Grey’s Anatomy Season 22’s Premiere Death Wasn’t A Cop-Out

Grey’s Anatomy season 21 ended with a bang as an explosion rocked Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and several lives hung in the balance, leaving fans to wonder which of their favorite characters would survive the season 22 premiere. Many speculated that a major character such as Dr. Atticus “Link” Lincoln (Chris Carmack) would be the one to die in the tragedy, but they were wrong as Grey’s Anatomy killed off Dr. Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales), the attending pediatric surgeon, instead.

After the explosion, Monica was trapped in an operating room with intern Dr. Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane) and a nurse, and she believed that part of her pelvis was shattered as she was pinned under a piece of equipment. Despite her injury, she talked Jules through surgery on a 6-year-old patient named Parker. When the surgery was finished, Jules realized that Monica was unconscious and began CPR, but it was too late, and Monica passed away.

Although many Grey’s Anatomy fans have expressed their frustration because they saw Monica’s death as a cop-out because she’s more of a minor character, killing her off has secretly set the entire season in motion. Her passing will set off a firestorm of emotions for several characters as they navigate their lives without her. Monica played a bigger role on Grey’s Anatomy than many fans realized.

Amelia Will Face A Dark Struggle

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When Monica first arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital during Grey’s Anatomy season 20, it seemed as though she might be a love interest for Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), but she turned down Amelia when she asked her out on a date. However, it was clear that they had a strong connection.

Amelia was devastated when Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) informed her that Monica had died, and the preview for episode 2 revealed that she will be experiencing a deep depression after the hospital explosion. Amelia blames herself for the tragedy because she feels that if she’d been successful with Dylan Gatlin’s brain surgery from the start, then her mother wouldn’t have held everyone hostage and inadvertently released the acetylene that caused the blast in the operating room.

Amelia is an alcoholic, and she occasionally relapses. Monica’s death could be a trigger for her to start drinking again, which would kick off a whole new storyline for her on Grey’s Anatomy. Her guilt due to believing that the explosion was her fault, combined with her relationship with Monica that never was, might be too much for her.

Whether Amelia starts drinking again or not, Monica’s death will have a profound effect on her, which will then branch out to many other characters on the show. This proves that Monica was more than just a minor character who had no impact on Grey’s Anatomy.

Jules Was Highly Influenced By Monica

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Jules will surely be traumatized by Monica’s death, especially because she held her in her arms after she’d passed away. The trauma will take an emotional toll on her, but, in the long run, Jules will gain something else from her final interaction with Monica: her confidence.

When Monica first informed Jules that she’d have to perform Parker’s surgery on her own, Jules panicked because they were running out of anesthesia. However, Monica calmed her down by stating that their pattern was that Jules would panic spiral, and she would snap her out of it, and they didn’t have time for that with Parker. Monica knew Jules well, which meant that she was an excellent teacher who paid attention to the needs of her students.

This scene proved that Monica had a strong influence on Jules, and, moving forward, hopefully Jules will be able to use this experience to help her gain confidence as a surgeon, perhaps specifically a pediatric one. In addition, it’ll be interesting to see who takes Monica’s place as the attending pediatric surgeon. No matter who it is, Jules following in Monica’s footsteps and continuing her legacy would be a beautiful Grey’s Anatomy storyline.

Winston Lost A Friend & Lover

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After Monica and Winston’s divorces were finalized, they found each other. Their relationship wasn’t serious, and even made for a funny and awkward moment on the show when Winston gave her red lingerie that he thought was hers, but actually belonged to someone else. Monica also teased him after their hookup by joking with him that she wanted him to meet her parents. They were friends before they were lovers, and they often laughed together.

Lately, Winston has been attracted to Jules, and they had a moment of shared grief when Monica died. After she sobbed in his arms, they looked into each other’s eyes, but then she ran away from him. Monica’s death could bring them closer together, either as friends or more, as they both navigate life without her.

Although some Grey’s Anatomy fans thought that Monica’s death was a cop-out because they felt that she wasn’t a main character, they’re wrong. Monica might not have been as major of a character as Link, but she made an impact on the show, and her passing has quietly set up the whole season.