'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 16 Review: A terrible, unforgivable insult to Alex Karev as he exits the show
We've bid goodbye to characters in 'Grey's Anatomy' with car crashes, bus accidents and unceremonial exits. Only a few like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), April Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) got the happily-ever-after they had wanted.
And then came the day fans never wanted to see — the farewell for Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). How was the episode? Did it live up to 'Grey's Anatomy's standard of emotional value with powerful speeches and evocative teary expressions?
No. That's it. No. There's no way to tone this down, but this episode was beyond absurd and ridiculous.
It's a grievous insult to a character who had the most profound development in 16 years on the show. Alex Karev had become the heartbeat of the show. It was dishonorable, to say the least, for the reliable and caring Alex Karev, who was known to always be there for his friends.
The writers might as well have killed him off because there was no way in hell Alex would choose to leave the way he did. To cut short the ranting — Alex leaves a bunch of letters for his wife and closest friends. He has left for good, to be with his ex-flame, Izzy Stevens. Yes, you read that right.
Alex Karev walked away from his responsibilities to deal with more responsibilities. Remember Izzy's fertilized embryos? Well, she has twins now. And she miraculously hid them from Alex for years.
So Alex pulls a it's not you-it's not-me on Jo IN A LETTER and walked out on her. And, he's left his closest friend Meredith, but he has given her the option to come and visit him whenever he wants. What sweet lukewarm sentiment.
The math doesn't add up. The writing through the course of the season has become progressively more shoddy, but this was the absolute last straw. The flashbacks, meant to evoke emotion, does a fair job, but then you hear Alex's voiceover on why he's taking this drastic step, you just want to switch the show off.
Why, Grey's writers, why? Why couldn't Jo get the perfect ending too? She had battled so much in life and was finally getting a chance at happiness. Alex's letter to Bailey had its moments of solace, but could not redeem this bizarre episode.
The sheer weirdness of it completely steamrolls over the little joy on seeing Katherine Heigl in the flashbacks. The emotion runs hollow. This was terribly disappointing, in terms of writing, storyline and characters. Alex Karev deserved better. The fans deserved better.
Oh, there's a scene where Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) seems to be at a support group, and he addresses Alex Karev leaving. Apart from Jo, they seem to be justifying his actions, grudgingly.
'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC on Thursdays at 9 pm. If you still want to watch it, that is.