Grey’s Anatomy is known for having big departures on the show.
George O’Malley was hit by a bus, Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey died because of the plane crash and Derek Shepard was hit by a semi after helping people stranded on the side of the road. The characters’ shocking exits were huge, and sent the fandom into a frenzy.
Now the show is losing two more: Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew).
There is no word on how their characters leave the show, but one can only assume it will be dramatic. Here is how they could possibly end their reign on the show:
Arizona Robbins
Arizona has been a strong presence on the show since her introduction in season 5 episode “Wish You Were Here.” She was brought in as a love interest for Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and broke boundaries as the first openly LGBT couple on a broadcast television station.
Capshaw’s departure has not been well-received because her character has meant a lot for LGBT individuals — and her sexual orientation might play a factor in her leaving.
Arizona has taken up a relationship with Italian OB/GYN and vagina expert Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato). The two have been getting comfy, and it could ultimately lead to Arizona leaving Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to follow her gorgeous girlfriend.
A gory death doesn’t seem in the future for Arizona. She has already had plenty of trauma with losing her leg, and the fandom would freak out if there wasn’t hope for her character outside of Grey’s Anatomy.
April Kepner
One character fans haven’t always liked is the Christian doctor Kepner. In her first seasons, she came off as an annoying do-gooder. The only upside of her character arch was her relationship with Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams).
Japril, the couple’s nickname, was one of the most shipped relationships of the series — besides MerDer of course. Their whimsical romance was one for the movies, almost literally, as it inspired two movie-like episodes. Other than that, her character was static leading up to this season.
Kepner has developed more in season 14. She has faced a lot of internal conflict in regard to her religious ventures. Christian characters are hard to find in cable television, so it’s going to be hard to see her go.
That being said, the departure will only be justified if she is killed off. Derek was the last major character to be killed off, and that was in season 11. The opportunity has come to finally bring a dramatic death on Grey’s Anatomy. But the death will only mean something if Kepner dies in a valiant way and in a way that pays homage to her religion.
Regardless of how those two characters leave the show, they will be missed.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
