Grey's Anatomy - Who's the "Big Death" - PART 2

Now I know some of you maybe waiting for episode reviews. Sorry about that. Trouble is, speculating on who will die is much more fun. And as my Spoiler boss lets me write whatever I like (barring ‘isms of course) I thought I’d speculate some more...so indulge me. I will endeavour to get you all up to date with reviews by Thursday – hopefully.

Last week I wrote up the runners and the riders for our Grey’s death, this week I narrow the field down. So before I crack on I remind you that this is just speculation. I don’t know any more about who will die than you all and I could be completely wrong. I also remind you that this article concerns a character that we are told will die at the end of the season. It is entirely possible of course that other characters will leave alive also.

Killing a major, beloved character is a big responsibility for the owners of the show, especially if the actor is also beloved and on good terms with the network. It is not something that occurs suddenly without build up. Because whilst the death itself maybe unexpected it is likely that the character’s arc through the season will give certain clues. It’s my view that the actor(s) leaving the show has given the creators plenty of time to prepare for character end – be that death or just departure.

So then, getting straight to the point – in my opinion we will see the death of Richard Webber at season end. I would never stake my life on such a thing but it would take something dramatic to happen in 823 to change my mind. You’ll remember that I wrote, 

"James Pickins Jr has come to the end of his contract. There seems to be little direction for the character of Richard Webber in Season 8. His role has been confused and lacking consistency”.

I was wrong. His role has not been confused at all. In fact, on reflection, looking back over specific particular episodes Shonda has gone to much effort to plant Richard into the (sub) consciousness of most of the characters. His character has been given the broadest storylines and delivered (probably) the most ‘message’ speeches. Without dipping into cast spoilers and leaving aside rumours from extras or TV pundits, here’s just a selection of examples from his story of how Shonda has set Richard up for a big farewell and how he’s been the eyes, ears and heart of the hospital...

Right at the start of the season Richard hands his trial over to Bailey. He quit as chief, he quit his trial and he rejoiced in the freedom it gave him professionally and personally. And he knew that Bailey was the one to benefit, but not without his guiding hand. In 806 Poker Face he spies on her and her failing trial and eventually steps in:

ohh help will show up, trust me. Always does. So. You’re gonna go home, get some rest. Work will be here in the morning. Go. Right now. ... (to the mouse) Don’t worry Q...I got your back.

He knows that Bailey and Meredith should be working together, and he has the moral authority with these two women to bully them into doing so. In 807 Put Me In Coach he usurps Owen as chief to give this piece of sage advice:

Shut up the both of you, You! You have a lot of nerve rubbing Meredith’s nose in her mistakes when you can’t fix your own. Your trial is failing. Like it or not you need her. And YOU, even your mom, the great Ellis Grey made a mistake, you fixed hers, now fix your own. Get out of those ridiculous pink scrubs and get back to the work you were born to do.  Now the two of you are going to figure out a way to work together, but you’re not gonna do it on this field, you’re gonna do it Monday morning in the lab. Is that clear?

Richard has been the surrogate father to Meredith for many seasons now, even at the start of this season he was seen protecting her, or more specifically her career. In 812, Hope for the Hopeless he finally steps in to guide her in her choice of specialty:

Meredith. Look at everything you did today. This party for your daughter, what you did for me in that OR. You don’t have to ever worry about being anything like your mother. I knew her. And you’re nothing like your mother. You have a gift. Don’t waste it.

His adventurous cryptic side showed itself when Cristina was given the task of babysitting the heart in a box, in 808 Heart Shaped Box. He chose this moment to inspire Cristina to reach beyond:

W: ... Yang, what’s wrong with you? You’re wasting an opportunity on 300 pages of common procedure.

C: She let a starving person loose in a grocery store. She asked what I want. I want everything. What am I supposed to do?

W: Get creative...I mean, look at that.

C: Okay?

W: it’s the key.

C: To what?

W: ... to the list!... so use it... use the key...unlock your mind.

C: What are you talking about?

W: ......I’m just talking about a heart in a box. A heart in a box! Hot diggety!

And Richard hasn’t been easy on any of the residents. He’s worked hard to tease, prod and poke them. Alex fell victim, learning an important lesson on keeping the edge. In 811 This Magic Moment Webber steals his surgeries, finding it easier than taking candy from a baby:

Oh I think I taught you something today. You don’t give up a once in a lifetime surgery, not for any reason, not for anyone, not ever. Watch your back Karev, I may decide to teach you something tomorrow

And in 804 What Is It About Men, with testosterone ruling the episode Richard takes the young pups Alex and Jackson under his wing and teaches them about finding the joy...oh, and Mayfield in 22.

You two need to find a way to start feeling the joy again. I mean there’s gonna come a time when you’re gonna be wishing you were 5^th year again, just to get back in the OR and get your hands dirty......

W: Sometimes you can’t see the joy for part of your life until it’s over. This is it Karev. It’s right now. You’re in it....

A: ....stabilised.

W: Feeling the joy yet?

A: I’m feeling it sir

And of course my friend Jackson Avery (insert sarcasm font) is taught that idiot patients are fruitful, when in 818 The Lion Sleeps Tonight Webber shows off his ‘removed items’ collection:

Each and every one of these items was removed from a patient. ...pretty great right? ...Sometimes we have geniuses on our table and sometimes we have idiots. I, for one, am partial to the idiot. You don’t get a lion’s tooth from a genius.

To complete the Residents schooling, in true teacher style he breaks up the fight threatening to de-rail April, in 821 Moment Of Truth:

I thought you were here to prove that the considerable amount of money spent training you wasn’t wasted. That the dreams you had of becoming surgeons won’t vanish in a puff of smoke tomorrow. When the examiner asks you a question and you can’t answer it because instead of getting a good nights sleep you were engaging in a bar room brawl.

One of Webber’s best features is that he maintains his authority well past handing over the Chief of Surgery baton, and preserves the respect of the subsequent incumbents – to quote him –

Once you’re the president you’re always MR President

And possibly the best illustration of this is his dressing down of Mark in 819 Support System, not arrogantly or disrespectfully, but like an elder statesman passing down wisdom:

You’re a good doctor and you may one day make a great Chief of surgery but you’re a plastic surgeon Chief Sloan, you’re a perfectionist. And you want everything by the rules so it will end up pretty. Well I don’t need pretty and I don’t need perfect. What I need is for this to work. And what’s gonna make it work is for me to take out that tumour and put these healthy organs inside my very sick patient. It won’t be pretty but it will work and it will keep my patient alive. Stand down Chief Sloan. Stand down.

Then having trusted Owen to follow in his footsteps permanently, in 820 The Girl With No Name he has wise words of comfort and advice:

I’ll deal with the parents, you call Phil in security and have him double the guard presence. Call Heather in PR and tell her to wrangle the press. You go home, make sure all your suits are clean; you’ll need them for the press conferences. You’ll be okay Hunt.

Indeed, all the cast with the exception of Arizona have been touched by The Webber Magic in Season 8 but it is left up to Callie to call it, when in 815 Have You Seen Me Lately she sees his game:

C: So. This is how you’re going to spend your time now. Pulling strings behind the scenes like some kind of puppet master?

W: I am REALLY good at it!

Webber has been woven deep into this season, unbound from his chiefly shackles, uninhibited and free to dip into his colleague’s lives. The writers have given him both deep sadness with Adele and a passionate affair with Catherine.

I may be wrong, and probably am ;), but to me this fella is a gonna. Kaput. Dead.

A brief word about some others. There has been twitter speculation about the death of Arizona (hmm, I may or may not have something to do with that). Killing Arizona makes absolutely no storyline sense whatsoever. To me, there is nothing in season 8 that leads us to her death. In my view her current storyline involving her childhood friend Nick is a build up to season 9 and potential emotional fall out. I will discount Callie on that basis also. Cristina and Bailey continue to feature high on my list of death suspects and the producers may still threaten other deaths with a cliff hanger. But, in the end, for the death at the end of Season 8, I’m going with Webber. 

Written by brouhaha aka @pipmaxine