Grey’s Anatomy is more than a show; it’s a cult. But sadly every cult has members that are destined to leave (and some that stick around for far too long). With this in mind, Lucy and I decided to spend some of our spare lockdown time compiling a list of every Grey’s Anatomy exit and rank them according to… well nothing really, just how much they changed our lives. Also included are the episodes that they left in, in case you like trauma as much as the average Grey’s fan does xo
Bottom Tier: Callie and Arizona’s Wedding Dresses
Owen Hunt (TBD): -50/10
Lucy: He hasn’t left yet, we’re just manifesting our dreams
Meridyth: Manifesting his exit as much as I’m manifesting my degree
April Kepner (14, 24): 1/10
Lucy: If he proposes to you via a Proclaimers flashmob, he doesn’t deserve a second chance
Meridyth: The exit was nice for intern April Kepner, but it wasn’t worthy of ICON April Kepner
Heather (10, 2): 2/10
Lucy: Uncalled for death
Meridyth: The writers painted a picture of her amazing future and then they shocked us when they shocked her, 12/10 would rewrite
Alex (16, 16): 2/10
Lucy: Nonsensical
Meridyth: An exit unworthy of our king
Adele (9, 10): 3/10
Lucy: Unnecessarily sad
Meridyth: I had to google how she died
Izzie (6,12): 3/10
Lucy: She kinda just ran away?
Meridyth: George died so Izzie could bolt? Uno reverse
Mid Tier: The Musical Episode
George (5, 24): 4/10
Lucy: Meh
Meridyth: The shock of the century but ultimately bland
Burke (3, 25): 5/10
Lucy: Kind of a baller way to go but he was the worst!
Meridyth: Not worthy of Christina Yang
Callie (12, 24): 5/10
Lucy: She ran off with a Penny?
Meridyth: You could tell the writers weren’t happy with her
Ross (10,24): 6/10
Lucy: He went to Switzerland which is a vibe
Meridyth: Moved to Switzerland to learn from Christina? A mood
Ellis Grey (15, 16): 6/10
Lucy: RIP Sarah Paulson
Meridyth: The wholesome mother/daughter reunion she couldn’t offer while breathing
Denny Duquette/Henry Burton (2, 27): 6/10
Lucy: If you didn’t cry you have no soul
Meridyth: I have a soul
Stephanie (13, 24): 6/10 –
Lucy: Quitting your job for a gap yah sounds about right
Meridyth: She deserved better than Grey’s could offer and she KNEW that
Penny (12, 23): 6/10
Lucy: Thank goodness she’s gone
Meridyth: People it doesn’t hurt to say goodbye to Perfect Penny
Thatcher (15, 11): 7/10
Lucy: Only took his wife dying from the hiccups for him to find his soul
Meridyth: His purpose was to give Meredith a wholesome moment, took him a lifetime but he figured it out eventually
Lexie (8, 24): 7/10 -
Lucy: This is too sad to think about
Meridyth: The saddest way to get a kind of happy end
Top Tier: Perfect Penny
Arizona (14, 24): 8/10
Lucy: Of course the Queen herself had a good ending, it’s what she deserved
Meridyth: The same exit as Callie but done RIGHT
Derek Shepherd (11, 21): 8/10
Lucy: Only this high because we were relieved that he was gone
Meridyth: The only death I ever cheered at
Mark (9, 2): 9/10
Lucy: Still hurts to this day
Meridyth: Nothing broke like my heart when he died
Christina (10, 24): 50,000/10
Lucy: She’s currently munching Swiss cheese and chocolate, which is what she
deserves
Meridyth: Meredith isn’t the sun, Christina is