Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 18 ahead.
The cliffhanger ending ofGrey’s Anatomyseason 21 hinted at one character in particular potentially dying in season 22, and their death could be much worse than Derek’s heartbreaking demise in season 11. In impeccableGrey’s Anatomyfashion,the season 21 finale brought chaos to Grey Sloan through Jenna Gatlin’s despairabout Dylan, which prompted her to take the matter into her hands by forcing Amelia to operate again on Dylan or she would have triggered an explosion that could have killed everyone in the OR and beyond. While that didn’t happen,Grey’s Anatomyseason 21’s endingfeatured an explosion.
Grey’s Anatomyseason 21 ending a few seconds after Meredith and Warren witnessedthe explosionfrom outside the hospitaldidn’t fully reveal which ones were the doctors in danger, but the moments preceding the explosion offered a few options. Indeed, Lucas’s sprint to tell about the full tank Webber placed him in danger. Similarly, Bailey, Millin and Beltran were all seen on the OR floor mere moments before the explosion. However, it’s another character who was in OR 2 who risks the most inGrey’s Anatomyseason 22, and their death could feel even worse than Derek’s in season 11.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Finale Sets Up Link’s Death
Link Is Shown Handling An Instrument That Could Have Sparked The Explosion
Grey’s Anatomyseason 21’s finale disseminated multiple clues about Link’s death even before he set foot in OR 2. The first was the dynamic of the hostage situation when Jenna was slowly falling apart about being the one to push Dylan to get the surgery, which prompted Simone to try and de-escalate the situation, only for Lucas to take advantage of the moment to lunge at Jenna to try and disarm her. In that moment,Jenna opened the acetylene tank’s valve, but no one paid attention to that, as Meredith had just entered the ORwith frozen plasma for Dylan.
Jenna’s confession that the tank was empty contributed to sowing more chaos, but the second clue had everything to do with Link’s patient who wanted to return to dancing as soon as possible, as that prompted Link to stay behind and not return home with Jo. However,the most damning clue that Link is actually in harm’s waywhenGrey’s Anatomyseason 22 premiereshas to do with his request of the cautery while in OR 2, which could have sparked the explosioninGrey’s Anatomyseason 21’s ending, given that that OR was previously filled with acetylene by Jenna.
Why Link’s Death Is Actually Worse Than Derek Shepherd’s Demise
Link & Jo Just Got Married And They Are Finally Happy
Various features of Derek’s death made it heartbreaking, including Meredith not being able to say goodbye until he was brain-dead and the fact that his death ended one of the mainGrey’s Anatomyromances. However,the saddest part of Derek’s death was its being entirely preventable, as his internal monologue detailing all the mistakes the team who worked on him made proved. Instead, were Link to die inGrey’s Anatomyseason 22, it would be due to bad luck, as he ended up operating in OR 2 by chance. Still, other things in Link’s life would make his death heartbreaking.
Grey’s Anatomyalways put Jo through the wringer, from the time she spent unhoused as a teenager, to her first marriage being to an abusive man, to the happy second marriage, which nevertheless ended surprisingly after Alex left her without even telling Jo face-to-face.
The timing of Link dying inGrey’s Anatomyseason 22 would have the most negative possible impact on his loved ones. Link and Jo tying the knot inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21, episode 17 would make his death happen right after their wedding, at a time when Jo and Link are finally both happy at the prospect of expecting twins.Link’s death would leave Scout and the twins orphans, Luna without a father figure in her life, and Jo fully heartbrokenafter finally trusting that she could be happy.
This could mean that Link is in grave danger whenGrey’s Anatomyreturns, but could ultimately survive after the medical drama put him in his first serious life-or-death situation.
Link’s death wouldn’t only be a massive loss for Jo but forGrey’s Anatomyas a whole. In all his romances in the medical drama, Link proved entirely unproblematic. While many male love interests in the medical drama were controlling or vindictive,Link always meant well, and even when he made mistakes, he only had the best interests of Jo or Amelia in mind. This wasn’t fully the case with Derek, especially inGrey’s Anatomyseason 11, which could have even led to MerDer divorcing, as Derek had once again put his career ahead of Meredith’s and their relationship.
What Are The Chances Of Link Actually Dying In Grey’s Anatomy Season 22?
Grey’s Anatomy Always Making Jo Suffer Could Hint At Link’s Demise
Link being in the OR with the highly inflammable gas makes his demise possible, especially considering how such a development would followGrey’s Anatomy’s already established path of making Jo suffer considerably. However,there are some hints to Link’s future not necessarily involving his death. While it’s not confirmed who will return forGrey’s Anatomyseason 22, no contracts of keyGrey’s Anatomycast members were reported as expiring soon.
Grey’s Anatomyseason 21 is available to stream on Hulu domestically and Disney+ internationally.
Moreover, Link’s actor Chris Carmack shared a clip onInstagramjoking about Link’s death by recreating theFriendsscene of Joey’s Drake Ramoray character dying, something that would be out of place were Link truly dead. However,talking about it would raise the hype about Link’s fate, upping the stakes ahead ofGrey’s Anatomyseason 22. This could mean that Link is in grave danger whenGrey’s Anatomyreturns, but could ultimately survive after the medical drama put him in his first serious life-or-death situation.
