Kate Walsh’s Addison Montgomery’s arrival to Grey’s Anatomy shocked its viewers during the season 1 finale, yet her presence was so inextricably linked to the show that when she left Seattle Grace Hospital for the Seaside Health and Wellness clinic, the first Shondaland show had lost one of its driving forces. Addison’s first appearance in Grey’s Anatomy was a fitting twist to a season that had its ups and downs, but that seemed to be about to end on a happier note. The reveal that Derek (Patrick Dempsey) had been married and that Addison was his wife was a shock for Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) as much as it was for the viewers.
Despite the clear conflict arising from the situation Addison and Meredith found themselves in, painted as rivals competing for Derek’s affection, there was always a base of mutual respect between the two. In Grey’s Anatomy season 2, Addison had the chance of getting out of the shadow of just being Derek’s wife that cheated on him, and even to the viewers, she became a fuller character. The friendships she established at Seattle Grace Hospital, with Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Miranda (Chandra Wilson), made it possible to see her as someone separate from her previous mistakes and empathize with her.
Although Addison Montgomery was never one of the M.A.G.I.C. five – the core characters, of which Meredith is the only one still in the show – or as central as Derek, Miranda, or Richard (James Pickens Jr.), she became a fixture of the show. When the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice was announced, it gave her the chance to start a new life in Los Angeles, unencumbered by her New York life that followed her to Seattle. Nevertheless, Grey’s Anatomy suffered greatly from her absence, which brought both heart and comedy to the series.
Addison brought dry humor to Seattle Grace Hospital. Even the first sentence she ever uttered on the show when she surprisingly appeared in season 1 was proof of that, along with the fact that she truly seemed not to ever mince words. Kate Walsh gave life to a character brought in for the purpose of creating conflict, and she made it one that was truly fun to see onscreen. Not only that, apart from Miranda Bailey, she was one of the first female attending surgeons that were presented by the show as being on the same level as surgeons such as Derek Shepherd or Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington).
Grey’s Anatomy never lost the shock value it became famous for after Addison left, but her absence was felt. Other female attending surgeons or chiefs came after Addison that had the same attitude of not caring what people thought of her, but none were as iconic as her. Moreover, Grey’s Anatomy had many other love triangles after Meredith, Derek, and Addison, but none produced scenes quite as emblematic as “Pick me, choose me, love me.”
Walsh’s Addison briefly returned to the show in season 18, episode 2. The subsequent reunion with Meredith proved that the two managed to create an emotional and powerful scene even without Derek. It also confirmed that despite not being a return Grey’s Anatomy fans craved, Kate Walsh’s Addison Montgomery still is one of the best characters the show introduced and one that, even after all this time, is capable of holding the viewers’ attention.