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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: Don't kill Alex Karev off, Meredith Grey has dealt with enough and more deaths

Justin Chambers aka Alex Karev has left 'Grey's Anatomy'. How will the show deal with his exit?

The 16th season of ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' returns in a couple of hours, with some unwelcome changes. For starters, we won't be seeing Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), as the actor has left the show. Yes, that came as a shock to the fans of GA, who are wondering how the show will go on without him and his epic friendship with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).

That's the thing about 'Grey's Anatomy'. Creator Shonda Rhimes has killed off characters mercilessly or made them leave with unceremonious exits (Katherine Heigl's Izzie Stevens, for example). Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) had a car accident and died after inadequate medical care at a clinic. Yes, the best neurosurgeon in the US died from improper care, because the doctors were not equipped to deal with trauma. 

See the cruel irony? Fans still have not recovered from his death. And they've sat through Mark (Eric Dane) and Lexie's (Chyler Leigh) deaths. Whew. The one to suffer the most, is the lead character Meredith, who has seen her friends, husband, sister, parents all die in front of her.

IF the show kills off Alex, this will be another shock to Meredith and once again, she will be robbed off a strong support system. She had to bid goodbye to Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), who left for rosier horizons. How many more deaths can Meredith handle? Stop putting her through more hell, writers! There is much speculation that Alex was the one who crashed into the bar, in the previous episode, and we *really* hope it's not. If the show could handle his exit with some grace, even if it won't possess the grace that accompanies Sandra Oh's send-off, it would be a great help. However, Alex's absence would lead to a lot of gaping holes in the storylines. What will happen to Pac North, where Alex was working? What happens to his relationship with Jo Karev (Camilla Luddington)?

This remains to be seen on 'Grey's Anatomy', which will air on ABC on January 23.