Why Alex Has No Reason To Be Jealous About Link On 'Grey's Anatomy'

Jo Wilson (she’s married to Alex Karev now, but she will always be a Wilson to me) is one of the most endearingly complicated characters on Grey’s Anatomy. She’s also one of the strongest and most badass. After overcoming a crummy childhood, she met and married an abusive man, ran away from him, and built a brand-new life for herself in Seattle. Now, a blast from her past is at Grey Sloan, but how exactly do Link (ugh, that name) and Jo know each other. Did Link and Jo date on Grey’s Anatomy? Not exactly, but he does know Jo from her old life.

Link (whose name is Atticus Lincoln, and yes, everyone, including Meredith Grey, wants to know why he just calls himself “Link”) is the new “ortho god” at Grey Sloan, and that’s about all we know about him. He’s down to hook up, though, as he’s been flirting with every woman at Grey Sloan since he’s arrived. The one exception, though, is Jo ¬— they were shocked to see each other in the hallways of the hospital, but Jo seemed genuinely happy to see a familiar face from her past. Now that Paul, her ex, is dead (no one is sad about this) and she’s married to Alex, Jo is so much freer than she was in previous seasons.

Of course, when Alex found out that hot new guy Link and Jo knew each other, he wanted to know in what capacity. Typical jealous Alex. Jo said they were friends — “we waited tables together. He was like my brother,” she told Alex. Of course, Alex confronted Link, and Link admitted that Jo and he were just friends back on the East Coast and that he had absolutely no idea that Paul was an abuser. Link said that he backed away from Jo because Paul didn’t want her to have any friends, but if he had known that Paul was assaulting Jo behind closed doors, he would have taken care of it. Now, Alex and Link can be friends because they are both tough men who love Jo. Or something.

Jo is happy with Alex, and Link may have his sights set on Meredith Grey. He keeps flirting with her, and, as Chris Carmack, who plays Link, told Entertainment Tonight, “Whatever happens, happens.” That doesn’t sound like a denial of Meredith and Link eventually hooking up, does it?

In all honesty, Jo’s love storyline could use a break. She and Alex are finally happy and married. Why don’t we get Meredith a little loving? I know, Mer-Der ‘shippers — one true pairing and all that. But Derek is dead, and Meredith can’t be expected to mourn for her entire life. She's smart, funny, capable, and has even expressed an interest in playing the field again, going so far as to hire a matchmaker. Maybe a younger guy like Link is what she needs in her life. So, uh, Grey’s Anatomy, can we please just give her that? The woman's been alone for far too long.