Top 20 Most Shocking Grey's Anatomy Moments
#20: Derek Is Meredith’s Boss
“A Hard Day’s Night”
It’s the big shocker that started it all. When we first meet Meredith Grey, she’s a surgical intern who spent the night before her first day at Seattle Grace Hospital on a one-night stand. Once she gets to work, she’s in for a series of shocks. The breakneck pace of the hospital has nothing on the realization that the god-like neurosurgeon is actually her paramour from the night before. It’s the kind of mix-up that romantic comedies live and die on. But Meredith’s mortified reaction is understandable. Not only do they work in the same hospital. Derek Shepherd is also, essentially, her superior.
#19: Burke Returns
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
Nearly seven years after he was written out of the show, Isaiah Washington returned to the role of “Cardio God” Dr. Preston Burke. When Cristina flies to Switzerland to speak at a seminar, she’s as shocked to see Burke in the audience as we are. Anyone who knows anything about the behind-the-scenes machinations of “Grey’s” knows he was fired under some controversial circumstances. To see him back is bittersweet. But his reappearance is well-timed. His offer for Cristina to head up a prestigious cardio program provides the exit ramp for Sandra Oh’s beloved character after ten seasons.
#18: Adele’s Death
“Things We Said Today”
Chief of Surgery Dr. Richard Webber watched as his wife struggled with dementia. In season 9, Adele’s sudden medical emergency delays Miranda Bailey’s wedding. Once the festivities finally get under way, Webber arrives just in time. But he keeps the truth to himself. Only Meredith is able to see the pain in his eyes. Adele had a fatal heart attack. The two watch Bailey dance with her new husband, not wanting grief to overshadow the happiest day of her life. No show can put a damper on what should be a festive occasion like “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s one of those devastating plot twists the show does so well.
#17: Cristina’s Injury
“Dream a Little Dream of Me”
Romances on this show often happen under bizarre circumstances. Dr. Cristina Yang owes her relationship with Dr. Owen Hunt to a falling icicle. In the fifth season premiere, Yang is downed by the sharp icicle that impales her abdomen—you know, just one of those things that happens at Seattle Grace. But as surprising as it is, it really makes for some great comedy. She is carried inside by Owen, a new arrival, jump-starting their contentious romance. And it does give us the opportunity to see Yang as the patient who insists on treating herself, which is always fun.
#16: The Train Crash
“Into You Like a Train”
“Grey’s Anatomy” has done crisis episodes like no other. In season 2, the surgeons are faced with a mass casualty incident involving a train crash. Two patients are brought into the hospital, attached by a metal pole. It’s a gruesome sight. The two were strangers before the accident that literally brought them together. Shocking even for primetime network TV, the reveal is nothing compared to the choice the doctors are forced to make when they realize only one of them can be saved. It’s soap-opera levels of melodrama made human by the incredible acting and Emmy-winning writing.
#15: Abby’s Story
“Silent All These Years”
In one of the show’s most urgent and culturally-significant episodes, the female doctors of Grey-Sloane Memorial Hospital rally around Abby, a patient who is not being fully transparent about injuries she sustained. But as each new fact is uncovered, it becomes clear she has experienced a traumatic attack. As the show unfurls her story, peppering in real facts about how such cases work in the real world, it adds a whole new dimension to a prevalent social ill. As Abby undergoes surgery, she is wheeled through the corridor lined with women on both sides.
#14: Callie Loses Custody of Sofia
“Mama Tried”
Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins’ relationship crumbled so spectacularly it’s hard to fathom just how far they fell. Their divorce was bitter and emotional. But the result is finally revealed at the end of season 12. Meredith, who has been watching Sofia for them, takes Sofia to the front door to find Arizona standing there. It’s how we find out that Callie lost custody of their daughter. Having watched the whole storyline play out, it’s such a shocking conclusion. By letting us find out visually instead of through dialogue, it makes it hit that much harder when Callie breaks down.
#13: Meredith Gets Attacked
“The Sound of Silence”
Lou, a neuro patient, experiences a medical crisis in season 12. After suffering a seizure, he experiences a common symptom called post-seizure hyper-aggression, and he attacks Meredith while she works his case. Her injuries are life-threatening. The scene is sudden, brutal, and hard to watch. Told from Meredith’s perspective as she is unable to speak or hear, the entire episode is “Grey’s Anatomy” at its most urgent, upsetting, and visceral.
#12: Hospital Shooting
“Sanctuary”/“Death and All His Friends”
In the season 6 finale, a distraught husband who lost his wife on a Seattle Grace operating table enters the hospital. He’s looking for Derek, his deceased wife’s doctor. What follows are two of the most tense hours of TV the show has ever produced. Two notable characters, Derek and Alex, are shot by the intruder. The hits just keep coming as one by one, entire storylines and characters are done away with. But the second hour has an even bigger shock. Owen arrives in the OR and realizes the shooter is holding Derek’s surgical team hostage, preventing them from helping him.
#11: Derek Is Married
“Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
Just when intern Meredith lets herself be okay with dating her boss, the first season ends with a major wrinkle in their plans. Derek’s wife shows up at Seattle Grace. That he’s a married man is news to Meredith. More than that, though, she knows all about Meredith and Derek’s extracurricular activities. Her entrance is peak “Grey’s.” The appearance of Dr. Addison Montgomery might seem like old news now, but back when it first aired, this was a major cliffhanger. Audiences had to wait a whole summer to see how the lovingly termed MerDer navigated this bombshell.
#10: Meredith’s Near-Death Experience
“Some Kind of Miracle”
A ferryboat accident brings much of the staff of Seattle Grace to the situation, where Meredith tries to help an injured man. In his hysteria, the man ends up knocking Meredith in the water, where she’s helpless to do anything but drown. However, the real shocker happens after she wakes up, or at least when she thinks she’s woken up. With the ghost of Denny welcoming her, Meredith realizes she’s trapped in limbo. The surprises don’t stop there either, as she meets some other deceased patients from her past in the hospital. After she comes to terms with why she didn’t fight for her life, Meredith meets her own mother, revealing her death at the very moment that Meredith’s about to resuscitate.
#9: Izzie & George Meet at the Elevator
“Now or Never”
Following surgery to treat her tumor, Izzie falls into a dreamlike state. Resembling the night she’d come across the death of a loved one wearing the same dress, Izzie enters the elevator just as before. However, she’s visibly of two minds, making it ambiguous as to what’s waiting for her on the other side. It’s when the doors open that it becomes apparent what’s taking place. The scene cuts to both Izzie and George, who’s been in an accident of his own, flatlining at the same time. With the elevator symbolizing the place between life and death, the season concludes without making it clear if Izzie decides to join George.
#8: Jackson Objects to April’s Wedding
“Get Up, Stand Up”
Jackson and April are always going to be remembered for their turbulent love story. After starting out as friends and becoming more, they hit multiple snags in their relationship before April starts dating Matthew. Although clearly jealous, Jackson refuses to do anything about it, that is until he witnesses her about to be married. At first, it seems as if he might have second thoughts about his decision, before throwing caution to the wind and revealing his feelings right in the middle of the wedding. Understandably, each guest is left speechless at this sudden interruption, as a stunned silence fills the room. Eventually, the two are shown happily escaping from the chapel, making Jackson’s decision truly worth the risk.
#7: Burke Leaves Cristina at the Altar
“Didn’t We Almost Have It All?”
From the beginning of their attraction to one another, it’s clear that Cristina was more interested in Preston Burke the doctor than Burke the person. This severely impacts their relationship for years, as Cristina is unable to fully commit. Once she sticks by him through the debacle with Burke developing a hand tremor, it seems there’s nothing this couple can’t overcome. On the day of their wedding day, though, it’s clear Cristina might be getting cold feet right before the big moment. However, unforeseen disaster strikes when it’s Burke who walks out on Cristina instead, claiming he’s setting her free. Not only does he leave her at the altar, but Burke also steps away from her life completely.
#6: Alex Returns to Izzie
“Leave a Light On”
Out of all the characters, Alex Karev probably had the most character development. Going from a friendless jerk to becoming Meredith’s person, and a seemingly loving husband, it seemed he’d put the past behind him. However, his friends are given the shock of their lives when Alex writes that he's reunited with his ex-wife Izzie and has two children with her. Considering how Izzie had broken things off with him to disappear for years, this information is completely out of the blue. It’s an even bigger surprise for Alex’s current wife Jo, whom he simultaneously sends divorce papers. After all the ups and downs they’d been together, Alex abandoning her this way is a reality that’s hard to stomach.
#5: Seattle Grace Explodes
“As We Know It”
The arrival of a paramedic holding a patient’s wound turns out to have dire consequences. It’s soon revealed there's unexploded ammunition inside of him. With just the paramedic’s hold keeping the bomb from exploding, almost the entire hospital is evacuated. To make matters worse, Meredith is left as the one holding the bomb once the paramedic has a nervous breakdown. Surprisingly, things start going pretty smoothly afterwards, as the explosive is removed safely. So of course, it's just when it seems the day’s saved when it all comes crashing down, as Meredith witnesses the bomb go off while in the hands of the bomb squad leader. Having seen death up close, a barely conscious Meredith remains in shock as her friends then try to comfort her.
#4: Derek’s Death
“How to Save a Life”
The once impenetrable marriage of Meredith and Derek is put on the rocks once he’s offered a permanent position in Washington DC., where his business trips were becoming more and more frequent. Once it becomes clear that their relationship is suffering, Derek chooses his marriage over his career and to remain in Seattle. While on his way to making one final trip to DC, he comes across a car accident, where he uses his skills as a doctor to help resolve the situation. Unfortunately, just when it seems like things will be okay, the scene cuts to a stunned Derek seeing an incoming truck crashing into his car. Even though things look bleak, it seems as if Derek might pull through as he tries to fight by remaining conscious. However, his fate is sealed when Meredith herself gives him her blessing to move on, and puts an end to MerDer forever.
#3: Denny’s Passing
“Losing My Religion”
Denny Duquette’s case inspired a lot of drama, both ethically and personally for the characters. After trying to keep her attraction to Denny at bay, Izzie finally succumbs to her feelings and accepts his proposal. Due to constant problems with him receiving a heart, she resorts to cutting off Denny’s LVAD wire so he receives a heart first. When this is a success, it seems Izzie and Denny might finally get to be together. However, during the night of an impromptu prom at the hospital, Izzie excitedly arrives to celebrate with Denny, only to find her fiance has passed away. When her friends arrive, they find her numb with shock and holding onto his body, destroying any future they might have had.
#2: John Doe Is George
“Now or Never”
After struggling his way through the series, George acknowledges his talent for trauma surgery, going so far as to enlist as a doctor for the army. Strangely, this announcement isn’t given much attention in the season five finale, where the story shifts toward treating a John Doe patient. While the main cast is busy trying to treat Izzie, John Doe tries to communicate to Meredith. It’s here where it’s revealed that the mysterious patient was actually George all along. Having jumped in front of a bus to save a person’s life, poor George is left completely unrecognizable. Now at death’s door, he can do nothing other than let his friends know who he is before the end arrives.
#1: The Plane Crash
“Migration”
With Meredith and her colleagues making post-residency plans, and Mark and Lexie’s relationship still uncertain, a tragedy is the last thing on anybody’s minds. However, just when Meredith contemplates bird migration, the scene cuts to absolute havoc as she finds herself in the wreckage of a plane crash. Things turn out to be far worse than expected, with Derek, Arizona, and Mark nursing severe injuries. The most shocking outcome from the crash is what happens to Lexie, who’s crushed under the debris of the plane. Despite the efforts of her friends, the younger Grey sister succumbs to her injuries, leaving her love story with Mark unresolved. With no way to contact the outside world, and being stranded in a forest, the doctors have no choice but to wait out this predicament and try to stay alive.
Which of these incredible moments did you see live as it aired? Let us know in the comments.
