10 Heaviest Topics Grey's Anatomy Dared to Tackle (and Almost Nailed It)
Grey's Anatomy has never been afraid to tackle serious, controversial topics.
Grey's Anatomy distinguished itself early on by delving into the darker and more sensitive aspects of life, focusing on genuine and significant societal issues, setting itself apart from other shows.
Most of the time, they did a really good job.
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Addiction
It's not unusual to see addicts coming in to be treated, but Greys hits a nerve by depicting the struggles of addiction in some of their main characters. Richard and Amelia are both talented and beloved characters, who are revealed to have dark histories with addiction. Both relapsed at some point in the series but got back on their feet, and many feel that Amelia’s addiction seems glamourized in a dark, messy way. And realistically she shouldn't have been allowed to practice medicine.
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Sexism
A study showed that women under 55 are seven times more likely than the average patient to be discharged from the ER in the middle of a heart attack. A memorable episode that saw male doctors not listening to Miranda Bailey as she was experiencing a heart attack, was written by Elisabeth Finch, who personally experienced the same sexism.
In the episode, Miranda goes to different hospitals to avoid alarming her colleagues at Grey Sloan. The emotional episode ends anticlimactically as it could have been avoided if she had gone to Grey Sloan from the start.
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Gun Violence
Gary Clark, a grieving widower, goes on a hospital shooting spree targeting the doctors who treated his late wife, resulting in multiple fatalities. The episode sparked lasting fear and criticism for the show's extreme tactics, overshadowing concerns for Alex's health in the following episode.
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Abortion
It was no surprise when Cristina Yang, one of the most career minded females on television, decided to end her pregnancy through abortion. It was an empowering moment for her, but was somewhat diminished by Owen’s constant fight to keep the baby because he wanted to be a father, and fans were focused on whether to see him as selfish or simply heartbroken.
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Immigration
Intern Sam Bello was forced to flee to Switzerland to escape ICE agents or be deported, it was sad that she had to leave everything behind and there was no resolution to the situation in front of her. The episode highlighted the devastating effects of deportation but it meant losing a good character and fans wish it could have ended differently.
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Same-sex relationship and coming out
It's normal to see same-sex relationships on TV today, but Grey's Anatomy was always a frontrunner in representation, starting with Callie and Arizona.
The pair shared their first kiss in an episode around 2008, long before same-sex relationship was fully accepted, but their relationship was later ruined for fans when Arziona later cheated on Callie.
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Mental Illness
Dr. Andrew DeLuca's bipolar disorder was portrayed on the show, and his colleagues were initially very supportive. However, when he suspected one of his child patients was part of a sex trafficking ring and tried to take action, nobody believed him. Tragically, this led to his untimely death. This bitter and unnecessary end could have been prevented if someone had trusted and supported him.
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Black Lives Matter
Bailey and Ben sit Tucker down and explain to him that interactions with the police are dangerous for people of color, and then have him practice a surrender stance with his hands behind his head. It's truly heartbreaking to see a young boy having to do this and his parents' fear is evident.
The episode is emotional to watch and inspired by many true stories about innocent black people being victimized by police, but it didn’t feature in following episodes the way many feel it should have, which diminished the issue.
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Domestic Abuse
It is both shocking and sad to find out that Jo was a victim of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, and no details are spared about the bruises, broken bones, and threats he made against her. Later in the show, a series of events leads to Paul's death, which seems like justice, but other victims aren't lucky enough for their abusers to wind up dead. It would have been nice to see a different conclusion that other victims could relate to.
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Sexual Assault
In the particular episode, Abby arrives at the hospital traumatized after experiencing sexual assault. The depiction of the rape kit process was deemed by the writers as crucially authentic and powerful. However, it should be noted that the graphic nature of the scenes may be disturbing to some viewers and could require a warning label.
Although the episode served an important purpose in raising awareness of the issue and the process, toning down the graphic content would have allowed a wider audience, including younger viewers, to access and learn from it.
Whilst Grey’s has had a huge impact in bringing awareness to these issues, many wish that the storylines were longer, and continued over more than just one episode. In most cases the writers of Grey’s seem to make their point and move on to the next plot when there is more to be explored.