Like many long-running primetime dramas, Grey’s Anatomy has mastered the art of character exits. Because it’s a medical drama, the show certainly isn’t afraid of killing off a handful of characters at a time. So, as fans await the arrival of Season 22, they must first cope with the shock cliffhanger that concluded Season 21.
The final episode of Season 21’s “How Do I Live?” had it all, including a shocking revelation, a hostage situation, and a devastating twist. Yet, it seems that audiences are most concerned about Link, who was involved in a seriously dangerous tragedy. There have been rumors that Link is set to leave Grey’s Anatomy, but in reality, it seems that no one is safe from getting the cut.
What Happened to Link & The Grey Sloan Team in Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 21 Finale?
Meredith Grey with a mask on
Season 21, Episode 18, “How Do I Live?” started out on a positive note. Miranda Bailey was pleased to support her staff on their last days as Grey’s Anatomy interns, suggesting that these new recruits still have a bright future ahead of them at Grey Sloan Memorial. Overall, the finale focuses on four major cases, all of which come together in an epic conclusion. In one subplot, Teddy is forced to operate on a patient named Norma, who is in desperate need of a new aorta. To make matters worse, the patient recently confessed her love for Owen, creating a painfully awkward and distressing love triangle for fans to sink their teeth into.
In a second subplot, Ben Warren cares for a patient with a severe liver injury and decides, once again, to break the rules so that he can help them. Alongside Warren’s mischievous antics, Meredith Grey finally returns, if only for a brief moment. Instead of offering any sort of real help or guidance, Meredith decided to go face-to-face with Catherine to discuss selling her shares in the hospital to help fund her ongoing Alzheimer’s research. This really annoys Richard Webber, who resents Meredith for leaving and essentially draining the hospital of its best talent and resources.
With all of these plots pushed to the side, the biggest story surrounds a child patient named Dylan, who is suffering from an immense brain condition. Sadly, Dylan’s first surgery didn’t go to plan, and the Grey Sloan Memorial team is struggling to think of new ways to help her. After experiencing overwhelming levels of guilt and shame, her mother, Jenna, decides to take a stand and wheels a tank of acetylene into the room and threatens them that she will blow up the hospital if they do not help her child. Thankfully, with some help from Meredith, Amelia manages to stop Dylan’s blood from clotting so that she can continue the surgery. Later, Jenna expresses her gratitude to the surgeons before a SWAT team arrests her. Just when fans think it’s all over, it turns out that Jenna did actually open the tank of acetylene in the OR, suddenly revealing a major explosion from outside the hospital.
As far as Grey’s Anatomy finales go, this one is very high on the list. But, there are still a lot of loose ends, particularly surrounding Link. Just before the explosion, he learned that Jo was carrying twin girls. However, Link was in the OR when the explosion occurred, and since the impact was shown from the outside of the hospital, audiences don’t know whether Link survived the blast or not. While this may just seem like a simple cliffhanger, there have been rumors that Link is set to leave Grey’s Anatomy at the start of Season 22. When asked whether Jo would have to raise her daughters without a father, writer Meg Marinis said:
Well, that story is such a great story in the finale because you think, they get married and then they have this lovely blissful storyline where they’re completely oblivious to what’s going on. And so that was all very intentional to just sucker punch the fans, because that’s what we do so well here. But no, nobody wants those two unborn girls to be fatherless, but everyone’s just going to have to tune in to see if Link was in the part of the hospital that went kaboom.
So, while Link’s fate isn’t exactly crystal clear, it’s easy to see that he is set to be involved in a major storyline. Plus, the writer also explained that with the next season still in development, certain contracts haven’t been fully finalized yet, which might put further characters in danger.
We haven’t gotten back into the writers’ room yet, we will in less than a week. There’s always the possibility that, with an ending like this, someone might not come back. But I’m going to make you guys wait and see what happens.
Link Isn’t the Only Grey’s Anatomy Character in Danger
While a lot of fans are nervous about whether Link will survive this Grey’s Anatomy catastrophe, he’s not the only one in trouble. As expected, Grey’s Anatomy never presents a happy ending, so a few other characters’ lives are in grave danger. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Season 22 kicked off with a few tearful goodbyes.
Although Link was the last character fans saw before the explosion, audiences are well aware that there were other doctors on that floor, including Jules Million. She was heading down to the OR alongside Bailey and Monica just before the explosion, so there’s a good chance that Million and Beltran are preparing to say goodbye to the show. However, some fans argue that this is pretty unlikely because they were with Miranda Bailey at the time. Since she has been involved in Grey’s Anatomy from the very beginning, it’s very unlikely that they will let her go so easily. Thus, it’s very possible that Jules Millin and Monica Beltran were impacted by the explosion, but not enough to die.
However, a lot of audiences are worried about Teddy, particularly because she wasn’t seen for hours prior to the explosion. Thus, there’s no explanation as to why she wouldn’t be on the floor with the rest of the victims. Kim Raver’s Teddy Altman has left Grey’s Anatomy a few times before, but has always made her way back home. However, this explosion could signify the end of a tremendously impactful character on both the show and in Grey Sloan Memorial.
Sadly, one of the characters who is likely to be seriously harmed in the explosion is Dr. Lucas Adams. Although he narrowly escaped the hostage situation, he alerted his peers about the explosive gas, making it likely that he was in the line of fire when the explosion occurred. Although his fate has not been officially confirmed, a lot of fans are speculating about the end of this dashing intern.
Grey’s Anatomy Needs a Shake-Up
Greys Anatomy full castImage via ABC
Admittedly, it would be sad to see a character like Link leave Grey’s Anatomy, especially since his character has experienced so much growth over the past few seasons. In the blink of an eye, Link has blossomed into a doting partner, adding a little bit of romance to the sometimes bleak medical drama. However, avid fans will agree that Grey’s Anatomy is not about hopelessly romantic storylines, it’s about nail-biting drama. Thus, it’s clear to see that a few characters will die in the recent explosion, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
This episode also includes a tribute to Payton Silver, who has produced a whopping 423 episodes.
Not only will it give these extremely talented actors a chance to spread their wings and experiment with new projects, but it will also help breathe new life into Grey’s Anatomy. Arguably, since Meredith Grey took a step back in Season 19, the drama has been a tad lost and isn’t sure whether it wants to let the protagonist go gracefully or place her on an inconceivable pedestal. Not to mention, the show has grown into an uncontrolled beast and now has to handle too many characters. As such, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the show to start cutting back on new additions and focusing on developing the arcs of more integral doctors.
Thanks to the uncertainty of Link and other doctors’ fates in the Season 21 finale, ans aren’t really sure of what’s to come, but judging by the action in “How Do I Live?,” Season 22 of Grey’s couldn’t come soon enough.
