Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 15 Recap: Owen’s Exit Explained

“Grey’s Anatomy” fans were stunned earlier this week by the news that Kevin McKidd (Owen) and Kim Raver (Teddy) will depart the ABC medical drama at the end of this season. But what could possibly draw them away from Grey Sloan Memorial, you ask? Well, the March 26 episode just gave us a pretty big clue.

While assisting Owen at Cascade Hill, a smaller hospital in rural Washington, Teddy learned that her ex-husband has been offered a job there. As Owen explained, Cascade Hill shut down its operating rooms three years ago because “some bean counter decided it didn’t make financial sense, not because people stopped needing surgery.” To that end, the hospital wants Owen to build a regional surgical program from the ground up, rotating in specialists to get locals the help they need. 

Teddy was strongly against Owen transferring to a smaller hospital, but she didn’t have much time to lecture him because one of their patients required an immediate splenectomy. It was the first time a Cascade Hill operating room had been used in three years, but the surgery was a success. In fact, Owen and Teddy’s brilliant work actually helped the hospital make a stronger case for implementing the surgical program.

“You’re lucky to have him, but I’m really hoping he leaves you,” Dr. Braider told Teddy at the end of the day. But when she asked Teddy to put in a good word with Owen, Teddy coldly declined. “Owen will make up his own mind,” she replied. “Good luck filling the position.” (Rude much?)

This next part admittedly pokes a hole in our theory about Owen leaving for Cascade Hill, but we’re not deterred just yet: Owen revealed to Teddy that he turned down the job, saying that “the timing just isn’t right.” She admitted to being relieved, because replacing him would be a nightmare.

As far as we’re concerned, the book is far from closed on this matter. The “timing” may not have been right this week, but a lot can happen in the remaining three episodes of the season. Showrunner Meg Marinis’ statement about McKidd and Raver’s exits insisted that it’s “not a goodbye,” and that we could see them again someday. Wouldn’t that be even easier if one of them left to work at a nearby rural hospital?

We expected Lucas to have some big feelings in the wake of Katie’s death, but we didn’t expect him to do… well, that.

Lucas basically had two missions this week: help Richard promote the importance of prostate cancer screenings, which he did with minimal effort, and avoid Simone at all costs, which he did far more successfully. When Simone did finally corner him to return a box of Katie’s belongings, she acknowledged that Lucas was saying a lot of things he didn’t mean. “Who says I don’t mean it?” he replied. “Leave me alone.” Well, that couldn’t have been any clearer.

Then came the moment that had our jaws on the floor: the episode ended with Lucas drinking his sorrows away at Joe’s, where he was joined by Dr. Spencer, who had a rough day of her own working alongside Simone at Cascade Hill. “It’s been a day, and I need a drink,” she told Lucas. “And I’m just sitting here, so I don’t have to sit next to that guy,” gesturing to a man at the other end of the bar. “You know what, that’s a lie. I’m just sitting here because I want to sit here, and if you don’t like it, you can move.”

Oh, he moved alright. The next shot was of Lucas and Dr. Spencer getting down to business at a secondary location, officially turning the Lucas-Simone-Wes love triangle into a love… square? Quadrangle? Look, math has never been our strong point, but we do speak fluent drama. This is about to get messy.

TVLine recently asked actor Niko Terho about Lucas’ relationship with Dr. Spencer, which we perceived to be purely friendly. “I mean, it’s hard not to love Dr. Spencer,” Terho told us last week. “She’s so full of life and bubbly, and she sees the world through such a positive lens. It’s hard not to pick up some of that when you interact with her.” Little did we know how much he would soon “interact” with her. Yowza!

Speaking of messy relationship drama, can we talk about Jules and Winston for a minute? The what-took-you-so-long couple began the episode hooking up in a hospital closet, but Winston couldn’t stop thinking about Iris. You know, the nurse he’s currently seeing? He promised Jules that he would finally break things off with her, but his plan hit a major snag when he learned that it’s Iris’ birthday. (Man, first Winston cheats on her, then he forgets her birthday? We feel like Iris is dodging a bullet here.)

Things only became more awkward when Jules, Winston, and Iris all worked together on the same patient this week. Iris mentioned to Jules that Winston was attending her birthday dinner, prompting a blizzard of passive-aggressive commentary from Jules to Winston during what should have been a professional procedure. (Come on, Jules can only blame so much on the hormones she’s taking to freeze her eggs. Just let the poor girl enjoy her birthday!)

After insisting that Winston end things now, despite it being Iris’ birthday, Jules went to Kwan for additional insight. This was probably a mistake, because Kwan coldly told her that Winston clearly isn’t into her, at least not enough to end things with Iris. Winston did tell Iris the truth in the end (off-camera, ugh!), allowing him to continue seeing Jules guilt-free. The catch? Jules can’t get freaky at the moment because she’s freezing her eggs, so they agree to an actual movie-and-chill night. 

Question for the group: We’re supposed to be rooting for Jules and Winston, right? Maybe starting a relationship at the expense of poor Iris wasn’t the best way to get us on their side. That woman did nothing to them, and they willfully chose to ruin her birthday. Would it have killed them to wait a day?

Of course, all of the above feels like child’s play compared to the hot water Kwan found himself in this week. While treating Quinn Durston, a father with Stage 4 Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Bailey and Kwan practiced an experimental procedure that fights tumors using hydrogel without the need for chemotherapy. As people whose lives have been deeply touched by cancer, it gave them both some hope for the future — a feeling that didn’t last long.

When the FDA rejected Quinn’s request for a synthetic lymph node, Kwan and Bailey had no choice but to put in a stent for more chemo, which was the last thing he wanted. The whole situation left Kwan disheartened, a feeling Bailey knows all too well. He wondered what the point of their work is if some “losers” in an office — none of whom are appropriately familiar with their cases — get to seal their patients’ fates. Bailey, strangely, defended the protocols, saying she “has to believe” that there are some good people making those decisions.

That’s when Kwan made a decision that will undoubtedly affect his future in medicine. With neither Bailey’s nor Quinn’s permission, Kwan injected hydrogel into him while they were putting in his stent. A literal crime! To say that Bailey was shook would be an understatement. Shooketh might scratch the surface. Kwan tried to argue that it was Quinn’s “best option,” but Bailey, viscerally horrified by what she just learned, wouldn’t hear it. When Kwan offered to tell Quinn himself, she shut him down, saying, “You’ve done enough.”

We’ve seen Bailey get emotional over the years — heck, she’s cried multiple times in the past two weeks alone — but it’s rare to see her this rattled. Her reaction to Kwan’s confession was haunting. We’re not sure how this could possibly end well for him.

Which big twist surprised you most this week, Kwan going rogue with his patient or Lucas going to Pound Town with Dr. Spencer? Do you agree that Jules and Winston could have waited another day to ruin Iris’ life? And do you think Owen will eventually relocate to Cascade Hill, possibly taking Teddy with him? Drop a comment with your hopes for the final three episodes of the season below.