The 15 Most Heart-Breaking "Grey's Anatomy" Moments That I'm Still Not Over

I've clearly got too much time on my hands.

I first watched Grey's Anatomy in high school, but lost interest somewhere around Season 13 or 14. I recently decided to go back and do a rewatch all the way from the beginning, which brings me to the list of what I consider to be the 15 saddest moments from the show.

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1. Season 12, Episode 9, "The Sound of Silence"

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This episode was sad to me for a different reason. Poor Meredith just can't catch a break, and considering how severe her injuries were, it was a miracle she made it out without any long-lasting issues.

The truly sad part was her kids being scared of her when they came to visit and the mental breakdown that followed, prompting Penny to finally share a moment with Meredith by cutting the wires that were holding her jaw shut.

2. Season 7, Episode 7, "That's Me Trying"

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She survived coming face to face with a deranged shooter, yet a routine surgery is what kills her. I was sad to see Mary leave.

We rarely see Bailey get emotional and bond with patients, so to see the one person who was with her during the tragedy and by her side as Charles died in her lap was sad.

Bailey is more or less the rock of the hospital, and I'm very protective of her getting hurt.

3. Season 11, Episodes 22/23, "She's Leaving Home"

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I didn't think these two were sad at first. Meredith was grieving her dead husband by getting away from the job and people who reminded her of him.

But when it was revealed she was pregnant with a child who'd never know her dad and vice versa was heartbreaking. This ended happily though when Alex showed up, which was nice to see they still had such a close bond.

4. Season 8, Episode 10, "Suddenly"

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Oh, sweet Henry, you didn't deserve the fate you got. We pretty much knew he was gonna die the second he showed up, but seeing Cristina freak out after realizing who the patient was that she just lost, and Teddy making her constantly relive it, was heartbreaking.

5. Season 10, Episode 12, "Get Up, Stand Up"

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It was a beautiful wedding, but it all went to hell in a matter of seconds. Beyond feeling sorry for Matthew, it marked the beginning of the beautiful tragedy that was Jackson and April, as well as the beginning of the downward spiral of Meredith and Derek.

Plus the unraveling of an iconic friendship in Cristina and Meredith was troubling. Even though it supposedly ended in a happy, secret marriage, there was too much sadness to make up for it.

6. Season 12, Episode 5, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"

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I'll say it, Meredith is a better person than I am. I don't know how I would've reacted if I was her and Penny showed up at my house, but I sure as hell wouldn't have invited her in.

I felt frustrated for her, watching her slowly unravel without knowing what happened. When she finally snapped, seeing the reaction from Amelia finding out she had been so nice to her brothers 'killer,' all it did was make me sad all over again that Derek was gone.

7. Season 10, Episode 24, "Fear (Of the Unknown)"

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Thanks to the internet, I knew long before the episode came out that Sandra Oh was leaving the show. We watched her friendship with Meredith begin to crumble, which made moving on a little bit easier.

Their final 'dance it out' was sad because we knew it was their last one. The speech she gave to Meredith before she left, to remember that she's the sun, was a sad little reminder that the two most important relationships in Meredith's life were coming undone.

8. Season 9, Episode 10, "Things We Said Today"

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I'm not a huge Adele fan, and her deteriorating health made it pretty obvious that she was about to die. Of course, it had to happen on Bailey's wedding day of all people, easily one of the most universally liked characters.

Watching her help Adele while still in her wedding clothes, and eventually watching Richard choke back tears while trying to be happy for Bailey was heartbreaking.

What is supposed to be the happiest day of Bailey's life will always be stained with the death of her mentor's wife.

9. Season 11, Episode 20, "One Flight Down"

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So the entire episode wasn't sad, but the final few moments were enough to be considered one of the saddest moments. Seeing the police lights flashing as Meredith looked out of the window, the look on her face, she knew what was about to happen.

We all knew what was about to happen. But in that one second, Derek's death was just a thought and not a reality, and it's sad to see her moments away from having her life shattered.

10. Season 7, Episode 18, "Song Beneath the Song"

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Unpopular opinion, but I really liked the musical episode. I wouldn't want to watch an entire show of it, but it was a nice little change of pace.

This was a very tear-filled episode for me, both happy and sad, and I'll still get a little misty when I listen to the songs and think back upon this. It made Calzona, plus Mark, one of my favorite relationships on the show seeing them come together for their child.

11. Season 2, Episode 27, "Losing My Religion"

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I detest Izzie, so it sucks that one of my favorite guest characters had to be her lover. It seemed pretty obvious from the beginning the Denny wasn't gonna make it, especially when his LVAD wire was cut.

Still, the scene with Izzie in her prom dress crying on his corpse was an iconic sad Grey's moment. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited to see him later on, even if it was in ghost form.

12. Season 11, Episode 21, "How to Save a Life"

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Similar to Cristina, thanks to the internet, I already knew Patrick Dempsey was going to be leaving the show. Now, I was and always will be Team McSteamy, but I'm also Team Meredith.

It was sad to watch her say goodbye to the love of her life, and when their kids showed up, cue the waterworks. Plus the fact that Derek narrated what the doctors were doing wrong, and that his life could've potentially been saved, RIP Doctor Shepherd.

13. Season 8, Episode 24, "Flight"

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This one almost made me quit watching altogether. Lexie had consistently been a favorite, and to watch her die holding the hand of her true love was heart-wrenching.

It was sad to see so many of my favorite characters struggle and possibly about to die, and the fact that it was just an inkling of what was to come makes it even sadder

14. Season 6, Episodes 23/24, "Sanctuary,' 'Death and All His Friends"

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This was the second time I ever actually cried during Grey's Anatomy. To be honest, no one I liked died, I was happy to see Reed and Charles go.

But this was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, and thankfully it had a happy ending for almost everyone involved.

15. Season 5, Episode 24, "Now or Never"

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This was the very first time I ever cried watching Grey's Anatomy, possibly one of the first times I ever cried at a TV show period.

Of course, George writing on Meredith's hand and Izzie flatlining were sad, but the part that truly got to me was when they came face to face in the elevator. As I got older the symbolism of the scene made it even sadder.

George was one of my favorites, and the fact that he was the first major character to die makes this, in my opinion, the saddest episode to date.

What do you think was the saddest moment in Grey's Anatomy? Let us know in the comments below!