Throughout the entire Grey’s Anatomy summer hiatus, we’ve been debating who could live or die after the explosion in the hospital.
Of course, the show hinted at a particular character’s death.
The medical drama wanted us to tune in to see if Link would live or die, knowing the consequences that his death would have on multiple people.
And I said it as soon as Link’s death was being pushed so hard for Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 that it wasn’t going to happen.
This show was trying so hard that it made it obvious things would go in a different direction.
As soon as the images of the Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 premiere came out, I knew that it would be someone close to Amelia, and that gave me enough to work out who the eventual casualty would be.
There were three people inside the hospital whose death would emotionally resonate with Amelia: Link, Webber, and Beltran.
Grey’s Anatomy Made Its Latest Casualty Too Obvious
Meredith was outside, and we knew she would be safe, so there was no need even to debate her.
At one point, I toyed with Bailey, but then the focus shifted to Ben, so I ruled her out quickly.
With the push on Link so much, I ruled him out, which led to either Beltran or Webber. Out of those two, it had to be Beltran.
She was the one with the fewest connections in the hospital, and Natalie Morales wasn’t a series regular, so it made it much easier to write her out without too many consequences.
It’s a trick used a lot in TV, as the shows need us to tune in and worry about our favorite characters, but in the end, there are contracts to deal with and a lot of other story arcs to think about, so killing off a series regular isn’t always that easy.
Sometimes, it isn’t very pleasant when something like this happens, but this time, I’m happy about it.
It’s no secret that Grey’s Anatomy has struggled with character development for many of its key players for a long time.
Let’s look at Owen Hunt, for example, who has never learned from his mistakes and has become one of the most toxic men on the show.
The Medical Drama Needs Some Changes
Then look at Teddy and Amelia, who continually make poor life choices, rushing into relationships or following their hearts rather than their heads.
Time and time again, the same characters tell the same stories and end up showing no growth.
It’s time for something to change, and the decision to kill Beltran and save Link offers Grey’s Anatomy that chance.
Link is a problematic character at times.
His heart is in the right place, but he makes snap decisions and doesn’t always consider his partners’ feelings.
There are times he doesn’t listen. He’s recognized some of those flaws, but that’s not enough.
Now that he’s recognized his shortcomings, it’s time to make some changes, and he couldn’t have done that if he were dead.
By keeping him around, the Grey’s Anatomy writers can also show that they’re growing and finally offer some development for one of the male characters.
At the same time, Grey’s hasn’t been all that good to its couples.
Ben and Bailey remain the power couple in the hospital, and as much as I dislike Catherine, she and Webber have continued to prove they can make their marriage work against all odds.
Now we need to see another couple succeed, and out of all the women in the hospital, Jo deserves it.
She was dealt a terrible hand with Karev after he just up and left her for Izzy — in a terribly crafted storyline, by the way.
Link surviving his wounds will now offer him and Jo the chance to become another power couple in the hospital, and we need to see more of these relationships work.
A lot of younger people are finding Grey’s Anatomy, and they need to see that relationships take work.
It’s important to understand how communication should occur and that disagreements don’t necessarily mean that couples have to break up.
It’s actually what I love about seeing Ben and Bailey’s relationship develop on screen.
We need to see that they can be the norm and not the exception, so having Link and Jo around offers that opportunity.
Maybe I’m putting too much stock in the writers of Grey’s Anatomy, as we’re 22 seasons in, and I still have some of the same problems.
But a girl can dream, right? At least the decision made in the Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 premiere opens up the opportunities.
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