With a show as long-running as Grey’s Anatomy, it’s only natural that actors will come and go. Twenty years is a long time to be on the air, so it’s hard to blame the actors when they decide they want to move on to other projects. Where it becomes more of an issue is how the writers choose to write off their characters. Grey’s has said goodbye to a lot of characters, some big, some small, and all for varying reasons. A lot of times the show will just kill said character off in some absurd yet memorable disaster, leaving behind emotional scars that never seem to heal (I’m still not over Lexie (Chyler Leigh) and Mark (Eric Dane).
But other times, a character will get a genuine send-off that allows their character to live their lives outside the hospital and hopefully do great things. Such was the case with Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) — though she did get her fair share of trauma before her send-off. Most of the characters who make it out of the writer’s room unscathed fans hope will eventually return, but there’s only one character who truly needs to come back, and it’s not Cristina: It’s Alex Karev, played by Justin Chambers.
How Was Alex Written Out of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?
Ask any fan of Grey’s Anatomy who they think got the worst exit, and they’ll likely respond with Alex. While he may not have died a terrible and painful death like so many of his colleagues, his fate was almost worse. Instead, his exit completely assassinated 16 seasons worth of character growth. Alex’s exit came abruptly in Season 16, so abruptly that his exit was announced after his would-be final episode aired. In his final episode, he supported Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) as she faced the medical board, and helped gather letters of support for her. Unbeknownst to fans, this would be the last time they saw the character. Chambers announced his departure in an interview with Deadline, saying that he wanted to expand his career.
His departure forced the writers to write out Alex Karev, who, despite a rocky beginning on the show, eventually became a fan-favorite. The show initially explains that he’s visiting his mother in Iowa, but soon Jo (Camilla Luddington) begins to suspect that’s not the case and calls his mother, which confirms for her that he has left her. The episode “Leave a Light On” serves as Alex’s farewell episode, and it’s abysmal, to say the least. Alex says goodbye to everyone, including Jo, with a letter. Which, sure, if Justin Chambers didn’t want to return to film scenes, then a letter would have to do, but it’s what the letter revealed that made fans so angry.
Supposedly, Alex reconciled with Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), who he had previously been in a relationship with. He reveals that Izzy had given birth to his children (via embryos they had frozen years prior) and that he would now be staying with Izzy and their kids in Kansas. He reasoned that he didn’t want his kids to grow up without a father like he did and that his love for Izzie had rekindled. But fans just didn’t buy it. After how badly Izzie hurt him, it seemed implausible that he would go back to her, kids or not. And to leave Jo through a letter after all they had been through? It made no sense, and it still doesn’t.
Alex Needs to Return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ STAT
Grey’s Anatomy has been bringing back a lot of past characters lately, such as Addison (Kate Walsh), April (Sarah Drew), and most recently, Arizona (Jessica Capshaw). So it would seem like a no-brainer that Alex returned to Grey Sloan Memorial and fixed the utter mess he left behind, at least with an apology. Unfortunately, Chambers has ruled out the possibility of a return for the time being. In an interview with TV Line, Chambers was asked whether he’d be open to returning to the show four years after his character’s controversial exit. “That chapter is closed for now,” he said, before adding, “Thank you forever, Shonda Rhimes.”
Admittedly, a return from Alex Karev would be a little messy right now, especially for Jo. It took her a long time to heal from the way Alex left, and she’s only just moved on with Link (Chris Carmack). The pair are even expecting a baby together! Alex’s return would turn their worlds completely upside down. But even though I love seeing Jo happy again, I do think Alex needs to come back at least once, if only to mend the broken relationships he left behind.
He doesn’t need to rekindle things with Jo, but he does need to apologize and explain everything. He owes her that. He also deserves a proper goodbye to Meredith. He became her person after Cristina left and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) died and left her with nothing but a letter — as if she meant nothing. His exit soured his character development for many fans, and if Chambers doesn’t plan to return permanently, can we at least get a one-episode attempt at a redemption arc for Alex? It’s what fans need.
