One “Grey’s Anatomy” plotline that continues to be discussed by fans years after its culmination is Izzie Stevens’ (Katherine Heigl) fling with the spirit of her late fiancé, Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Some viewers still have strong opinions about how absurd they found this story to be, while others love to theorize on what Denny’s appearance actually means for Izzie. Writer Shonda Rhimes has stressed over the years that the visions of Denny are caused by an undiagnosed brain tumor, but many aren’t buying it. For those who found Izzie and Denny to be soulmates before his untimely death, they want to believe he’s truly there with Izzie, and not just a hallucination.
On Reddit, u/Expecto-Corona recalled that, in Season 3, when Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) drowns and finds herself in a sort of limbo, she’s greeted by Denny. He talks about the barrier between the living and the dead, and how he and Izzie can sense each other when they’re in the same place. With sadness, he says, “It’s like I’m touching her…”
Therefore, said u/Expecto-Corona, as Izzie nears death in Season 5, that barrier between worlds starts to thin, meaning she can now see and interact with Denny, just as Meredith does: “He is really there because that barrier is almost non-existent and she is dying.” Now, he can finally touch Izzie, rather than just sense her.
Some fans believe Denny is there to bring Izzie to the afterlife
U/abbu_d_slytherin suggested that Denny is real and sticking around for a reason. He knows that Izzie is sick and, if she were to lose her cancer battle, wants to be the one to greet her on the other side, just as he does with Meredith. This user said, “[I]f you ask my opinion, he was definitely there and he was coming for Izzie to take her soul…” U/Realneverwaits81 agreed and added, “[H]e is there to claim her and make her realize she is ill, but she can only see him because of the tumor.”
Yet another “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, u/blampaton, thinks Izzie knows more about her condition than she lets on, and uses Ghost Denny as a coping mechanism: “[It’s] easier for her to go along with the insanity of being able to see and touch her dead fiancé, than deal with the reality that something has to be seriously wrong with her.”
While there are many theories out there regarding this storyline (despite Rhimes debunking them), many fans can agree on one thing: the return of Morgan was very much welcomed, even under such hotly debated circumstances.