When I was deciding what to write about for my blog, I wanted to write about all of the season premieres on TV this week. “Modern Family,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “New Girl” were all excellent, as were many of the dramas like “Scandal” and “Vegas.” In the end though, my love of “Grey’s Anatomy” won out. In the season 9 premiere, the death of Mark Sloan a.k.a. “McSteamy” shocked fans. While many knew that the actor, Eric Dane would be leaving the show and that the beloved character had been badly injured in a plane crash, I don’t think many expected his death.
Before I go on, I want to clarify that while I liked Sloan with Lexie Grey (who died in the season 8 finale with the love of her life by her side), I wanted him to be with Addison in the end. Don’t hate me, Lexie fans, but I personally think that they were the perfect couple. As disappointed as I was that my favorite couple will never be together, Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s, explained her reasoning on her blog Shondaland, and as much as I hate to admit it, she may have been right. It’s not like she wanted to kill him off. Rhimes said, “For me, this one is the most tragic. I’m VERY attached to Mark Sloan. He’s part of the fabric of the show. Before he ever even appeared on the show, the characters discussed him. He is one of the originals.” I couldn’t agree more, Shonda.
As for why Sloan’s death was the decision that had to be made, Rhimes didn’t want him to leave his daughter Sofia and her mother Callie; especially after Callie’s wife Arizona’s leg was amputated. Rhimes even says that she wanted him to run off with Addison, but he was such a good father that she knew he couldn’t leave his daughter. I guess she did the right thing, even if it did leave millions of fans, including myself, reaching for the tissues.
Now that I’ve mourned for long enough, I’ve decided to recap some of my favorite “Steamy” moments from Mark Sloane’s 7 seasons on the show. First, who can forget the first time TV’s sexiest doctor walked the halls of Seattle Grace? The first thing he did was hit on the show’s namesake, Meredith Grey. Blissfully unaware that Meredith was sleeping with Derek Shepherd a.k.a. “McDreamy,” and having already been the catalyst of his divorce from Addison, Sloan almost immediately got punched in the face by Shepherd. Welcome to Seattle Grace, “McSteamy.”
My next favorite moment would have to be when he received his famous nickname, which was given to her by the female interns, Meredith, Christina, and Izzie. Following the “McLabeling” that has been used time and time again in the show, Sloan received his label shortly after arriving at Seattle Grace. Other suggestions included “McSexy “and “McYummy.”
The final and overall most “aww” worthy moment is when Sloan’s daughter Sofia is born. Sofia obviously means the world to Sloan, and she gives him a reason to show his more sensitive side. Some of my favorite moments of the show are when McDreamy and McSteamy are both holding their babies in Season 8- adorable! From the moment Sofia is born, it’s obvious that Sloan would never leave her, just as Rhimes said.
As sad as I am to see one of my favorite characters gone, I loved the tribute to his life in the Season 9 premiere, which included videos of Sloan with his best friend “McDreamy” and with his daughter. And now, some eye candy to brighten the mood and remember “McSteamy.”