Ellen Pompeo Just Hinted That The 'Grey's Anatomy' Finale Will Be Super Tough To Watch

Every season of Grey’s Anatomy features some twists and turns when it comes to casting, but never before have the planned departures hurt as much as they do in Season 14. April and Arizona are leaving Grey’s Anatomy, and fans haven't gotten over the idea — let alone begun to deal with how Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew's characters will exit the show. There are many options, and some are sure to upset Grey’s fans.

Death, of course, is always an option for Grey’s Anatomy departures, and really, the manner of exit depends on whether or not Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy god that she is, wants to leave things open for the future. Cristina, for instance, left Grey Sloan for a big job in Switzerland, and she just saved Sam Bello from being arrested by ICE agents because Bello went to work for her. On the other hand, characters like Lexi Grey, Mark Sloan, and even Derek Shepherd died tragic deaths because their time on Grey’s Anatomy felt finished (to the writers — many fans don't agree).

As a longtime Grey’s fan and big-time lover of both of these women, I’m praying for the former option when they leave and not the latter. That said, Ellen Pompeo is not reassuring fans when she summed up the Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 finale in two words: “not easy.”

Ugh. Break my heart already, Grey’s. Here are some ways that April and Arizona could leave Grey Sloan forever.

They Die

April has been consumed by demons nearly all season. Since Matthew’s wife died, April has lost her faith in her religion, and this has caused her to be the anti-April — drinking every night, denouncing God, sleeping with interns, and generally being a terror. She’s recently come out the other side, making her peace and apologizing for her behavior, but this makes her a target. How traumatic would it be for April to find peace and then die? That’s some old-school Grey’s stuff right there. Arizona is probably not going to the big surgical field in the sky — she was already in a plane crash (where she lost her leg) and a traumatic car accident (where she almost lost her life) and was spared the cancer card in a previous episode — so maybe she gets a pass here.

They Move Away

Arizona and Callie Torres’ daughter, Sofia, lived in New York for a while with Callie before returning to Seattle to be with Arizona. And then she wanted to go back, because she missed her other mother, her school, and her friends. Arizona could oblige, but it’s hard to be away from your kid that long — Arizona could follow Sofia back to the East Coast because she doesn’t want to miss any more moments with her daughter. April’s ex-husband and daughter are in Seattle, so she probably wouldn’t leave the city. But she could leave the hospital, which brings me to…

They Get New Jobs

April and Arizona are at the top of their games, and yet they still want to do more with their lives. Who says that Grey Sloan can carry all their ambition? Catherine Avery, April’s ex-mother-in-law, has always liked April, and she’s always noted April’s skill and ambition to be better. Perhaps Catherine sets April up with a gig that’s not at Grey Sloan? Something bigger, like Cristina’s running of a whole cardiology clinic in Switzerland. Arizona has just had a breakthrough in her maternity mortality cart invention, and she’s so excited about it that it wouldn’t be surprising if she left Grey Sloan to peddle this life-saving change in medical maternity protocol.

However, the storylines wrap up, I hope Grey’s Anatomy knows just how much these two iconic roles will be missed on primetime television. As for the fans, well, we all better buckle up for this "not easy" finale and cross our fingers that these women get spared the Grey's death zone.