How Do ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Really Feel About Owen & Teddy Leaving?

We’re just one day away from the conclusion of both Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 and the long, storied history of Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver). Weeks before the finale, it was announced that the two long-timers would be heading for the exit after hundreds of episodes together and apart, and it remains to be seen exactly how that will happen (though we do have some possibilities all lined up thanks to the penultimate episode). Will Owen die in the bridge collapse disaster? Will Teddy accept that job at the Paris research incubator? Will they end up together, happily ever after, despite all of their myriad relationship struggles? We’ll find out soon. In the meantime, fans have been debating whether their departure from the show is a good thing or a bad thing.

After all, the ups and downs of Towen have informed an oversized chunk of the drama in recent seasons, so some see it as a relief their at-times-toxic romance won’t take center stage anymore. On the other hand, some fans are noting that not having them around after all of this time might take something away from the show, particularly given the lack of long-timers left on the series.

On the Grey’s Anatomy Reddit fanpage, for example, one fan struck up a conversation with others by asking if it was an “unpopular” opinion to foresee missing Teddy and Owen on the show, despite the characters’ problematic tendencies: “I know Owen is a divisive character and him and Teddy as a pairing are utterly exhausted at this point, but I am gonna miss them in the next season after their exits in this week’s finale,” they wrote.

This inspired dozens of followup comments, many of which were in agreement with that sentiment.

“I think I’m just gonna miss having characters from the golden days of greys anatomy. And even though both Owen and Teddy are frustratingly complex characters, clearly the actors have brought them to life in a way that elicits such strong emotions from the audience! And for that, I do appreciate them as characters,” one fan wrote. Added another, “I’m not going to miss them but it’ll definitely be weird not having them there.” A third fan bolstered that argument by writing, “For us unpopular as Owen is it’ll still be extremely odd not to have him around because that means for the first time in 18 years the hospital is not going to have an attending trauma surgeon.”

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Another fan contended that having them on the show taught audiences some valuable advice about relationships, writing, “Everyone is going to miss them! Hear me out… How many viewers recognised they were in toxic relationships because of how Owen and Teddy have acted together and apart? How many viewers realised it was okay not to want children because of the Owen/Cristina storyline? How many viewers recognised PTSD symptoms in their partner because of Owen’s behaviour? How many viewers understood what a supportive boss looked like because of Owen and Teddy’s leadership? And that’s just four reasons off the top of my head. Despite them being awful characters, they both played a really important role in the series. I’m going to miss them. But not Owen’s method of kissing. How many viewers realised they had to step up their game because of Owen’s technique?”

Yet another poster in the thread argued that, in the future, fans of the show will grow to miss and appreciate them even more, writing, “It’s gonna be weird I had grown tired of them both but I think they’ll be charcters people will somewhat miss in a couple of years I remember April was a being kinda divisive back in the day to now being quite a loved character people want back. I don’t think Teddy and Owen will get that kind of love but I think time will definitely make [people] appreciate certain aspects of them more.”

So what do you think? How will the exits of Teddy and Owen as characters impact the show, for better or for worse? Hit the comments below and let us know your predictions!

Grey’s Anatomy, Season 22 Finale, May 7, 10/9c, ABC