The 22nd season of Grey’s Anatomy concluded with good doctors Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) clocking in for their final shift at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. And the duo went on their merry way with a happily ever after moment that surely didn’t leave a dry eye in the house. Of course, that’s the better alternative when you remember that the Shonda Rhimes-created series has never been afraid to deliver an emotional gut punch by killing off characters when it’s their time to depart.
That said, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” — which was written by showrunner Meg Marinis and directed by McKidd — did begin with a sense of jeopardy since the penultimate episode ended with Teddy hearing a voicemail from Owen that was abruptly cut off when a bridge collapsed, making her (and us) fear for the worst. Thankfully, it’s revealed early in the finale that Owen did survive, and even played hero by saving a family trapped in their car before making it back to Grey Sloan in one (bruised) piece.
And while Teddy’s unexpected job offer in France presented another obstacle that could have kept them apart, the pair ultimately recommitted to each other with Owen insisting she still take the France job and he and their kids would join her and become a true family once again. Au revoir!
In separate exit interviews, Gold Derby spoke with Raver and McKidd about their send-off, if they’d be up for directing down the line and, of course, if we’ll ever see Owen and Teddy again.
Gold Derby: Did you have any input on what your last story would be and how Teddy and Owen would depart?
Kevin McKidd: Meg really values our opinion, so there was a lot of discussion. Owen started the show [in Season 5] as this traumatized, very broken soldier and there’s a lot of death around his origin story in the show. I always thought it’d be fitting that he died a hero’s death at some point, but after talking to Meg and hearing what she said, I agree now this was the better story for a few reasons.
There’ve been a few deaths in the last few seasons, and I’m not sure the audience and fans had a stomach for that anymore. Also, the world’s a pretty dark place at the moment and it needs a little bit of sending a message of new beginnings and new chapters and recommitments and turning of the page. I think it was the right decision. It’s a bittersweet feeling.
Kim Raver: Meg did such an incredible job of honoring their history and, yes, definitely keeping them alive. But I love ShondaLand and Shonda Rhimes. The company of writers are just so amazing at really expanding who these characters are and also touching it with the history that that character has gone through and that the fans have been a part of.
There’s a moment last year where Teddy says, ‘I choose myself.’ I just love that it’s that full arc of needing that space to find out who she is and what she wants. Yet simultaneously in this finale, she’s also able to choose the love of her life. That’s a really a beautiful send-off for the two of them.
During the episode when Teddy sees Owen in the OR, there’s so much emotion even though you’re both wearing surgical masks. Can you talk about shooting that scene in particular?
Raver: That’s this lovely kind of uniqueness to Grey’s. Those OR scenes are always about more than just saving the patient. You know the main objective, but then it’s really such a cool experience as an actor to be able to have a strong enough objective that it’s just coming through with your eyes and your intention. You don’t have any part of your face except for your voice and your eyes.
McKidd: I love that scene so much. It’s funny, it’s such a simple scene — they just come in and there’s a beautiful [shot] of the two of them looking at each other and then the camera just crashes in on both of them. That was the design of that scene, and Kim just nailed the emotion in her face as the camera pushed right into her. And the same on my side. I think I did a pretty decent job, too, although I’m pretty tough on myself as a director. Only two sentences were spoken but so much was said in that scene.
What was the last scene that you shot together?
Raver: It was them walking to the car. I feel so close to this crew especially having started my directing venture with them. It’s not only saying goodbye to the cast and the character and the amazing writers’ room, but also this crew that have held us and supported us through so much. It’s definitely a whole journey of Teddy saying goodbye.
McKidd: Our last scene was the moment outside the hospital, but that scene [in the scrub room] was the last dialogue scene we had together. Kim and I have got such a shorthand so it was quite emotional but in a really good way. That scene moved around a lot to many different places and eventually we decided that because Teddy and Owen have had big emotional moments in a scrub room it felt fitting that their final recommittal to each other was in a scrub room. It was a callback to that.
There’s a lot of callbacks that I love, like the moment outside the hospital where Teddy leans back on Owen’s chest and they look up at the hospital. That was a callback to the Germany episode [during Season 14 in 2018] where Owen comes to find Teddy and they sit in the window seat and look at the snow and she’s leaning up against his back as they’re both looking out the window. In the montage you see a little flash of them looking out of that window, and I wanted them physically to be in a similar position, looking up at the hospital site and just thinking about all the things that have happened there before. These iconic moments of two of them are just little Easter eggs for people that love the show. There’s a lot of thought and care put into this episode.
Kevin, you also directed the episode which features a bridge collapse and you’re underwater for part of that. Safe to say you’re OK with some big challenges?
McKidd: I loved it; it felt really empowering to get to direct my character’s exit from the show. It almost felt like I was graduating! This was my graduating thesis of the Grey’s Anatomy film school that I’ve been on for a while.
How long did you have to spend in water? And I’m guessing you filmed that in a water tank?
McKidd: Yeah, there was a huge water tank in the outskirts of Valencia, and I was soaking wet for two days. It was challenging physically; it took so long to build that set that we completed the rest of the work back at the stages. My final two days were in that location, and it was a lovely two days. There was a lot of laughter. My partner and my kids came, and a lot of the cast made a special trip out there to see me because I was the only one there with the guest stars and all the crew. It was tough, and I was exhausted.
The night we wrapped, there were speeches and people gave me gifts and letters and cards. There was also a cake! But I hadn’t really given myself a moment to feel it [in the moment] because when you’re in director mode, you’re just focused on the task at hand. It was only once I got out of costume and there was a car waiting for me to take me to LAX to get on a flight to fly to Scotland to start this next movie that I just did, the new Highlander movie. I board the plane and I open up all these letters and cards that people have given me because we’ve worked together for 20 years. We’re like family now, so I could let it all wash over me on that red eye flight.
Kim, do you have a favorite storyline that stands out to you?
Raver: There’s so many. I just absolutely love the messiness of Teddy and the badassery of her in her profession. But I think mainly the mentorship of Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), the conflict of the love for Owen and just how beautifully that was written. It was two women in support of one another yet having an obstacle in the way and getting to play both the drama and the comedy of that. It was just a great commencement of this really extraordinary character that I got to play.
Safe to say we’ll see your name on the show again as director down the line, right?
Raver: I hope so. I had Debbie Allen as my mentor, and she’s such an extraordinary human being and so generous in sharing the discipline of the craft. It’s something that I just absolutely love doing.
McKidd: Yeah, absolutely. I know they want me to come back, and I’m happy to do it. This show is my home, you know?
This was your 49th episode as director, right, Kevin?
McKidd: Yes, my 49th. I mean, I have to do my 50th at the very least!
And if by chance you get the call to go to Paris to shoot some scenes, is that an easy yes?
Raver: Of course. We could do a whole episode in Paris with our crew, everyone. That would be incredible.
McKidd: That wouldn’t be too shabby to get paid to shoot in Paris. I wouldn’t be mad at that.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
