Going into the seventh episode of Grey’s Anatomy, all eyes were on Yasuda and her sister after the sisters got into a car accident in the previous episode which left both of their lives up in the air and sent fans into a frenzy – especially knowing that Midori Francis is set to exit the show, leaving fans to worry her exit could come in the form of the death of her character.
Now, before we get into the thick of things, it goes without saying there are spoilers ahead for Grey’s Anatomy season 21 episode 7, “If You Leave,” ahead.
Following the accident, both Yasuda and Chloe were taken to Grey Sloan and the doctors raced into action to do everything they could for the sisters. Both sustained serious injuries in the accident and it was touch and go for both throughout the episode. After a pair of stressful surgeries, the two sisters were both sent to the ICU to recover and it looked like perhaps they were both going to pull through.
Sadly, Chloe’s injuries were too severe for her already weakened state following her chemotherapy treatments and she coded in her room. Adams spent 40 minutes trying to save her, but there was nothing more he could do and Link was forced to call time of death with Chloe tragically dying as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident.
As for Yasuda, she pulled through in the end after a complicated surgery but we know Francis will be leaving the series and we imagine the death of her sister is going to ultimately lead to her exit from the series.
Surprisingly, Chloe wasn’t the only character whose time came to an end in the episode.
Levi leaves Grey Sloan (but not alone)
While the primary focus of the episode was on Yasuda and Chloe, the episode also marked the end of an era serving as the final episode for longtime cast member Jake Borelli.
In episode 6, we learned that Levi decided to accept the peds research position in Texas and would be leaving Grey Sloan to pursue his passion for pediatrics. We knew his exit was coming, but we didn’t quite expect it to come so quickly. Alas, episode 7 proved to be Levi’s swan song, bringing an end to Borelli’s eight-season run on the show.
Throughout the episode, Levi shared several sweet moments with his longtime best friend Jo who helped give him the courage to ask James to come with him to Texas, rather than trying to make long-distance work. Levi made a passionate plea for him to join him in San Antonio and professed his love in the process, but when James was a no-show in the lobby, Levi assumed he must have scared him off and made his way outside to head out.
Just as he was about to get on his bike and ride away, James came running up and informed Levi that he missed their meeting in the lobby as he was talking with his boss about resigning from his job in order to move with Levi to Texas. The happy couple actually got a happy ending which definitely helped lessen the blow of losing Levi, even though it did mean we had to bid farewell to James as well.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 airs Thursdays at 10/9c and is streaming on Hulu.