Grey’s Anatomy
From a long list of the series ' take leave characters , perhaps Jackson Avery and Alex Karev best shew the extremes of howGrey ’s Anatomyhandles its exiting mould members . Few show have had a healthier runtime than the Shonda Rhimes make hit medical drama , but with seniority comes inevitable roll employee turnover , and some exits are simply more refined than others .
The most recent departure derive in the form of Jesse Williams ' Dr. Jackson Avery , who had been a unconstipated mien on the show since season 6 . While other mainstays like Ellen Pompeo , Chandra Wilson , and James Pinkens Jr. extended their contract to continue on inGrey ’s Anatomyseason 18 , Williams prefer out of returning . However , the show ’s writers ( precede by showrunner Krista Vernoff ) managed to craft a well - played swan vocal for Jackson Avery , who decided to move to Boston to take over the Catherine Fox Foundation , aiming to tackle a health care system that disproportionately cold-shoulder citizenry of color .
refer : Grey ’s Anatomy ’s Perfect Ending Was Set In Season 1
In retrospect , Grey ’s Anatomyseemed to have been setting up Jackson ’s departure for quite some clip now . Throughout the series , the stupendous charge plate surgeon had been branded something of a roving spirit , unable to discover contentment in both his role at the hospital and in his personal life . Recently , much ofJackson Avery ’s storyhad been wrap up in his desire to recover his tarnished family name , using his extraordinary wealth to help well a world he visualize as broken . Grey ’s Anatomyseason 17 has not shied aside from the health aid organization ’s inequalities , now exacerbated by a spherical pandemic , and smartly link up these real - world issues to Jackson ’s motivations for leaving . The composition conclusion ultimately gives the character a noble , satisfying finale . Unfortunately , the same can not be said for Karev ’s close , which feel odd and unearned after actor Justin Chambers ' sudden departure .
While Chamber ’s decision to go forth the show after so many years was apprehensible ( he was a major player sinceGrey ’s Antatomy ’s pilot episode ) , Alex Karevleft some narrative collateral scathe in his wake , specially as it related to Jo Wilson . Shortly before Chamber ’s departure , Alex and Jo were at long last married . When Jo ’s battle with mental wellness became unmistakable , Alex reaffirmed his passion and commitment to her , showing a hard - won maturity that fans had been waiting for . So , when Alex suddenly left Jo ( explaining in gawky voiceover that when he learned that his ex - wife Izzie secretly had his kids and he now want to be with them ) , much of that growth almost immediately dissolved , leaving behind an impression that Karev never really evolved beyond his " Evil Spawn " persona .
Perhaps the key to a successful closing for any television character has everything to do with timing . Many ofGrey ’s Anatomy ’s most efficient exits had a chip of runway to work with , such as the run - up toCristina Yang’s / Sandra Oh ’s goodly conclusion in season 10 . This feeler allows for the tying off of idle ends and for viewing audience to see terminal panorama with the departing type and the people they are leaving behind who shaped them along the way . Of course , Grey ’s Anatomyhas found other , far more definitive fashion of handling exhale doer contracts – just ask Derek Shepherd , George O’Malley , Lexie Grey , Mark Sloan , Adele Webber , and the many other characters who were killed off in the writers ' way .
Thankfully , both Avery and Karev made it out ofGrey ’s Anatomywith their lives , leave the threshold open , however narrowly , for the character to make one last trip-up to Grey - Sloan Memorial before the inevitable series finale . A return for Jackson would n’t feel out of place considering where he go away things . But if Alex were to swing by for a last visit , things could get a little embarrassing thanks to the way he was written out of the show .
Next : Grey ’s Anatomy : Why Sandra Oh ’s Cristina Left In Season 10
