‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Will Give Justin Chambers’ Character, Alex Karev, A Farewell Episode

Fans of Grey’s Anatomy will receive closure as Alex Karev, played by Justin Chambers, will have a send-off episode next week.

People reports that next week’s episode of the ABC show will address how Alex’s storyline ends. In a trailer for the episode, which airs on Thursday, March 5, a montage of memorable Alex moments were shown, from the time viewers met him during his intern year, to the time he became interim chief of surgery in Season 15 of the show. Fans also saw close moments between Alex and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who is one of the few remaining original characters.

During the montage, words on the screen encouraged fans to “see how his story ends.” Currently, Alex has been in Iowa with his mother since Chambers announced he was leaving the show back in January. Fans have watched as Alex’s wife, Jo (Camilla Luddington), has tried to get in contact with him while he has been in Iowa. The show has been criticized online for its handling of Karev’s absence.

After seeing the preview after Thursday night’s episode, many fans took to Twitter to express their concerns about Alex’s goodbye episode. Many shared their hopes that Grey’s would end Alex’s storyline in a way that represents his character development over the last 16 seasons. Others left predictions of how they think the writers will handle the final episode.

“If we are saying goodbye to Alex Karev please make it GOOD. He’s not a ghoster,” one fan wrote.

“Ooh is doing a big goodbye for Alex Karev next week. They must be killing him off. I bet he never made it to Iowa, died on the way?” another fan predicted.

“The storyline they’ve given recently has been so bad and so off character that him being killed off is the only way to give him justice after 16 seasons,” one fan criticized.

“@GreysABC better give #AlexKarev the send-off he deserves. One of the best characters with the best character development. It’s gonna be sad without him,” another fan said of the character.

Chambers abruptly left the show in January after joining the pilot cast in 2005. He wrote in a statement that he wanted to try something new as an actor. He said that while both Grey’s and the character of Alex have “defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” he knew it was important to branch out in the new chapter in his life.

He shared in his open statement that he had just turned 50, which also inspired the change.