Is Grey’s Anatomy About to Reopen Old Wounds? Season 21 Finale Hints at a Devastating Twist Repeating Itself

After more than 20 years of tragic twists, Grey’s Anatomy may recall one of the most shocking in its history heading into season 22. The Grey’s Anatomy cast arguably faces more tragedies and interpersonal conflicts throughout a season than in the entirety of most other medical dramas. Just about nobody leaves Grey Sloan Memorial without having shed tears at least once, and it’s often a coin toss whether they’ll be lucky enough to even leave this job alive. Heading into Grey’s Anatomy season 22, it seems the series might be preparing to drop yet another body.

Yet many of the series’ most memorable storylines have also been the most over-the-top, such as the Code Black episode in season 2 or Callie (Sara Ramirez) astral projecting herself into a series of musical numbers in season 7. Since Denny’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tragic passing in the season 2 finale, death has especially been part of the series’ lifeblood, claiming characters such as Mark (Eric Dane), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) along the way. After the Grey’s Anatomy season 21 finale, it seems like at least one more character might be next on the Reaper’s hit list.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Finale’s Explosion Could Lead To A Mystery Death In Season 22

The Finale Doesn’t Reveal Who All Was In The Blast Radius

Undoubtedly the most tense plot in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s ending is the mother of Amelia’s (Caterina Scorsone) patient threatening to blow up the hospital after surgery leaves her daughter unresponsive. Not only does Amelia have to work on a patient who’s already worsened significantly under her care, but she’s now doing so without the benefit of her usual imaging equipment. Jenna later says that the acetylene tank she brought into the OR room was empty, but the patient’s father reveals in the episode’s final moments that she has indeed flooded the OR floor with highly flammable gas.

While we would love to see Arizona back in Grey’s Anatomy, that’s much harder to make happen considering Jessica Capshaw’s upcoming role.

As Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) looks up just in time to see flames erupting from the hospital’s windows, one of the biggest unanswered questions from Grey’s Anatomy season 21 is who was caught in the blast. Bailey (Chandra Wilson), Jules (Adelaide Kane), and Beltran (Natalie Morales) were all seen on the floor shortly before the explosion, while Link (Chris Carmack) is operating in the exact same room in which the hostage crisis went down. Meanwhile, Lucas (Niko Terho) is sprinting for the floor to warn everyone of the danger. Depending on how season 22 picks up, this presents an opportunity to repeat another season finale’s biggest tragedy.

Grey’s Anatomy Used A Mystery Patient For A Devastating Reveal In The Season 5 Finale

It Was One Of The Most Shocking Deaths In The Earlier Seasons

One of the saddest character exits in Grey’s Anatomy occurs in the season 5 finale, and it’s made even more devastating by a series of twists throughout the episode. It initially seems as if the character most likely to die will be Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), but she’s revealed to be tumor-free just as Meredith takes on a John Doe who was severely injured saving a woman from being hit by a bus. Meanwhile, Bailey prepares the team to stage an intervention to keep George (T. R. Knight) from quitting his job to join the Army as a trauma surgeon.

But right before Izzie unexpectedly goes into critical condition, the John Doe reveals himself to be George by writing his nickname “007” on Meredith’s hand with his finger. Although season 5 ends with both George and Izzie at death’s door, the Grey’s Anatomy season 6 premiere reveals that only Izzie is ultimately revived. Bailey has already had a tearful breakdown in front of Webber (James Pickens Jr.) over George going to war, but she’s robbed of the chance to talk him out of it long before his identity is revealed.

Only One Grey’s Anatomy Character Could Truly Repeat George’s Season 5 Story

They’ve Already Shared At Least One Major Plot Point

Anyone hit by the season 21 finale explosion could be rendered just as unidentifiable as George. However, since it’s pretty easy to tell the difference between characters like Jules, Link, and Bailey without seeing their faces, the easiest way to make any potential victims a mystery would be to keep all frontrunners offscreen until the reveal. There were concerns about the possibility of Ellen Pompeo leaving Grey’s Anatomy after her involvement with the show diminished, but she is confirmed to be safe from the blast. Of all the characters at risk, however, Lucas Adams would most mirror George’s tragic storyline.

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Season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy saw the death of one of its most popular and beloved characters: George O’Malley. Here’s why he was killed off.

There are already a few parallels between George and Lucas that line up fairly well with the state of George’s life at the time of his death. The thinnest one is that, if Lucas were hit by the blast, both he and George would have been injured during a period of romantic turmoil. George and Izzie split up the season before his accident, ending the brief affair that destroyed his marriage. Lucas is nearly back on solid ground with Simone (Alexis Floyd), but that might change when he learns that she slept with a new intern while they were apart.

Not that Simone and Lucas would likely rank as one of Grey’s Anatomy‘s best romances (something that could also be said of George and Callie), but there’s a much more professional similarity between Lucas and George’s storylines. It’s thankfully averted, but it appears for much of Grey’s Anatomy season 21 that Lucas would replicate George’s season 3 arc in which the latter had to repeat a year of internship. Having avoided that fate, it’s possible Lucas can escape following entirely in George’s footsteps even if he does wind up engulfed by the explosion.

How Grey’s Anatomy Could Differentiate Between George And Lucas In Season 22

Adams May Still Have A Promising Future Ahead Of Him

Many of Grey’s Anatomy‘s best episodes involve some degree of uncertainty (if not outright tragedy), but that doesn’t mean anyone hit by the explosion in the season 21 finale needs to die. Season 22 could reveal that Lucas was caught in the blast without necessarily killing him off, which would immediately provide him with a far better outcome than George. Even his near-death would have a huge emotional impact on Grey Sloan. Simone would particularly regret her one-night stand even more while waiting to see if Lucas pulls through.

Grey’s Anatomy season 21 saw a couple of major character exits, but one of them hit harder than most and I can’t get over it.

Even if Lucas dies, the aftermath could be addressed much differently than the fallout from George’s death. Were his last act to be clearing out the OR floor, he’d have died an even greater hero than O’Malley. Additionally, while the woman George saved only appears in subsequent episodes, Lucas would have potentially saved several Grey’s Anatomy regulars. The reminder of his passing would therefore remain tangible for much, much longer. Lucas will hopefully depart the series much later and with a more uplifting legacy, but fans will have to wait for season 22 to find out.