Nobody knows where a Grey’s Anatomy finale might end up—and season 22 is no different.
The penultimate episode of the medical drama’s latest season certainly sets the stage for several upcoming departures from Gray Sloan Memorial, with the surprise firing of Dr. Benson Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), despite the efforts by Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) to cover for him during an Institutional Review Board investigation.
Indeed, in the series’ April 30 episode, Bailey continued to shield Kwan from the investigation that stemmed from him injecting a patient with a hydrogel medicine that was not approved by the FDA in an effort to save his life. (She had previously claimed that it was her, and not Kwan, who broke protocol.)
And while it initially appeared that Bailey and Kwan’s conspiring would remain undetected, Chief Richard Weber (James Pickens Jr.) informed Bailey at the end of the episode that the IRB detected the lie.
“I know it was Kwan,” Weber told Bailey in the episode’s final moments. “You lied to me. You looked in my face and told me you did it. You’re benched from surgery until further notice.”
Bailey initially appeared unfazed by the punishment, and encouraged Weber to go easy on second-year resident Kwan.
“That won’t be a problem,” Weber said. “He’s fired.”
Kwan’s potential exit isn’t the only shocking moment from the episode. AsDr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) and Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd)—whose departures from the series were confirmed last month—continued to try to repair their relationship, it was revealed that Hunt was in a major car accident at the end of the episode.
Upon Altman hearing about the incoming trauma from a bridge collapse, she listens to an incoming voicemail from Hunt, apologizing for a fight they had earlier in the episode.
Hunt’s voicemail is suddenly cut off by crashing noises, before the episode cuts to black.
The cliffhanger undoubtedly leaves Grey’s Anatomy fans’ vital signs flying, especially as creator Shonda Rhimes—who has masterminded so many heartbreaking Grey’s moments—previously assured Altman and Hunt’s story won’t end tragically.
“Over the years, we have had the privilege of watching Owen and Teddy’s love story evolve and deepen—two characters who always seem to find their way back to each other,” Rhimes said in a statement after Raver and McKidd’s exits were confirmed last month. “It is both bittersweet and joyful to give this couple the happy ending their story deserves.”
Regardless of their endings, Raver and McKidd are going to be devastating exits for the Grey’s Anatomy fanbase. Keep reading for more departed doctors and where they are now…