Grey’s Anatomy dropped one of its most chaotic fall finales yet, ending with the devastating reveal of two life-threatening diagnoses for two main characters.
*Warning – Major spoilers ahead for Grey’s Anatomy*
Thursday’s episode of the popular medical drama picked up with pregnant Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) admitted to the hospital after she started experiencing pre-labor symptoms in the show’s previous installment.
Upon initial examination, her babies appeared healthy. But things quickly turned dangerous when her shortness of breath was discovered to be a symptom of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
While Wilson, an OBGYN herself, brushed off the diagnosis, explaining that the condition could be managed with pills, the medication ended up not working. Instead, she was made to undergo a procedure to insert a heart pump to allow the babies more time to develop in utero.
However, during the procedure, Wilson and the babies’ vitals began to crash, and with no other OBGYNs available, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) was left to perform an emergency C-section — his first since medical school.
Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), one of the show’s few remaining original cast members, disclosed the reason he’s been preoccupied.
“I have cancer,” he told Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson).
The episode has left viewers panicking over the uncertain future of both beloved characters.
“Dr. Weber noooooo and Jo noooooo. Not Dr. Weber. Not my tv Dad & the boss I hope exists but really doesn’t,” one fan wrote on X.
“Webber with cancer and Jo dying. Close this kiosk, Grey’s Anatomy,” a second added.
“Grey’s Anatomy you will be paying for my therapy bill,” a third insisted, with a fourth commenting, “They trying to kll the og, once again THEY ARE TRYING TO K*LL THE OG. RICHARD HAS CANCER WTF.”
“They ruined Jo’s character, giving Richard cancer, cutting Amelia for most of the season, etc. WRAP THIS SHOW UP— This is not the Grey’s Anatomy I know,” another cried.
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Meanwhile, Luddington told TheWrap in a new interview that “these horrifying, terrifying midseason finales” are “what we do best.”
“The script was written so well, and that being the last thing that we see, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ The writers are just incredible,” she continued.
“This is a situation where everything hangs in the balance and survival is not guaranteed for a lot of us involved. The cost of a mistake could be everything,” she teased, warning, “Emotionally prepare, because the next episode … it’s worse, to be honest.”
Season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy returns Thursday, January 8 on ABC.