Over the last 19 seasons, the writers of Grey's Anatomy has taken the fans on an emotional roller coaster. There have been deaths, shootings, fires, and bomb threats. There has also been a lot of romantic dramas, including love triangles, divorces, and affairs. But which season had the best storylines?
While most fans would choose season 2, 6, or 8 for the action, the most gripping cases were definitely in season 1. Here, the viewers saw the surgeons at their most humane; they were learning new skills, adapting to the circumstances, and forming new bonds. Some of the series' sweetest moments were created here. However, there were many sad scenes too.
Updated on January 4, 2023 by Aya Tsintziras: It's wild to think about how different Grey's Anatomy is from season 1. The first group of interns have all left the series for tragic reasons or because they found love and/or moved away. It was a known fact that Meredith Grey would have a reduced part in season 19, and when the show returns on February 23rd, 2023, viewers will experience a show without Meredith in every single episode. When looking back on season 1, there are some emotional episodes and others that are charming and meaningful.
The Sweetest Grey's Anatomy Season 1 Episodes
"The First Cut Is The Deepest" (E2)
By the second episode, the viewers got to see firsthand what type of surgeons the interns would become. In this episode, it was clear that Meredith and Izzie would make the most comionate doctors, as they went above and beyond for their patients.
For instance, Izzie decided to treat an undocumented worker after a woman came to the hospital with a deep head laceration. Similarly, Meredith was seen to put her career on the line when she saved a newborn baby in the hospital. Fans really ired these two in this episode as it showed that they would always fight for their patients.
"Winning A Battle, Losing The War" (E3)
Although Izzie and Cristina's Grey's Anatomy friendship wasn't the best on the show, this episode did see them commit a nice gesture together. As a result of a bike race, they find themselves assigned to a patient who is soon declared brain dead. The doctors then agree that it may be best to ask the family if they would be willing to donate his organs.
Before the operation begins, Izzie takes the time to say goodbye to the patient. After everyone is gone, Izzie and Cristina decide they would sew him back up for his family. Considering that Cristina had offended the family with her robotic nature, it was nice to see her help Izzie out and perform a thoughtful gesture.
"Shake Your Groove Thing" (E5)
Everyone knows by now that the surgeons of Grey Sloan are the most loyal individuals anyone would ever meet, especially Team MAGIC. However, what came as a great surprise to them was when the attendings and residents were seen to have the interns' backs too.
A prime example happens in "Shake Your Groove Thing" when Burke offered his to Meredith. Although the hospital was on the verge of a pending lawsuit, Burke managed to save Meredith's job when he mentioned his own negligence. He stood up to authority and defended Meredith to Richard because he knew how talented she was. It was something the viewers really ired him for.
"A Hard's Day Night" (E1)
The pilot episode will forever be a monumental one for MerDer as this was where their relationship first started to blossom. Although fans would say the surgery scene was the most iconic moment, there is another scene that tends to go underrated — Derek telling Meredith she deserved to be in the OR.
For the entire episode, Meredith had to listen to her colleagues tell her she only earned her internship because of her mother. She also had people accuse her of gaining special privileges because of Derek. Meredith seemed to be suffering from impostor syndrome until Derek made her realize that she deserved to be there as much as everyone else. It was quite a sweet moment that helped develop Meredith and Derek's characters.
"Who's Zoomin' Who?" (E9)
In "Who's Zoomin' Who?" Izzie and Cristina were seen to be the surgeons of the day when they managed to inadvertently save the life of a patient's daughter. They performed an illegal autopsy after their patient died unexpectedly during a routine procedure.
The patient's daughter eventually got closure when the doctors discovered her father wasn't ill because of his excessive drinking; it was because of a genetic condition that can be critical if it isn't diagnosed early. Although they went about it the wrong way, Izzie and Cristina did a good thing in saving a life, proving that they are two of the best doctors in Grey's Anatomy.
The Saddest Grey's Anatomy Season 1 Episodes
"The First Cut Is The Deepest" (E2)
In "The First Cut is the Deepest," Derek treats a woman who was a victim of sexual assault and carefully monitors her recovery. Although she crashes a few times, Derek is confident that she would physically recover.
However, what he was more worried about was the fact that she appeared to have no moral system, as no one came to visit her. As much as Derek tried to help, it was tragic thinking about the emotional and mental impact she was going through alone.
"No Man's Land" (E4)
"No Man's Land" was also one of the season's saddest episodes, particularly as the cases were extremely tragic. As fans know, Cristina bonded with former Grey Sloan nurse Elizabeth Fallon, who was itted to the hospital with pancreatic cancer. Liz eventually ed away after Cristina realized the nurse came to the hospital because she wanted to die surrounded by her friends.
Meredith was also assigned to a heartbreaking case when a patient istered with nails in his head also discovered he had a tumor. Since the viewers had heard of the grand love story between the patient and his wife, it was upsetting that it was going to have such a heartbreaking ending. The episode just felt gloomy and melancholic, making it one of the saddest Grey's Anatomy episodes.
"The Self Destruct Button" (E7)
In "The Self-Destruct Button," there were several memorable subplots. George and Derek discover an anesthesiologist drinking on the job, Izzie had a patient who swallowed his girlfriend's keys, and Alex had to deal with a guy who allowed himself to get shot for the scars.
However, the one storyline that was quite heartbreaking was Meredith's patient. Meredith treated a 17-year-old girl whose gastric by got infected after she returned from Mexico. It turned out that she only got the surgery because her mother was pressuring her to lose weight. It was horrible to watch this young girl fail to realize the pressure she was put under wasn't normal, especially as it was going to have long-term repercussions.
"If Tomorrow Never Comes" (E6)
In the episode "If Tomorrow Never Comes," there were several emotional moments that had fans reaching for the tissues. Meredith and Derek managed to alleviate Edward Levangie's Parkinson's symptoms and Izzie stabilized her first patient by herself.
However, Annie Connor's case had to be the most heartbreaking and she is one of the most memorable Grey's Anatomy patients. Before her operation, Annie told George about her fear of hospitals. Every time someone went into the hospital, they died, which is why she avoided them. To make matters worse, both Annie and her mother had to deal with Alex and Cristina's judgmental comments the whole day. They were feeling awful already, and they didn't need an "I told you so" to make everything worse.
"Save Me" (E8)
One of the saddest season 1 episodes has to be "Save Me," which saw the surgeons of Grey Sloan placed on some tough cases. In this episode, Cristina was assigned to Zoey Glass, a 47-year-old woman who was pregnant and had breast cancer.
Zoey was a very sympathetic character, realizing that she had to choose between her life and her child's. She chose her baby's life, and it was tragic that she wouldn't be there to see her child grow up. Grey's Anatomy is known for their gut-wrenching and sensitive storylines, and season 1 has some of the most impactful.
