Last week, "Grey’s Anatomy" executive producer Shonda Rhimes made a lot of people nervous when she confirmed to TV Guide Magazine that a beloved Grey’s character will die in the ABC drama’s May 17th finale. "A lot of our writers were crying, which is a very rare thing," Rhimes told the magazine. "There's some really shocking, horrible moments.”
Rhimes also told TV Guide that the upcoming death is worse than the bloodbath the show's writer's crafted two years ago, when a man entered the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital with a gun and started hunting doctors like animals. “I've been sitting with my head in my hands for days," Rhimes said of penning this season's finale. "I understand the choice I made, but it scares me how fans are going to react."
Already nervous about the news that one of their favorite characters would be killed off, Grey’s fans became extra-worried when Rhimes tweeted a quote from author Kurt Vonnegut that was intended to foreshadow this season's finale: "Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of."
Rhimes said the quote was exactly what she needed to give her “the courage to do what we’re doing in the finale.”
But what exactly is Shonda "doing in the finale?" Who is getting killed off?
In the May 6th issue of TV Guide, Senior Editor William Keck revealed tons of spoilers from the finale about several characters, including Ben and Dr. Bailey, Mark and Lexie, and Cristina and Owen. But Keck, who interviewed Rhimes about the shocking death, said he knows nothing about Callie (the character played by Mexican actress, Sara Ramirez). “Curiously, Rhimes said there was nothing she could reveal about Callie and Arizona's storyline in the finale," writes Keck. "Which, frankly, has me worried."
It has us worried, too. Especially since Callie has almost been killed off the show before. Last March, Callie was in a coma for an entire episode, her life (and her unborn baby's life) hanging in the balance. She managed to make it through in the end....
Still, killing off Callie would be a bold move by Rhimes. Sara Ramirez has emerged as one of the show's biggest stars, and her character, Callie, is now a fan favorite. A few months ago, Rhimes said she herself has seen Ramirez grow on the show.“Her talent has always been amazing, but her confidence in her talent has blossomed in a way that has been beautiful to see," Rhimes said of Ramirez. "We have 14 actors on the show, and she’s become one of the leaders. She’s kind to the new actors who come in and she tries to extend herself in a friendly way and she’s very open."
Rhimes added that she has not only seen Ramirez evolve on the show, but also watched the actress' character, Callie Torres, change too. "When Callie first came on, I had conceived of her as this girl who wore a lot of black eye liner—she actually says it in one episode that she was the girl who sat in the back of the class and ate her hair," Rhimes said of Callie. "I feel like I’ve watched her blossom in terms of figuring out her sexuality, in terms of being a doctor, as a friend, and I think audiences have gotten to know her."
It's entirely possible that the big death could be Meredith or Derek, since the status of Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey’s contracts is unknown. But Rhimes recently said that after killing George (T.R. Knight) in 2009, she learned an important lesson: “There are certain characters on this show that you can't kill. It wouldn't be acceptable not only to the audience, but to me and my vision of what this show is. They can't die." Given that logic, it doesn't seem likely that Rhimes would kill off the show's central couple.
So just in case Shonda is thinking of killing Callie on the season finale, here are six reasons she shouldn't do it!
1). Callie is a fascinating, complicated, complex, and endearing character who has become a Grey's fan favorite. To quote Sara Ramirez, "I think that Callie has kind of grown up! And regardless of who she chooses to sleep with, I think the most important thing is that she keeps coming back to her belief in love."
2). Her character Callie (an orthopedic surgeon) is three-dimensional and one of the only Latinas in primetime who isn't a Latina stereotype!
3). Her work last season was Emmy-worthy!
4). She's the only Grey's cast member who has an amazing voice. What if Shonda wants to do another musical episode in the future? Note: it won't work without Sara!
5). Callie is finally happy! In many ways, Callie is the heart of Seattle Grace. Don't kill her off now when she has finally found the woman of her dreams! If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's Callie!
6). Sara rocks! She has a huge fan club and they (we) watch the show every week just for her! Bring her back next season and we'll be back, too!
CHECK OUT THIS SLIDESHOW OF LATINOS ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
