11. Season 11 - "You're My Home"
Well, this may have been one of the most boring Grey's episodes to date. OK, Bailey became a frontrunner for chief, and Jackson and April maybe sort of broke up. But to be honest, the Derek voicemail saved the whole show from being a huge damn mess. And what is up with Shonda using "How To Save A Life Again"? This episode actually felt like it could have been the series finale because it ended all happy and dance-y. Where's our cliffhanger, dammit?!
10. Season 7 - "Unaccompanied Minor"
On the grand scale of things, season 7 was one of the least dramatic finales - there were no murders, crashes or natural disasters to be seen. Teddy finally faces up to her feelings for her "husband" Henry, Cristina tells Owen she's pregnant (and she's not happy), and Meredith faces loses her job after tampering with a clinical trial. We're left on the cliffhanger of rocky futures for both Cristina and Owen as well as Meredith and Derek.
9. Season 4 - "Freedom"
Double episode, YAS please. And finally, a finale episode that doesn't make us want to rip our hair out, cry, and impatiently await the show's return. Though a lot of the episode was dedicated to cement boy, the last five minutes were pretty loved up. Callie hooked up with Hahn, the Chief and Adele reunited, Derek's trial was successful. Oh, and Meredith made a house out of candles which was ~very~ romantic.
8. Season 10 - "Fear (of the Unknown)"
Season 10 is where we say goodbye to the brilliant Cristina Yang and frankly things just haven't been the same since. Cristina and Meredith iconically dance it out for one last time. As Meredith farewells her "person", she also faces marriage troubles as Derek gets a job offer for Washington that he just can't turn down, causing more tension between the two of them. Richard bumps into Cristina's replacement, Maggie Pierce, and she drops a bomb - she's the biological daughter of Ellis Grey. Yes that's right folks - Richard knocked Ellis up back in the day, and she gave the child up for adoption.
7. Season 1 - "Who's Zoomin' Who"
Ah, Grey's drama back in the times before ferry crashes, shootings, cancer and death. To be fair, this episode had a hell of a cliffhanger when Addison showed up, plus we had the whole STD fiasco and Izzy and Cristina's unauthorised autopsy.
6. Season 3 - "Didn't We Almost Have It All?"
This was a real tearjerker. Though we had the comic relief of Cristina's eyebrows getting taken by Mama, we then had to watch her get left at the altar by Burke. Plus, Callie got the Chief Resident position over Bailey and Adele had a miscarriage.
5. Season 9 - "Perfect Storm"
After a power black-out, the hospital is thrown into utter chaos... because the season hasn't been hard enough with the loss of Mark and Lexie as it is. Meredith of course, goes into labour during the black-out, because what's a pregnancy without a traumatic delivery? Jackson bravely dives into a wreckage to save a child and much to everyone's dismay (especially April's) the vehicle blows up. Thankfully Jackson is safe, and April's fiancé is definitely suss now. Meredith gives birth to a baby boy, and as he's whisked away loses consciousness due to a previous injury - not before giving Shane explicit instructions on how to save her. Shane succeeds, Meredith is OK, and her and Derek name the kid Bailey. A dramatic episode but a happy ending.
4. Season 5 - "Now or Never"
"IT'S GEORGE! JOHN DOE IS GEORGE!!!!!" What a stressful episode. One one side, we have Izzy flatlining, with Alex trying to save her, despite her DNR order. Then we also have the mysterious bus accident victim, who ends up being George. The final scene is Izzy and George riding the ~death elevator~, and we have no idea if they're dead or alive. Talk about a cliffhanger.
3. Season 2 - "Losing My Religion"
This is it. The most iconic Grey's Anatomy episode of all time. No one will ever forget the image of Izzy, still in her prom dress, clutching to Denny's dead body. Plus Meredith & Derek had sex at prom, Mer lost her panties, and then had to make a choice between McVet and McDreamy. Burke realised he had a tremor, Doc was put down and we all decided that we could never listen to "Chasing Cars" again.
2. Season 6 - "Death and All His Friends"
The season 6 finale was a total stresser. A crazed gunman is on the loose at the hospital and shows absolutely no mercy - his wife was a patient and tragically died, and he's out to seek revenge. Derek is shot, Owen is shot, Alex is shot, Reed is shot and Charles is shot. While the team works to save Derek, the shooter targets Owen and as Meredith helps him, she miscarries her unborn child, because there's no happy endings in this episode. While Reed and Charles don't pull through, the others do, though probably more traumatised than ever before. Until you know, next season.
1. Season 8 - "Flight"
Season fucking 8. This for many fans, was when we truly realised Shonda holds no mercy. A plane crash results in many of the main characters being lost in the woods, battling some serious injuries. Lexie succumbs to hers, just after Mark tells her he loves her (sob). Meredith fears for Derek's safety after not being able to find him, Mark struggles to stay conscious as a trapped Arizona tells him to hold on. FFS Grey's. A total nail-biter.