Thursday night (May 19) not only marked the end of Season 12 for “Grey’s Anatomy,” it was also the final time Dr. Callie Torres — wonderfully played by actress Sara Ramirez for the past 10 years — would be on the show. Ramirez first joined the series in its second season and, until now, was one of the few veteran characters still on the long running medical series.
In the finale episode, “Family Affair,” ex-wife Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) tossed out the court’s previous decision, and agreed to share custody of their daughter Sofia allowing Torres to live with new girlfriend Penny (Samantha Sloyan) in New York City.
It’s a fitting sendoff that possibly mirrors real-life. The 40-year-old actress first began her career on Broadway, and perhaps is now ready to leave Los Angeles to return to The Great White Way.
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While “Grey’s” fans are reeling from this sad news, Ramirez had hinted back in April that should wouldn’t be returning for Season 13:
After the episode aired, Ramirez said one final goodbye, sending gratitude to “the Shondaland family”:
A sad fan herself, “Grey’s” Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes tweeted a heartfelt message to Ramirez:
Fellow cast mate Ellen Pompeo, who stars as Meredith Grey on the series, also tweeted out feelings on her longtime co-star’s contribution to the series:
Dr. Torres’ time on “Grey’s” was quite a rollercoaster featuring two marriages, two divorces, the death of her baby’s daddy and the exploration of her bi-sexuality, just to name a few plot points. Along with the numerous emotional episodes in which her character’s genius as an orthopedic surgeon saved so many lives, Grey Sloane Memorial Hospital definitely won’t be the same without her.
