Now that was an intense season premiere! Justin did stellar work throughout (no surprise there), and I’m so looking forward to watching what comes next for Alex Karev. Making the return of Grey’s even better, is the return of Justin giving interviews. He spoke with Entertainment Weekly about Alex’s storyline, what happened in the season premiere and why he’s chosen to stay on Grey’s. Check it out below.

Though Alex was hesitant to take responsibility for DeLuca’s condition, he made a shocking decision in the closing moments of the Grey’s Anatomy premiere by turning himself in to the police.

During the premiere, DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) is rushed to the hospital, but Alex (Justin Chambers) declines to share what happened to him. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) quickly deduces what happened, confronts Alex, and pushes him to turn himself in. While she initially helps him cover it up, Mer ultimately tells Bailey (Chandra Wilson) — but Alex has already turned himself in. What’s next? EW hit the set to find out from Chambers:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s Alex’s mindset right now when turning himself in?
JUSTIN CHAMBERS: His mindset is that he wants to be married, and he’s in love with Jo, and he wants to be her husband, and he wants her to be his wife, and she hasn’t given him an answer. DeLuca was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, and Alex has a lot of rage. He’s got a lot to be rageful about.

EW: How guilty does he feel over what he’s done?
JC: Right now, he’s just trying to pick up the pieces and try to glue it back together.

EW: This is a side we’ve never really seen from Alex before. How does this incident scare him?
JC: It’s a good question. I’ll know the farther I act it. It’s great to be on a show where they really dive into the characters, and everyone gets a little piece of the pie. These are moments that I relish. It’s a great gig. It’s just such an awesome job. I’m so grateful, and I enjoy it very much.

EW: Can you talk about the repercussions moving forward?
JC: I don’t know how that affects his medical license. I don’t know, but he’s… got to find redemption.

EW: Alex seems to have reverted back to the jerk we knew from the early seasons.
JC: I think two steps forward, one step back. I think the jerkier side’s going to come out, and I think he’s definitely taking a pit stop from trying to be more altruistic. He’s been wronged a lot, but he also has to take responsibility.

EW: How do you feel about going back to that side of Alex?
JC: It’s fun. It’s all fun. I’m just happy to work. Yeah, it’s glorious. It really is. Not to be corny, but it is.

EW: Let’s talk about how this is going to change his relationship with Jo.
JC: Obviously, [he’s] going to find out why she can’t marry him. I don’t know where that takes them from there, but he’s hurt, and he’s angry, and he’s wrong, but he’s also right.

EW: For Alex and Jo, do you think there’s…
JC: Hope? On this show, anything’s possible. Anything.

EW: How do you think he’ll feel when he finds out Jo Wilson is not Jo Wilson?
JC: I think angry, very angry, and hurt. Hurt’s usually always under anger. So hurt, very, very hurt.

EW: This is somebody who he finally opened himself up to after Izzie.
JC: Yeah, and it’s a facade, but there’s got to be a reason. He’s definitely going to be hurt in the beginning when he finds out, but people can work through things.

EW: Do you think he understands a little bit about running away from your past given his own past?
JC: Yeah, I would think so. I think he should be a little more empathetic, but they bonded over their past, and to leave that part of her past out, that’s a pretty big piece of her puzzle, so I think he’s going to feel very betrayed.

EW: How will Alex’s relationship with Maggie change after beating up her ex? Will it be difficult for them to come back from that?
JC: I believe so. I mean, as of what we’ve shot so far, I’ve seen her look at Alex with disgust. He messed up. He messed up. Messing up is not good. We got to clean it up if we mess it up.

EW: What was it that made you want to come back, ultimately, for season 13?
JC: A job. I like having a job. I like the people I work with. My boss is awesome. It’s great. Why not? I’ve got nowhere better to be. This is where I’m supposed to be, and I’m enjoying it.

EW: Do you feel like you’ve achieved what you wanted to achieve with this character and everything’s icing on the cake at this point?
JC: I’d like to see him settle and find real foundation with family. I think Alex would be a good dad, but maybe he’s supposed to be everyone’s dad as a doctor. I know that I still care to play him, so I’m interested in seeing where it goes, but I think Alex is going to be OK.