Another Abrupt Departure of a Beloved Character

Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 9 titled “No Time to Die,” said a sudden goodbye to Dr. Cormac Hayes. If his departure seems familiar, you are right. There have been other love interests of Meredith Grey who have also suffered the same fate.

Like the previous times, the writers have gotten rid of a character that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was unmoved for. It has happened previously to Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson) in season 13. The writers have a history of abruptly and embarrassingly writing off characters that serve no purpose in Meredith’s love life.

The mid-season premiere aired on February 24th, revealing Owen Hunt’s fate played by Kevin McKidd after that car crash cliffhanger. The hit ABC drama saw the doctors hanging off a cliff in the previous episode, with Hunt going down with the vehicle. Dr. Cormac Hayes, played by Richard Flood, and Teddy Altman, played by Kim Raver, made it to safety. But before Cormac escaped the vehicle, Owen confessed to him that he had provided life-ending drugs to some of the veterans who had been exposed to the burn pits, assisting them in their death and fulfilling their wish to die with dignity.

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In this episode, they show us that Cormac and Teddy made it to the hospital in time with the donor heart for Farouk. The heart was a little bruised because it tumbled in the cooler. Dr. Maggie Pierce, played by Kelly McCreary, feared that Farouk would go into cardiac arrest and advised Dr. Winston Ndugu, played by Anthony Hill, not to perform the transplant. The doctor decided to go ahead, saying, “I’m gonna take the miracle and trust my gut.”

“This Will Be My Last Shift”

ABC

Now Hayes returns to the hospital with a dilemma: Is he okay with being an accessory to crime with Owen with mercy killings, or should he report it to Miranda? Ultimately, he decides that he is not okay with Owen’s choice.

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When an alive but badly injured Owen returns to the hospital, he asks Hayes to forget what he had told him. Hayes informs Owen that though he is grateful that Owen risked his life for him, he can’t keep his secret. He tells Owen to inform Miranda himself, or he would do it. Towards the end of the episode, Hayes goes to Miranda’s office to notify her of Owen’s actions. However, when she gives an impressive heartfelt speech about Hunt and his military family, Hayes stops and, on the spot, decides to his notice, effective immediately. Hayes plans to move back to Ireland for the sake of his family and not to risk his medical license. He doesn’t confess about what Owen did and is planning to do.

Similarities or Mere Coincidence?

ABC

Hayes’s exit is similar to Nathan Riggs, Meredith’s love interest in season 13. It seems as if the writers just abruptly cut off characters once they no longer serve their original purpose. Instead of coming up with an exciting storyline for the current love interest, they introduce new characters whose main job is to serve as Meredith’s new love interest. Meredith has an evergreen love life even after MerDer’s (Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd) beautiful love story. If you notice, Hayes and Riggs’ character didn’t have much going for them other than being Grey’s love interest. The fact is made clear when fans really don’t know much about these characters.

In season 13, Megan Hunt, his fiancee, miraculously returned after being presumed dead for ten years. Riggs and Grey mutually parted ways so he could be with Megan and start living in Los Angeles with her son.

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Hayes and Grey did seem interested in each other and showed potential for a good storyline. However, it didn’t develop much during the show for some reason or the other. They did date but then stopped because his son wasn’t accepting his father’s new relationship and got panic attacks.

Coincidentally, Megan was a common denominator between the two. Riggs exited the show when Megan returned, and Hayes left after confessing to the same Megan that he broke up with Meredith for personal reasons. Flood was part of Grey’s Anatomy for three years – joining in season 16. He was initially just a recurring character, though later, he was promoted to a regular.

Hoping the Best for Meredith

Meredith Grey’s current love interest is Nick Marsh, played by Scott Speedman. At the end of the episode, she expresses a hard, tiring day with Owen just out of surgery, the best resident being in shock, and Hayes leaving the hospital. Speedman did make a cameo in a few episodes in the previous seasons as Grey’s love interest but then was nowhere to be seen as she had rejected him.

With Meredith’s love life, you never know when one will abruptly exit and a new one will enter. We will have to wait and watch to see what happens next. Grey’s Anatomy has already been renewed for season 19 and will continue to have Ellen Pompeo lead. Catch the show every Thursday night on ABC at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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