Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Premiere Kills Off Character After Explosion

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The Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital staff members are experiencing yet another tragedy. 

The season 21 finale of *Grey’s Anatomy* ended with a hospital explosion, leaving the fate of several main characters, including doctors Atticus “Link” Lincoln (Chris Carmack) and Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales), uncertain. The season 22 premiere revealed that Dr. Beltran did not survive the explosion, while Link is recovering from serious injuries.

During the October 9th premiere episode, paramedic Beltran was fatally injured when hospital equipment fell on her during an explosion. The explosion was caused by a leaking acetylene tank brought into the hospital by an upset patient. Despite her injuries, Beltran assisted surgical intern Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane) in saving a young patient. Unfortunately, she died because emergency services were delayed in reaching the operating room where they were trapped.

At the start of the episode, Link suffers a severe injury when equipment falls on his chest. Surprisingly, he survives—even after briefly flatlining—thanks to the combined efforts of Doctors Miranda Bailey, Owen Hunt, and Ben Warren, who work together to save his life.

Viewers were anxious that Link might die, especially since he recently married Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington). However, they were equally saddened by Beltran’s fate, as she was developing a connection with Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone).

One fan expressed their sadness on X, writing, “Monica, Amelia will never stop missing you.” They added, “Grey’s Anatomy, that was a cruel thing to do to those characters.”

Both the audience and the actors were deeply affected and found it difficult to cope with the emotionally charged episode.

Camilla recently told TopMob News that she’s looking forward to filming some upcoming episodes. She mentioned that while they’ve had some great opening scenes in the past, she was particularly worried about filming this particular one.

As she put it, “I had to take a deep breath going back. It’s been a lot.”

For more shocking Grey’s Anatomy moments, keep reading… 

The first episode of *Grey’s Anatomy* started with a surprise for new intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo): she discovered that the attractive man she’d spent the night with—played by Patrick Dempsey—was actually her new boss, the famous Dr. Derek Shepherd. Talk about an awkward situation!

Viewers were as shocked as Meredith when Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) unexpectedly arrived at Seattle Grace and confronted her and Derek with the famous line, “You must be the woman who’s been having an affair with my husband.”

In its second season, *Grey’s Anatomy* aired a dramatic scene after the Super Bowl where Meredith bravely stuck her hand into a body containing a live bomb to prevent it from exploding. Just when viewers started to relax as the bomb squad chief, Dylan (played by Kyle Chandler), carried the bomb away, it detonated, tragically injuring him.

Viewers became invested in the romance between Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he waited for a heart transplant during the second half of season two, and many fell in love with them both. When Izzie’s risky attempt to get him a heart sooner backfired and he tragically died in the season finale, it became clear that Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t afraid to break hearts and didn’t guarantee happy endings.

The season three ferry accident featured two shocking moments: Meredith being thrown into the icy water and almost drowning, and her even more surprising confession that she had actually stopped fighting to stay alive. Which of these was more impactful?

At the start of season three, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) joined Seattle Grace as a surgical intern. Her arrival echoed Derek’s first meeting with Meredith – they had a similar initial encounter, but thankfully didn’t end up sleeping together! Lexie quickly introduced herself to George O’Malley in the intern locker room. As it turned out, she was Meredith’s younger half-sister, one of two daughters raised by their father, Thatcher, and his second wife, Susan. This added a new family dynamic to the hospital.

Over two and a half years after his character died, Denny Duquette reappeared on the show as a ghost – and in a shockingly bizarre storyline, he had a romantic encounter with Izzie Stevens. This unbelievable scene wasn’t just for shock value; it was a way to subtly hint to both Izzie and the audience that something was seriously wrong with her health. It was eventually revealed she had advanced melanoma, stage IV, which had spread to her brain and other parts of her body.

Everyone thought Izzie would be the one to die in the season five finale, but the mystery surrounding George’s disappearance should have been a hint that something was wrong with him. When Meredith recognized the handwriting of the unidentified patient hit by a bus—it was ‘007,’ a nickname from George’s past—she desperately tried to warn the surgeons. Sadly, it was too late, and he died.

One of the most shocking moments in *Grey’s Anatomy* history happened in the season six finale. A grieving widower, fueled by loss and the recent hospital merger with Mercy West, arrived at the hospital with a gun and opened fire. The shooting resulted in the deaths of some doctors and injuries to others, with a particularly disturbing scene of Bailey being pulled from under a patient’s bed. While Bailey survived, Meredith and Derek suffered a tragic loss: Meredith believed Derek had been killed in the shooting and subsequently experienced a miscarriage.

Just two seasons after a devastating shooting at the hospital, Shonda Rhimes introduced another major crisis for her doctors. In the season eight finale, a plane carrying Meredith, Derek, Cristina Yang, Lexie, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins crashed while they were traveling to Boise, Idaho for a surgery. The crash left them stranded and injured, and no one knew where they were. Sadly, Mark and Lexie died, Arizona lost a leg, and Derek almost permanently lost the use of his hand.

When Sandra Oh decided to leave *Grey’s Anatomy* after season 10, the show found a dramatic way to say goodbye to her character, Cristina. They brought back Isaiah Washington as her ex-fiancé, Preston Burke, who had famously left her at the altar years earlier. Burke offered Cristina his hospital in Switzerland, giving her a compelling reason to leave Seattle. The surprising part? The show brought Washington back despite a very public and controversial exit, which included a hurtful slur directed at co-star T.R. Knight.

The season 10 finale of the show said farewell to Cristina and introduced Dr. Maggie Pierce, played by Kelly McCreary, as the new head of cardio-thoracic surgery. In a surprising reveal at the end of the episode, Maggie told Richard (James Pickens Jr.) that she was the daughter of the renowned Dr. Ellis Grey. Richard wasn’t the only one shocked by this news – it was also a surprise to everyone that he had another child and that Meredith had a sister she didn’t know about.

Everyone was shocked when Derek unexpectedly died near the end of season 11. He’d just rescued a family from a car accident when he was fatally injured in a head-on collision. It was particularly surprising because Patrick Dempsey had recently renewed his contract. While Shonda Rhimes may have felt it was the only way to remove the character without invalidating their 11-year relationship, it was still a painful loss for viewers.

Already facing numerous challenges, Mer suffered a violent attack by a patient in season 12, episode 9, resulting in a broken jaw that required wiring shut to aid her hearing recovery. A particularly powerful scene featured Mer’s panic when her children were unable to visit her while she recovered, showcasing a stunning performance by Ellen Pompeo.

The show addressed Alex Karev’s unexpected departure after Justin Chambers left mid-season 16 by revealing he’d reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie, years after she’d sent him divorce papers. He discovered she’d been secretly raising their twins on a farm, and he chose to be with them instead of continuing his life in Seattle. It was a completely unexpected twist for viewers!

During season 17, viewers saw Dr. Andrea “Andrew” DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) tragically die. After working through personal mental health challenges, DeLuca had become an attending physician at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, consistent with the show’s dramatic style, his progress was cut short when he was fatally stabbed by someone connected to a human trafficking operation.

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2025-10-10 16:19