21 Details From "Grey's Anatomy" That'll Make You Say, "How Did I Not Notice That?"

    SO. MUCH. FORESHADOWING.

    Warning: Spoilers ahead!

    1. First, every episode of Grey's Anatomy is named after a song.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy" episode menu

    2. Speaking of music, shortly after Burke leaves Cristina, she sings "Like a Virgin" in the morgue — in Season 10, when Burke offers Cristina a job at his hospital in Switzerland, a cover of "Like a Virgin" plays in the background.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    3. The first song played in the series, "Portions For Foxes," plays again at the end of the 300th episode after Meredith wins a Harper Avery Award — a perfect full-circle homage.

    4. When Meredith tells Cristina she's getting married, Cristina gives her a grocery list written on Post-It notes and her favorite pen — Meredith and Derek use the Post-It notes and pen when writing their vows.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    5. In the pilot, George asks, "We're going to survive this, right?" foreshadowing that he is the only member of the original interns to die.

    George saying, "We're gonna survive this, right?"

    6. Also, the original interns' names — Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina — spell out "magic."

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    7. In Season 2, Izzie tries to give away their dog, Doc, by hanging flyers in the hospital — in Season 12, you can see that one of the posters is still hanging.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    8. In Season 5, Lexie tells Mark that when she's hurt, she likes to have her hair stroked — in Season 8, when Lexie is dying, Mark does just that.

    Mark saying, "We're meant to be. I love you. I love you."

    9. In Season 6, Richard is eating at a café called the Rhimes Café — a nod to series creator Shonda Rhimes.

    A woman wearing "The Rhimes Cafe" t-shirt

    10. In the pilot, Meredith corrects Bailey when she forgets to list one of her five rules — in Season 4, Lexie does the same thing to Cristina.

    Lexie saying, "That was four rules, you said five."

    11. Following Denny's death in Season 2, Izzie wears the sweater she knitted for him while she's grieving.

    12. When Richard is comforting Arizona in her car, you can spot a parking permit for people with disabilities on Arizona's dashboard — a small detail since Arizona lost her leg in Season 8.

    Richard and Arizona in the car

    13. In Season 1, Derek tells Meredith that if he was ever in a coma, he would want all of his sisters to be there — in Season 11, when Derek dies, Amelia is pissed at Meredith because she wasn't there to say goodbye.

    Amelia saying, "How could you do it? How could you unplug him without letting me know?"

    14. After Derek's death, Meredith decides to wear his ferry boat scrub cap from then on.

    Derek and Meredith wearing a scrub cap

    15. In Season 12, Meredith takes a flight using Sky Trip Express — this is the same company that owned the plane that crashed in Season 8.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    16. The OR schedule will sometimes feature the names of crew members, like this board in Season 13.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    17. In Season 6, April is briefly fired after failing to check a patient for signs of smoke inhalation — in Season 13, she makes sure none of her interns make the same mistake.

    Screen shot from "Grey's Anatomy"

    18. When Cristina learns that Burke has won a Harper Avery Award, the newspaper clipping is written by Tony Phelan — he was a writer and producer on the show.

    Newspaper clipping from "Grey's Anatomy"

    19. The 300th episode, in which two patients are stuck in a rollercoaster, parallels the Season 2 episode "Into You Like a Train," in which two strangers are impaled by a pole.

    20. In fact, the entire rollercoaster accident in this episode could be a direct nod to the original Shondaland logo.

    21. And finally, BokHee, a scrub nurse, has appeared in the background of 221 episodes — the actress is actually a real-life nurse.

    What's your favorite Grey's Anatomy detail? Tell us in the comments below!