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Grey’s Anatomy Creator Says Two Episodes Went Too Far — Here’s Why

Grey’s Anatomy Creator Says Two Episodes Went Too Far — Here’s Why
Image credit: Legion-Media

Shonda Rhimes says two past Grey’s Anatomy death scenes were so graphic they felt like a snuff film — and admits she’s barely watched the hit she created.

Grey's Anatomy has never been shy about putting viewers through it, but even Shonda Rhimes just rewatched a couple of those infamous deaths and went, yeah, that was a lot. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, the show’s creator and producer admitted some of the early-season exits were so brutal that, in her words, they played like a 'snuff film.' And here’s the twist: she says she hasn’t really watched much of her own show until now.

Rhimes says she barely watches her own show

Asked about the big, messy send-offs for Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Rhimes said she recently dipped back into 'select pieces' of episodes and was genuinely shocked by what she saw. She literally called the plane crash aftermath a 'freaking snuff film' and wondered how anyone made it through those hours. If you repressed those episodes, fair.

Why it went that far: story first, everything else second

Rhimes, who also wrote Scandal and Crossroads, explained that when she is in the middle of making the show, she lives inside the story and pushes where the characters lead, not where the fanbase might prefer. Her own summary of the job is pretty blunt:

'I always think my job is to be keeper of the story, not keeper of the actors, not keeper of the show, not keeper of the fans. My whole job is to just be true to the story.'

Watching it now, though, she sounded a little stunned at how far it went, saying she could not believe it actually aired like that and that people survived watching it.

Quick refresher on those deaths

  • Lexie Grey dies in the Season 8 finale after the plane crash.
  • Mark Sloan dies in the Season 9 premiere from the crash’s aftermath.

The one that broke her: George O'Malley

The death that really gutted Rhimes was George O'Malley. She called the character deeply beloved and praised T.R. Knight as a lovely guy who did something most actors would not have to do: he laid there and played out that storyline even though his face was not going to be seen. She said it broke her to write it, knew the audience would feel it too, and still, in a complicated way, loved the storytelling.

Meanwhile, the show marches on

Grey's Anatomy kicked off Season 22 on October 9, with new episodes landing every Thursday. So yes, we are still here, decades in, talking about this hospital and its ghosts.