Grey's Anatomy showrunner Meg Marinis has addressed the "sucker punch" finale amid fan fears that a major character is dead.
Airing last week in the US, the dramatic finale to season 21 saw an explosion tear through the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital with a number of OR teams and doctors still inside.
One such doctor was Chris Carmack's Link, whose wife Jo had only just told him that the twins they are expecting are both girls.
Just before the explosion started, after Piper Perabo's Jenna leaked gas into the hospital, Link was seen holding a grinding tool which he was about to use on a patient's leg in the operating room.
Speaking to Deadline, Marinis opened up about the tense finale, revealing that the show had deliberately lulled viewers into a false sense of security regarding Link and Jo's storyline.
Related: Grey's Anatomy's Ellen Pompeo was "deeply against" this storyline
What to Read Next
Asked by the publication if the show plans to leave two unborn girls without a father, Marinis said: "Well, that story is such a great story in the finale because you think, they get married and then they have this lovely blissful storyline where they’re completely oblivious to what’s going on."
Keeping tight-lipped about Link's fate, Marinis continued: "And so that was all very intentional to just sucker-punch the fans, because that’s what we do so well here.
"But no, nobody wants those two unborn girls to be fatherless, but everyone’s just going to have to tune in to see if Link was in the part of the hospital that went kaboom."
Related: Best streaming services
Following the gripping episode, fans took to the Grey's Anatomy Instagram page to share their thoughts, with many questioning whether Link had survived the explosion.
One viewer commented: "Omgggg if he is gone im never watching another greys! I love them together she’s so happy and he is her forever."
Another said: "Please don’t make Jo a pregnant widow….she’s been through enough", while another fan wrote: "I can’t. He better be alive. Jo deserves happiness and so does Link."
"If he dies I will boycott the show," one person wrote, while another fan commented: "If they killed Link off, I’m never watching greys again."
Grey's Anatomy season 21 airs on Thursdays at 10pm ET on ABC in the US. Previous seasons are streaming on Disney+ in the UK.
Read more Grey's Anatomy news on our dedicated homepage
Digital Spy's first print magazine is here! Buy British Comedy Legends in newsagents or online, now priced at just £3.99.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
