In honor of the 15th season of Grey’s Anatomy, I wanted to put together a list of my 15 favorite episodes of the show, one from each season with an extra episode from my favorite. And considering there are 317 episodes to date, I’ll have to make some tough choices. (Spoilers ahead if you’re not up to date with the show)
Season 1: Episode 9, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
This episode features STDs, secret sunset surgeries, and the sudden appearance of Derek’s wife. The first season finale of this show lets viewers know that Shonda Rhimes wasn’t afraid to throw curveballs and mess with our emotions.
Season 2: Episode 6, “Into You Like A Train”
This episode always stands out to me because the main patient storyline features a pair of strangers who have been impaled on a pole. The catch, only one can survive. Other drama that happens, Derek makes the absolutely wrong decision and chooses Addison over Meredith.
Season 3: Episode 4, “What I Am”
This is one of my favorite episodes because we get some real, unfiltered moments from Meredith. Meredith, suffering from appendicitis and high on morphine, reveals her true feelings about Derek. We’re also treated to Meredith calling Mark “McSteamy.”
Season 4: Episode 5, “Haunt You Every Day”
While season 4 isn’t my favorite, the Halloween episode is a true gem. Viewers get to see Meredith bring her mom’s ashes to work in a plastic bag, Mark be a good person, and a father faces an impossible decision (does he take his daughter’s transplanted heart??)
Season 5: Episode 24, “Now or Never”
This season finale is intense. It starts with Izzie waking up from brain surgery but she has short-term memory loss. George decides he wants to join the army and everyone wants to stop him. The episode ends with both Izzie and George’s life up in the air and you’re left to wait months before you learn who lives and who dies.
Season 6: Episode 8, “Invest in Love”
This episode makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. Arizona treats a sick child who ends up dying on their shared birthday. The part that makes me cry is when you see Arizona console the devastated parents.
Season 7: Episode 15, “Golden Hour”
This episode takes place within the span of an hour and viewers are reminded just how much can happen. I really enjoy this episode because it’s a nice change from the normal pace of the show.
Season 8: Episode 24, “Flight”
I both love and hate this season finale. I love it because it’s so dramatic but I hate it because it features the death of my favorite character, Lexie. This episode features six of the main characters in a plane crash as they fight for their lives. We get a truly heartbreaking moment between Lexie and Mark where they imagine their future together, which they both know will never happen (brb crying just thinking about it).
Season 9: Episode 10, “Things We Said Today”
This episode is a mixture of happiness and sadness. It’s great because Ben and Bailey finally get married! But it’s really sad because Richard’s wife Adele dies and viewer’s hearts get torn out and stomped on.
Season 10: Episode 24, “Fear (Of the Unknown)”
While this season finale is relatively calm compared to other seasons, it is on my list for one reason: Cristina Yang. This is the last episode featuring this badass, phenomenal woman, and for that reason it deserves to be on here.
Season 11: Episode 11, “All I Could Do Was Cry”
The acting in this episode by Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew is breathtaking. April and Jackson find out their baby is not going to survive and must induce labor. What viewers see is heartbreaking emotion as the couple holds their son in their arms as he dies.
Season 12: Episode 22, “Mama Tried”
This episode finds the doctors split as Callie and Arizona fight for custody over their daughter. The ending is difficult to watch as we see Callie dealing with the emotions of losing her child.
Season 13: Episode 20, “In the Air Tonight”
This episode takes place within a plane and given the show’s past track record (see season 8 finale) surprisingly ends up okay. Meredith is finally ready to move on from Derek’s death and starts to see that she deserves happiness.
Season 14: Episode 7, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”
The 300th episode of the series is like a wave of nostalgia for long time fans of the show. It features patients that remind viewers of past characters and ends with Meredith winning a Harper Avery while the memory of her mother looks on with pride.
Bonus episode: Season 5: Episode 5, “There’s No ‘I’ in Team”
Season 5 is my favorite by far and this episode features some classic Grey’s themes: love triangles, intern drama, and a kidney in a jar.