Pierson 1

Carly Pierson

Dr. Whitener

English 102

17, February 2023

The Medical Drama That Keeps You on Your Toes

In March of 2005, Grey's Anatomy first aired on ABC and immediately became a hit.

Grey’s is a medical drama series focusing on a young group of doctors who start their journey

out as interns. The show takes us through the ups and downs of becoming a surgeon while also

including some things important in a drama such as conflict, sex, and relationships. So why did

this show become so popular and still is today? The answer is simple, the medical field is

fascinating to anyone even slightly considering going down that path. Grey’s gives us an inside

look at the life of a doctor. While it might not be all that accurate, it is fun to think it is.

Throughout the seasons and episodes, we see characters flourish, plot lines thicken, and we

experience unexpected situations. This show always has you on your toes.

One of the most spectacular character developments I’ve ever seen is that of Alex Karev.

We first meet Alex in season 1 episode 1 of Grey’s Anatomy. He is introduced to us as an

egotistical, hot-headed jerk. Christina Yang, his co-worker, and friend, even referred to Alex as

“evil spawn”. “You were the big surprise. You were most improved. The person that beat up

DeLuca is someone I thought you left behind years ago.” says Miranda Bailey in Grey’s

Anatomy, Season 13, Episode 2, at 38:30. Alex was Mirandas intern years ago and she herself

has seen Alex become the man he is in later seasons. Alex use to be the guy who would beat up

anyone that crossed his path. However, in season 13 he let his old ways get the best of him and

this was a shock to everyone who knew him. This was a big shock to not only the fellow
 Pierson 2

characters in Grey’s but it’s viewers as well. Alex was a completely different guy from who we

met in Season 1. His co-workers and friends were able to crack his hot-headed, overconfident

shell and reveal the warm heart he actually has. Many of the people in his life felt like they failed

him and did not understand why Alex did what he did, and truly Alex did not know why either.

Many episodes later we see Alex back to his new and improved self. He makes things right with

the people he wronged and reassures those around him that he has learned and grown and knows

his wrongdoing.

The plot of a show or movie is one of the main things that attract viewers. Grey’s does an

amazing job at ensuring the content they create is not boring even if it is “plot building”. In

Season 10 Episode 23, we meet Maggie Pierce. She is one of the candidates for the new head of

cardiothoracics. At only 27 and this far in her career many people have doubts about her,

however, she quickly proves her intelligence and capability of her job. In Season 11 Episode 4

we find out Maggie is adopted. However, her biological parents and sister are not who we

expect. We learn that Richard, a surgeon and main character at Seatle Grace, is her biological

father. Her mother on the other hand is Ellis Grey, who is also Meredith's mother. At first,

Meredith wants nothing to do with Maggie. She believes she is lying about the whole situation to

earn fame from her mother and “clout” in the hospital. Meredith does research about her mother's

past, looks at hospital files, reads her journal, and does anything she can think of that will

provide a hint of if she was ever pregnant after Meredith. She finds hospital records and entries

in her journal that back up Maggie's claims and Richard reveals he and Ellis were sleeping

together at that time. After this information is gathered we see Meredith and Maggie’s

relationship begin to develop and they begin to treat each other like true sisters. This was a big
 Pierson 3

shock to Grey’s fans as we had always thought Meredith was an only child and never assumed

Ellis had a secret daughter she had put up for adoption.

One of the most unexpected situations throughout that whole series of Grey’s was Derek's

death. Derek was Meredith Grey’s (yes Grey like Grey’s Anatomy) husband. In Season 11

Episode 21, Derek was driving to the airport to finish up some work in D.C. There was traffic on

the highway and he was worried about missing his flight so he took a back road that ironically

had no phone service. A reckless teenage driver was late to school and swerving in and out of

cars on the two-lane road. While trying to pass the car in front of him he hit an upcoming car.

The four people involved in the car accident were badly injured. However, Derek was behind the

reckless driver the whole time and was able to save all four patients. After the ambulance arrived

due to the cars’ smoke and had taken the patients to the hospital, Derek reached for his phone to

answer a phone call from D.C. asking where he was. In the short time he looked down at his

phone a semi-truck struck Derek's car leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. The hospital he

was taken to was the same hospital the four patients from the car accident were taken to.

However, Derek's injuries were much worse and the “hospital” was more like a clinic. The

ill-trained doctors and were not prepared for this level of trauma. One of Derek's doctors

suggested a head cat scan to rule out a brain injury. However, his other doctor claimed there was

not enough time and that he needed to be taken straight to the operating room for free fluid in his

belly. This call resulted in Derek becoming brain-dead. Meredith had been worried all day as she

has not heard from Derek. She tried not to allow herself to worry however once she decided to

call the police and report Derek missing there was a knock at her door. It was the cops letting her

know Derek was dead. She arrived at the hospital, scolded his doctors, and obviously was in

doubt of the situation. She said her goodbyes and removed Derek from life support. This death
 Pierson 4

was one of the most shocking and unexpected deaths in Grey’s Anatomy. Derek was a main

character and someone we met in the first episode of Grey’s. The most ironic part of his death

was that he was a brain surgeon and died of a brain injury.

As has been shown, Grey’s is an up-and-down, left-and-right, roller coaster kind of show.

The writer does an impeccable job of keeping viewers entertained and is able to branch out the

original plot into something completely new and fresh with different characters and familiar

faces. While some people may find this show dramatic, unrealistic, repetitive, or simply boring

others would disagree. This show has many clicking “next episode” on Netflix over and over

again. It is not for everyone but you should still give it a chance because once you're connected

with the characters, you feel like you know them in real life. When something bad happens to

them, your hurt too. This is the kind of show you can re-watch multiple times and it feels like

you've never seen it every time you watch it.

 Pierson 5

Works Cited

Rhimes, Shonda. Grey's Anatomy. Netflix / Grey's Anatomy , 2006,

https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=70140391. Accessed 17 Feb. 2023.