The hugely popular medical drama the longest-running TV shows of all time. The show is currently in its 17th season and still stars Ellen Pompeo as Seattle Grace's intern-turned-surgeon Meredith Grey.
Throughout its long run, the show has presented viewers with endless surprising twists and turns, as well as changes in character relationships, and lead cast . As such, it is no surprise that there are many events from the first episode that have been completely forgotten by even the most dedicated fans.
One Night Stand
The very first episode of Grey's Anatomy opens with Derek sleeping naked on the floor in Meredith's house after he and Meredith had a one night stand. Although the two became known for their complicated relationship within the walls of the hospital, that's not where it started.
The Meredith and Derek love story actually began with two drunk strangers in a bar. Neither knew that the other was a surgeon, and on that first morning, when Meredith was running late for work, neither had any idea that they were in fact heading to work at the same hospital.
Meredith Moved From Boston
On the morning of Meredith's first day, Derek makes a few comments on the house as he is ready to leave. Meredith responds that it was her mother's house and that she had recently moved back to Seattle two weeks ago from Boston.
Throughout the course of the show, Meredith becomes such a staple at Seattle Grace, it becomes almost impossible to imagine that Meredith living anywhere other than her mother's house in Seattle.
Izzie Was A Model
The first episode introduces a group of very different and highly ambitious individuals, as they become acquainted with each other for the first time. During the group's first 48 hour shift, Cristina is quick to realize that Izzie is the model.
Audiences may forget that before being a surgeon, roommate of Meredith's, and love of Denny's life, Izzie was in fact a model. It is revealed that Izzie did modeling work to pay for med school. This is something that she is further reminded of later on in the show when Alex cruelly displays photos of her modeling a bikini.
George Wins Best Intern
As is customary at Seattle Grace, at the end of the interns' first shift, the intern that shows the most promise will be chosen to scrub-in and assist in a surgery. Although George O' Malley may not have always been the most successful of the surgeons, on this occasion he was.
Much to everyone's surprise, George is chosen by Dr. Burke as the most promising intern and is invited to assist Burke in surgery. George scrubs-in for the appendectomy and despite his fellow interns betting against him, George takes charge and successfully removes the appendix.
007, License To Kill
After his initial success, George is then faced with the challenge of completing the surgery and is instructed by Burke to gently pull on the purse strings, which is when he slips up and instead breaks them off. The patient then starts to bleed out, and George freezes - unable to do anything.
At this point, Burke steps in and finishes the surgery on George's behalf, and successfully saves the patient. George's fellow interns who have been watching from the gallery and have already betted against his success, then deem him 007 as he has a "license to kill", a nickname that sticks with him.
Alex Is In A Different Group
Alex Karev is a key member of the Seattle Grace team, and a main character throughout the show, when he started as an intern, however, he was not on Dr. Miranda Bailey's team along with the other main characters.
Instead, as Alex speaks to Meredith for the first time, fans learn that he is working under a resident named Jeremy. As a result, he interacts only briefly with Meredith and the others in the first episode. Somehow, Alex still manages to eventually become part of the core group.
Alex Misdiagnoses A Patient
The viewers are first introduced to Dr. Webber as he is questioning Karev on his chosen course of treatment for a post-op patient. Karev's arrogance takes over and it is revealed that Karev has misdiagnosed the patient, ignoring the suggestions of the nurse working with him.
Webber then opens the question to the floor, of what could be causing the patient's shortness of breath. Fans were delighted when Meredith managed to propose the correct course of treatment, as she was able to both impress Webber and undermine Karev.
Meredith Betrays Christina
When the iconic twisted sisters, Meredith and Cristina, decide to team up and get to the bottom of Katie's seizures, they do so on the condition that Cristina will be the one to reap the reward that Derek has offered. Whoever comes up with the cause will be given the opportunity to scrub-in with Derek on an advanced surgery.
Meredith happily promises the reward to Cristina, as she would prefer to spend as little time with Derek as possible, after their awkward encounter. When the moment arrives, however, Derek invites Meredith to him and Meredith agrees, making no mention of her agreement with Cristina, and therefore completely betraying her promise.
George Lies To A Patient's Wife
While working with Dr. Burke, George meets a couple as the husband is preparing for a heart-by. Both Mr. Savitch and his wife are quite nervous about the surgery and as a means to calm their concerns, George assures them that Burke is the best, and promises them that nothing will go wrong.
As the surgery progresses, Burke discovers that there is significantly more damage to the heart than expected, and as a result, Mr. Savitch dies. Burke then forces George, as a punishment, to be the one to break the news to Mrs. Savitch, as he never should have made such a promise in the first place.
Meredith's Narration
As is the case throughout the entirety of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith functions as a narrator, presenting a voice-over for the episode. This is equally as present in the first episode, as it both opens and closes with a monologue from Meredith, as she compares the work of a surgeon to a game.
What viewers may not , however, is that the original voice-over was in fact revealed at the end of the episode to be Meredith recounting the events of her first shift, to her mother. The audience is introduced to Ellis Grey, as Meredith tells of her first day as a surgeon, and Ellis's illness is introduced.
