'Grey's Anatomy' won't be the same without Alex Karev, but will he be killed off in the car crash?
'Grey's Anatomy' has a way of breaking hearts by killing off the best characters from its show. Hardcore fans know it the best and have survived the storms through the years but, this time, it may leave them devastated to the core.
Justin Chambers is leaving ABC's medical drama after playing Dr. Alex Karev for 15 long years. Dropping the major shocker, Chambers — who has been an original 'Grey’s Anatomy' cast member since season one and a huge fan favorite — said in a statement, “There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years.”
He added, “For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.” If the news wasn't unsettling on its own, what comes as a bolt out of the blue is that his last episode has already aired and fans had no clue back then.
Reportedly, Chambers was last seen in the 350th episode of 'Grey’s Anatomy', which aired November 14, and now won't be a part of any more episodes in the future. He was also mysteriously missing from the show's fall finale too and it is quite a conundrum as to why the news wasn't announced before.
In a Reddit thread, viewers are wondering how his character will be chopped off. There are serious speculations if he would be killed off in the car crash. "I just hope they don't kill the character," one fan wrote and another said, "My guess is that he'll be killed by a plane crash."
"Can’t wait to see how he’s killed off in a ridiculous fashion," another viewer wrote, and it was followed by the comment, "I don't think they're going to kill him off. None of the original cast members have been killed off except for TR Knight's character."
Fans, however, don't blame him for his exit. "I don't blame him. I mean, as he said, he wants to diversify. It's no more than what happened to other actors such as Clooney when ER was done, but Clooney left the show first to be a movie actor then came back to ER to close it out," one comment read and another said, " I'm not surprised. His character has been so stagnant for so long it's not even funny. I don't even really remember that last significant storyline he had. But that's how they treat male characters on GA."
Thanking the showrunners for an “extraordinary ride,” he said, “As I move on from Grey’s Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.”
His character, Alex, was first introduced in the show's pilot in 2005. He joined as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital and worked his way to become, first a resident and then a pediatric surgical fellow. While fans initially scorned at his offhand approach with patients and co-workers, they soon fell in love with his perceptive and compassionate nature.
His close friendship with colleagues Meredith Grey (Pompeo), Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) in the early years was much talked about and his marriages, first to Heigl’s Izzie, and later to Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) were the center of attention for a brief period of time.
In the last season, Alex was serving as Chief of Surgery at Pacific Northwest General Hospital after being fired from Grey Sloan. To put the missing pieces of the puzzle, showrunners may try to show how his relationship with wife Jo (Camilla Luddington) could be on the rocks after her decision to bring home an abandoned newborn baby.
After the winter break, the show is all set to return on ABC with Episode 10 titled, 'Help Me Through the Night'. The episode airs on January 23, 2020.