"For a while, I had to sit on why this episode irked me (and many others) so much," says Stacey Nguyen of the March 5 farewell to Justin Chambers' character. "Ultimately, the goodbye feels overly neat, simulating emotional closure without providing any real comfort at all. Throughout the episode, Alex narrates the letters, but he doesn't sound like an anguished man who's ditching his closest friends whom he's known for nearly two decades. The whole ordeal feels crafted and contrived, as we get warm close-ups of his children throughout the narration. The show plays on past nostalgia as we see a flashback montage to Ingrid Michaelson's 'Turn to Stone,' his and Izzie's wedding song. We're supposed to feel like Alex made the right decision because Izzie is his true love, probably."
TOPICS: Grey's Anatomy, ABC, Justin Chambers