Grey’s Anatomy: Losing Alex will be the best thing to ever happen to Jo

Alex didn’t treat Jo fairly when he left her without warning. But his sudden departure will show viewers just how strong she has become.

Grey’s Anatomy isn’t getting nearly enough credit for the way it’s handling the aftermath of Justin Chambers’ (and Alex Karev’s) exit. Did they write the best possible scenario? Maybe not. But they took what they had (which wasn’t much) and, regardless of what you may have thought of it, wrote an admittedly logical ending to his story.

But that was only the beginning. Because now they’re figuring out how the shock of his sudden exit will leave long-lasting impressions on the show’s main characters. The most impressive example of this so far is in Jo’s speech to Link in the most recent episode.

One of the biggest complaints about the way Alex was written out of the show centered on character development. Audiences spent almost 16 years watching him become a decent human being, only to watch him leave everyone who cared about him behind in the end.

But character development — or lack thereof — is a common nitpick among Grey’s Anatomy fans. Especially among characters like Jo, who some argue always seem to revert back to their worst traits just when it seems they’ve finally learned from their past mistakes.

Looking at this past week’s episode, though, it seems the latest tragedy in Jo’s life isn’t going to knock her down in quite the same way previous events have (not that it’s her fault — she’s been through a lot).

After watching a critically injured patient’s significant other walk out on him for good, Jo and Link face their recent heartbreaks head-on in a quiet but powerful conversation — the one that leads Link back to Amelia’s doorstep to tell her he loves her.

We’ve heard some great monologues from the women of Grey’s Anatomy over the years, but this one will certainly go down as one of the most memorable. At the height of it (pun absolutely intended), Jo tells Link:

"“I’m so mad. I’m so hurt. But I also know that he is the reason I will get up again … I will rise. I’ll rise so high I’ll make him a fool for ever having left me, and I’ll do it because of how well he loved me. I am changed because of him. He made me feel worthy of love, and even though it’s over, that is mine to keep.”"

No matter how you feel about Jo and/or the way Alex left her, you have to admit that’s powerful. Especially considering the fact that, not too long ago, a short and disastrous visit with her birth mother sent Jo spiraling so sharply that she may not have come back from it if it weren’t for Alex.

She’s still going to struggle. She’s going to wonder if she did something wrong to make him leave. She’s going to wonder what she could have done differently. She’s going to have a hard time opening herself up to love again if and when the time comes. Just because you refuse to let something break you doesn’t mean it won’t bruise you.

But this just happens to be the major event Jo’s character needed to truly “grow up.” She has come a long way since we first met her as an intern. Let’s not forget that. But if the major complaint about her is that she hasn’t shown much growth, well here’s your unintentional growth. She’s not going to let her pain darken her world forever. She’s going to use it to hold out for better days to come.

Sometimes, when unexpected cast changes happen in the middle of shows, the show somehow ends up finding its footing and doing just fine — if not better — because the writers had no choice but to take things in a different direction.

Maybe, at least for some characters’ storylines, this disaster wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened after all.

Are you still upset about Alex leaving Jo? Do you think she will ever be able to find love again now that we know her and Link are no longer an option?