SPOILERS for the Grey's Anatomy Season 14 finale ahead. This week's season finale finally revealed how our beloved Arizona Robbins would take her final bow, and it was still emotional, even if we may have seen it coming. Though fans didn't want her to go, and despite the fact that there was plenty more story to explore with her character, the way Arizona left Grey's Anatomy fit in perfectly with the pediatric surgeon everyone has come to know and love.
She had some sweet final moments with Alex, which is a relief given how much they've grown together and how they haven't had a ton of screen time together lately. She helped him get ready for his wedding and it was ADORABLE. Where it really took a weird turn was when Arizona said she had been texting Callie and smiling every time! No matter how badly Callie and Arizona ended, apparently the show deems it acceptable to have Calzona as the endgame. A questionable decision for many fans, to be sure, and one that we won't even see the effects of since Jessica Capshaw is leaving the show. (Calzona fans will be thrilled, though, for sure.) In any case she then, of course, walked April down the aisle after a VERY last minute wedding between her and Matthew was planned. It was a weird day.
Arizona, and Capshaw, were pretty easily set up for a relatively swift departure, and one that made sense — I don't know if the same could be said for Sarah Drew and April, who also was written out of the show, but I digress. Arizona is a great mom to Sofia, the daughter she shares with Callie, and from the moment Sofia moved back to Seattle and had a hard time adjusting, it was clear that the show was preparing for Arizona's exit. Arizona has always cared about the people in her life, especially the tiny humans that she so diligently worked to save throughout her entire career. So, if the most important child in her life was unhappy, something obviously had to change.
Callie was living in New York after the nasty custody battle sustained between she and Arizona a couple seasons ago. Even that situation was concocted in order for Sara Ramirez to leave the show, though that situation was far different, as it was actually Ramirez's choice. But regardless, Arizona's choice to move back to New York and allow Sofia to be parented by both of her mothers in the same city definitely made sense. The rekindled romance with Callie, though, or at least the possibility of it, seems like a longshot, especially since Arizona and Carina have been trying to make something this entire season. But if this is the way it shakes out, so be it, even if it doesn't make the most sense in the world.
Fans were vocal about how much they'll miss Arizona and Capshaw's performances, as Twitter blew up throughout the show's season finale and as the end credits started to role.
One small solace that fans can take part in is that Capshaw and Drew really savored the last of their time on Grey's Anatomy, and the friendship they've formed with each other and the rest of their coworkers is enough to warm anyone's heart. All their Instagram accounts are full of snaps from the final days on set, and their Twitter accounts have been dominated by heartfelt messages of thanks to the fans.
The two of them meant the world to huge subsets of fans who felt like they weren't often represented in other realms of TV, and the outrage surrounding their departures speaks volumes about the impact they've had during their years on the show. It's hard to say goodbye, but all of Arizona's stories — the devastating, the uplifting, the humorous, the romantic — will live on as some of the best in Grey's history. Now, is it too soon for a Netflix rewatch?
