Although there were no major casualties in the Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 finale, there was a potential loss for the hospital: Benson “Blue” Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.) was fired by Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) after the chief discovered he was the one who placed the experimental drug in a patient, against FDA orders. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) had attempted to take the blame for it, and Richard was OK with it in that case, but once he found out the truth from the case report, he put Bailey on suspension and fired Kwan altogether.
Kwan did return to assist the other doctors with their emergency department response to the bridge collapse disaster, but his hard work there wasn’t enough to change Webber’s mind. Instead, he demanded his badge on the spot.
So does this mean Kwan is gone for good? Not necessarily. Grey’s Anatomy does have a history of surgeons being scuttled from the program, only to return later, including April Kepner (Sarah Drew), Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer), and Vik Roy (Rushi Kota). Storywise, then, it’s entirely plausible that Kwan could do something to mollify Webber and ultimately earn his job back, particularly if Bailey is in his corner.
However, according to the actor, his fate is not currently known.
Speaking to E! News, Shum joked, “Who got fired?” before adding, “I wish I knew. I am just as much in the dark as audiences, but to me, it’s the hope of, ‘Do audiences want to see him go or do they want to see him go back to the hospital?’”
“It’s not fully up to the audience,” Shum continued. “It’s up to the writers and Disney. But also, I think it’s good to see the doctors make mistakes, but also with good intentions. It wasn’t just because he was a bumbling mess. He was very motivated in making sure that someone got to be able to choose life over death.”
Shum has been a part of the Grey’s Anatomy lineup since Season 19, when he joined the other interns as the intern program’s newest class, alongside Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), and Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd). Of that class, the only departure so far has been Yasuda. Season 22 also saw the rise and fall of his relationship with Kavita Mohanty (Anita Kalathara).
So is it time for another of the new class’ ranks to be gone for good, or is there still more story to tell with Kwan? Hit the comments below and let us know!