Will Owen & Nick Survive ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s Finale Bridge Collapse?

As the tail end of Thursday’s (April 30) episode of Grey’s Anatomy showed, the surgeons at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital will be grappling with a flood of incoming traumas, including two of their own: Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman). The teaser for the episode, embedded above, shows both of them in direct harm’s way as a result of the catastrophe.

First, Owen is shown unconscious in his car as it fills with water; then, Nick is shown being wheeled into the hospital on a gurney before Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) asks Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) to join in on his surgery.

The description for the episode adds, “After a catastrophic bridge collapse sends dozens of victims to Grey Sloan, the hospital activates its full disaster response as they race to treat a surge of critically injured patients.”

Now, Grey’s Anatomy is known for giving very few characters plot armor, so, there’s a very good chance that one or both of them could die. But which one has the highest chance of survival?

Well, Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver are definitely heading for the exit sign one way or another in next week’s Season 22 finale. That much has been known for weeks. However, given the fact that Shonda Rhimes herself described them as getting a “happy ending,” there’s a fairly good chance he’ll survive … unless the series creator was tricking us all, which is certainly possible. The penultimate episode pointed to another pathway for the pair: Teddy (Raver) was offered a lucrative new career at a research incubator in Paris. Though Owen was resistant to that news at first, perhaps going through another near-death experience in Seattle will be just the motivation he needs to get out of dodge.

Meanwhile, Scott Speedman would reveal nothing of his character’s fate except to tell us that the finale is “exciting.” Given the fact that he is the headliner for ABC’s new crime dramedy R.J. Decker, though, the actor also admitted it was “tricky” to film on both shows at the same time, but “doable.” Ahead of Season 22’s premiere, showrunner Meg Marinis said it was merely a matter of “scheduling” to keep Speedman on the occasional call sheet, but if that scheduling is too complicated (even if the series hasn’t yet been renewed for Season 2)… Story-wise, losing Nick would also be a shock to the system at Grey’s. We haven’t seen Meredith this stable and content in ages, so, taking away her new true love would likely bring back that “dark and twisty” side that’s been missing for a while.

Several commenters on the teaser certainly seem to think it’s Nick who stands to lose his life, based on the preview.

“It’s like Meredith can never be happy I feel so bad for her,” one viewer wrote. “God freaking forbid Meredith can have a happy ending,” wrote another.

However, another fan deduced another set of possibilities: “Okay, I know that Scott Speedman has his own show right now, but don’t kill him. Meredith deserves to be happy and loved. Also, I can see two scenarios: one where Nick needs an organ transplant, Owen will be the donor because he didn’t make it, and then Teddy takes off to Paris with the kids. Or two, they both live, and Owen can’t be a surgeon anymore and leaves with Teddy to Paris to raise the kids while she runs that program.”

What do you predict is ahead? Will Owen and/or Nick walk away from their injuries unscathed or are one or both of them in mortal danger? Hit the comments to let us know your theories!

Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC