Top 10 Bailey Moments on Grey's Anatomy
#10: The Bulletin Board “I Am a Tree”
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No one tried harder than Dr. Bailey to stay out of the messy personal lives of her fellow surgeons. But she was the first to get involved when the drama threatened the integrity of the hospital she loved. When intern Meredith Grey and neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd suddenly restarted their relationship at the end of season two, they left a little something behind… Something that Derek’s wife, Addison Montgomery, took it upon herself to pin to the bulletin board. This prompts Bailey to ask a blunt question… That’s Dr. Bailey for you. Always willing to ask the questions no one else wants to.
#9: April’s Maiden Voyage “Slow Night, So Long”
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For all those times when Bailey seemed like the only responsible adult at Grey Sloan Memorial, no one else was more fun to watch act like a drunken fool. A prime example is this season 7 episode, when the devout Dr. April Kepner considers losing her virginity to hospital lothario Alex Karev. Bailey, strapped to a banana bag for hangover relief, gives Kepner some very sound sailing advice. Her warning turns out to be exactly what Kepner needs to hear. Sometimes the only person wiser than a sober Dr. Bailey is a drunk Dr. Bailey.
#8: 31 Flavors of Wrong “If Only You Were Lonely”
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Dr. Bailey’s love-hate relationship with Dr. Derek Shepherd and his perfect hair has been one of the staples of “Grey’s Anatomy” since it began in 2005. When Meredith and Derek adopted their baby girl Zola, Derek was clearly in over his head and didn't even know it. It wasn’t until Bailey took the time to point out—in her characteristically loving, but irreverent tone—that his daughter’s hair was “31 flavors of wrong” that he even knew there was a problem. It was a necessary reminder that even when Bailey dresses you down, she means it with love.
#7: You Don’t Scare Me “If Tomorrow Never Comes”
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At Grey Sloan Memorial, the interns are the lowest of the low and the attendings are gods—tall, handsome, and brilliant. But not to Miranda Bailey. When she sniffed out Derek Shepherd’s affair with her intern, Meredith Grey, Shepherd made the mistake of trying to pull rank on her. Her iconic response: a dig at his overly moussed hair and a reminder that she's not scared of him. Though she was a resident, caught between the top and bottom rungs of the hospital hierarchy, she did not suffer fools, no matter how powerful they were.
#6: Bailey’s Pitch for Chief “Sledgehammer”
Just when it seemed like Miranda Bailey had a clear path to become the Grey Sloan Memorial's first female Chief of Surgery, she realized she had stiff competition in Dr. Tracy McConnell, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon. Forced to pitch herself to the hospital’s board members, many of whom were her friends, colleagues, and even former interns, Bailey reminded them of her devotion to the hospital. The Chief of Surgery job, she said, was made for her and belonged to her. If it was hard to say no to Bailey before, watching her deliver a rousing speech while she was wrist deep in a cholecystectomy patient made it impossible.
#5: Five Rules “A Hard Day’s Night”
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No “Grey's" fan worth their salt could forget the first time we ever met the terrifying, no-nonsense surgical resident also known as “The Nazi.” On their first day at the hospital, Bailey treated her eager and rightfully terrified interns to a well-rehearsed explanation about their place in the hospital’s pecking order. That place? The bottom, of course. Her classic “five rules” monologue not only served to strike the fear of God into her interns, but it also set the tone for the entire show. Bailey’s hardline approach to teaching and surgery would serve as a main source of conflict throughout the show’s early seasons.
#4: Undiscovered Country “Brave New World”
How many times did Bailey have to say she had no interest in her colleagues’ social lives? Never enough, evidently, because it was her advice the other doctors most often sought when they needed to hear the hard truths about life. That was the case for orthopedic surgeon Dr. Callie Torres in this season 5 episode. Hesitant about going on a date with another woman for the first time, Torres didn’t know who else to turn to for advice. For all her plain speaking and straightforwardness, Bailey was more comfortable using metaphors to describe this “undiscovered country.”
#3: Shooting at Seattle Grace “Death and All His Friends”
“Grey’s Anatomy” wouldn’t be what it is without a dose of drama and tragedy. In this two-part season 6 storyline, a shooting event gripped the hospital, leaving many beloved characters’ lives in jeopardy. After coming face to face with the shooter, Bailey cared for the wounded Dr. Percy, who needed emergency surgery if he was going to live. Trapped in one of the upper floors of the hospital, Bailey was frantic when she realized the power to the elevators had been cut. She screamed for someone to turn them back on but to no avail. Realizing there was no chance to save Percy, Bailey did the only thing she could do. She comforted him in his last moments.
#2: Bailey Gives Birth “As We Know It”
They say you can separate all of time into two eras: before Dr. Miranda Bailey said the word “vajayjay” on network television and after. In another of “Grey’s Anatomy”s epic two-parters, a pregnant Bailey returned to Seattle Grace Hospital to give birth on the most unfortunate day ever. An unconscious patient has a bomb in his chest cavity that could obliterate the hospital at any moment. Meanwhile, Bailey’s husband, Tucker, was in a car accident and couldn’t be there to help her through labor. Enter George O’Malley. The intern soon realized that even mid-childbirth, Bailey was still able to make him shake in his scrubs. It’s a hilarious moment in an otherwise hair-raising episode. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: No Surgeon Left Behind, “Make Me Lose Control” Bailey Won't Leave Cristina After Her Surgery A Pep Talk, “What I Am” Bailey Gives Addison Montgomery a Pep Talk Bailey’s Marriage Is Over, “Now or Never” Bailey Talks About Leaving Her Husband The Proposal, “Flight” Miranda Proposes to Ben Berating the Interns, “It’s the End of the World” Bailey Comes Back from Maternity Leave
#1: Defending Mark “The Becoming”
No one gives a speech about professionalism in the workplace quite like Dr. Bailey. Perfect example: this iconic season 4 moment. When the nurse’s union files a formal complaint against Dr. Mark Sloan for his many extracurricular activities with them, Bailey takes it upon herself to defend him. No matter how hard her exterior may seem, she is always willing to help a fellow doctor in need. It’s just that when she does, she usually does it with her own unique flair. Everything Bailey stands for is on display in this moment: her fierce friendship, her professionalism, and her very special way of being honest and hilarious in the same breath.
