'Grey's Anatomy' bids farewell to Alex Karev: Fans say they are 'not ready', wonder if he's gonna be killed
'Grey's Anatomy' has lost its soul. The exit of Justin Chambers has left a huge hole in fans' hearts and they can't stop complaining about the shoddy way in which his character is being written off. Over the last couple of episodes, Alex Karev stopped taking his wife Jo Wilson's (Camilla Luddington) calls and didn't even respond to Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) text.
Angry fans have been blasting Shonda Rhimes. "We did not go through 16 seasons of character development with one of the best character arcs in history to kick Alex off the show like this," one viewer wrote while another said, "I think that not giving Alex a final episode was highly disrespectful to the fans, the actor, and the character. We're really supposed to believe that ALEX would ghost his wife and best friend? Hell no. As an original, he deserved a better ending."
The criticism seems to have reached the showrunners and here is some good news. A heartwarming promo brimming with flashbacks from when Alex started out as an intern has been released. "After 16 seasons, we're saying goodbye to Dr Alex Karev. Next Thursday, see how his story ends," the 26-second clip says.
Titled 'Leave a Light On', Episode 16 will be a farewell-themed special to bring closure to the long-running original cast member.
No sooner did the news hit social media, fans couldn't help but speculate what would happen. "Ooh, #GreysAnatomy is doing a big goodbye for Alex Karev next week. They must be killing him off. I bet he never made it to Iowa, died on the way?" one fan wrote and another said, "The preview for next week made me tear up. I am not ready to say goodbye to Alex Karev."
Most fans are still not convinced that the writers will give justice to the beloved character. "Am not ready to say goodbye to Alex Karev next week and do not trust the writers to give him a proper send-off," one wrote and another said, "If we are saying goodbye to Alex Karev please make it GOOD. He’s not a ghoster."
Posting GIFs of teary faces, many tweets spilled sorrow. "Next week’s ep is going to be The Farewell to Alex Karev and I’m already crying," one wrote.
"If Alex Karev dies next week while ‘How to Save A Life’ plays..." one fan wondered and another said, "See how his story ENDS!!?? I don't wanna jump to conclusions but they really are gonna kill him aren't they? I was hoping at least there would be a chance to return when the show ends."
Moreover, many paid their tribute to the character on Twitter. "Dr Alex Karev taught me I should never settle & that your best friends are truly who you need when things get rough. I am blessed to be able to say that Eric is my Alex and my Derek," one fan confessed.
Another said, "The only scenario I’ll accept would be Alex Karev to have reunited with Izzie after discovering they have a daughter together. He decides to stay near his child. Jo’s is not mentally ready to be a mom, so they separate."
Talking about Alex's exit, showrunner Krista Vernoff told Variety that they are "episode by episode, illuminating the story of where Alex is." She added, "It takes us quite a few more episodes to get there and to give the audience clarity...Jo went through so much pain and so much grief just last season that I wanted to be careful. And so it's a bit of a mystery [what's going on with Alex] so that we don't watch Jo in the same place that we watched her in last season. We did it as carefully as we could. But it takes a while to get there."
Directed by Debbie Allen and written by Elizabeth Finch, the episode airs next Thursday, March 5, at 9 pm on ABC.