The Grey’s Anatomy season 6 finale remains the highest-rated episode of the show’s run. With 19 seasons under its belt, it makes sense that Grey’s Anatomy would have a number of some of the best episodes in television history, especially with dramatic incidents like plane crashes, fires, live bombs in bodies, and much more. While this is impressive, it seems that the medical drama hit its high point back in season 6, and the show has never been able to match up to that level.
By Grey’s Anatomy’s season 19, only 20 episodes have been ranked with a score of 9.0 or higher on IMDb. The highest-ranking episodes range from standalone milestones like the 300th episode “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” to inspirational ones like “Silent All These Years,” which addressed the MeToo movement. However, the season 6 finale has never moved from the top spot. The episodes “Sanctuary” and “Death and All His Friends” both sit at an impressive 9.7/10 ranking on IMDb, and for a good reason.
Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 6 Two-Part Finale Is Its Biggest & Best Story
From Meredith’s opening monologue, the audience is on the edge of their seat, wondering why the tension is so high until one of the new residents gets shot and killed, followed by Alex Karev getting shot, and it’s revealed there is a shooter in the hospital. Everything in these episodes had been slowly built up throughout the season, and it all came to a head in this two-parter. From Cristina using her mentor Teddy’s training properly to Derek confronting his mistakes as Chief to Richard Webber coming full circle in his battle with alcoholism, everyone had a moment to shine, and everyone portrayed the fear and drama perfectly.
With Grey’s Anatomy’s reputation for killing off main characters, the stakes were high when several main characters were shot or threatened throughout the two-parter. Alex, Owen, and Derek are miraculously saved from their injuries, while Lexie, April, and Cristina are left with major trauma after being threatened at gunpoint. And, of course, others like Dr. Bailey are faced with the tragedy of being unable to save a shooting victim. With the unparalleled dramatic tension, the powerhouse performances, along with special guest star Mandy Moore and a smart but subtle commentary on gun control, this truly was the biggest and best story in Grey’s Anatomy history.
Grey’s Anatomy Will Probably Never Top The Shooter Storyline
With Meredith leaving Grey’s in season 19, the show is unlikely to ever top the shooter storyline. While Grey’s has always been an ensemble show where everyone gets to shine, Meredith was always the glue that held everything together. In the season 6 finale, the shooter isn’t even looking for Meredith. Instead, he wanted to kill Derek, Lexie, and Richard specifically. In one of the most intense moments of the episodes, Meredith offers herself to the shooter in exchange for their lives, as they are her husband, sister, and surrogate father, respectively.
This highlights an important aspect that will now be missing from Grey’s. Even when she wasn’t the focus, Meredith was always at the heart of the show, so with her departure, there won’t be a focal point for the drama to lead back to in a meaningful way. There also has never been another Grey’s Anatomy finale where the storylines and character arcs were so intricately set up throughout the season and came together perfectly by the end without feeling rushed or forced. So even with all its changes and creativity, Grey’s Anatomy will probably never reach that high point of drama from the season 6 finale again, where truly nobody knew where they might end up.