As a show that has aired for almost 20 years, Grey’s Anatomy is no stranger to episodes that touch on important societal issues. In its twenty-one seasons airing, Grey’s Anatomy has touched on and delivered characters related to issues such as mass shootings, the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion care, and queer rights. Characters like Callie Torres, Gary Clark, and Meredith Grey herself have all represented the important themes featured in Grey’s Anatomy.
Though Grey’s Anatomy has touched on many issues, there are only a few episodes done so brilliantly that they are required viewing for any new Grey’s fan. They are Grey’s most memorable takes on important issues and feature characters most suited to talk about said issues:
This article discusses the topics of sexual assault, stillborn pregnancies, PTSD, gun violence, physical assault, domestic abuse, and abortion.
10. Grey’s Explored The Deep Need For Connection
Season 17, Episode 8 “It’s All Too Much”
Grey’s Anatomy was one of the few shows to film during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the show took care to emulate the workings of a real hospital during the pandemic. This included wearing proper PPE, standing six feet apart, and wearing masks at all times within the hospital. During this season, Meredith was hospitalized with COVID-19 and Andrew was stabbed in pursuit of a child trafficker. Grey’s Anatomy, Season 17, Episode 8, “It’s All Too Much” finds the staff of Grey-Sloan dealing with both the effects of the pandemic and in the wake of Andrew’s death. What’s impactful about this episode is the humanity it gives to medical workers in the pandemic.
Many of the staff are tired — Teddy works herself to exhaustion. Jo, Link, and Jackson have all resorted to drinking. Even Maggie, who has to put on a brave face for Meredith’s children, finds herself exhausted by having to support all three of them. The exhaustion and emotions are clear, especially when they must face Andrew’s video tribute. Most touching of all is a moment between Maggie and Taryn. Taryn has gone without human contact since the pandemic began, and in a heart-wrenching moment of support, Maggie stands back-to-back with her while Taryn breaks down. The episode is a reminder to treat medical workers fairly and to reach out to the community in times of crisis, as no one should have to shoulder burdens alone.
9. Grey’s Told Audiences To Prioritize Themselves
Season 10, Episode 24 “Fear (of the Unknown)”
The season 10 finale, Grey’s Anatomy, Season 10, Episode 24, “Fear (of the Unknown)” is most well-known for spotlighting Cristina Yang’s (played by Sandra Oh) departure. Cristina was a focal character on Grey’s Anatomy from season 1, and fans watched Cristina go through tragedy and heartbreak while remaining at Meredith’s side the entire time. Her departure broke many hearts, including Meredith’s, but Oh felt that she had no more to give to Cristina, leaving the writers to send Cristina off to a promising new career in Switzerland.
Don’t let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are.
Cristina’s departure episode is a powerful reminder of the effect friendship can have and the importance of long-lasting friendships, but it is also a reminder, despite the influences of others and life’s important relationships, to stay true to oneself. When Cristina and Meredith are dancing it out, Cristina reminds Meredith not to be defined by her relationship to Derek. Her advice to Meredith remains one of the most memorable quotes from Grey’s Anatomy to this day. It also reminds viewers to remember that they cannot and should not be defined by others, even if they are important.
8. Grey’s Addressed a Complex Case Of Forgiveness
Season 12, Episode 9 “The Sound of Silence”
In Grey’s Anatomy, Season 12, Episode 9, “The Sound of Silence”, Meredith is attacked by Lou, a patient, while trying to administer care. She ends up with broken bones, a dislocated elbow, and her jaw needing to be wired shut. The episode follows Meredith’s recovery while she struggles to communicate with her kids and process the trauma of the attack. She also struggles with the decision to forgive Lou, as he was in a fugue state during the attack and was therefore not aware of the incident.
The episode is a powerful lesson on forgiveness and its complexities. Meredith is initially set on not forgiving Lou for the attack when she has a conversation with Richard, who advises her that forgiveness can be healing for both parties. When Lou visits Meredith in the hospital to apologize, she shows forgiveness by grabbing his hand and holding it. Amelia is also granted a thinner veil of forgiveness when she presents her sobriety chip to Meredith — while Meredith can’t yet forgive Amelia for being a reminder of Derek’s death, the chip is a symbol that they are both trying their best to reach total forgiveness.
7. Grey’s Tackled The Complexities of PTSD
Season 7, Episode 10 “Adrift and At Peace”
PTSD is a common theme amongst the Grey’s Anatomy characters, especially given that a few of them are war veterans and many of them go through a lot of tragedies. Owen, Teddy and April are all veterans of the armed forces, and while Grey’s Anatomy spends multiple episodes focusing on the issues armed forces veterans face, including PTSD, few are spent addressing PTSD originating from the show’s many stressful events. Cristina was one of the severely affected surgeons from the mass shooting in Grey’s Anatomy, Season 6, Episode 23/24, “Sanctuary”/”Death and All His Friends.” She found herself inexplicably unable to step back into the operating room after having to operate on Derek at gunpoint.
Derek took Cristina fishing to quiet her mind, and it was only when Cristina stopped to process her experience that she broke down and was able to comprehend what had happened to her. The episode demonstrates that there is more than one way to help address someone trying to process their PTSD, and it depends on what they experienced and their personality. It also gives a spotlight to those experiencing non-combat PTSD, something more commonly associated in media with veterans.
6. Grey’s Delivered A Message On Mass Shooting
Season 6, Episode 23 “Sanctuary”
The penultimate episode of Grey’s Anatomy season 6 finds the entirety of Seattle Grace in danger from Gary Clark. Gary, after losing his wife at the hospital, blames Derek and the surgical team and arrives at Seattle Grace with a gun and several refills of ammo, intent on killing Derek and those responsible for his wife’s death. Several of the Grey’s characters are injured or killed during Grey’s Anatomy, Season 6, Episode 23, “Sanctuary”, including Alex, Percy, Derek and Reed.
Gary’s shooting at Seattle Grace is a testament to the audience about the power of grief and the lengths it can drive loved ones to, but it is also a powerful statement on the presence of gun violence in America. That Gary could destroy so many lives in such a short time is a messenger of the urgent need for gun control in America. It is also a messenger of the plea for Americans to understand that gun violence can occur anywhere and that there is no sanctuary from gun violence.
5. Grey’s Highlighted Pregnancy Issues
Season 11, Episode 11 “All I Could Do Was Cry”
April’s first pregnancy is a key plot point in season 11 of Grey’s Anatomy. She and Jackson learned early on in April’s pregnancy that their son was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta type II. This meant that his bones were breaking inside the womb and that he was likely to die soon after being born. With the news, April and Jackson do their best to prepare themselves while those around them struggle with how to provide their condolences correctly.
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 11, Episode 11, “All I Could Do Was Cry” is a powerful example of highlighting parents who face difficulties with fatal fetal diseases. It emphasizes the care and grace that should be provided to mothers who suffer from infant loss shortly after birth. The episode also emphasizes that fatal fetal diseases can happen to any mother, regardless of their genetic makeup, and that more awareness should be available to all.
4. Grey’s Addressed Aggressive Law Enforcement
Season 14, Episode 10 “Personal Jesus”
In Grey’s Anatomy, Season 14, Episode 10, “Personal Jesus”, much of the focus is on a patient of Jackson and Bailey’s. The patient, a twelve-year-old boy named Eric, was brought into Grey-Sloan Memorial with a gunshot wound to the neck. Jackson was outraged by the constant presence of the law enforcement officer standing guard outside of the CT machine and emergency room bay, given that Eric was twelve and the officer wouldn’t give information why he shot Eric. When Eric later dies on the operating table, Jackson and Bailey learn Eric was shot because he appeared to be breaking into a house. However, the house was actually his own, and Eric was shot while reaching for his phone.
Eric’s case motivates Ben and Bailey to deliver what they call “The Talk” to their son, Tuck. They coach Tuck on exactly what to say and do if confronted by law enforcement, including keeping his hands behind his head and announcing that he is unarmed. The conversation is a powerful demonstration of how Black people receive negative racial bias from law enforcement because of their skin color. Using Tuck and Eric as examples in the episode only emphasizes how young the issue begins.
3. Grey’s Explored the Dangers of Abusive Partners
Season 14, Episode 9
A key foundation of Jo’s character arc throughout her early seasons in Grey’s Anatomy is that she grew up living in her car and changed her name to avoid being found. In Grey’s Anatomy, Season 14, Episode 9, “1-800-799-7233”, audiences find out that Jo’s real name is Brooke and that she was hiding from her abusive ex-husband, Paul Stadler. Paul, a popular surgeon, enthralls many of the surgeons at Grey-Sloan while seeking divorce papers from Jo so he can marry his current fiancée, Jenny. Throughout the episode, Jo attempts to convince both Jenny and her fellow surgeons at the hospital of Paul’s abusive personality; though she convinces Meredith, Arizona, and Richard, she cannot convince Jenny to leave Paul.
One of the most impactful moments is when Meredith finishes operating with Paul, and Jo is worried that Meredith believed all the lies Paul told Meredith about Jo in the operating room. It is a simple sentence, but it is emphatically reassuring:
Jo and Jenny’s relationships with Paul demonstrate the realities of having a relationship with an abusive partner: that they can appear to be upstanding people to others and even to their partners. Still, they will easily devolve into abusers with no warning at all. Leaving an abusive relationship is also difficult and may not be a clear decision for those still trapped in it. Partners in abusive relationships may have trouble convincing others of their partner’s abusive personality and may even be crazy for their points of view. As Jo’s overall and episode arc demonstrate, such trauma is not easily discarded and deserves focus.
2. Grey’s Dove Into The Importance of Abortion Care
Season 19, Episode 5 “When I Get To the Border”
Aside from the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, Grey’s Anatomy took care to shy away from political issues in its late teen seasons. Grey’s Anatomy, Season 19, Episode 5, “When I Get To the Border”, is one of the first episodes to put focus on a societally relevant case since Season 15. Bailey and Addison make the drive up to Washington to provide volunteer assistance at an abortion clinic and have to drive Susan, a mother with an ectopic pregnancy, across the border from Idaho to grant her life-saving abortion care.
Susan dies because of a traffic jam on Bailey and Addison’s drive back to Washington. Addison, understandably, is enraged because politicians’ decisions to criminalize abortion care led to Susan’s entirely preventable death. Her frustration is a visible representation of many healthcare providers across the country who cannot provide abortion care because of legislation criminalizing it without exception. Susan’s death is also a stark reminder of all the other women who will die because they cannot receive the care that they require and broadcasts the message that politicians should not be legislating against abortion care.
1. Grey’s Tackled Medical Care For Sexual Assault Victims
Season 15, Episode 19 “Silent All These Years”
In Grey’s Anatomy, Season 15, Episode 19, “Silent All These Years”, the main patient intertwines with Jo’s backstory as audiences learn what she uncovered when she found her birth mother. Abby, who initially stopped in the ER to get a gash on her cheek stitched, revealed she was sexually assaulted. As Jo, Teddy, and Quadri painstakingly document every step of the rape kit, it’s revealed that Jo’s birth mother had her because she was raped as a college freshman, leaving her to abandon Jo at a firehouse.
The storyline and visual process of this episode are visually arresting. Abby’s injuries are severe enough to warrant surgery, and Grey’s Anatomy does a thorough job ensuring that audiences understand exactly what happens when a rape kit is documented, including ensuring that the victim consents to every step. Grey’s Anatomy also goes to great lengths to emphasize that women are not at fault for being sexually assaulted, with Jo making sure Abby is comfortable with every aspect of her standard of care. She even lines the hallways with women as Abby is wheeled to surgery so that Abby does not have to see a man’s face.
Both Jo’s mother’s and Abby’s story shine light on the stigma of sexual assault victims as well — that rape kits they complete end up unsolved at the police station, that the blame falls on women and their behavior and that saying yes once means consent is given at all stages. It is one of the most powerful episodes to air during Grey’s Anatomy’s tenure, and though it lacks Meredith Grey herself, it is one of the show’s most impactful episodes.
