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Spoilers for Seasons 11 through 17 of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.‘Over the 20 years that it has been airing,Grey’s Anatomyhas successfully cemented itself as one of the most popular medical drama shows of all time. This accolade is not surprising, considering the wild plot lines, interesting characters, and emotional moments that the show is built on. Throughout the 21 seasons, audience members have been introduced to a variety of unique individuals, both doctors and patients alike. Some have stuck around since the beginning, like Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Miranda Bailey, while others have briefly stolen the show beforemaking their untimely exits, like Dr. April Kepnerand Dr. Lexie Grey.Although it is undeniable that many characters in theGrey’s Anatomyuniverse have received tough treatment at the hands of the writers, it rings especially true for one character in particular.
Dr. Andrew DeLuca, played by Giacomo Gianniotti, deserved a much better hand than the one he was dealt during his seven-season appearance on the show. Although DeLuca was not a fan favorite, in part due to his brief (post-Derek Shepherd) relationship with Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), he still did not warrant the tragic circumstances that often befell his character. Throughout his time on the show, DeLuca faced a lot of hardships, which he ultimately overcame.However, once he started thriving in his environment and honing his skills as a talented surgeon, he died and left the series.
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DeLuca’s Complex Relationships With Other Characters in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
The short-lived romantic relationship that occurred between Meredith Grey and Andrew DeLuca seemed to be very one-sided. It often felt as though Meredith was using DeLuca as a substitute forher late husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd(Patrick Dempsey). In addition, the pairing raised some other concerns, considering the significant age gap and power dynamic that Meredith had over DeLuca.These existing factors became more complicated as DeLuca began experiencing bouts of mania related to his undiagnosed bipolar disorder.Due to all of these conditions, the pair eventually broke up.
Besides Meredith, DeLuca also had some significant conflicts that arose between himself, Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), and Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). After escorting an intoxicated Jo home from a bar, DeLuca encountered her boyfriend, Alex Karev, who thought he was taking advantage of her. Before DeLuca could attempt to explain the situation, Alex beat him to the point where he had to be hospitalized.
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To make things worse, Meredith took Alex’s side, purposefully failing to report the assault to the authorities and attempting to convince DeLuca not to pursue legal action. He eventually dropped the charges, but mainly because he was concerned about Jo’s emotional distress.Even after all of this, Alex never offered him a sincere apology.
DeLuca’s Experience With Bipolar Disorder in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Throughout DeLuca’s seasons onGrey’s Anatomy, audiences became aware that his father was a prestigious surgeon. However,due to his undiagnosed bipolar disorder, along with other factors, his neglect killed four patients during surgery. This notion haunted DeLuca. He felt as though he could not escape his father’s troubled legacy and the increased risk of developing bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, the symptoms began to show themselves during DeLuca’s time in residency.
One of the most notable occurrences happened in Season 16, Episode 18, titled “Give a Little Bit.” During the episode, DeLuca began to suspect that one of his patients, Cindy Wright, was being trafficked by a woman, Opal, who claimed to be her aunt. He brought the issue to the attention of Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) but was dismissed because he didn’t have any real evidence.
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As a result, DeLuca had a breakdown in front of his colleagues and was put on leave until he could receive the help that he needed.After a future intervention, DeLuca accepted his bipolar diagnosis and began taking medication. It helped, and he began thriving as a new attending in the hospital, but this success was severely short-lived.
DeLuca’s Heroic Death and the Underwhelming Aftermath in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
It turned out that DeLuca was right about his human trafficking suspicions all along. In Season 17, Cindy, whose real name was Erin, came back to the hospital after escaping from Opal. She purposefully sought out DeLuca, finding comfort with the one person who recognized her dire situation. Despite his own state, DeLuca stayed with her and helped treat her injuries. Later that day, as he was leaving the hospital, he saw Opal. Not wanting any more harm to come to Erin or any future children, he decided to pursue her. His sister, Carina, went with him. The entirety of this chase occurs in across-over episodewithStation 19, and it ends after DeLuca is stabbed by one of Opal’s accomplices.She is apprehended by police, but DeLuca is left mortally wounded.
After being rushed into surgery at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, it looked like DeLuca might pull through and survive his injuries. However, while he was recovering in the ICU, he started to bleed out and died shortly after. In the wake of his death, characters continued to live their lives almost as if nothing happened. No one, besides his sister, seemed to be properly devastated. No one seemed to be regretful either. If action had been taken against the human trafficker in the beginning, DeLuca’s death could have been prevented.His final appearance in the show came in a video that was played during his memorial, which consisted of a small gathering in the hospital’s parking lotdue to COVID.
DeLuca deserved so much more, both in life and after his death, but unfortunately,Grey’s Anatomyhad a different and darker fate in mind for the character. It is a shame that DeLuca is no longer a part of the series becausehis character offered a sense of representation, especially for people with bipolar disorder, but the show only emphasized it to advance a plot line that ended after DeLuca successfully addressed his mental health.Grey’s Anatomyairs on ABC and is available to stream onNetflixandHulu.
