With close to two decades of content, Grey’s Anatomy has been both phenomenal and disappointing. For the past 20 years, ABC’s highly popular medical drama has had turnover in the writer’s room, drama behind the scenes, and devastating deaths. But when Grey’s Anatomy was good, it was beyond reproach.
Premiering in the mid-’00s, the series portrayed complex female characters, which were rare at the time. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) stood apart from many other protagonists on network television because she was dark and twisty and accepted this about herself. The rare commodity of an imperfect female character still holds up years after. Since the premiere episode, Grey’s Anatomy gripped audiences with its heartfelt storylines and dramatic romances held in the halls of Seattle Grace. Counting the best moments of the series is no easy feat with the number of years it has been on the air, but each one is just as important as the last.
Cristina and Meredith’s Iconic Line Sets the Thesis for the Show
In Grey’s Anatomy, romance comes and goes, but dark and twisty friendship is forever. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Meredith Grey’s bond is the central relationship of the series. Both characters recognize and appreciate each other’s flaws. The series makes this clear over and over again, starting in earnest in the Season 2 premiere. Cristina is horrified to learn that she is pregnant by Burke (Isaiah Washington), something that would significantly impact her career. She tells Meredith that she has decided to get an abortion, later explaining that the clinic has a policy of putting down an emergency contact.
“I put your name down. That’s why I told you I’m pregnant. You’re my person,” Cristina says. For the rest of the series, Cristina and Meredith call each other their person, a designation that means more than any romantic relationship they have. The friendship between Cristina and Meredith is the flagship one of the series, and it all starts with this scene.
Addison’s Arrival Sets the Tone For the Series
With only nine episodes in the first season of Grey’s Anatomy, it seemed unlikely that the series would gain any traction. Even the network had its doubts. But the season finale of the freshman season all but ensured that the series would continue. For the first eight episodes, Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Meredith struggle with their romantic relationship in light of her status as an intern. They finally come together in Episode 9, just in time for a bomb to drop. Derek is not only Meredith’s boss, but he also happens to be married. His estranged wife, Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), arrives in Seattle, intent on bringing her husband back to New York. Addison’s first appearance is as dramatic and shocking as it should be. As Derek and Meredith prepare to go off together, they are surprised to see a stranger approach the couple.
“You must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband,” Addison says, introducing herself as Derek’s wife. This scene sets up the tumultuous love triangle of Season 2 and is yet another obstacle for Derek and Meredith to hurdle. It also introduces Addison as a no-nonsense character who gets further development in the episodes to come.
Dylan Young’s Death Was a Shocking Loss
Season 2 began Grey’s Anatomy ‘swell practiced trend of disasters hitting the hospital, and the first one was the most explosive. After a patient enters Seattle Grace with a bomb inside his chest, Meredith is tasked with helping the head of the bomb squad, Dylan Young (Kyle Chandler). The no-nonsense character was a guiding light for Meredith in one of her darkest moments. Reeling from Derek’s rejection, she impulsively sticks her hand in the chest cavity of the patient. Dylan talks her through the experience in one of the most tense moments of the series.
| Dylan Young’s First Appearance | Dylan Young’s Last Appearance | No. of Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 16: “It’s the End of the World” | Season 3, Episode 17: “Some Kind of Miracle” | 4 |
Meredith makes it out of the scenario, but Dylan is not so lucky. The bomb detonates in an emotional conclusion for the character. The moment was so difficult that even Shonda Rhimes regretted killing the character. The series finds a way for Meredith to interact with him again during a later near-death experience, further drawing importance to the moment of Dylan’s death.
Izzie Cutting the LVAD Wire Was a Moment She Couldn’t Come Back From
Long before Jeffrey Dean Morgan became The Walking Dead‘s most infamous villain, he was a dying patient in Grey’s Anatomy. Denny Duquette was a character so monumental he would go on to impact the lives of the characters long after he was gone. But first, he falls in love with Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), who does just about anything to ensure that he gets better. Denny’s bad heart puts him on the transplant list, but because of his position, he can’t get the life-saving organ without getting worse first.
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan begged Shonda Rhimes not to kill him off.
- Even after Denny’s death, Jeffrey Dean Morgan would go on to reprise the character multiple times.
- Grey’s Anatomy was Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s big break before getting the role of The Comedian in Watchmen.
In a risky gamble, Izzie cuts the LVAD wire that keeps his heart going in order to get him an emergency organ. Her love for Denny causes her to make ethically compromising decisions before she even gets to be a resident. Izzie shows no remorse for what she has done, and it leads her down a path of self-destruction.
No One Will Ever Forget Denny’s Death
From the moment Shonda Rhimes conceived of Denny in Season 2, she planned for him to die. The terminal patient immediately connects with Izzie in a doctor-patient relationship that quickly becomes unethical. Izzie risks it all for Denny, including her career, and for a time, it seems as though it will work out. Denny gets his new heart, and Izzie agrees to marry him. But in one of the most devastating moments in the entirety of the series, the relationship ends tragically.
After the operation, a blood clot travels forms, and Denny dies from a stroke. He dies quickly and unexpectedly, breaking Izzie’s heart. Viewers don’t see Izzie discover him, only the aftermath as Meredith and the other interns walk in to see her cradling her dead finacé, decked out in the iconic pink prom dress. Though heartbreaking, the moment was a definitive one for the series, cementing the show as a true tearjerker.
Meredith Was the First Pick Me Girl
In recent years, scenes like Season 2, Episode 5 have come under scrutiny. The sophomore season of Grey’s Anatomy focuses on the love triangle between Meredith, Derek, and Addison. Though for a time, Meredith tries to walk away from Derek and his complex marriage, she ultimately breaks, stating in no uncertain terms: “Pick me. Choose me. Love me.”
In the two decades since the episode aired, the culture surrounding relationships has changed and characters like Meredith deserve better than having to beg a man to choose them. Even so, there is something admirable about Meredith’s forthrightness. She is tired of being a second choice and feeling the pain of abandonment. Her speech still rings true for anyone in the throes of heartache and is one of the most memorable moments in the Derek and Meredith relationship timeline.
Meredith’s Ferry Incident Is a Breakthrough for the Character
Season 3 keeps up with the tradition of disasters in Grey’s Anatomy when a ferry boat accident almost takes Meredith’s life. When helping with the triage effort, Meredith falls into the bay and lets the water take her. She is dealing with her mother’s rejection of her, allowing it to suffocate her physically and literally. For a moment, she stops fighting and lands in a strange limbo where she sees Denny and Dylan again. The trajectory of the episode is meant to push Meredith to a very important conclusion, and by the end of the traumatic event, she finally does.
Meredith realizes that she has been pushing Derek away and is afraid to commit because of the emotional trauma from her mother. Before slipping away completely, Meredith vocalizes how stupid it is to have commitment issues and comes back to the land of the living. The scene focuses on the dark topic of suicide and gives Meredith one of her greatest moments of character development in the series. It is the first step Meredith takes to accept herself outside of her mother’s perception of her and views Derek as a committed partner.
Lexie’s Death Rocked the World of Grey’s Anatomy
Death comes for many in the world of Grey’s Anatomy, but Lexie Grey’s (Chyler Leigh) death stands apart. Though not the first main character to die prematurely in the series, her departure marks one of the best episodes of the series. In Season 8, Episode 24: “Flight,” the doctors of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital deal with the ramifications of a plane crash. Many characters have trauma from the accident for many episodes to come, but Lexie’s death hits the hardest.
Trapped under a part of the plane, Lexie understands that she is dying. Leigh, in the role of Lexie, gives a phenomenal performance that was commended by many outlets at the time of its airing. Perhaps one of the most undeserving characters to die in such a way, this heartfelt goodbye was a masterclass in writing and acting.
Meredith and Derek’s Post-it Wedding Was Perfect for the Couple
The journey to the altar was a long time coming for Derek and Meredith, but even their best moment didn’t take place there. Meredith’s commitment issues and Derek’s other romances always put them at odds. After they finally decide to tie the knot, however, there is no going back. In one of the most romantic displays of affection, they show their love for each other by writing their vows on a Post-it note, the only piece of paper Meredith has on her.
They promise to love each other, never run away, and in a particularly important note, Derek promises to remind Meredith who he is if she ever succumbs to Alzheimer’s like her mother. They agree to be with each other forever, a scene that has even more weight upon Derek’s death later in the series.
Cristina’s Departure Was an Emotional Send-Off
A decade after Grey’s Anatomy premiered, the series said goodbye to one of the best cardio surgeons around. Sandra Oh retired from her role as Cristina Yang when the doctor decided to take a research position in Switzerland. The cutthroat surgeon is arguably the best character in the series, and saying goodbye to her was no easy thing. But her parting words to Meredith celebrate a decade of friendship.
Cristina tells Meredith not to put everything into her relationship with Derek. To her, Meredith is far more important than Derek for Meredith’s own safety. These words vocalize what the series has always been about. Two dark and twisty women who love each other implicitly.
