Grey's Anatomy: On The Long-Running Drama's Anniversary, 20 Moments That Will Stay With Us Forever

We had no idea, when Grey's Anatomy premiered on March 27, 2005, that Shonda Rhimes' ABC drama was about to become our favorite show. That we would soon be calling our nearest and dearest "my person." That it was destined to spawn not one but two spinoffs (Private Practice and Station 19). That it would still be going strong 20 years and 21 seasons later.

Guess we had modest expectations of a show whose title is a punny play on the name of a famous medical textbook.

As clueless as we were, we also couldn't have guessed way back in the beginning just how many unforgettable moments the series would be installing in our brains. They are so plentiful at this point that our anniversary countdown of the most memorable of 'em easily could have been a Top 200 instead of a Top 20.

But by the hardest, we've taken a scalpel to the list and whittled it down to a mere 20 moments that really resonated, whether because they shattered our hearts into a million pieces or made us glad that we had sutured them back together again. Take a look at our picks below, then hit the comments with the moments that you would add to the lineup. There are sure to be one or two... zillion!

We were as devastated as Mika when she regained consciousness following a devastating car wreck with her cancer-stricken sister, only to be informed by Bailey's stricken expression that Chloe hadn't survived.

Love was in the air at Maggie and Winston's wedding, after which Link enlisted the help of Meredith's kids to pop the question to Amelia. But despite the sweetness of the proposal, her answer was no. Watch above.

Following a bitter custody battle over daughter Sofia, Arizona shocked Callie — and us — by showing up at her ex's doorstep, suggesting, "Let's all be happy" and, in a way, foreshadowing their later reunion off screen. Watch above.

It was stressful enough that Bailey suffered a heart attack but even more disturbing that Seattle Pres' doctors knew so little about how the symptoms presented in women that they shrugged off her concerns until she'd collapsed. Watch above.

On the very day that Teddy and Owen were supposed to get married, she accidentally butt-dialed her fiancé and left a voicemail that made it clear she'd started the honeymoon early — with Koracick. #awkward

Though Alex was crushed to discover that now that he was grown and no longer needed his mother to be mentally well, she was, he still managed to tell her that he was happy for her and admit, "I always thought about you."

Every word of the goodbye letter Alex sent Jo broke her a little more. He loved her but also loved Izzie — and she had his kids. He knew where he needed to be, yet "I don't know how to end this," he admitted. We think he did well as he could've. Watch above.

There is literally nothing good to be said about the coronavirus pandemic... except that its inclusion in Season 17 put Meredith in a coma that allowed her to reunite with late husband Derek and more of the dearly departed.

Jackson's girlfriend Stephanie and April's groom Matthew never saw it coming. But the rest of us? We totally expected Jackson to stop April's wedding, declare his love and run headlong into their own marriage. Watch above.

The hospital's staff may have moved past Gary Clark's murderous rampage, but we still shudder at the recollection of the episode in which an ill-fated patient's widower killed Reed and shot both Alex and Derek (for starters).

Though "Schmico" was doomed from the start, what a beginning the couple had. After a newly out Levi explained that Nico's kiss has made him feel "the opposite of shame," they made love in an ambulance during a windstorm. Watch above.

Cristina could barely catch her breath upon realizing that Burke had left her on what was supposed to be their wedding day. However, as she gasped, "I'm free," even she seemed to realize that it was for the best.

All told, Meredith kept it together better than we did when she assured a brain-dead McDreamy, "We'll be fine," and let him slip into the hereafter following a devastating car wreck and a fatal mistake at Dillard Medical Center. Watch above.

Talk about making an entrance! Derek's estranged wife Addison had no sooner appeared on screen than she introduced herself to his girlfriend Mer with this unforgettable line: "And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband." Watch above.

Though we have gotten past Lexie's devastating demise when a plane full of doctors crashed, we have most definitely not gotten over it — or the ensuing fake-out that tricked us into believing her true love Mark would be OK. Watch above.

After Denny passed away, Izzie couldn't bring herself to leave his bed. "An hour ago, he was proposing," she marveled. As she wept, Alex picked her up and let her cry in his arms (an unintentional hint that he was her endgame). Watch above.

We'd expect nothing less from Mer's person than the perfect goodbye. As Cristina left Seattle for Zurich, she reminded her friend that sure, husband Derek is "very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are." She's never forgotten it. Watch above.

It's a wonder that we ever exhaled after Mer had to reach into a patient's chest to keep the explosive inside of him from detonating when a panicked paramedic removed her own hand. If only the bomb squad's Dylan had been so lucky.

Meredith had no idea that the disfigured John Doe who'd saved a woman from being hit by a bus was her dear friend George. That is, she had no idea until he wrote his telltale nickname on her hand just before flatlining. Watch above.

After giving their nuptials to Alex and a cancer-stricken Izzie, Meredith and Derek still wanted to tie the knot themselves. Rather than wait for the perfect opportunity, they made their own, writing their vows on a Post-It. Watch above.