Grey’s Anatomy: 16 Seasons Strong But One Huge Mistake
Not too many Primetime TV shows can say they’ve had a successful run like Grey’s Anatomy. Heading into the Fall TV schedule, Grey’s will be entering their 17th season. Such a remarkable run but even with great success, there were slip-ups along the way. For Grey’s, a major one happened in Season 16 regarding Alex Karev.
His departure mid-season left fans wondering how they would write off his character. For loyal fans of Grey’s Anatomy, that could easily mean death. Think back to Mark Sloan, Lexie, and Derek Shepherd. All great characters but when Grey’s wants to write you out, there’s a good chance you could meet your demise.
But what they did with Karev’s character may have been worse than death.
From Season 1 on, Karev was not a fan favorite. To be honest, it’s a surprise that he lasted past the third season. He was brash, a know-it-all, and a male chauvinist. But then he changed. Karev grew up right in front of our eyes and just like that, he not only became Merideth’s person, he became ours.
We rooted for him. When he fell in love with Jo Wilson, we wanted that to work. His courtship and marriage to Izzie Stevens was just the blueprint of the foundation being laid for the character we’ve come to love.
However, despite the growth the writers allowed Karev, they managed to snatch all that away in one episode. One minute, Karev is trying to console his wife Jo as she deals with her personal demons regarding her mother. Then the light just flips and he’s gone.
That was the old Alex Karev.
Then the s*** hits the fan and we’re left with three letters that explain his disappearance. Karev found Izzie and his kids that he had no idea he had. Great news for his growth but not his character.
Grey’s Anatomy worked so hard to rewrite the story of Karev that in one episode, they threw all that hard work out the window and failed miserably at a happy ending.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Pairing Izzie with Karev is such an awesome move but it was also a HUGE mistake.
For one, Karev is married. He just left his wife for another woman just because she had his kids? Sorry, not believing that. His character had come too far to be that inconsiderate. Then, we were robbed of this special reunion.
Grey’s Anatomy is great for tugging at the heartstrings. But by not showing Izzie and Karev in that final episode, cheapened the moment. Maybe that’s what fans have the real issue with. We didn’t get to actually see them together. No matter the circumstances that Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers have with ABC, just reach out and get them for at least one final episode or shot. We deserved that much and Karev deserved that much.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
