Grey’s Anatomy is not only one of the longest-running television programs in history, but it is also one of the most adored programs on the air. The show has been running for 19 seasons and is now in production for its 20th one.
Keeping 421 episodes engaging and in tune with the audience is difficult with the number of published episodes. However, the writers of Grey’s Anatomy have succeeded and maintained a 7.6 rating on IMDb thus far. It has been able to address a number of worrying topics that are now plaguing the nation and the world in order for these episodes of the show to receive the highest ratings and be most in touch with its audience.
10 “What a Difference a Day Makes” (Season 5, Episode 22)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) are finally poised to get married as Izzie (Katherine Heigl) fights her Stage IV metastatic cancer. Yet in an unexpected turn of events, Meredith chooses to give Izzie and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) her wedding instead of having the “Post-it wedding.”
The episode features Ingrid Michaelson‘s music, a lavish church wedding, and happy turns for two of the show’s most adored couples, making it so memorable in fans’ memories. Especially when George (T. R. Knight) walks Izzie down the aisle, and everything feels right for a moment.
9 “The Sound of Silence” (Season 12, Episode 9)
IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
The episode focuses on Meredith, who suffers severe injuries after being viciously attacked by a patient. The medical professionals at Grey Sloan Memorial hurry to treat her wounds and stay by her side throughout the traumatic ordeal. Other plots concern the events after Alex’s marriage proposal to Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Jackson’s (Jesse Williams) divorce filing against his wife, April (Sarah Drew).
The episode, directed by Denzel Washington, and depicts one of Meredith’s most terrible moments, is both fascinating and upsetting to watch. Moreover, the episode demonstrates how much the medical staff cares about and loves one another, as demonstrated by Alex’s ongoing efforts to blot up his tears when he sees Meredith and Amelia’s (Caterina Scorsone) immediate breakdown.
8 “Fear (of the Unknown)” (Season 10, Episode 24)
IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
Cristina’s tearful farewells to the series’ long-running ensemble are shown in this episode, which caps an entire season devoted to her. Also, it taunts viewers by implying that Cristina’s prognosis might be just as grim as some of the other doctors who departed the show before her. Yet, there is one thing fans know for sure Cristina cannot be killed off.
For Grey‘s fans in general, for those who admire Cristina and her unshakable friendship with Meredith, and for those who appreciate the writers’ succinct writing with so many memorable lines such as “He is not the sun. You are,” the episode is poignant on so many levels.
7 “Losing My Religion” (Season 2, Episode 27)
IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
In the second season’s finale, the interns also have to deal with the repercussions of severing Denny’s LVAD wire in an effort to exacerbate his condition and advance him on the transplant waiting list as Izzie arrives a bit late for her and Denny’s prom date. Meredith now must choose between Derek and her vet, Finn (Chris O’Donnell).
The episode has one of the most heartbreaking deaths as well as one of the most tragic love stories on the show. Moreover, the outfit, the songs, and the love ultimatum are all featured in the episode as it wraps up the show’s brilliant second season.
6 “As We Know It” (Season 2, Episode 17)
IMDb Rating: 9.4/10
Season 2 of the show also contains a duo episode that begins with the events in “It’s the End of the World” episode. In “As We Know It,” we see Dylan (Kyle Chandler), the leader of the bomb squad, assist Mer and the others in removing the bomb from the patient’s chest. However, the bomb, which is later removed, detonates in Dylan’s hands and nearly takes Meredith’s life.
The episode is extremely intense because there are so many things happening, and so many of our favorite characters’ faith is on the line. Moreover, the fact that Meredith willingly sliced her hand into the patient’s chest after the paramedic leaves also illustrates her suicidal tendencies. Also, Dylan’s death left fans heartbroken, even though he is known for only two episodes.
5 “It’s the End of the World” (Season 2, Episode 16)
IMDb Rating: 9.4/10
This episode is the prelude to “As We Know It” as it begins when a paramedic named Hannah (Christina Ricci) arrives at the hospital with her hands in the chest of a patient who has a bomb inside of him and the only thing preventing the live ammunition from going off is her hand. Meanwhile, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is in labor as her husband is being transported to the hospital in an ambulance.
Because viewers are split between all the events, caring about their favorite characters, and unsure of what may happen, the episode is just as compelling as its second half and one of the most nerve-wracking episodes ever. Fans are also furious with Hannah for removing her hands and with Meredith for putting in her own, which will all result in even more tragic occurrences in the future.
4 “Silent All These Years” (Season 15, Episode 19)
IMDb Rating: 9.5/10
The story of the episode revolves around a patient who is hospitalized after being raped. Realizing the circumstance, the personnel use their training to make the environment as safe as possible for her; one of the series’ most moving scenes is the scene of ladies lining the hallway as she is carried into surgery. Flashbacks also show that Jo is confronting her own difficult revelation when she learns she was placed for adoption following her birth mother’s rape.
The episode stands as one of Grey’s Anatomy‘s most significant and influential episodes because of its blunt honesty regarding rape kits, intrusive procedures survivors must go through, and directly and frankly addresses the alarming rape culture that is so prevalent not only in the United States but globally.
3 “Now or Never” (Season 5, Episode 24)
IMDb Rating: 9.5/10
The Grey’s Anatomy writers shock us by revealing that George was the John Doe who stopped in front of the bus to save the pedestrian in the previous episode while Izzie flatlines after undergoing brain surgery. The post-it wedding of Meredith and Derek is another major focus of this episode.
This episode ranks as one of the show’s most devastating ones and features one of the most heartbreaking deaths ever. Although George’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy is upsetting for the people who adore him, it is nonetheless believed to be a very fitting end to his tale.
2 “Sanctuary” (Season 6, Episode 23)
IMDb Rating: 9.7/10
In the first half of the Season 6 finale, a grieving widower (Michael O’Neill) arrives at Seattle Grace armed with a gun and begins killing everybody who gets in his way, including the doctors he thinks are to blame for his wife’s passing.
The episode is frightening, heartbreaking, and urgent, especially given the endemic nature of gun violence in the United States. Because viewers can’t help but sense the characters’ overwhelming terror and helplessness, it has the best acting in the entire show. It also defends the episode’s antagonist, who uses grief to make sense of his crime, yet neither the antagonist nor the victims are treated fairly by this.
1 “Death and All His Friends” (Season 6, Episode 24)
IMDb Rating: 9.7/10
“Death and All His Friends” is the second half of the Season 6 finale, along with “Sanctuary”, which continues to follow Bailey and her patient, Mary (Mandy Moore) as they strive in vain to save Percy (Robert Baker), who is dying from a gunshot wound. While Meredith and Cristina scramble to save the lives of the injured Derek and Owen.
The viewers can’t help but feel the terror and pain of losing their beloved characters to death, even when they are a screen away from the events that are shown in the show. The episode ends on a happy note for some of the major characters, while some aren’t as fortunate. One of Gary’s quotes indicating that he can purchase his gun at the superstore and receive a lot of ammunition because they were on sale, explicitly criticizes the US gun culture that is so accessible and careless with firearms, leading to so many unnecessary and pointless deaths.
