Ever since Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) met Derek Shepherd in the pilot of Grey’s Anatomy, fans have been equal parts obsessed and upset with the medical TV drama. With season 16 premiering this fall, it seems like every potential pair has fallen in love (and subsequently broken up), every doctor has made mistakes, and every possible plotline has already happened. But the Shonda Rhimes-created show is still popular, and even if people swear they’re not watching anymore, a new episode pulls them back in.
Since the series has been on the air since 2005, it’s only logical that there are some episodes that don’t stand up very well. Here are 10 storylines from Grey’s Anatomy that have aged poorly.
10. Alex Hits DeLuca
Sure, this storyline isn’t even all that old… and yet it’s one that makes fans cringe to this day. In season 13, Alex (Justin Chambers) thinks that Jo (Camilla Luddington) and DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) are together and so in a fit of totally jealous rage, he hits DeLuca.
This was an incredibly low point for Alex and an even lower point for the show. It went in a direction that fans didn’t want to see because up until that point, Alex had been undergoing a lot of character development. He went from a grumpy guy who no one liked watching to someone with a lot of morals and principles and compassion. All of a sudden, he put his career and life at risk. Even the biggest Grey’s Anatomy fans probably don’t want to re-watch this storyline.
9. George’s Confusing Death
Everyone loves George (T.R. Knight). He’s kind, adorable, and a good friend to Meredith. It’s heartbreaking when he dies in the fifth season finale “Now or Never.”
But this storyline has aged poorly because instead of giving George a proper, moving, and emotional send-off, which would have been a fitting tribute to such a popular character, his death was just plain confusing. After a bus accident, a man comes into the hospital and no one knows who he is. Since he takes Meredith’s hand and writes down “007” she realizes that it must be George since that was her nickname for him. The problem? No one knows if this is true, so there’s a lot of silly back and forth.
8. Amelia And Owen’s Wedding
Grey’s Anatomy is a show with a lot of romance… but fans aren’t on board with every single pair. In fact, there are many that don’t seem to work at all, and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) are a confusing couple, that’s for sure.
When they have their wedding day in the season 12 episode “Family Affair,” it doesn’t feel quite right, so it’s safe to say that this is another storyline that hasn’t aged well. Since they go through a lot of problems shortly after, it seems strange that they would even be together in the first place.
7. Meredith Learning About Derek Being Married To Addison
Everyone loves a juicy love triangle or a couple who can’t seem to stop dealing with obstacles. But while that kind of drama is TV gold, an early Grey’s Anatomy storyline about Meredith, Derek, and Addison (Kate Walsh) has aged pretty badly.
In the season one finale “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” Meredith finds out that Derek is married. Addison is painted as a total villain but anyone who has watched the Grey’s spin-off Private Practice knows that she’s actually a brilliant, interesting, compassionate character who has a lot going on in her personal life. Addison isn’t given the credit that she deserves during this storyline and really shines when she gets her own show.
6. April’s Weird Storyline
In the 13th and 14th seasons, April (Sarah Drew) gets pretty depressed. But instead of the show talking about depression in a respectful way, she just mopes around, gets super angry, and is mean to everyone.
This is another storyline that has aged poorly because it’s hard to understand why it was necessary. It seems like the writers weren’t sure what to do with the character, especially since she ends up leaving the show after season 14.
5. Mark’s Injury
Some fans might miss Mark (Eric Dane) and others might have found him way too smug. Either way, he had a season five storyline that has aged poorly and seems so awkward.
Mark was quite the ladies’ man and in the episode “Stairway to Heaven,” he and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) are getting busy in an on-call room (as the doctors always do on this show) and Mark ends up getting injured, um, down there. Sometimes Grey’s Anatomy goes off the rails with really silly storylines, and this was in that category for sure. It’s not funny or necessary.
4. Callie And George’s Marriage
Did any fans want to see Callie (Sara Ramirez) and George tie the knot? Most likely not because they don’t seem to make sense as a couple. Honestly, it seems like every character has a crush on George in the early years of Grey’s Anatomy, and that made this storyline feel disorganized.
Looking back, this felt like a rushed plot decision, and no one was surprised when it didn’t last.
3. April’s Virginity
A lot of screen time on Grey’s Anatomy was spent discussing how April was a virgin. She felt like a loser because of it and she was often the butt of the joke. This is another storyline that doesn’t hold up well today because it seems odd that everyone would care so much about it.
It’s also awkward because April comes from a very religious background, so it felt like the other characters weren’t showing that any respect. And when April and Jackson (Jesse Williams) have their first time together, she doesn’t pass her Board exams. It doesn’t feel like something that would actually happen to such an ambitious person.
2. The Way That Derek Dies
If you’re going to kill off McDreamy, why botch it so badly? Fans of Grey’s Anatomy still aren’t sure why this character’s death was so poorly handled.
When Derek gets into a car wreck in the season 11 episode “How to Save a Life,” it should have been a beautiful episode that made fans get super emotional. But saying goodbye to Derek felt kind of lackluster and disappointing as we watched a doctor named Penny (Samantha Sloyan) totally screw up when trying to keep Derek alive. This storyline has definitely aged poorly.
1. When Izzie And Denny Are Together Again
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy knew that this storyline would definitely be on this list. The worst of all plotlines happened in season five. Yup, we’re talking about when Izzie (Katherine Heigl) is actually intimate with Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)… while he was already dead. This is often called “the ghost sex storyline” and fans still can’t get over how crazy this was.
Needless to say, this is a storyline that has not only aged poorly, but it didn’t land very well when it actually aired. It was hard to believe and still leaves fans shaking their heads today.
