Grey’s Anatomy features plenty of scenes to trigger the waterworks for fans of the series. The show centers on Meredith Grey, a surgical legacy whose difficult childhood arms her with a unique brand of empathy, perception, and resilience. As Meredith sets out to make her mark on medical history, she navigates messy relationships, childhood trauma, and personal tragedies. Through it all, she manages to keep going, inspiring many characters to do the same.
Grey’s Anatomy tells the enduring story of human perseverance through the lens of characters who are far from perfect but imminently real. It’s because of this that the show succeeds in creating and developing protagonists worth caring about. While the show’s characters continue to change and evolve, Grey’s Anatomy remains an ongoing, critically acclaimed TV juggernaut, thanks to its arsenal of episodes capable of pulling at the heartstrings.
Meredith Grey Says She Knows Exactly Who Jo Wilson Is
Season 14, Episode 9: “1-800-799-7233”
When Meredith Grey tells Jo Wilson she knows exactly who Jo is, the terrified surgical resident is finally liberated from her psychotic husband’s mental abuse, leading to a gut-wrenching scene between the two doctors. The series spends multiple seasons unfolding Wilson’s mysterious backstory, but after her husband, Paul Stadler, tracks her down, his charisma and professional reputation threaten to undermine Wilson’s relationships with her friends and colleagues. After Meredith finds herself performing surgery with Stadler, Wilson desperately attempts to convince her that Stadler is a talented liar. However, when Meredith comforts her, she allays her fears by telling her that she knows who Jo really is.
Alex Karev Is Emotional After Meredith’s Attack
Season 12, Episode 9: “The Sound of Silence”
After Meredith Grey is savagely beaten by a patient, Alex Karev struggles to keep his composure while assisting their colleagues in treating Meredith’s injuries. This entire episode can be difficult to watch, but it’s especially harrowing for Alex, who has grown uniquely close to Meredith over the years and isn’t one to tear up in public. While the two friends grew even closer after Christina Yang left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Alex’s admiration for and familial bond with Meredith played a significant role in his development throughout the series. When he arrives to find Meredith horribly beaten, his concern for her is unapologetically laid bare for everyone to see.
Mark Sloan’s Farewell To Lexie Grey
Season 8, Episode 24: “Flight”
Mark Sloan’s farewell to Lexie Grey remains one of the saddest moments in the entire series. The two lovers enjoyed a serious relationship much earlier in the show but separated when Mark wanted children and Lexie didn’t. For multiple seasons after, both characters struggle to reconcile their feelings for each other, and it isn’t until the very end of season 8 that they both realize how much they mean to one another. Unfortunately, their realization arrives too late. After their flight to Idaho crashes, Mark wakes to find Lexie crushed under the rubble. Unable to save her, he could only confess his feelings to Lexie before watching her die.
Meredith And Derek Become Zola’s Parents
Season 8, Episode 10: “Suddenly”
When Meredith and Derek become Zola’s parents, it’s a pleasant surprise and a welcome high note at the end of a particularly heartbreaking episode. After fertility issues threaten to bar them from parenthood, Derek and Meredith are forced to consider the possibility they may never have children. However, they took steps to adopt after meeting Zola through Alex Karev’s African program. When their personal and professional lives set off some red flags with the adoption agency, they are both overjoyed to find they were approved when they answer the front door to find their adoption agent with Zola in her arms.
Meredith Grey Wins The Harper Avery Award
Season 14, Episode 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”
Meredith Grey’s legacy seems to loom over her from the very beginning when her colleagues unveil her as the daughter of the celebrated Ellis Grey. Lauded for winning not just one but two awards, Ellis’s accomplishments comprise a significant portion of Meredith’s motivation for becoming a surgeon herself. While she continues to demonstrate exceptional surgical talent throughout the entirety of the show, earning her first Harper Avery serves as a significant milestone in Meredith’s career. Her moment is made all the more impactful when she spies the visage of her dead mother smiling down on her from the gallery of the operating room.