For 20 years, characters have come and gone from Grey’s Anatomy. Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has seen a huge batch of sad deaths, elaborate departures, and even unfinished storylines that have been part of the strategies to remove characters from the narrative. And though multiple exits would fight for the top spot of the worst one, we can easily single out Alex Karev’s (Justin Chambers) following the milestone 350th episode of the show.
For 16 seasons, Alex was built up professionally – from an ambitious intern to the Head of Pediatric Surgery – and personally – from an up-to-no-good player to a committed husband. Halfway through Season 16, he goes absent, allegedly to take care of his mother. Then, most of this development was swiftly brushed off in a single episode. Through a voiceover, we learn the character’s fate and how reconnecting with a past love motivated him to leave his whole life behind. This makes it not only one of the saddest departures from the show but also the worst.
Getting to Know Alex Karev in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is an Intense Emotional Journey
Alex Karev starts in Grey’s Anatomy as the typical douche – the one that at first you hate, and then you love to hate. Romantically, he doesn’t connect with any woman, with most of his relationships limited to hookups. Professionally, his ambition doesn’t let him be loyal to anyone but himself. Through the seasons, exploring his family’s backstory sheds light on the reason he is so guarded and defensive. His attachment issues go way back to when he was a child, having grown up in an abusive household. His development within the hospital staff allows him to deal with his trust issues and form a professional bond with them – becoming one of the best doctors on the show.
Alex spends his early days as an unattached womanizer. Still, his tension with Izzie (Katherine Heigl) slowly evolves into a deep connection. Over the course of the show’s first seasons, their on-again, off-again relationship goes through many changes. They eventually come together when Izzie’s chances of surviving cancer become slim. Following her departure from Seattle, he focuses mainly on his career. That is until he meets Jo (Camilla Luddington), and with her, he finally finds a place to call home. Their shared emotional trauma from their past allows them to understand and heal each other. The chemistry in their relationship makes them one of the best couples in Grey’s Anatomy, making Alex’s eventual departure even more painful.
Alex’s Redemption Arc is One of the Best Executed in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
For years, Alex has struggled with his moral compass. In trying to balance his personal gain and being a good friend, he doesn’t always succeed. At one point, while Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is developing her Alzheimer’s trial, he sabotages it for him to be able to become Chief Resident. But he slowly learns to exchange distrust for reliance and, as the years pass by, becomes one of Meredith’s best friends. After Cristina’s (Sandra Oh) departure to Switzerland, Alex practically takes over the spot of being Meredith’s “person.” He also gets her shares of the hospital, making him part of the board and reassuring Alex’s spot as an essential part of Grey Sloan Memorial and the show’s cast.
In an ironic twist – cold-hearted exterior notwithstanding – Alex finds himself exceedingly capable of treating children. His initial ambition poised him to specialize in plastic surgery, seeing Mark (Eric Dane) as his role model. But his brushes with pediatrics – thanks to a punishment from Addison (Kate Walsh) – showed his affinity with this branch of medicine. Then, under Arizona’s (Jessica Capshaw) guidance, Alex thrives in pediatrics, making him a sought-after surgeon in later seasons of the show. Still, narratively, one way or another, Alex found a way to stay in Grey Sloan Memorial.
Alex’s Exit is Handled Appallingly in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 16
Season 16 sees several milestones for Alex. After discovering Jo suffers from a hereditary mental condition, she gives him the option to leave her, given they weren’t legally married yet. Alex doubles down on his word and decides to marry her again, this time through official means. Alex is also crucial in the trial in which Meredith was at risk of losing her medical license. In a last move and act of love, Alex rounds up several of her past patients for them to give testimony of her qualities as a surgeon. He truly was, after all, Meredith’s person.
What follows is an awkwardly executed narrative choice that makes Alex’s departure the worst character exit of Grey’s Anatomy. Alex uses his mother as an excuse for his extended absence. Jo begins to panic, while Meredith is unworried about the friend who just saved her career. Finally, in the season’s sixteenth episode, we get answers. “Leave a Light On” is easily one of the most controversial episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. Alex sends letters to Meredith, Jo, and Bailey (Chandra Wilson) to say his goodbyes. Explaining how he reconnected with Izzie during Meredith’s trial, he also discovered she used the embryos they had frozen way back when she was about to treat her cancer – giving birth to twins.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Tried Fan Service, but Massacred Alex
So yes, Alex saw in Izzie and the twins the chance to rekindle a past love and have a family of his own. There’s no doubt Alex and Izzie stans were happy with the decision – after all, it makes sense for them to be endgame – but the absence of both made it extremely underwhelming. The off-camera happening of it all is perhaps the most annoying aspect of the reunion. If you’re already going to massacre the character, at least include the gratuitous and fan-serviceable cameo to justify it.
And that’s how Alex Karev’s years of character development were reduced to what could be seen as a cowardly exit. A character known for his fearless and straightforward nature leaving like that is shattering. It dishonors his legacy and his evolution. Being the last of the original interns left besides Meredith, he should’ve left honorably, like Cristina in Season 10. Perhaps the bright side is he didn’t die and, as the show has proven once and again through past recurring guest stars, he could eventually come back to vindicate himself – once again.
Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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