'Grey's Anatomy' Season 17 Episode 3 Preview: Will Alex Karev return to be with Meredith as she's dying?

Justin Chambers left the show in its sixteenth run
(ABC)
(ABC)

Justin Chambers left 'Grey's Anatomy' in 2019, leaving an Alex Karev shaped hole in our hearts. The show undid 16 years of character development, as Alex left his wife Jo (Camilla Luddington) for his ex-wife Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), with just a handful of letters. While Jo is struggling to recover from his departure, it's his close friend Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) who might need him the most at this point. At the end of Episode 2, Meredith collapses and seems to be on the brink of death because she presumably has Covid-19. While she has a lot of people to love and care for her, Meredith might just need her close friend Alex to come back for her. Ideal option would be Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), whom we haven't seen since Season 10 as she left for greener pastures.

Alex and Meredith have been as thick as thieves for the past 15 years to the extent that he almost broke down when she was beaten up by a patient. They've both gone through love, loss and grief together and Alex has always stood by her side, during the worst times of her life. He has been her 'person', after Cristina, of course. While Chambers is firm about not returning to the show, showrunners Krista Vernoff had gotten Patrick Dempsey to return as Derek in Meredith's dreams....surely this can't be an impossible feat for Alex too? Though, this would create an awkward situation between Alex and Jo, of course.

The synopsis for the next episode reads, "The doctors continue to face their new COVID-19 reality and deal with a familiar and stubborn patient; Koracick is put in charge of the interns; Link operates on a sex therapist; Maggie finds comfort in Winston's virtual presence."

There's much speculation about Ellen Pompeo leaving the show as well, so it remains to be seen if she dies to reunite with Derek or recovers and gets to be with Andrew DeLuca or Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood). Well, for hardcore fans, Meredith will always be with Derek.

'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC Thursdays at 9pm. 

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