There are long-running network dramas, and then there's Grey's Anatomy. The medical series is gearing up for its whopping 21st season on ABC, with the previous seasons streaming with a Netflix subscription. I'm a longtime Grey's fan rewatching early episodes, and there are major Season 2 moments that have me remembering how epic the show used to be.
Despite Ellen Pompeo's departure as a series regular, fans like myself have continued to watch Grey's Anatomy, with the end of the show seemingly nowhere in sight (although its new time slot is worrying). But every so often I like to go back to where it all started, including the Emmy-winning second season. And I've got to say that the back half of Season 2 is perhaps the best the show ever was. Let's break down why.
One of the biggest examples of this is the two-part bomb episodes, titled "It's The End of the World" and "As We Know It." Obviously the fact that a live bomb was in a patient's body cavity made the stakes super high, especially once Meredith ended up with her hand on the explosive. But what I was so struck by was the fact that we had three top tier storylines happening at once.
Aside from what was happening in the bomb room with Meredith, Burke, and Kyle Chandler's Dylan Young, in another OR McDreamy and Cristina Yang were tasked with trying to save the life of Bailey's husband Tucker. Finally, Bailey herself is giving birth, and struggling without her husband. What's so miraculous is that the way all three of these scenes are weaved together, thanks to the way Grey's uses montages and music. And to think, this two-part story wasn't even the finale of Season 2!
Speaking of finales, that's another way that the second season of Grey's truly delivers. After Izzie cut Denny's LVAD wire, she and the rest of the interns are in serious trouble with the hospital. That saved his life, but Denny still ends up dying in the finale, in what remains one of the most shocking Grey's Anatomy deaths of all time.
Just like the bomb episodes, Grey's wasn't resting on just one high stakes story during that Season 2 finale episode. Because as Izzie unknowingly rides the elevator to find Denny already passed, Meredith and Derek's tension boils over and they have sex in the hospital... as both Addison and Finn are in the building for the Seattle Grace prom.
While I'm committed to watching Grey's Anatomy until it's eventually off the air, the newer season definitely pale in comparison to the magic that happened during Season 2 and 3 of the show. Contemporary episodes might contain one epic storyline, it's been a long time since the show was juggling so much high stakes drama at once. We'll jut have to wait and see what comes next when the series returns to ABC.
Grey's Anatomy will return for Season 21 on September 26th. In the meantime, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
