‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Says a Heartbreaking Goodbye to Yasuda — but Who Got Shot?

Midori Francis exits the ABC medical drama during an eventful heat wave that leaves another doctor’s fate in limbo

greys-anatomy-midori-francis-abc
Midori Francis in "Grey's Anatomy." (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) MIDORI FRANCIS

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 21, Episode 8.

“Grey’s Anatomy” lost a major cast member during its Season 21 fall finale, and left another one in grave danger ahead of a long winter break.

Episode 8, titled “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” saw a grief-stricken Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis) returned to work after the death of her younger sister in the previous episode. They had both been involved in a car accident when Mika fell asleep at the wheel. In the end, the guilt she had over her sister’s death was not enough for Mika to stick around and continue her job as a surgical intern. She had packed her locker and said goodbye for good by the end of the eventful hour.

And she left plenty of heartbreak in her wake. Mika struggled during a code blue situation with Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), when she started to yell at Bailey that she wasn’t doing enough to help save him. A heartbreaking moment featured Mika pleading with Bailey to let her die instead of her — an obvious callback to Chloe, given the patient in question was a man.

While Bailey discussed potentially benching Mika to give her a chance to heal further from home, Mika found her coworker, Dr. Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane). The two doctors considered exploring a romantic connection with each other before Chloe’s arrival at Grey Sloan. They hooked up in the on-call room in Episode 8, and Jules hoped to help Mika heal from the loss.

Bailey later went to Mika and told her to take time for herself to work through her grief. But Mika let her know that she would be leaving forever, as the hospital would always be a reminder of how she lost her sister. Her story ended with Mika and Jules sharing a passionate farewell kiss in the locker room before she apologized one more time and left. Jules won’t be forgiving Bailey for that anytime soon, as she confronted her boss for allowing Mika to leave the program.

The ABC medical drama had been setting up Mika’s exit for quite some time, after introducing Mika’s sister Chloe (Julia Rose), who had come to the hospital seeking treatment for a severe case of cancer. The car accident happened the morning after Mika had returned to work, and both sisters were injured in the wreckage. Chloe’s injuries, combined with the impact of the chemo, meant her body couldn’t hold on, and she died before Mika woke up from her own surgery.

greys-anatomy-niko-terho-abc-nino-munoz
Niko Terho in “Grey’s Anatomy.” (Disney/Nino Muñoz)

That was just one of the storylines that kicked into high gear during the “Grey’s Anatomy” fall finale. As the doctors dealt with a massive heat wave in Seattle, Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Dr. Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) were tasked with finding more ice for the ER at a nearby gas station store. But they ended up as hostages when a robber entered the store and held them and the cashier at gunpoint.

The final moments of the episode saw tensions rise, with the cashier and Lucas attempting to take the gun from the robber, with a brawl ensuing and the episode ending with the sound of a gunshot — leaving Jo and Lucas’ fates in limbo.

“Grey’s Anatomy” returns with new episodes March 6 on ABC. Previous episodes are streaming on Hulu.

Comments