Grey's Anatomy is adding on to its 363 episodes, 16 seasons, and 15 years of television with the two-hour Season 17 premiere on Nov. 12. In honor of the show's return after Season 16 production shut down early due to COVID-19, I wanted to find out what are fans' favorite Grey's Anatomy moments. And of course, I needed to hear the moments they found the most devastating too... after all, this is Grey's Anatomy.
I asked seven people behind some Grey's Anatomy fan accounts to give me their opinion on three major questions:
- What episode have you rewatched the most?
- Which was the most painful character death?
- Who would you trust to be your doctor?
As established, there's been a whole lot of Grey's Anatomy content over the years. But even still, there are just some moments that unite the fandom... for better or worse. Check out their answers below and see if you agree ahead of Meredith Grey's triumphant return.
The Best Episode To Rewatch
A couple of super fans say the episode that they've rewatched the most is where it all began — the pilot episode. But with more than 350 episodes to choose from, the fans I spoke to also pointed to episodes from Seasons 5 (no, not the Izzie-Denny ghost sex episodes), 7, 10, and 15.
Season 1, Episode 1: "A Hard Day's Night"
"I love rewatching the first episode. Season 1, Episode 1. I rewatch it often, actually. It's so fun to go back and see where it all began, and look at how far the show has come to get to where we are now. So much pain and loss over the many seasons. But also so many wonderful memories and new cast members.
'The game. They say a person either has what it takes to play, or they don't. My mother was one of the greats. Me, on the other hand — I'm kinda screwed. ... I can't think of any one reason why I want to be a surgeon. But I can think of a thousand reasons why I should quit. They make it hard on purpose. There are lives in our hands. There comes a moment when it's more than just a game. And you either take that step forward or turn around and walk away. I could quit, but here's the thing... I love the playing field.'
This quote within that first episode keeps me going back and rewatching over and over. The characters introduced in that first episode will live on in the 'soul' of Grey's Anatomy forever."
–@The_GreyMethod on Twitter
"I think I rewatched 'A Hard Day's Night' the most because it's the very beginning and you can see how the show grew and changed. But also that episode is truly epic for me. I especially liked Richard's and Bailey's speeches."
–B. Elek, Grey's Confessions on Instagram
Season 5, Episode 5: "There's No 'I' in Team"
"This one was really hard! I think I'll have to go with Season 5, Episode 5, 'There's No 'I' in Team.' It contains Bailey's 'domino' surgeries, Meredith drops a kidney, and it also contains one of my favorite 'MerDer' scenes, when Derek gifts Meredith with the kidney in a jar! It's just such a classic Grey's feel to me and is definitely a top favorite of mine."
–Adriana, admin of Ellen Pompeo Source
Season 5, Episode 19: "Elevator Love Letter"
"That's very hard to narrow it down to one episode to be the favorite! I would say Season 5, Episode 19, 'Elevator Love Letter.' This is finally the moment where we finally see Meredith and Derek have a happy episode. When Derek proposes in the elevator, it gives you that sense of how much he loves her and knows her so well. He gives the definition of who Meredith is and is so proud of what she stands for. We've seen happy and sad moments of them in the elevator, so to have a full-circle moment with the engagement proposal there seems fitting."
–Angela Wood, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Uncensored on Facebook
Season 7, Episode 18: "Song Beneath the Song"
"I loved the musical episode because it came as a complete shock that our beloved characters could sing. I love that they worked together as a team to make sure Callie and Sofia were taken care of."
–Kayla Hunter, owner of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
Season 10, Episode 13: "Take it Back"
"This episode allows the fans to see a softer side to Alex. Even though he was still clearly angry with his father for walking out on the family years earlier, he showed compassion toward him and the ability to forgive as he sat with him while he died. I also love the end of the episode when we finally learn that Jackson and April got married! Meredith's monologue on the episode is my favorite:
'Every day a surgeon makes decisions that can go one of two ways. Either very good or very, very, very bad. The problem is, the epically great decisions and the epically bad ones look exactly the same when you’re making them. ... Looking back, it's easy to see when a mistake has been made. To regret a choice that seemed like a decent idea at the time. ... But if we used our best judgment and listened to our hearts, we're more likely to see that we chose wisely... and avoided the deepest, most painful regret of them all. The regret that comes from letting something amazing pass you by.'"
–Mandy Vance, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Fans on Facebook
Season 15, Episode 19: "Silent All These Years"
"As a survivor, it meant so much to me that they would do an episode like this. My favorite scene was when the lady who was sexually assaulted by a man was being pushed down the hall and ALL the women of the hospital came together and stood in the hallway. For her to have the support of other women was just phenomenal. That support from fellow women just touched me."
–Cassie Bortell, admin of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
The Most Painful Death
When it comes to the most heartbreaking death, there's a pattern and that pattern is Little Grey. While Derek and George are mourned too, Lexie's death in the Season 8 finale "Flight" is the one that destroyed the majority of the fans I spoke to.
Lexie
"Lexie Grey's death was painful for me. Meredith finally had a sister that she loved and knew loved her in return. She was able to look past some of her issues with Thatcher and allowed Lexie to be part of her family. Lexie loved Meredith! Meredith crying for Lexie at the scene of the plane crash is painful!"
–Mandy Vance, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Fans on Facebook
"For me, the most painful character death was Lexie. Her character was one that I resonated with from the time she joined the show. She was someone who did her best in everything she did, and wanted so badly to be included and liked by everyone. Her relationships throughout her time on Grey's were rocky, but as soon as she and Mark got together, I knew that was the perfect pair. They were so rocky in their relationship leading up to the plane crash and I was so excited for them to finally get a chance to work it out.
After the crash, her passing hit that much more knowing that there will never be any more Lexie, and even more so, no more Mark and Lexie. I would have loved to watch their relationship unravel even more given more time on the show."
–@The_GreyMethod on Twitter
"The most painful death was Lexi. She had so much more to do as a doctor I believe. I don't think she was given enough time with Meredith."
–Cassie Bortell, admin of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
"The most painful death for me was Lexie's. I think it's because she finally realized that Mark is her soulmate and they literally confessed their feelings for each other before she died, and her last words were, 'Meant to be.'"
–B. Elek, Grey's Confessions on Instagram
"Lexie was my most painful death. She didn't get to further her sister relationship with Meredith or [her romantic relationship with] Mark. I loved her and Meredith's relationship and I hated seeing Slexie not have the relationship they deserved. I hate how she didn't get a chance to really grow up. She didn't get to pick a specialty. Or have a chance to win a Harper Avery. She didn't get to be a badass surgeon that we knew she could be."
–Kayla Hunter, owner of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
Derek
"The most painful character death was Derek's because I was a diehard Meredith and Derek fan from the get-go. It was the worst. First watching him narrate his own death, and then hearing Meredith tell him, 'It's OK. You go. We'll be fine.' It was such a defining turning point of the show for me (and for Mer!). I won't lie when I say that it still bothers me to this day that I won't get to see the show end with those two together."
–Adriana, admin of Ellen Pompeo Source
George
"The most painful character death would be George. We never really saw that much of him, and then he was going to serve in the military. So it was totally not expected and for them not to get a moment to talk to him before he died. It was a sad ending since he was going to go do something with such purpose and happiness for doing it."
–Angela Wood, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Uncensored on Facebook
The Best Doctor
Move over, The Good Doctor. We're talking the best doctor of Grey's over here. Again, there's a pattern here with Meredith Grey being the surgeon that the fans would trust the most to work on them. And who can blame them? It is her show after all. Plus, Miranda and Cristina get some acknowledgment too.
Miranda Bailey, M.D.
"I would literally trust my life with Miranda Bailey. She is the hardest working and most dedicated woman. If anything happened to me in Grey's Anatomy world, she would be the one I request to save me."
–@The_GreyMethod on Twitter
Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D.
"Cristina Yang. Because she is very driven and tells things how they are and she pushes the limits with her work."
–B. Elek, Grey's Confessions on Instagram
"Definitely Cristina. Her bedside manner wasn't always the best but she was kick-ass and the best."
–Kayla Hunter, owner of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
Meredith Grey, M.D.
"Dr. Meredith Grey. Surgery is the boldest and most fearless of all the healing arts. Working in the OR myself I know all too well how true this is. Dr. Grey has the ability to devote herself 100% to her patients in surgery. She has their best interest at heart and does whatever it takes to save them. She goes above and beyond for her patients both in surgery and outside of the operating room.
The trials she has endured in her life, both professional and personal, have only made her a better surgeon. She is passionate about it. Trust me — if you are the one lying on that table in the operating room that's the type of surgeon whose hands you want to place your life in. 'Whoever said winning wasn't everything... never held a scalpel,' Dr. Meredith Grey."
–Mandy Vance, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Fans on Facebook
"The doctor who I trust to be my own doctor would probably have to be Meredith. I'm sure a lot of people would say that, but it's true. She, I feel, has the most drive to have all the answers. She makes sure that her diagnosis is correct. No one goes to the hospital to get an incorrect diagnosis (which happens far too often). She clearly would do anything for her patients and that's why I would trust her as my own [doctor]."
–Cassie Bortell, admin of All Things Grey's Anatomy on Facebook
"I think I'd trust most of the doctors in all honesty. They're all great at what they do and excel in their fields. But Meredith is always my first choice! One of Meredith's key traits is that she doesn't see things in black and white, she sees the grey areas. She cares deeply about her patients — indicated in scenes such as when she tampers with the Alzheimer's trial in Season 7, or more recently with the insurance fraud in Seasons 15 and 16. At this point in her career, she's also pretty level emotionally — or 'the calm in the center of the chaos,' as Bailey put it in Season 12. She's also an award-winning surgeon and she got there by working hard, not simply on the coattails of her mother's success. She knows her stuff and is an experienced, seasoned surgeon, so I'd be in quite capable hands."
–Adriana, admin of Ellen Pompeo Source
"I would have Meredith Grey be my doctor. She is a great multitasker, has great instincts, and is such a great advocator. She won't give up on you."
–Angela Wood, admin of the group Grey's Anatomy Uncensored on Facebook
These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Images: ABC