This ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Death Changed the Series Forever

“It’s a beautiful day to save lives,” being one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most famous quotes is ironic considering just how often the show tends to kill off its characters. It’s expected in a medical show for patients to sometimes meet a tragic end, especially with some of the absurd cases that come through the doors. But to kill off main characters? That’s a pretty risqué move. Yet Grey’s went there, and has continuously gone there throughout the series. Every fan has that one character death that affects them more than the others, but looking at the show from a non-biased standpoint, there’s one death that truly changed the show and turned it upside down. And it’s probably not the one you think.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Has Killed Off A Lot of Characters

It can be funny to joke about how Grey’s Anatomy has a penchant for killing off its characters, but when you really take a step back and look at the sheer volume of deaths that have come out of the show, it’s a little jarring. Even the ones who managed to escape Shonda Rhimes‘ pen of death suffered a major trauma at some point in time. The first major character we said goodbye to was Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) back in Season 2. Denny was a heart patient who fell in love with Izzie (Katherine Heigl), and while his fate never seemed all that promising, fans (and Izzie) still rooted for him to make it out alive. It even seemed like he was going to do just that until his heart finally gave out on him once and for all. It was a majorly tragic moment, especially so early on in the show, but it didn’t affect the show or the rest of the characters the way other deaths did.

When you think of the major Grey’s character deaths, the first to come to mind is likely Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). After all, he’s McDreamy. How could the show possibly go on without him? Or maybe you think of Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and his impeccable charm and character development. Both are solid choices. Heck, all the deaths in the show got me good. But there’s one death that happened earlier that not only broke the hearts of fans everywhere but quite literally changed the trajectory of the show forever.

George O’Malley’s Death Was a Major Shock

George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) was without a doubt one of the most beloved characters on Grey’s Anatomy. Not only was he one of the O.G. interns, so he had that going for him. But he was also just a total sweetheart. He wore his heart on his sleeve, cared for his friends more than he did himself, and was always willing to help whoever he could. So killing him off was about the boldest move the show could have made, aside from killing Derek or Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). And the show didn’t just kill him off, it gave him one of the most torturous deaths in the whole show. He’s brought to the hospital as a John Doe after being hit by a bus. A freaking bus! And since he was brought in as a John Doe, and can’t speak to give his name, no one knows who he is, and therefore no one can call his family or friends to tell them what’s happened.

The doctors scramble to save this man’s life, all the while not knowing that he’s one of their own. Until he writes “007” in Meredith’s palm, and then it suddenly clicks. It’s George’s nickname. The patient on the table is George. Meredith’s cry is gut-wrenching when she realizes it, and everything seems to freeze when she announces it to her fellow doctors. Suddenly, it’s not just a patient they’re doing everything they can to save, it’s one of their own, and the stakes are so much higher.

George’s Death Changed ‘Grey’s Anatomy’