her husband, Richard – or Dr. Webber, as we know him – Adele was not a main character onGrey’s Anatomy, but that didn’t stop her from making quite the impression on the show. A quick search will reveal that Adele was only in 22 episodes of the series, but her personality was so big it feels as though she was in so many more. One ofGrey’sbiggest running jokes among fans is Adele’s signature yell of “Richard!” every time she arrives at the hospital. Her voice is so distinct it’s hard not to picture it being said in her voice. Not to mention, everyone practically bowed to her whenever she arrived and would immediately abide by whatever she said over what Webber said, despite him being Chief. Namely, when Webber had to get brain surgery in an early season to remove a tumor,Derek calls his wife despite Webbe’s requestbecause he wants someone there to take care of him. But the thing about Adele and Richard is that their marriage was far from perfect, something we see throughout the series. Even though they eventually reconcile for good, looking back, you realize just how much Adele put up with andhow tragic their relationship truly was, even byGrey’s Anatomystandards.
Adele Knew About Richard’s Affair
Adele and Richard married when they were young and were married while Richard was in his residency, as we learn in the Season 6 episode “The Time Warp,” which is a flashback episode that follows Richard Webber (J. August Richards) and Ellis Grey (Sarah Paulson) in the days of their residency. We learned of their affair prior to this, but this episode allows us to see the build-up and motivation behind it. We also see in it that both Ellis and Richard were planning to leave their spouses for one another, which never panned out. Flash forward many years later, and we learn that Adele always knew of Richard’s affair with Ellis, but she didn’t leave him because she loved him so much and believed that he would eventually end it. He did, but there was always that emotional connection between them, and we do know that they had some slip-ups where they rekindled things, which resulted in the conception ofMaggie (Kelly McCreary), which neither Richard nor Adele knew about. This feels especially mean considering it’s mentioned multiple times that Adele and Richard struggled, and were ultimately unable, to have children together, and we later see that Adele has a miscarriage. So, for the show to throw in Richard’s secret love child that he never got to meet until years later, let alone with his mistress, feels a bit cruel towards Richard and Adele. Seriously, what does the show have against them?
Despite Richard’s affair,he and Adele live a happy life together for a long timebefore drifting apart sometime around the beginning of the series because he was constantly choosing the hospital and work over their marriage. There’s a lot of back and forth before they officially get back together, including Adele’s aforementioned miscarriage. But when they do reunite, it seems as though their relationship is stronger than ever. And then, the unthinkable happens: Adele is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The signs are small at first. She initially arrives in the ER with a broken wrist but is confused about how it happened, so Meredith gives her a head CT, suspecting it was a fall that broke her wrist, and she bumped her head in the process. But when the CT comes back clean, she begins to suspect it might beearly signs of Alzheimer’s, which Richard promptly rejects. But she begins having more and more accidents, and eventually, Richard asks Derek to test her for it, and he diagnoses her with the disease.
Adele’s Alzheimer’s progresses rapidly.One day, she scores too high to qualify for Derek’s Alzheimer’s trial, and the next, Meredith spots a post-it on Richard that labels him as Adele’s husband, meaning she’s already forgetting who people are. This is especially proven when she mistakes Meredith for Ellis. To make things more painful, Ellis herself was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, meaning not one but both of Richard’s loves were diagnosed andultimately succumbed to the devastating disease. ShowrunnerShonda Rhimesis known for being cruel to her characters, but this was bordering on evil.
Adele’s Death Was Tragic Yet Poignant on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Adele succumbs to her illness in Season 9, but it’s during an episode where you would least expect it to happen. The episode, which is titled “Run, Baby, Run,” marksthe wedding of Ben Warren (Jason George) and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson).It should be a joyous episode, and it seems like everything is on track. Until Richard gets a call on the way to the church that Adele is being brought into the ER with a heart attack. Bailey postponed her wedding as soon as he got the call and had the limo turn back to the hospital, where she and Meredith worked on Adele and successfully saved her. Richard stayed by her side until she woke up, while Meredith and Bailey went to the church so Bailey could go on with her wedding as planned. They share a sweet moment together as Adele asks Richard to “stay.” He promises he’s not going anywhere as he holds her hand by her bedside.
But later, when he arrives at the wedding, Meredith immediately notices something is off about him, and she realizes that Adele didn’t make it. He says that her heart just couldn’t handle the surgery. He then watches Bailey and Ben share their first dance as newlyweds as tears steadily flow down his cheeks. Then the scene switches, and suddenly it’s not Bailey and Ben dancing anymore, but Richard and Adele, dancing together in her wedding dress and his suit, laughing and smiling, as“My Funny Valentine” plays hauntingly in the background.We learned in earlier episodes that that was their song, so as soon as the song switched to that it felt like a punch to the gut. Butit was a very poignant way to close out a rather tragic love story.
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We need a surgeon to bring these episodes back to life, stat!
Adele and Richard’s love story isn’t dramatic in the same way as Meredith and Derek’s. As they were constantly fighting, there was some infidelity, countless breakups, and just so much toxicity in general. But Adele and Richard’s drama comes from real-life experiences out of their control. They’re two people who loved each other so deeply, yet they could never catch a break in life. There were always issues for them, whether it be Richard’s affair (which admittedly is his own doing), not being able to have children despite so desperately wanting them, and Adele being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after reconciling and finding that perfect balance in their marriage. Their love story is beautiful in so many ways, yet so tragic when you look at it as a whole, andthey deserved a much happier ending together.
Grey’s Anatomyis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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