S16.E16: Leave a Light On

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Bailey and Ben face a huge, life-altering decision, while Meredith and several of the doctors reflect on the past.

Promo:

Original air date: 3/5/20

[Guest]

Thanks, Krista. I hated it. 
 

This is the first episode I’ve watched since the break, and it will be the last I think. 
 

When Izzie and Alex we’re together, it often seemed she was settling after Denny died. Now we’re supposed to believe they are each other’s happily ever after. 
 

And Jo. I don’t really care about the other characters’ reactions, but Jo. She’s been through enough. 
 

To close with “there’s just no good way to say goodbye” is almost like the writers admitting they suck.

[ams1001]

Not sure how I feel about this...

Was that Justin doing the voiceover or just someone who sounds like him?

(How long is he suppose to have been gone? I've lost track.)

Those kids are adorable.

At least they didn't kill him off...

 

[Lady Calypso]

Congrats, Krista.

You just created the worst episode of Grey's Anatomy history. Even worse than the musical episode, believe it or not.

It's bad because it's 100% out of character.

I could have created ten thousand better endings for Alex than this. There is no way that this was the best ending they could have come up with. 

I honestly won't be back next week. I'm not letting this show gaslight me into thinking that Alex/Izzie seeds were always planted for them as endgame. I won't be gaslit like this. And no way would everyone be mostly fine with this. 

And no way do I accept this character assassination. 

[dmc]

Well I feel vindicated because I always hated Jo.  So I’m on board with this 🤷‍♀️
 

[truthaboutluv]

So I haven't watched this show regularly in years and I think I've missed every single episode of the last two or three seasons. However, being one of the back in the day viewers, I was curious to see how Karev's story would end. 

And I see Grey's is still jacking shit from E.R. Listen, I liked Alex and Izzy back in the day, even shipped them but they are no Doug and Carol. And so this insta-family/kids situation was completely bogus. 

[Legalbeagle421]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

Not sure how I feel about this...

Was that Justin doing the voiceover or just someone who sounds like him?

 

That definitely was not him. I was thinking that the entire episode. What a mess. 

[statsgirl]

I would have preferred Alex having an accident and dying.

To hear that he's been communicating with Izzy for months, and leaves Jo for the woman who couldn't be bothered to tell him for 6 years that she implanted the embryos with his sperm, is a character death worse than actual dying.

The writer tried to make it about being around for your kids but it was a massive fail.

[DEL901]

I wished they had just killed him off.   
 

What a terrible episode, from the flat narration to Alex’s cowardice in not giving his wife the courtesy of meeting her face to face to no one but Linc really thinking about Jo and he didn’t even know what was in the letter.  

[chitowngirl]

I’m glad that Justin got to narrate his end story and I’m glad Alex isn’t dead. There’s a return window open.

Meredith and Richard-Alex is in Kansas, not Bora Bora. You can call, visit, FaceTime, Skype....!!

Clip shows just scream how great Grey’s was.

And if I were Jo, I would drop the Karev!!

Edited March 6, 2020 by chitowngirl

[Bulldog]

What a steaming pile.

[anna0852]

I'm glad he's not dead. For Alex at least it's a decently happy exit. A total character assassination and reverts him back to evil spawn but at least he's not dead.

Kids would be about the only thing to pull him away from Seattle. 

I'm choosing to see this as least a door open for Justin to come back. Killing Alex is great for the character but terrible for the actor. 

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, chitowngirl said:

I’m glad that Justin got to narrate his end story and I’m glad Alex isn’t dead. There’s a return window open.

Depends if that was actually Justin and if that was new dialogue that he recorded.

Because there were many times in the narration where it didn't sound like Justin at all, and I still haven't decided whether it was sloppy ADR from Justin or someone else recording his lines.

[ams1001]

  

3 minutes ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

That definitely was not him. I was thinking that the entire episode. What a mess. 

I wasn't sure...but I also have a clogged right ear that is ringing rather loudly so my hearing is a little messed up tonight.

[Evie]

So that happened. So can I be pissed about how they chose to write Alex out now? Cause yeah, Justin Chambers walked away leaving Krista and the writers in a tough spot, but they had choices other than Alex abandoning his wife for the ex-wife that not only abandoned him but apparently used their frozen embryos and didn't tell him he had two kids. That's sick. Not only was it total character assassination of Alex but they made it a twofer and assassinated Izzie again for the hell of it though it seems like they thought this was some kind of bittersweet and heartwarming ending. The fuck.This Alex fan wishes Alex could have been hit by a bus or a truck or eaten by wolves.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Evie

[gatopretoNYC]

Well, that was some grade A Bull. Shit. Garbage.

[statsgirl]

It feels like the writers heard about how much everyone hated the "Oliver has a secret child whose existence he hides from his wife" on Arrow and said "Hold my beer."

[Legalbeagle421]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

  

I wasn't sure...but I also have a clogged right ear that is ringing rather loudly so my hearing is a little messed up tonight.

I shouldn't say definitely because I don't know for certain but it sounded off to me the entire episode, so I really don't think it was him. Hope you feel better! 

[MaryRhodaPhyllis]

Look, I rooted for Izzie/Alex back in the day and I took a long time to invest in Jo, who spent her first four seasons as a cardboard cutout love interest with scant definition. 

But reuniting Alex with Izzie as his farewell storyline totally negates all the growth his character endured while with Jo. It's a rejection of the last, eight -- if not TEN -- years. 

And I'm shocked that they would dignify Heigl by trying to spin Izzie as anyone's happy ending. This was like fan fiction. 

Plus, now we're goddamn stuck with Jo, who only exists on the show because she was supposed to be Alex's endgame love interest. There's no point to her now -- this is the same thing that happened to Arizona after Callie.

Oy vey. 2012 me would have been thrilled with this; 2020 me is not. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by MaryRhodaPhyllis

[Daisy]

I was going to write this big list of What Izzy wouldn't/would do - what Alex would/wouldn't do, and then I just realised I can't. I can't do it because it would make me so. incredibly mad. 
 

All Krista freaking had to do was just have Alex not be on screen. That's it.. that's all. you didn't have to be dramatic about it. hell just show a body in bed, show him walking down the hall, anything. 

I'm not even being funny. George had it better, and he was literally thrown under a bus. 

[Chicken Wing]

...And ten years later, Izzie continues to ruin everything.

All I kept thinking was, at least that part is consistent.

[Anela]

I was crying a bit by the end, due to nostalgia, but I started out the episode saying, "NO!" and I still feel that way. I watched that episode just this week - the one where he tells Jo what he's imagined for Izzie, and says, "I imagine her as happy as I am with you." There is just no way that the character would leave his wife. 

[jschoolgirl]

The show needs to end.

It should've happened with the party at the dream house after Meredith and the three kids returned following her "disappearance." 

[funnygirl]

I am pleasantly surprised.

Alex snooched in a cup for Izzie all those years ago and they now have twins (who are so adorable, btw!) and Izzex get their happy ending together. Alex is alive, he's a dad, he has a family... he's happy and I'm happy for him. And I like that Izzie continued her surgical career and is an oncologist. 

So much better than killing him off. It was good to hear Alex's voice reading those letters. I'm glad Justin was able to contribute to Alex's ending. 

I care about Alex, not Jo. And old Grey's will always trump new Grey's for me in every single way. The flashbacks in this episode, alone, were the best thing I've seen out of the show in the last two seasons. YMMV

Side bar: I laughed out loud at Alex leaving Jo his hospital shares. First they were Cristina's, who dumped them off to Alex, and now they're Jo's... the doctors who leave Seattle Grace Mercy Death really don't want anything to do with it when they're gone. lol 

Edited March 6, 2020 by funnygirl

[Chicken Wing]

I mean, really, am I supposed to be pleased with this ending for Alex? He left his wife to be with Izzie ... booooo -- but wait, wait! It's okay, it's more than that, because they have children and he left to be with his newly discovered family ... so he's been shacking up with Izzie, sleeping with Izzie, starting a whole new second life family with her while he was STILL MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE and lying to his WIFE about where he was for MONTHS and then tells her the truth FINALLY by just sending her a fucking LETTER and the signed divorce papers? This is his goodbye? I'm supposed to like this? This is supposed to be some kind of noble ending for him? What. The Fuck. Ever.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Chicken Wing

[abc123]

WTF

The only thing good about this was all the good Karev eye candy. 
 

No other words at this time. Need to process. 🥺

[dmc]

3 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

I am pleasantly surprised.

Alex snooched in a cup for Izzie all those years ago and they now have twins (who are so adorable, btw!) and Izzex get their happy ending together. Alex is alive, he's a dad, he has a family... he's happy and I'm happy for him. And I like that Izzie continued her surgical career and is an oncologist. 

So much better than killing him off. It was good to hear Alex's voice reading those letters. I'm glad Justin was able to contribute to Alex's ending. 

Side bar: I laughed out loud at Alex leaving Jo his hospital shares. First they were Cristina's, who dumped them off to Alex, and now they're Jo's... the doctors who leave Seattle Grace Mercy Death really don't want anything to do with it when they're gone. lol 

I forgot about the hospital shares.  Lol 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I knew I wasn't going to like it, no matter how they told the story.

But DAMN, I want someone to write a Tell-all about all the BTS drama that has gone on.

[LexieLily]

14 minutes ago, deaja said:

When Izzie and Alex were together, it often seemed she was settling after Denny died. Now we’re supposed to believe they are each other’s happily ever after.

See, I don't even know if we are even supposed to believe that. There were multiple sentences in Meredith's letter and Jo's that showed that there was a strong possibility that Alex was just doing this for the children that Izzie kept from him so the twins could grow up with a functional two-parent household that he didn't have - him telling both Meredith and Jo that if it was just Izzie versus Jo he would probably stay with Jo, his note to Meredith at the end not to come to Kansas and try to get him to come home to Seattle because he might have done it. 

The show didn't kill Alex. They killed his characterization instead.

We are supposed to believe that Alex Karev turned into a cheating husband and someone that would leave his wife, friends, and job via letters. We are supposed to believe that Alex and Izzie had been committing since Meredith's trial, which means they were communicating for months while Alex was still in town and during the time that Jo was in her inpatient treatment. After which Alex re-proposed to and re-committed to Jo. 

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

I shouldn't say definitely because I don't know for certain but it sounded off to me the entire episode, so I really don't think it was him. Hope you feel better! 

Thanks! Hopefully another round of drops will clear it up.

[Chicken Wing]

Just now, LexieLily said:

We are supposed to believe that Alex and Izzie had been committing since Meredith's trial, which means they were communicating for months while Alex was still in town and during the time that Jo was in her inpatient treatment. After which Alex re-proposed to and re-committed to Jo. 

The trial was at the end of the first half of the season, and Alex's letter says he only contacted Izzie then regarding letters on Meredith's behalf. The Jo stuff happened over summer break and the very beginning of the season.

[Fostersmom]

Did Justin literally phone this in? Because, that's the only way I believe the narration was truly his voice. It's like he sat with a phone and read the script. 

[gail56]

They are going to pair Linc with Jo, aren't they. That's why they broke up him and Amelia.

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, gail56 said:

They are going to pair Linc with Jo, aren't they. That's why they broke up him and Amelia.

Seeing as, as soon as Jo finished reading the letter that Link came by and they had flirty eyes for each other (stop SMILING AT JO'S PAIN, LINK), yeah, I'm 100% positive they're going that route.

[hcs]

I don't believe for a moment that was Justin's voice because just like everything else about this episode it sounded wrong.. I don't understand how having him destroy his like is better than simply killing him letting Jo believe she was loved

Oh God if they put Linc with Jo poor Amelia is going back to Owen..

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by hcs
ETA

[dmc]

12 minutes ago, gail56 said:

They are going to pair Linc with Jo, aren't they. That's why they broke up him and Amelia.

Yes.

 

All I can think when Alex said he left Jo everything is that they didn’t even used to have food at their house. Then they sold all their wedding gifts for a TV.  So what did he leave her a lease, a hot pocket and  the hospital shares

Edited March 6, 2020 by dmc

[ParadoxLost]

I’ve not really been a regular viewer in a long time and frankly every time I came back, it was for Alex and when I stopped it was because the show was shitting on or ignoring Alex.

I’m satisfied with this ending. Under the circumstances I don’t think they could have done better.  I want Alex happy. I don’t want him dead by suicide, murder, or accident. I don’t want him leaving for no good reason.  The twins tilted it enough for me that I understood the choice he made.

The letters made the timeline feel a bit wonky as if more time passed on Izzie’s farm than in Seattle.  They probably could have tilted it a bit more to staying for the kids and less that Alex and Izzie had already built or restarted a life together. 

But, the part of me that loved this show when it was about Mer, Christina, George, Izzy, and Alex loves this ending.  Loves it.  And I admit, that I adored Izzy and Alex as a couple against my will.  Mostly because of Alex because I had pre-conceived notions about Heigel from her Roswell days.

The part of me that has watched this show in the last couple years was scared shitless when every letter started that the next letter would reveal that Alex killed himself and Richard or someone would be left with the secret that all the other letters were lies.

[LexieLily]

Also, nothing in the episode or the letters explained why Alex communicated in the beginning of his absence with Richard and Owen and never called or texted Meredith or Jo. 

[apinknightmare]

26 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

I would have preferred Alex having an accident and dying.

To hear that he's been communicating with Izzy for months, and leaves Jo for the woman who couldn't be bothered to tell him for 6 years that she implanted the embryos with his sperm, is a character death worse than actual dying.

The writer tried to make it about being around for your kids but it was a massive fail.

I quit watching this show a couple of years ago because I didn't like the people on it most of the time, and while I do understand that there were some limitations that the writers had to work with and I like to give some kind of leeway for that, this was...not great! 

And it doesn't even seem like an entirely happy ending for Alex and Izzy because they heavily leaned on him leaving and being with her for the kids (which, understandably they kind of had to do to make him not seem like a total asshole on the Seattle side of things), but yeah. I'm glad I wasn't invested. 

[Racj82]

I'm not mad at the show at all.

A lot complaints about what the show should have done involves the fucking over of a character and actress that didn't ask for any of this.

Or they could have killed him off...I don't know why anyone actively wants to see one of the OGs dies. I know the feeling is that it's better than him abandoning Jo and Meredith but it's a loss all the same.

We are losing Alex no matter what. It sucks no matter what way you slice it. They decided to just give Alex A happy ending. May not be the best for all involved but whatever. He didn't die. He didn't get eaten by wolves or whatever. I'm happy about that.

TV shows like this should never go on this long. People, at some point, will want to bail. Things like this are bound to happen. 

People may feel like Alex was always Izzie's number 2 but that's how I've always felt about Jo.

So, I totally believe he would give it go with Izzie if he could. I don't think she ever stopped being his number 1.

Damn, I was barely out of community college when the show started and my 20th high school reunion is this year. I feel old.

[DEL901]

8 minutes ago, gail56 said:

They are going to pair Linc with Jo, aren't they. That's why they broke up him and Amelia.

 

7 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Seeing as, as soon as Jo finished reading the letter that Link came by and they had flirty eyes for each other (stop SMILING AT JO'S PAIN, LINK), yeah, I'm 100% positive they're going that route.

I agree.  And this pretty much guarantees that Amelia’s baby is his. 

[Tripper]

31 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

To hear that he's been communicating with Izzy for months, and leaves Jo for the woman who couldn't be bothered to tell him for 6 years that she implanted the embryos with his sperm, is a character death worse than actual dying.

The writer tried to make it about being around for your kids but it was a massive fail.

Yeah, like this new found re-kindling of a relationship is gonna supposedly make it...Not only did Izzy not tell him about his kids, but he's just picked up and left his life (and wife) for this crazy shit.  One's past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior, thus, either one of them could pack up and leave in the middle of the night.  Such Bullshit. 

Why couldn't they just made it clean like him dying in a plane / car / bus crash or something and couldn't identify him and that's why they haven't heard anything....Or, one of about 100 other scenarios I could come up with off the top of my head.  

[Rose-1]

I am one of the ones that used to watch the show religiously but Haven’t this season - because it should’ve finished seasons ago - But I’ve always been an Alex fan and I’ve been following to see Alex’s ending.. and I don’t know what I was expecting after the last few seasons but even this baffled me at how terrible it was.

There is no way, no WAY that the alex they have been developing for years would marry his wife (TWICE), support her through all her trauma, show for seasons how in love with her and committed to her he is, to just abandon her without a word and commit adultery with someone who left him 10 years ago - not only left him, but cheated on him with a fucking ghost, and left him with thousands of medical bills!!
 

The izzie/alex love story had its place in season 5, however for this to even be the credible exit they’re trying to sell viewers -  let’s not pretend alex was the great love of her life, when he was always a second choice to Denny. And this Storyline may have been somewhat feasible 7 years ago, but alex and jo have been together for SEVEN SEASONS. they built this fantastic relationship, Alex has never made any mention of Izzy for years and Alex’s last scene with Jo was getting married to her again..I mean, come on, it’s completely ridiculous !

And lastly, is anyone else questioning how utterly wrong the message they’re sending is that you can’t be a father and also hsve your own separate relationship??? How messed up is that?
 

hate this, hate everything about it and the writers should be completely embarrassed and ashamed of themselves for that utter nonsense. Alex and Jo deserved so much better. 

 

 

[DEL901]

According to EW, it is Justin Chambers doing the voice overs.   It makes sense    If he wouldn’t do it, they could have had Meredith read her letter, Bailey read hers, etc.    

PBut damn, his tone was flat; he almost sounded medicated   

https://ew.com/tv/greys-anatomy-alex-karev-exit-izzie-stevens/

[dmc]

5 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

I'm not mad at the show at all.

A lot complaints about what the show should have done involves the fucking over of a character and actress that didn't ask for any of this.

Or they could have killed him off...I don't know why anyone actively wants to see one of the OGs dies. I know the feeling is that it's better than him abandoning Jo and Meredith but it's a loss all the same.

We are losing Alex no matter what. It sucks no matter what way you slice it. They decided to just give Alex A happy ending. May not be the best for all involved but whatever. He didn't die. He didn't get eaten by wolves or whatever. I'm happy about that.

TV shows like this should never go on this long. People, at some point, will want to bail. Things like this are bound to happen. 

People may feel like Alex was always Izzie's number 2 but that's how I've always felt about Jo.

So, I totally believe he would give it go with Izzie if he could. I don't think she ever stopped being his number 1.

Damn, I was barely out of community college when the show started and my 20th high school reunion is this year. I feel old.

I can see this. 

[Chicken Wing]

If Alex were single ... if he were not MARRIED to Jo ... I would be fine with his send-off being this out-of-nowhere reunion with Izzie and their unknown-to-him children. I mean, it would still be cheesy soap opera garbage and an obviously hastily-thrown-together write-off for the character, but it would be semi-acceptable as such. But he isn't single. He was MARRIED. He cheated on his wife and left her for Izzie. And as much as I was the ultimate Alex-Izzie shipper back in the day, it was back in the day and I've moved on and HE'S moved on and we've spent the last, what, 7 seasons watching him create a life with Jo. And they got married. And they were married when he left to see Izzie and their kids. And they were still married when he stayed with Izzie and apparently rekindled their relationship and became a family of four. He got back with Izzie while. he. was. MARRIED. And then he told his wife, and left her (let's not even get into all the horrible crap she's had to deal with just recently, never mind in her life as a whole, all of which he's perfectly damn aware of), in a Dear Jo letter. There's just no part of this that doesn't make Alex come off like a complete heel. I hate that they did this to him.

[NUguy514]

Wait, Alex two-timed Jo?  With Izzie?  Who secretly had his twin babies?  And divorced and left Jo his hospital shares?  And traipsed off to Kansas???

That?  Is fucking HILARIOUS!!

I mean, I never saw him evolve the way most seemed to.  He was always an asshole and a bully, and he beat an innocent man almost to death.  So, I guess this is as fitting an exit for his character as I could personally imagine.

And now, Jo and Linc will hook up, annihilating any lingering feelings I had about not giving this trash up.

[Lady Calypso]

There are always better ways to end a story. There was always a better path for the show to have taken. 

They didn't handle this right at all. There are so many paths they could have taken and they didn't. 

They could have given it more time until they figured out a better ending. They could have had Alex stay in Iowa for a while. They could have had Alex decide that he needed to stay with his mother and he could have sent divorce papers to Jo, explaining that it would be her choice whether she wanted to stay in Seattle or not, but he couldn't leave his family. They could have had Jo move with Alex. They could have had Alex die. 

Let's say they really wanted this Alex/Izzie kid thing. There IS such a thing as co-parenting. Alex could have asked Jo if she wanted to come with him. She could have declined herself. 

But here, what they did was make Alex look like a cruel, heartless asshole who abandoned his wife like he had been abandoned his entire life, INCLUDING BY IZZIE. They had Alex happily ignore his friends and family by ignoring phone calls for months. They decided that it was a smart idea to show happy faceless Alex/Izzie in bed together, presumably not long after Alex abandoned his wife. 

And then they had the audacity to have everyone pretty much move on from it. 

It's not really as complicated as Richard made it seem. It just made Alex look bad. There were better ways to write this ending. They didn't do it for me. And I say this as someone who did like Alex/Izzie once upon a time. 

I don't think I'll ever be ok with this ending. They would have been better off re-introducing ghost sex. 

Ok, kidding on that. Mostly. 

[BluBarbi98]

I haven’t even finished watching yet but as soon as he revealed Izzie & the kids in the first letter I wanted to throw the whole TV out but came here instead. I don’t know what would have been better but this was a character assassination - not because he left his friends and job but because he left his wife and did it in such an underhanded way. Him having conversations with Izzie for weeks and rekindling feelings for her is just wrong. If it was just about the kids Alex Karev would have talked to his wife face to face. 

[Tripper]

IMHO, Justin Chambers should have given fans more dignity than to just up and leave the show without any warning....I guess he is fairly close to the type of person he plays as Alex!  

This kind of ending really sucks and is a smack in the face to the loyal GA fans.  And considering he was pretty much a "nobody" before GA, he should have had much more respect and appreciation for the show and the fan base.  Given that the creator and producers decided to keep him around for 16 seasons, he could have at least given them some notice so the show could have planned a real ending...One his character deserved (like season ending).  He's a POS.