“Major Crimes” star Mary McDonnell shares with Variety her thoughts on the show’s final season, which saw her character, Sharon Raydor, killed off.

I have been watching, reading and listening to the fans’ reactions to Sharon’s death, and it’s taken me a while to find the essence of my experience. I have been approached by several journalists, but in truth, I was not ready to speak until now.

The fan reaction to the death of Sharon Raydor has been sharply illuminating, deeply, deeply humbling, and a true confirmation of what Commander Raydor stood for. When all of this was in the planning stages, I was hoping we would be able to both announce the end of the series and give a gentle warning as to the death that was coming. My original understanding was that the arc was created as part of an impulse and strategy that revolved around staying in control of the narrative, as it was clear the show would be canceled, which of course it was.

What surprised and humbled me, and in a deeper sense than ever before, woke me to the incredible power of the medium, was the level of authentic grief that emerged after Sharon’s death. Many fans were truly saddened, angry, and overwhelmingly frustrated. I knew how much Sharon was loved. I knew she was a role model. What I hadn’t totally comprehended was how much importance she held as a symbol. And how her importance had grown since the election last year.

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