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Many fans were surprised when Grey’s Anatomy returned from its Season 18 mid-season hiatus and managed not to kill anyone off. Fans were equally stunned, however, when they realized that it still meant the end of the line for Dr. Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood) instead of the much-rumored Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). 

Hayes and Hunt both survived the car crash in the mid-season finale in December, but the medical drama still used the event to usher Hayes off the show. As Hayes is about to leave the car, Hunt confides that he’s been supplying veterans with drugs to help end their lives with dignity. While that is legal in some areas, it’s not in Seattle where Hunt and Owen practice. Hayes must decide to either become an accomplice by knowing the information or report Hunt. 

Instead of either of those options, Hayes chooses door number three and resigns at the end of Episode 9 to move his family back to Ireland. 

Richard Flood is happy with the ‘natural end’ of his time on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 

Though Hayes isn’t killed off, his character arc on Grey’s is likely finished for good. He can’t practice in the United States without being an accomplice to Hunt in the future, and as he explained to Hunt earlier in Episode 9, he can’t put his boys in jeopardy of having their only living parent put in prison. 

Many fans thought the exit was abrupt, but Flood says he didn’t see himself on the medical drama for much longer anyway. “Having three years on the show felt right for me, and I think that the arc of the character with all the developments in the story was probably coming to its natural end, which was great,” Flood told Deadline. 

Flood hasn’t confirmed any future plans beyond playing McWidow in the Grey’s universe, but we’re not likely to see him in a pair of scrubs again anytime soon. “I’m always eager to see what else is out there and try and stretch myself in different directions and do different types of TV and film,” the actor said. 

What ‘might have been’ with Meredith and Hayes is now officially off the table

Although Flood has his closure with the series, he knows that some fans weren’t ready to let go of the potential romance between his character and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). 

Grey and Hayes’ budding relationship was just starting to heat up in Season 16 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the real world — and dramatically impacted the fictional one at Grey-Sloan. Meredith spent most of Season 17 in a hospital bed fighting for her life against the coronavirus, and what was left of her romantic relationship with Hayes fizzled at the beginning of Season 18. The show also reintroduced Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) as Meredith’s renewed love interest at the beginning of the current season, further complicating a path forward for MerHayes. 

Flood knows that fans would have wanted to see whether there was a future for the two of them had he stayed on the show. “I suppose you’d wonder would they have gotten together, would they not? If they had got together properly, would it have worked,” Flood said in the Deadline interview. “I think the fans may have liked to have seen more of what that dynamic might have been — it’s certainly, the response I’m getting — but it’s not really for me to say.”

Fans aren’t pleased Hayes is gone, or happy with Nick as his replacement

Ellen Pompeo and Richard Flood as Meredith Grey and Cormac Hayes (McWidow) in 'Grey's Anatomy'
Ellen Pompeo and Richard Flood as Meredith Grey and Cormac ‘McWidow’ Hayes in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ | Kelsey McNeal via Getty Images

Flood said he’s content to let the writers make the right calls for the show, but fans aren’t as convinced. In fact, many of them sounded off about how unhappy they were with the decision to have Hayes leave. 

“You did merhayes so WRONG. for what reason??” one Instagram commenter wondered. Another wrote, “Wasted history and character,” alluding to the chemistry that MerHayes had built up over three seasons. Another fan on Twitter seems to summarize the bulk of the commenters’ views: “I think Hayes and Grey should have gotten together. That made waaaaaayyy more sense than Minnesota dude. I’m not feeling it at all. #mcwidow all they [sic] way!” 
It’s clear that if Scott Speedman wants to continue in his role as Nick Marsh — and Meredith’s love interest — he’ll have to win over the bitter MerHayes contingent. That said, the show is continuing to build that love story despite fan protests. In Episode 13, Marsh comes home with Meredith to meet her three children — a big step forward for their relationship. Now that Hayes is out of the picture for good, it’s time to see if Meredith will have anything lasting with Nick.

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