(Warning: This post contains major spoilers from Thursday’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”)
“Grey’s Anatomy” fans said goodbye to longtime series regular Justin Chambers on Thursday night with an episode titled “Leave a Light On,” which revealed where the heck his character Dr. Alex Karev has been this whole time and how he was going to be written off the Shonda Rhimes-created show.
When fans found out the answers to those questions, well, some had a very, very strong negative reaction and took to Twitter to share in their dismay.
During the hour, we learned that Alex has not actually been “in Iowa with his mother” or “going through something” in the time he’s been away from his BFF Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and his wife Jo (Camilla Luddington), but on a farm in Kansas with his ex-wife Izzie Stevens and their children, which he never knew they had.
Since Chambers and Katherine Heigl, who played Izzie on “Grey’s” from 2005-2010, did not actually appear in the episode, all of this is revealed in letters that Alex wrote to Meredith, Jo and Bailey (Chandra Wilson), which are recited in voiceovers by Chambers.
Apparently, after Izzie divorced Alex and left Seattle a decade ago, she gave birth to their twins, Eli and Alexis. Alex only recently reconnected with Izzie and found out about his secret family and after Meredith’s trial last fall (which is the last time Chambers actually appeared on the ABC medical drama, two months before he revealed he was exiting the series), Alex went to visit Izzie and the kids and decided to just stay there.
Yeah, this wasn’t exactly the ending a lot of “Grey’s” fans wanted for Alex.
Below are just 15 of the MANY angry Twitter reactions. We had to sift through a whole bunch of especially profane ones to keep it semi-clean here. A few pull out “Avengers” comparisons, which make sense in context.
“Grey’s Anatomy” airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
I am gonna pretend Alex Karev is dead and DID NOT abandon his entire family for Izzie Stevens.
#GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/ifJ9bJaZdS— 🍃 (@ardentdreamer_) March 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/otagadnas/status/1235930688127471619
Years of character development thrown out of a window #AlexKarev #SteveRogers pic.twitter.com/6QOs2ij4CI
— ⍟⧗ BenjamINTER 🖤💙⭐️⭐️ (@miss_LulaMae) March 6, 2020
I did not watch 16 seasons of #GreysAnatomy for them to do this to #AlexKarev! pic.twitter.com/LcfRvJOtIA
— PaigeThePigeon (@pigeon_paige) March 6, 2020
alex karev leaving his wife, all of his colleagues and his best friend for izzie stevens literally sounds like a whole ass fanfiction you could find one wattpad when you were 12 but ok
— iza (@wIwsfilm) March 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/aliciar/status/1235932989865037825
Gonna just pretend that Alex went to go take a life changing job with Cristina and Jo knew and was supportive because that literally made no sense #AlexKarev #GreysAnantomy
— Braeblades (@Braeblades) March 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/_GoldenZayn/status/1235913265089327108
https://twitter.com/greyarchive/status/1235889697542598656
https://twitter.com/DCalyne/status/1235831063642947584
THE DISRESPECT FOR ALEX KAREV, SHONDA WTF ARE YOU DOING #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/KamtO5f0OG
— rakel teicheira (@raquelcaetanot) March 6, 2020
R.I.P. Alex Karev (c. 1978-2020)
Husband, Son, Brother.
Survived by his wife, Jo Wilson, and best friend, Meredith Grey. #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/ffREqzAuY1
— 🗣️ (@madmadmadis0n) March 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/Blerd_Life/status/1235753784841777153
My husband trying to explain to me that #AlexKarev isn’t real. #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/8zIujCrhmb
— Graziella Mitri (@GraziellaMitri) March 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/onlyangvIs/status/1235731664183029761