Grey's Anatomy has been on the air for 17 seasons and 16 years. Over that time there has been no shortage of medical miracles and moments where different characters are given their chance to shine. Main characters like Meredith, Amelia, and Jackson have seasons worth of storylines under their belts, but only one moment can be defined as their most iconic scene.
An iconic scene on Grey's is usually when a character gives a big speech, comes to a shocking realization, or discovers the missing piece to a medical puzzle they've encountered. The best part of these iconic moments is that no two are the same, and each explains what makes the characters on the show the way that they are and why they behave and approach life the way that they do.
Jackson Confessing His Love For April
Season 10 of the hit medical drama saw trauma surgeon April Kepner preparing to walk down the aisle to her paramedic fiancé Matthew, much to the dismay of Jackson and Japril fans.
In Jackson Avery's most iconic scene, he stood up and objected to the legal union of Matthew and April, declaring his love for the latter and asking her to run away with him. His speech included him saying, "Even the things I don't like about you, I love." His plea worked, and the two ran off and eloped.
Amelia Discovering Her Own Tumor
Amelia Shepherd followed in her big brother's footsteps as an excellent neurosurgeon and respectable doctor.
That's why her most iconic scene was in Season 14, where she looked at an MRI scan of a massive brain tumor, only to discover that it is her own. It's ironic given her job in neurology, and heartbreaking as she realizes that she is sick and will have to have brain surgery instead of performing it.
Addison's Arrival at Seattle Grace
Addison Montgomery shocked Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, and viewers when she met her arrival at Seattle Grace in the Season 1 finale.
While she went on to star on Grey's for a couple of seasons before getting a spinoff of her own, her very first scene is her most iconic one. She introduces herself as Derek's wife and politely shakes Meredith's hand as she says, "And you must be the woman who's screwing my husband," making a grand entrance and leaving the first season with a cliffhanger.
Mark's "If You Love Someone, Tell Them" Speech
Mark Sloan had plenty of great moments through the years, from becoming a father to Sofia to repeatedly fighting to win Lexie back, he was nothing short of iconic every time he graced the screen.
However, his best moment came right before his tragic death, where he had one last chat with his mentee, Jackson Avery, in which he offered him some words of advice. While speaking from experience of not getting back with Lexie before his death he urges Jackson to tell the ones he loves how much he cares for them saying, "If you love someone, tell them." And that's exactly what Jackson does to April a season and a half later.
George Being Bailey's Birth Coach
George O'Malley was known for his more awkward moments, like being the first intern to perform surgery and having to operate on a patient while trapped in an elevator.
However, his most iconic scene was in Season 2 during the episode where a patient has a bomb in their chest. George is taking care of Miranda Bailey as she prepares to give birth to her son. Bailey's husband is having a surgery she doesn't know about, and George is trying to coach her through the labor. He does a wonderful job, sitting behind her and helping her breathe every step of the way.
Izzie Cutting The L-VAD Wire
Izzie Stevens is best known for her romance with patient Denny Duquette in Season 2, acting more as his partner instead of his doctor.
Toward the end of the season she makes the decision to cut his L-VAD wire so that he can get a heart transplant, something extremely unethical and dangerous. She stands with the scissors over the wire with her fellow interns in the room, while she shakes and cries and begs them not to rat her out. Of course, this leads to a lot of things, more notably Izzie's leave of absence.
Alex Screaming At A Bear
Meredith and Derek want some privacy and think newlyweds Izzie and Alex deserve some too, so they suggest that the lovebirds live in Derek's trailer out in the woods.
One morning Alex awakes to a bear outside her door and when it growls at him he decides to scream back, marking an iconic Alex moment, despite how silly and humorous it is. No matter how sophisticated he became, Alex would always be the surgeon who screamed a bear.
Cristina's Risky Operation On Derek
Cristina Yang performed several risky heart surgeries during her time at Seattle Grace, but nothing would beat the time she had to operate on her best friend's husband while an active shooter was roaming the hospital.
Cristina's most iconic and life-saving moment was in the Season 6 finale after she and Meredith watched as Gary Clark shot Derek in the chest. Meredith begged Cristina to save her husband's life, as she was newly pregnant and deeply afraid for him. Cristina did so alongside Jackson, all while a gun was pointed at her head. It was a scene that proved to fans that Cristina Yang was a superhero.
Derek's Tumor On The Wall
Derek Shepherd was an expert neurosurgeon who would stop at nothing to help every patient that came his way. In Season 6 when a hospital employee came to him with an improbable tumor on his brain, Derek vowed to help him.
It seemed impossible, but with the help of Meredith, he drew the tumor out on their bedroom wall and found ways he could go in through surgery and save his friend's life. The iconic scene and brain tumor mural stayed on the wall of their house for years, and later became a reminder to Meredith of how talented and special her husband was.
Meredith's "Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me" Speech
After learning that Derek was married to Addison and that they wanted to work on their marriage, Meredith was heartbroken and unsure of what to do.
While Derek figured out his next steps, Meredith came to him with a request. She laid all of her cards out on the table and let herself be vulnerable for the first time in a long time. She begged him to pick her, choose her, love her, instead of attempting to repair his relationship with Addison. It was a sign of character growth for Meredith to vocalize her needs, despite it not working out right away.