Bye, George! Is 'Grey's' killing off T.R. Knight?

Whatever cliff-hanger Grey's Anatomy has in store in its May 14 season finale, it'll probably pale in comparison to the one T.R. Knight is experiencing in real life.

Last fall, the actor -- frustrated by his lack of airtime -- asked to be released from his multiyear Grey's contract. Now, as I first reported in Ask Ausiello, his wish may be granted by an upcoming story line that finds (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) George marching off to war as an Army medic. Just as the season wraps up, George gets injured in the line of duty, leaving his fate up in the air for viewers -- and even Knight himself. "T.R. doesn’t know whether George lives or dies," explains a source close to the show. "And, as a result, he doesn't know whether or not he has to come back next season."

Legally speaking, Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes has until mid-June to decide whether to drop Knight -- and all indications are she will use every last second of that time. Some are suggesting she may be forcing Knight to sweat it out as payback for wanting to jump ship. (The two have had a strained relationship since the Isaiah Washington blowup in 2006.) While Knight's rep and Rhimes both declined to comment, a Grey's insider scoffs at such a notion. "At the end of the day, Shonda is going to do what's best for the show," maintains the source. "Everything else is just idle gossip."

What do you think is best for the show at this point: Cutting Knight loose via a season-ending tragedy, or forcing him to return next season for an indeterminate period of time (thus dragging out this off screen soap opera even longer)? Sound off below!