'Grey's Anatomy' boss vetoes controversial Alex/Izzie plot

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/10/29/greys-anatomy-spoiler-alex-izzie/

It appears Izzie Stevens has cheated death once more.

In an effort to give Alex/Izzie fans some closure in the wake of Katherine Heigl’s abrupt departure last spring, Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes contemplated bringing their love story to a tragic end this season. She stops short of saying cancer survivor Izzie would’ve died off screen, but — keep reading and do the math.

“We discussed a lot of options, and the one we settled on felt like the [best idea] without having Izzie actually there,” she explains. “But it also felt like the cruelest possible thing.”

Ultimately, Rhimes couldn’t go through with it. “It was ready to go, but then I went home and literally couldn’t sleep,” she recalls. “It just felt so mean. It wasn’t closure; it just felt brutal. Alex might have never recovered from it. And the audience who loved Izzie would’ve been devastated. So we didn’t do it.”

What now? “I’m open to seeing Izzie again,” she says. “So if [Katherine] were to come back, we would be thrilled to [wrap up her story]. But if she doesn’t, we’ll just move on.”