Grey’s Anatomy has certainly secured its spot on primetime television, and it seems that nothing will shake this ground-breaking medical drama. One of the best things about this show is that it can effortlessly create bundles of tension. So, whether it’s a major disaster or a simple break-up, this show knows how to captivate its bustling audience.
The long-running medical drama has also created a ton of immense season finales. Not only do these endings force audiences to experience major cliffhangers, but they also encourage them to wait for the next season. But, with so many season finales to choose from, only a few can be crowned superb.
20. Meredith Has to Come Clean
Season 7, Episode 22, “Unaccompanied Minor”
Generally, Season 7 was quite depressing and didn’t have the same charm and allure that fans were used to. In “Unaccompanied Minor,” it’s finally time for Meredith to face the music and admit that she compromised the Alzheimer’s trial. But before Grey can wallow in her own misery, she has to help the survivors of a nearby plane crash.
While this is not a terrible episode per se, a lot of fans were left feeling frustrated. Meredith’s reckless actions meant that this life-saving trial would be cut short, impacting millions of people living with this terrible disease. But, because the show is centered around her, a lot of fans can’t help but think that this episode made Meredith seem like a victim. Overall, this episode just proves that Meredith will never really face the consequences of her actions, forcing important people like Derek to push themselves away from her.
19. The Doctors are Reminded of Derek’s Death
Season 11, Episode 24, “You’re My Home”
The highlight of Season 11 is arguably Derek’s death, which shook fans to their core. As expected, the season finale struggles to top this drama and instead decides to focus on how the team is coping after the loss of one of their own. To top it all off, Catherine and Richard cancel their engagement.
“You’re My Home” is incredibly emotional and really highlights the talent of these actors, but in terms of dramatic action, nothing really happens. At times, this episode feels as if it’s filled with dialogue, but the characters aren’t really saying anything that drives the plot forward. As such, this finale feels as if it’s a more somber reaction to “How to Save a Life,” which took place a few episodes before.
18. An Explosion Puts Everybody’s Lives at Risk
Season 13, Episode 24, “Ring of Fire”
Season 13 went out with a bang, literally, when a huge fire engulfed Grey Sloan. While some would argue that this episode is entirely too much and very unrealistic, others would agree that moments like this are when Grey’s Anatomy comes alive. As Meredith and the gang try to guide everyone to safety, Stephanie is busy walking through the flames to save Erin. Nathan Riggs is still carrying out surgery, which only makes everything seem so much more tense.
There’s a lot going on in this episode, but that’s the point. “Ring of Fire” doesn’t distract audiences with a steamy sex scene or an awkward elevator moment like it usually does. Instead, this episode places every individual in danger and forces the audience to eagerly wait and see if their favorite character survives.
17. Cristina’s Wedding Day Doesn’t Go as Planned
Season 3, Episode 25, “Didn’t We Almost Have it All”
Cristina Yang and Preston Burke are still one of Grey’s Anatomy’s strangest pairings, but a lot of fans still wanted to see them enjoy their special day. But as the pair prepare to tie the knot at the end of Season 3, Burke finally lets Yang go and admits to himself that she isn’t really ready to get married after all. From there, the pair goes their separate ways.
While fans will never understand why anyone would want to hurt Cristina Yang, this episode really allowed Sandra Oh to shine. For the first time, Yang was her own character with her own struggles, not just Meredith’s best friend. The couple’s split may not have been surprising, but Oh’s passionate performance in this episode still gives fans goosebumps.
16. Ben Leaps Into Action to Help April
Season 12, Episode 24, “Family Affair”
“Family Affair” showcases the duality of a show like Grey’s Anatomy. While Meredith and her sisters try to support Amelia on her wedding day, Ben Warren tries to complete a C-section on a kitchen table. After April goes into labor, she tells Ben that she wants to have the baby at Meredith’s house, but Ben is forced to perform a cesarean when he discovers that there’s a footling reach.
So, not only does Ben have to deliver a child, but he is forced to sanitize all of his equipment with dish soap. This subplot does well to keep audiences engaged, especially since they have seen countless weddings throughout Grey’s Anatomy’s history. Plus, placing Ben Warren in the spotlight was a great way of showing off his versatile skills and passion.
15. Problems Arise at Alex and Jo’s Wedding
Season 14, Episode 24, “All of Me”
For some unknown reason, Grey’s Anatomy loves to ruin a perfectly good wedding, and Alex and Jo were not immune to this trend. Although April tries her hardest to keep things under control, things go awry when the wedding planner goes into anaphylactic shock after eating a shrimp.
Although this seems like a very predictable source of tension, “All of Me” redeems itself with its humor. Alex and Jo get stuck in a run-down barn after sneaking away from the crowd to have sex, and Jackson goes to the wrong wedding entirely. Even though Grey’s Anatomy is far from a conventional sitcom, funny moments like this prove that it still knows how to have fun every now and again.
14. Meredith’s Alzheimer’s Trial Runs Into New Problems
Season 20, Episode 10, “Burn It All Down”
After tampering with her previous Alzheimer’s trial and getting her husband blacklisted by the FDA, Meredith is somehow still able to complete research into the progression of the disease. At the end of Season 20, Amelia and Meredith present their findings to Catherine Fox, who believes that the latter used funding from the foundation to support her research.
Fox then gives Meredith an ultimatum: either she hands over her work to Tom Koracick, or she loses her job. Although this episode doesn’t contain the same sort of disasters that fans are used to, it actually tied up some loose ends. Audiences finally discover more about Meredith’s research and really learn about how much it means to her. Plus, considering this season was cut short because of the writers’ strikes, this episode did well to pack in a ton of tension.
13. Meredith and Alex Have a Heart to Heart
Season 15, Episode 25, “Jump Into the Fog”
As a heavy layer of fog swarms Seattle, the hospital is packed full of people. But Alex and Meredith are tucked away in a hyperbaric chamber as they await a blood transfusion to arrive for a little boy. Thus, all she can do is chat with Alex about Jo’s worsening struggles with her mental health.
This is a really nice moment, especially for long-time fans of the show. With Derek and Cristina out of the picture, Alex has since become Meredith’s person, strengthening the idea that Grey Sloan is a family. But that doesn’t mean that this episode isn’t packed full of tension. While the original interns are having a soppy moment, DeLuca is about to hand himself over to the police, and Teddy Altman goes into labor. Thus, the balance throughout this episode really helps to strengthen certain character dynamics.
12. Meredith Says Goodbye to a Beloved Member of the Team
Season 10, Episode 24, “Fear (Of the Unknown)”
After a decade of friendship, Meredith is forced to finally say goodbye to her person as Yang starts a new life in Switzerland. As far as Grey’s Anatomy exits go, this was definitely on the sweeter side. Meredith and Cristina share one last dance before she embarks on a whole new adventure.
For a lot of fans, Yang’s departure from the hospital symbolizes a large shift in the show. Grey’s Anatomy no longer focuses on the highs and lows of the small group of interns, but now focuses on the community as a whole. So, while no one wanted to see Cristina go, her departure kickstarted a whole new era of Grey’s Anatomy.
11. Meredith Reflects on Her Career
Season 18, Episode 20, “You Are the Blood”
As a blood shortage continues to impact Grey Sloan, Meredith decides to take control and offer one of the last remaining donations to Cora. Tragically, the patient passes away before she can receive the blood, placing the residency program in even more danger. Towards the very end of the episode, Meredith imagines her younger self and realizes that she’s become a power-hungry surgeon like her mother.
Finally, Meredith receives some tough love and learns that she can’t always get her own way. However, she also rekindles her romance with Nick Marsh, which audiences were very pleased about. This season finale sits at the halfway point on this list because it signifies a big change for Meredith. Her blossoming relationship with Nick allowed her to move on from Derek and start enjoying life again, adding progress to her character and the show in general.
10. Grey Heals a Series of Old Wounds
Season 4, Episode 17, “Freedom, Part 2”
As a whole, “Freedom, Part 2” is quite positive. Meredith and Derek discussed their future, and their patient responded well to their clinical trial. Yet, when a patient arrives at the hospital after trying to take her own life, Meredith is flooded with memories of Ellis trying to do the same thing.
However, when Meredith processes these memories with a professional, she learns that her mother didn’t really want to die because if she had, she would have cut herself in a much more dangerous fashion. Of course, this sounds awful, but learning this allowed Meredith to shake off these traumatic memories and start living in the present. As such, this episode offers both the audience and Meredith a tender sense of resolution.
9. Owen Makes an Earth-Shattering Discovery About His Fiancée
Season 16, Episode 21, “Put on a Happy Face”
Owen Hunt is undoubtedly a very controversial character, but a lot of fans felt that he was dealt a very bad hand at the end of Season 16. While he’s working on a patient, he receives a voicemail from Teddy, which is very sexually explicit. But when he listens to the message in private, he realizes that he received it by mistake and that she was actually having an affair with Tom Korakick.
Grey’s Anatomy loves experimenting with a cheating scandal, mostly because it really excites fans. However, the look on Owen’s face during that moment was heartbreaking, and fans weren’t really sure if the couple were going to get through this hurdle. As such, this season was able to take a very standard trope and turn it up a notch by really focusing on the character’s raw reaction.
8. Meredith Gives Birth in Very Difficult Circumstances
Season 9, Episode 24, “Perfect Storm”
Fans will agree that Meredith Grey has the worst luck, and that is particularly evident in “Perfect Storm”. Unfortunately, she goes into labor during a massive storm, meaning that she’s forced to experience a c-section with no power or pain relief.
While it’s easy to see that Meredith is the center of the Grey’s Anatomy universe, this episode really makes her the protagonist. Although there’s a ton of hustle and bustle throughout this episode, fans are mostly concerned about Meredith because they have been following her pregnancy since the start. So, even though there are still a lot of problems to solve, fans are pleased that Meredith finally received something good.
7. Grey’s Anatomy Offers an Important Lesson on Hope
Season 17, Episode 17, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”
On reflection, Grey’s Anatomy didn’t really touch on the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and was more than happy just to skip over it for the benefit of other storylines. However, at the time, the end of Season 17 gave fans a sense of hope that all of this trauma would eventually come to an end. The finale also took the focus away from Meredith’s experience with COVID-19 and focused on a more nuanced side character called Gerlie Bernardo.
At the end of “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” the surgeons line up to get their vaccines, suggesting that there is a better future on the horizon. While this is quite unrealistic in hindsight, this episode allowed Grey’s Anatomy to be a medical drama again. The show was able to let go of its scandals and draw the audience back to the real meaning of the show: saving lives under pressure.
6. Derek Reveals His Biggest Secret
Season 1, Episode 9, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
As soon as Grey’s Anatomy aired its first episode, fans knew it was going to be a hit. Yet, the final episode of this season proves that the show can create drama in almost any situation. Throughout this season, fans assumed that Derek was a smooth-talking surgeon with eyes only for Meredith Grey.
But, at the last moment, in “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?,” audiences are introduced to Derek’s wife, Addison Montgomery. Not only does this place Derek and Meredith’s relationship in unknown territory, but fans wonder how a small intern like Grey could ever compete with a headstrong bombshell like Montgomery. As such, this bombshell helped to solidify the drama as one of the best shows on television, a title it still holds today.
5. The Characters are Forced to Make Some Tough Choices
Season 2, Episode 27, “Losing My Religion”
“Losing My Religion” may be a difficult episode to watch, but it certainly isn’t boring. This episode marks the death of Denny Duquette, forcing Izzie to tell the truth about cutting his LVAD wire. Meredith and Derek face a tough decision of their own as they put their beloved dog Doc down.
The scene when Izzie decides to come clean about her actions is incredibly emotional and really highlights the moral issues these surgeons face on a daily basis. While Izzie is not exactly the best doctor in the hospital, her actions prove that she acts from the heart, which is sometimes a good thing. The shocking death of Denny also proves that Grey’s Anatomy will kill off just about anyone, whether fans are prepared for it or not.
4. Seattle Grace Loses One of Their Own
Season 5, Episode 24, “Now or Never”
In “Now or Never,” the interns are forced to look after a John Doe patient who has been badly injured in a bus accident. The team scrambles to find out more about the patient, but they’re left in the dark. Then, the man writes “007” on Meredith Grey’s hand, proving that it’s George O’Malley.
If anything, this episode is a prime example of excellent screenwriting. As the camera focuses on the “007” mark, nothing more needs to be said because fans already know that the team is about to lose their beloved O’Malley. Thus, this is the perfect representation of show, don’t tell.
3. Bailey Finally Gets Some Positive Recognition
Season 19, Episode 20, “Happily Ever After?”
At the end of Season 19, the attending surgeons head to Boston, and immediately, the audience is drawn to Meredith’s research. She and Amelia have made a ground-breaking discovery about Alzheimer’s, but they are concerned about whether they will be taken seriously. As soon as the audience thinks that this will be another Meredith-centric episode, the tone shifts as Miranda Bailey wins the prestigious Catherine Fox Award.
After training multiple surgeons and being a mentor for everyone at Grey Sloan, the audience was so pleased that Bailey finally received some praise for her work. Even though she runs the hospital like a very tight ship, Bailey has always been a secondary character, and fans still don’t know everything there is to know about her. But the fact that she won this award proves that she’s still an integral part of the show’s long-running legacy.
2. Meredith and Cristina are Forced to Think on Their Feet
Season 6, Episode 24, “Death and All His Friends”
After the Earth-shattering events of “Sanctuary,” Meredith and Cristina are forced to operate on Derek. The pair embark on their most intricate surgery yet, but things get even worse when Gary Clark returns and threatens to kill Cristina if they don’t stop the procedure. As such, in a short space of time, everyone’s life is on the line.
While a lot of fans argue that Meredith ruins this episode by trying to make everything about herself, others agree that it’s very hard to top this episode. So much happens in a simple 45-minute episode, but fans never lose track of the overall plot. “Death and All His Friends” works to decrease its scope and ensures that fans only focus on what could happen to Derek if Clark has the guts to pull the trigger again.
1. The Team Learn to Brave the Great Outdoors
Season 8, Episode 24, “Flight”
While “Death and All His Friends” blew audiences away with its high levels of tension, “Flight” sits at the top of this list for its incredibly fast pace. While on their way to Idaho, five doctors were involved in a very serious plane crash. With a limited amount of supplies and no sign of help, these surgeons are forced to leave their medical training behind and try to keep themselves alive.
This episode wastes no time breaking fans’ hearts. In the first 10 minutes, Lexie Grey tragically dies, and Mark Sloan is looking worse for wear. This episode also contains a series of parallels that prove that it was incredibly well-planned. Overall, “Flight” is exactly what fans expect from a Grey’s Anatomy season finale: death, tragedy, and drama.
