Chris Carmack Recreated A Classic Friends Scene After That Grey’s Anatomy Cliffhanger, And Now I’m More Confused Than Ever

Spoiler alert! This story contains major spoilers about the Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 finale. The episode can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.

Fans were left shocked by the terrifying cliffhanger at the end of Grey’s Anatomy’s 21st season, as an explosion inadvertently caused by guest star Piper Perabo’s Jenna rocked the hospital’s operating floor, causing unknown damage and fatalities. Atticus Lincoln’s survival is a big question, as it was suggested he was in the operating room where the explosion occurred. Chris Carmack added fuel to that fire (sorry) by hilariously recreating a scene from Friends.

However, now I’m more confused than ever about Link’s fate.

Chris Carmack Recreates Dr. Drake Ramoray’s Death Scene

Chris Carmack, who has played “Ortho God” Link since Season 15, and Linda Klein (aka Nurse Linda) hinted at their characters’ potential deaths on the 2025 TV schedule by acting out the scene on Friends where Joey’s Days of Our Lives character gets killed off the soap opera. You’ve got to see the post for yourself:

You can’t see their mouths moving because of the facemasks, but it’s clear that Chris Carmack is channeling his inner Joey, as he begrudgingly accepts the fate that’s coming to his character.

The Friends scene in question is from the Season 2 episode aptly titled “The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies,” which sees Dr. Drake Ramoray (played by Joey Tribbiani, played by Matt LeBlanc) try to stall a bit after being paged to the first floor, and then stepping backward into an empty elevator shaft.

In Chris Carmack’s case, there were no elevator shafts (somewhat surprising, given how important elevators are on Grey’s Anatomy), but rather he seemed reluctant to activate the surgical tool that would presumably spark the explosion. It’s absolutely hilarious, but what does it all mean?

Does This Confirm That Grey’s Anatomy Killed Off Link, Or Is It The Opposite?

We’re not likely to get official confirmation on Link’s fate until Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 returns this fall (although things like contract negotiations have been known to spoil cliffhangers before). My opinion is that Link is dead. He married Jo, had a hospital honeymoon, and then learned that they were having twin girls. Experiencing such a windfall on Grey’s Anatomy is rarely a good thing. However, would Chris Carmack really be making jokes like this if he were gone?

The actor’s wife, Erin Slaver, got in on the fun, too, posting a comedic video to Instagram of her reaction to her husband seemingly being killed off:

I love that Erin Slaver’s jokey first instinct was to worry about Camilla Luddington, who plays Link’s wife Jo Wilson (and honestly, same-- she’d be left with so many young kids). But she doesn’t exactly seem to be worried about her husband losing his job.

So now I don’t know what to think. Is killing off Nurse Linda even an option? Linda Klein has been a producer and appeared in surgery scenes (often uncredited) since Season 2. If we’re using Friends as our compass — as I often do — Link dies, but Nurse Linda survives (“They only said you.”). Or maybe it’s all a fake-out.

Another fun scenario would be he does die, but Chris Carmack and his wife aren’t upset about it, because the actor could always return to the show somewhere as Link’s twin brother, a la Stryler Ramoray! Just something for the writers to keep in mind.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 will return this fall, but in the meantime, you can catch up on all 21 seasons on Hulu or start a rewatch of your favorite Grey’s Anatomy era with the first 20 seasons also available with a Netflix subscription.