Why Did Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Just Rule Out Meredith's Best Romance Option?

Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), and Dr. Atticus "Link" Lin

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey and Greg Germann as Tom Koracick in Grey's Anatomy Season 15

Am I the only one who really thought, wished, hope, understood, truly believed Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was going to end up with Dr. Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) by the end of Grey's Anatomy Season 15?

This is The Season of Love, showrunner Krista Vernoff has said, and that love will extend to Dr. Meredith Grey. No one will ever forget Derek, but Mer is finally moving on (does Riggs even count?). Apparently she's going to move on with one of two guys, and neither is Koracick.

Krista Vernoff told TVLine that Meredith Grey's "dating adventure has boiled down to [that triangle]" -- meaning Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Dr. Atticus "Link" Lincoln (Chris Carmack). So this is the triangle:

Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), and Dr. Atticus "Link" Lin

Really? Who asked for that?

OK, some people may have asked for that, at least after Meredith's steamy DeLuca dreams. They are stuck in an elevator together as of the Season 15 midseason finale. They are going to get to know each other better, which doesn't mean they will end up together.

We barely know Link at this point, so it's unfair to judge. But I'm judging. His hair alone irritates me! He's not right for Meredith. We don't really know that much about Koracick yet either, but he already seems like a better match for Meredith. I loved their chemistry during the otherwise dark episode when they had to work together to try and help the terminally ill Catherine. They don't have the sexual spark that's already flying between Mer and DeLuca, but they have something deeper.

It seemed to me that if Meredith wasn't going to end with with Koracick, Grey's might hold out until Scott Speedman agreed to return as Dr. Nick Marsh. They had a great connection for his scenes, and many fans hoped he might be The One. But apparently that's not happening, or at least not this season.

There's no confirmation that either guy in the current love triangle will be Meredith's end game. We all thought Derek would be end game, until Patrick Dempsey decided to leave. Ellen Pompeo is contracted through Season 16 for the 2019-2020 season, but after that? Who knows.

DeLuca actor Giacomo Gianniotti made his case for why Meredith should pick his character. But on my list of 10 things we need from Grey's Anatomy in 2019 I made a case for Meredith hooking up with DeLuca short term, but picking, choosing, loving Koracick longterm.

I posted an informal poll after the midseason finale, asking who Meredith should end up with in Season 15. No one picked Link. DeLuca got 13 percent of the vote, Scott Speedman's Nick got 4 percent. Tom Koracick got 80 percent. Granted, not all Grey's fans weighed in, but it seemed to me like I wasn't alone on Team Tom Koracick.

At the end of the day, I'm still just rooting for Meredith to be happy. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) is the one who really needs to come back for that to happen, since she's Meredith's person, but we know that's not in the cards anytime soon.

Grey's Anatomy Season 15 will return -- now with Jennifer Grey -- on Thursday, January 17 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Here's what else is ahead in midseason 2019.

Gina Carbone

Gina grew up in Massachusetts and California in her own version of The Parent Trap. She went to three different middle schools, four high schools, and three universities -- including half a year in Perth, Western Australia. She currently lives in a small town in Maine, the kind Stephen King regularly sets terrible things in, so this may be the last you hear from her.