Did These Grey's Anatomy Characters Make It Out Alive?
- by Yael Blechman
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Grey's Anatomy has captured our hearts and souls for thirteen, soon to be fourteen, seasons. Shonda Rhimes is not shy about developing her characters with depth and emotions to make us feel attached to them. And then, once we are emotionally invested in their well being, she kills them.
Yes, the show is about sick patients and doctors. People die every day in hospitals, and the show is no exception. On Grey's Anatomy, the patients die all the time. Rhimes makes us feel attached to the patients first though, so we cry when they die. The worst is when Shonda takes the regular characters and makes them become the patients. Then we're stuck feeling extra emotional, faced with our favourite doctors in the sickly, patient position.
Sometimes, Shonda likes to kill the main characters without even putting them in a hospital bed as long-term patients first. There has been a near drowning, a plane crash, a car crash... and so many other dramatic events that lead to death. On the rare occasion that Shonda doesn't kill someone, they often get written off. There are so few characters that made it all the way from the first season to the last.
Can you remember which of these Grey's Anatomy characters is dead or alive? Take this quiz to find out!
Derek Shepherd
Derek Shepherd, nicknamed "McSteamy," was one half of an epic romance story. He and Meredith Grey were on and off for awhile before getting married and having a few kids named Zola, who was adopted, Ellis, and Bailey. Derek had three sisters, great hair, and a sense of superiority. He worked as a neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, formerly known as Seattle Grace Hospital. His sister joined him to work there as another neurosurgeon there and he accepted her after some adjustment. Is he dead or alive?
Meredith Grey
Meredith Grey was the other half of the epic romance between her and Derek Shepherd. She was best friends with Cristina Yang, and the two together were called "The Twisted Sisters." The series began with her taking care of her mother in secret, who had Alzheimer's. Throughout the show, we learned about her childhood and how her mother had not been very present in her life. Meredith had been through so many crazy things in her life, including a drowning and a plane crash. Did she die?
Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang had been extremely driven since day one. She always wanted to far in life and reach great achievements. Luckily, she made it, as she was gifted an entire hospital by her ex boyfriend, Preston Burke. Her way to the top was not easy. She faced two loves and heartbreaks, difficult career choices, mental breakdowns, and a plane crash. She and Meredith could always dance it out, and their friendship was woven carefully by Shonda. Is Cristina dead or alive?
Mark Sloan
Mark Sloan started out as a villain but slowly earned a place in our hearts. While we first viewed him as the man that Addison Montgomery had cheated on Derek with, he ended up being someone who was worthy of being with Callie and parenting a child with her. His relationship, both platonic and romantic, with Callie was one of the best parts of Grey'a Anatomy. He was a beloved plastic surgeon and he even trained Avery. Has he died yet?
Alex Karev
Alex Karev also started out as someone we hated. He bullied Izzie and seemed incapable of expressing true emotions. However, as the series progressed, Alex matured. He had an amazing romance story with Izzie and really stepped up. He also cared for Eva and fell in love with Jo Wilson. He went through a lot in his life too, since he had to care for his family when he was a child. He also almost went to prison. Is he dead or alive?
Miranda Bailey
One of the most passionate characters on Grey's Anatomy, Miranda Bailey started out as a terrifying doctor who was in charge of all of the new interns. The interns called her "The Nazi" due to the gruelling hours and conditions that she forced her students to work through. She moulded them all into fine doctors who went on to take over the hospital and achieve greatness. Bailey also evolved into a character that we were able to sympathize with and even root for. Did she die yet, or is she still alive?
George O'Malley
George O'Malley managed to capture our sympathetic hearts from the very first episode of Grey's Anatomy. He was a moral and integral man who would do anything for those he loved. He was smaller than the rest and even failed his intern exam, but passed it the second time around and did great things at the hospital. There was a point when he was desperately in love with Meredith, but that ended abruptly. Has the beloved George O'Malley died yet?
Callie Torres
Callie Torres was a strong orthopaedic surgeon who stood up for herself and was honest about who she was. She started out by dating George, but soon after learned that she was bisexual. Her romance with Arizona Robbins was complicated but beautiful and they raised a child together. Even after their divorce, they managed to be amicable. The baby's father, Mark Sloan, also had a great relationship with Callie. Anyone whose life Callie touched was made better. Is she dead?
Ellis Grey
Ellis Grey was Meredith's absent mother. Growing up, Meredith did not have a very happy mother. Ellis divorced Meredith's mother and had an affair with Richard Webber, who ended up being Meredith's boss years later. During the show, Ellis suffered from Alzheimer's and relived her life during her time with Richard. It was difficult to watch and difficult for Meredith to deal with. We watched as Meredith never got the only thing she wanted: her mother's approval. Did Ellis live or die?
Jackson Avery
Jackson Avery was not one of the original characters but he captured our hearts as if he had been with us the whole time. He joined the show when Seattle Grace Hospital merged with Mercy West Hospital. The collaboration brought a few new characters, including Avery. Avery and April Kepner fell in love and had a baby, but not before getting divorced. Avery also became a plastic surgeon, trained by Mark Sloan before his death. Did Avery Jackson die too?
Izzie Stevens
Izzie Stevens was a very beautiful doctor who wanted to be known for more than just her looks. She modelled to put herself through medical school without going into debt and was bullied for it by Alex Karev when they were interns. Later, she and Alex ended up dating and Izzie was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer. The two got married before she divorced him and moved on. But did the cancer kill her or did she just leave the show?
Thatcher Grey
Thatcher Grey was Meredith's father and Ellis' ex husband. He was a drunk and did not have a part in raising Meredith, but attended AA meetings and recovered. He went on to marry his new wife and had two more daughters, Lexie and Molly, with her. Meredith reached out to him after being estranged for so long, and then he wandered back into Meredith's life a few times throughout the show and it didn't end well. Did he die yet?
Susan Grey
Susan Grey was Thatcher's second wife. She was a very sweet woman and wanted to get along with Meredith very badly. At first, Meredith was very hostile towards her and refused to open up. Later on, Meredith grew to accept Susan and the two got along well. They met originally when Susan went to the hospital with Thatcher and Molly so that Molly could have her baby. Meredith avoided them in the beginning but eventually came around and spoke to them after. Is Susan alive or dead?
Lexie Grey
Lexie was the daughter or Thatcher Grey and Susan Grey, making her the half sister of Meredith. Meredith wanted nothing to do with Lexie in the beginning, just like she avoided Susan, but eventually came around and really loved Lexie. Lexie also had a romantic relationship with Mark Sloan and the two of them dated on and off for awhile. They were both involved in the same plane crash that killed Mark. Did Lexie survive the crash or did she die?
Owen Hunt
Owen Hunt was that red headed man who shouldered his way into the show and our hearts by pulling an icicle out of Cristina Yang. He used to be in the military and sometimes we get to watch flashbacks. He suffered from PTSD and almost strangled Cristina once because of it. Once Cristina left the show, Owen went out with Derek's sister, Amelia. Neither of these relationships were easy and they both took lots of effort. Is he still alive?
Denny Duquette
Denny Duquette was a patient at the hospital. He started out flirting with Izzie Stevens and ended up in love with her. The two fell in love hard and fast. He needed a new heart and Izzie could not just watch him die so she concocted and elaborate plan to get him a heart. With the help of her friends, she cut his LVAD wire and ended up in huge trouble. Did this act kill Denny, or did Izzie's plan work?
Jo Wilson
Jo Wilson had a very difficult start to her life. She was shuffled from foster home to foster home with no one in her corner. She worked really hard at school so that she could become successful and leave the system. However, when she joined the hospital, everyone thought that she was rich and called her a "princess." She eventually grew close to Alex Karev and the two fell in love and started dating. She was very good for Alex and the two were a happy couple. Is she still alive?
Stephanie Edwards
Stephanie Edwards was the girl with lots of bravery and integrity. She did not live by the rules and wanted the best for all of her parents. Steph spent her entire childhood in hospitals and wanted to help those who had to be in hospitals the way she used to be. She remembered resisting the treatment and being extremely unhappy. She became the best of the interns and was good friends with Jo, except when they fought. Did she survive the fire in the season thirteen finale?
Ben Warren
Ben Warren was an anesthesiologist who decided to become a surgeon. He managed to woo Miranda Bailey and the two dated for awhile before getting married and having their honeymoon in the Bahamas. He decided to start his career over in the middle of their relationship which was not easy, but he did it. He got very confident and performed very risky procedures when he shouldn't have, such as a Caesarian in a hallway. Then, he joined the Plastics Posse. Has he survived Grey's Anatomy?
Amelia Shepherd
Amelia Shepherd was one of Derek's four sisters. She was also a neurosurgeon, and joined the hospital that Derek worked at, even taking over his prior job. When she was young, she and Derek witnessed their father's murder. Ever since then, Derek was always very protective over her. She had trouble with pills at one point, becoming addicted and even ODing. After she joined Grey's Anatomy, she dated Owen Hunt and the two got married. Is she alive or dead?
Megan Hunt
Megan Hunt was Owen Hunt's younger sister. Like Owen, Megan was in the military. Unlike Owen, Megan spent ten years missing. It was believed that she was kidnapped and killed and so her family mourned and the military stopped looking for her. She had boarded a helicopter and disappeared without a trace. She was romantically involved with Nathan Riggs, the man that Meredith ended up with in season thirteen. So did she really die in the military, or did she survive the ordeal?
Maggie Pierce
Maggie Pierce showed up in Seattle to meet Meredith because she found out that Meredith was her half sister. Maggie was the love child or Meredith's mother, Ellis, and Richard. Once again, Meredith acted very hostile towards Maggie in the beginning. It really upset Maggie, but at least she was able to bond with her father. Eventually, Meredith and Maggie got along very well and Meredith came to love her new sister. Has Maggie survived her time on the show?
Addison Montgomery
Addison Montgomery started out as the bad guy. She showed up when Meredith and Derek had just started their relationship and declared that she was his wife. The two ended up back together for awhile before breaking up again so that Derek could be with Meredith. Addison and Mark had been an item in the past and Mark even showed up at the hospital and tried to win her over again. Addison was a great character and lasted for several seasons. Did she die or leave the show?
Samuel Norbert Avery
Samuel Norbert Avery was the son of April Kepner and Jackson Avery. They named him after Jackson's favourite uncle. Samuel was born early since he was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta by Dr. Nicole Herman. After he was born, April and Avery grew apart and fought a lot, eventually getting divorced. They did have another baby, but the two were not a couple any longer. This little baby was very small and suffered from a serious disease. Did Samuel survive or did he die?
Reed Adamson
Reed Adamson was April's close friend. She was one of the doctors who came to Seattle Grace Hospital after it combined with Mercy West. She had big eyes and a loud personality, but seemed kind. She did manage to argue with both Izzie and Alex though, especially since the old residents at the hospital did not openly welcome the new ones. Reed was involved in the shooting at the hospital, along with Alex, Derek, and others. Did she die or survive?