Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 17, Episode 7 of “Grey’s Anatomy”
TW: violence, assault, sex trafficking
For those who may not know — or remember — “Grey’s Anatomy” left off on a very emotional note at the end of Season 17, Episode 6 in December. In “No Time for Despair,” fans discover that Opal, a human trafficker, has returned. Andrew DeLuca enlists the help of his sister, Carina, to follow Opal and protect any potential victims from harm. Andrew accused Opal of sex trafficking in Season 16, but due to his bipolar condition (undiagnosed at the time), he was met with suspicion and disbelief from his colleagues. It’s not until the beginning of Season 17 — a fast forward in the storyline of “Grey’s Anatomy” that primarily focuses on COVID-19 pandemic — that we discover Andrew was right in his accusation and Opal was, in fact, kidnapping young girls to sell for money.
Following a “Station 19” crossover, two young Black girls are hospitalized after being forced to start a fire in the basement of their kidnapper. Opal sneaks into Grey Sloan, avoiding Andrew’s path to check on the condition of her accomplice, but she fails to go unnoticed. Andrew looks at Carina and says, “I let her out of the hospital once. I’m not doing it again.” Their chase for justice in the two-hour cross-over event shows a heartwarming relationship between the two siblings. For the first time, viewers learn about Andrew and Carina’s childhood in Italy and the lullabies Carina used to sing to Andrew.
Previously, viewers have observed Carina’s growing concern for Andrew’s mental health as he begins to show signs of bipolar disorder — a condition he shares with his father. Carina fought for her brother’s health more than any other character in the show, as she had watched as her father’s bipolar disorder consumed his mind and ruined his reputation in the medical field. Fans fawned over Carina and Andrew’s special bond, but were left heartbroken when Andrew was stabbed by an accomplice of Opal.
Andrew presented fans with a commedable representation of bipolar disorder. It is common for those with bipolar disorder to experience periods of overwhelming happiness and energy, only to transition to periods of depression and hopelessness. In the episode, “A Diagnosis,” from Season 16, Andrew first showed signs of mania in the race against time to find a diagnosis for his patient, Suzanne. He loses sleep, obsesses over literature and medical practices and becomes disrespectful to his attendings before ending his relationship with Meredith Grey.
Following Suzanne’s case, his behavior becomes more and more erratic until we are introduced to Opal. His colleagues and patients watch as he cries and falls into a severe depression. He enters a brief state of happiness to save another one of their own, Dr. Richard Webber, only to re-enter his state of depression before reaching acceptance of his mental illness and seeking help. For six episodes, fans watch Andrew manage his bipolar and rebuild his success in the hospital.
Andrew’s untimely death is heartbreaking for many reasons. He was just beginning his job as a general surgery attending at Grey Sloan, he was the first man Meredith loved after Derek Shepherd’s death in Season 11 and most importantly, he had one of the most visible mental health journeys in the 17 seasons in the medical show. For the later half of Season 16, Andrew was in a manic state for an extended period of time — he defied orders, ignored Meredith, and displayed severe mood swings.
By having a focal character of the show experience the beginning of this mental illness, the storyline spreads mental health awareness and helps to create potential allies in audiences. Therefore, killing off the main character with bipolar disorder before they can establish themselves in the authoritative position prevents audiences from seeing the individual thrive after diagnosis and treatment.