Grey’s Anatomy heightened the suspense ahead of its season 22 debut by teasing potential character deaths and unforeseen events — so who actually made it out of the hospital explosion alive?
The ABC drama came back on Thursday, October 9, picking up right where things left off after a section of the ER was destroyed. The last time viewers tuned into Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Piper Perabo played a patient’s mother who brought a highly explosive acetylene tank into the OR in an effort to force Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) to perform a dangerous operation to save her daughter.
The hostage crisis endangered interns Simone (Alexis Floyd) and Adams (Niko Terho) — along with everyone else in the hospital. Although the surgery went well, the tank was accidentally opened, causing the flammable contents to spill onto the operating floor. The finale concluded with an explosion that only Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Warren (Jason George) were confirmed to have survived.
Grey’s Anatomy didn’t make Us wait too long to learn what happened to some of the characters. Besides Meredith and Warren, Miranda (Chandra Wilson) was OK after being in the OR. Richard (James Pickens Jr.), Teddy (Kim Raver) and her husband, Owen (Kevin McKidd), were also unharmed.
Meanwhile, Nora (Floriana Lima) had a health scare, with only Blue (Harry Shum Jr.) and Adams (Niko Terho) around to help. They managed to stabilize her, but Adams’ good mood didn’t last, as Simone (Alexis Floyd) revealed she slept with someone else, leading to their breakup by the episode’s end.
Elsewhere, Winston (Anthony Hill) was safe — and so was Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). Jules, who was in the OR, had to perform surgery on a young boy with Beltran (Natalie Morales) assisting while stuck on the floor.
Jules managed to save the boy, but Beltran passed away by the time the surgery was over. Another person whose fate seemed uncertain was Link (Chris Carmack). After being trapped under debris, Link’s colleagues had to find a way to get his injured body to an operating table while he was losing blood.
Link pulled through but was still unconscious when his wife, Jo (Camilla Luddington), came to his side. That meant there was only one death after fans worried Grey’s Anatomy would go for a fictional massacre because of the hospital explosion.
“I’ve spoken with some of the cast, but they all understand it’s a Grey’s Anatomy cliffhanger, and they know each year they never know what to expect. They’re ready for it. They want to keep our storylines exciting and new,” showrunner Meg Marinis told The Hollywood Reporter in May. “But even in the last two seasons with what you saw this year, we had to reduce the cast a bit [because of industry-wide budget cuts], and everyone has very strong feelings about their favorite characters.”
She added, “But if we can upset the writers, then we know we’re doing it right. It’s not as compelling a story if people aren’t upset when someone leaves. It should make people upset and sad, so I’m sure there’ll be some arguments. But I’ve been convinced before to change my mind on things.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET, then streams the next day on Hulu.
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