‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Hits 250 Episodes — The Eight Most Shocking Moments From 12 Seasons

The highly successful medical drama Grey’s Anatomy recently reached a historic landmark with the airing of its 250th episode. In celebration of the show’s illustrious history and its various achievements, here’s a look back at the most shocking moments from the past 12 seasons of the hit series.

Back in season 2, one of the hardest things to watch was the relationship that grew between Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duequette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). After spending most of the season falling for each other, Denny tragically died despite his successful heart transplant, leaving Izzie and fans alike in shambles.

In season 5, fans were once again shocked by circumstances surrounding George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) and the bus accident. George was critically injured after being struck by a bus. In a disturbing twist, the doctors didn’t even know they were treating one of their own until it was too late.

In regard to surprising and tragic events, one of the more unfortunate deaths on the show involved the horrific plane crash in season 9. Along with Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) losing his life, Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) also lost a leg in an event that had lasting repercussions.

Although her character did not suffer a tragic death on the show, the departure of Sandra Oh (Christina Yang) was one among the more shocking developments in the series. Not only was the character with the show since the beginning, but she had also grown to be a fan favorite. That being said, at least she wasn’t killed off, and instead took a job at a new hospital.

Back to large-scale events, the ferry crash in season 3 is certainly one of the top to have happened on the show. With literally hundreds of lives on the line, the doctors were forced to pull out all the stops in order to save lives. At the same time, the episode also featured Meredith Grey falling into the icy waters and landing herself in a coma.

Speaking of Meredith’s time in the water, the following episode of Grey’s Anatomy featured her on the brink of death. While fans eagerly waited for Meredith to come back to the light, three characters appeared to her in her coma, offering a heartfelt goodbye to Denny and Ellis Grey (Kate Burton).

This list would surely be incomplete if April (Sarah Drew) and Jackson’s (Jesse Williams) baby was not mentioned. As fans will recall, season 11 featured a tragic end to the couple’s newborn baby, who died only weeks after being born. Given the nature of their loss, the couple are still dealing with issues that stem from the death of their baby.

Of course, perhaps one of the most shocking moments yet to occur on Grey’s Anatomy happened at the end of season 12 with the death of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Derek had been with the show since its beginning, and McDreamy’s death is still one that the characters are having to deal with in the current season.

Meanwhile, in light of all of the shocking moments that have occurred throughout the show’s 250 episode run, executive producer Betsy Beers recently stated that for her, all of these gut-wrenching moments are equally as painful to watch.

“At each moment with each character going, in the moment, it’s just the worst. Every single one of them. The plane crash was hideous because Arizona lost a leg, you lost McSteamy and you lost little Grey (Chyler Leigh). It was a gigantic thing watching Derek go, watching George go — they’re all incredibly traumatic,” Beers told Variety. “It’s impossible to pick because in the moment that you’re losing a character, it’s the most painful thing ever. You always feel that somebody that you know and love and feel like you’ve spent all your time growing with is gone.”

Grey’s Anatomy continues to shock fans Thursday nights on ABC.

[Image via ABC]