The strike has begun...and it's already beginning to take their toll on TV as we know it. Some TV series that were set to premiere...won't. Late night sitcoms are in repeats. Heroes is having its season finale in December. And it appears as though Grey's Anatomy will be as well. Of course, there is always the off-chance that the strike could be resolved in a week...or two weeks, and nothing will be effected. However, it's not looking good. Rumor has it this strike could last a long time, possibly as long as the last writer's strike (which lasted an unprecedented 22 weeks). In this event, Grey's Anatomy has only completed 11 out of 23 ordered episodes...meaning that our season finale would be episode 411 Lay Your Hands on Me (and also the introduction of Joshua Jackson's character) and would probably air sometime in December, instead of the scheduled January 2008 (because what would be the point of holding one episode over to 2008 if there were no more to air?). So, brace yourself. Because things aren't looking up and we may be getting a season finale when we don't want one. And brace yourself even more, you MerDer fans, because things in the potential finale are not looking up for them either. Take a look at this quote from Patrick Dempsey:

"The next couple of episodes are going to be completely different with what happens with Meredith and Derek...I’m looking forward to that change and that movement...I just want the characters to continue to grow and to work things out realistically. Derek and Meredith’s relationship has gone as far as it can go. I don’t think it’s going to go unless she commits to marrying him or goes into therapy and starts working on herself. We’ll have a cliff-hanger with this last show [411 Lay Your Hands on Me] and there will be a resolve that seems to be permanent." Source: TVGuide.com

Take a deep breath and notice the keyword: permanent. And keep in mind that everyone who works on the show also loves Meredith and Derek, so there's no way they can stay apart forever. For God's sake, this is Grey's Anatomy, and that must mean something!
Nevertheless, brace yourselves...these next few weeks (or months) could be pretty rough. Stay tuned for more updates.