Reception
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012) |
Wetpaint named it in December 2011 one of the 5 best episodes of Grey's Anatomy along with the second part "As We Know It". [4]
| "It's the End of the World" | |
|---|---|
| Grey's Anatomy episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Peter Horton |
| Written by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Production code | 211 |
| Original air date | February 5, 2006 (ABC) |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"It's the End of the World" is the 16th episode of the second season of the American television series, Grey's Anatomy . The episode was written by series creator Shonda Rhimes and directed by co-executive producer Peter Horton. This episode is the first of a two-part story, concluding its plot on the following episode, "As We Know It". It originally aired on February 5, 2006 on ABC, serving as the lead-out program for Super Bowl XL. On its original broadcast, "It's the End of the World" was watched by 38.1 million viewers. [1] It is the highest rated and most watched episode of the series.
The episode, along with its second part, secured writer Shonda Rhimes a 58th Primetime Emmy Awards nomination in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category. [2]
The episode begins with a scene of Izzie, Cristina, Meredith, and George in the shower together. It's George's dream. George wakes up to find that Meredith refuses to go to work as she has this feeling that she will die. George and Izzie cannot get her out of bed; they have to call in Cristina. Once all 4 are at the hospital, the premonition seems to have some validity. At the same time that Dr. Bailey returns, solo, to have her baby at the hospital (she tells them that her husband is on his way by car), a severely injured male trauma victim and his hysterical, screaming wife are brought in by paramedics; one of the paramedics, Hannah (played by guest star Christina Ricci), has her hand inside the victim's chest cavity to stop the bleeding. They are whisked to the surgical wing with Dr. Burke attending. Alex is ordered to stay and calm the wife, which he accomplishes by screaming back at her, shocking her into sense, and soon discovers that Hannah's hand is not the only thing inside of this patient; after firing a homemade bazooka, the husband has a piece of unexploded ammunition inside of him. The hospital goes on Code Black, for bomb in building, which essentially shuts down the surgical wing—save for the one operation that has already begun: Derek and Cristina operating on the brain of a man who they discovered is Bailey's husband. Meanwhile, Bailey refuses to have her baby until her husband arrives, not knowing he already had and was in surgery. Bailey's husband got into a car accident trying to get to the hospital on time. The interns discover this when George calls the husband's phone at Bailey's request, and Izzie picks it up out of the man's belongings. They opt not to tell Bailey until Derek is clear on prognosis. The bomb squad, led by Dylan Young (played by guest star Kyle Chandler), wants to clear out the ORs of all unnecessary personnel. Derek, Cristina, and Meredith all insist on staying. Shortly after, Izzie and George chat about being "doers versus watchers" (they feel Cristina and Meredith are the "doers"), and then Izzie decides to ignite things with Alex—in the supply closet. Richard is trying his best to keep the hospital in some sort of order amidst the chaos, but he's having a tough time. In the surgical wing, the anesthesiologist quietly trains Hannah in providing airflow for the patient and then flees the OR, leaving Hannah alone with the patient and the bomb while all the other doctors are strategizing with Dylan. Meredith finds Hannah having a nervous breakdown, about to pull her hand out and potentially put them all in danger (and kill the patient, whose bleeding she is suppressing). Hannah does pull her hand out and flee the scene—but not before Meredith can take her place as the person with her hand in the patient.
The episode's title refers to the song "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M., whose lead singer, Michael Stipe, collaborated with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for a cover of the Joseph Arthur song "In The Sun", which closes the episode. [3]
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012) |
Wetpaint named it in December 2011 one of the 5 best episodes of Grey's Anatomy along with the second part "As We Know It". [4]
The second season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 25, 2005, and concluded on May 15, 2006. The season was produced by Touchstone Television in conjuction with Shondaland production company and The Mark Gordon Company, the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. Actors Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, and T. R. Knight reprised their roles as surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, and George O'Malley respectively. Previous main cast members Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey also returned, while Kate Walsh, who began the season in a recurring capacity, was promoted to series-regular status, after appearing in 7 episodes as a guest-star. Internationally, the season was distributed by Buena Vista International Television.
The third season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 21, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007. The season was produced by Touchstone Television, in association with Shondaland Production Company and The Mark Gordon Company, the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. Actors Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers and T. R. Knight reprised their roles as surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley, respectively, continuing their expansive storylines as focal points throughout the season. Previous main cast members Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Kate Walsh, Isaiah Washington, and Patrick Dempsey also returned, while previous guest-stars Sara Ramirez and Eric Dane were promoted to series-regulars, following the extension of their contracts.
Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night", which was broadcast on March 27, 2005.
Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by actress Ellen Pompeo. She made her first appearance in the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night", which was broadcast on March 27, 2005. She made her final appearance in the seventh episode of season 19, "I'll Follow the Sun" which was broadcast on February 23, 2023. She will continue to do the voiceover at the beginning and end of each episode. Meredith appears in the spin-off series Station 19 as a recurring character.
Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which has aired for 20 seasons on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Yang worked her way up to resident level, eventually becoming a cardiothoracic surgical fellow, while her relationships with colleagues Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series. Earlier in the series, Yang got engaged to Preston Burke, in the past had a relationship with renowned surgeon and mentor Colin Marlow, and married but later divorced Owen Hunt.
Isobel Katherine Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and was portrayed by actress Katherine Heigl from 2005 to 2010. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie worked her way up to resident level, while her relationships with her colleagues Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Alex Karev and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series.
Alexander Michael Karev,, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eventually obtained the position of resident, later becoming a pediatric surgeon. He then becomes Interim Chief of surgery for a six-month period while Bailey is on a "stress sabbatical". The relationships among colleagues Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series.
Miranda Bailey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy. The character was created by series creator and producer Shonda Rhimes, and has been portrayed by actress Chandra Wilson since the show's inception in 2005. Wilson has reprised her role in the spin-off series Private Practice and Station 19. Having appeared in 387 episodes total, as of October 2021, Bailey is the most appearing character in the Grey's Anatomy franchise.
"A Hard Day's Night" is the pilot episode of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which first aired on March 27, 2005 on ABC. The episode introduces main characters and surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley, who come face to face with what their future holds as they enter the realm of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Other main characters include Derek Shepherd, Miranda Bailey, Richard Webber and Preston Burke.
Alexandra Caroline Grey, M.D. is a character portrayed by Chyler Leigh on the ABC medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy created by Shonda Rhimes. The character is first mentioned in the second season before being introduced in the third season as the titular protagonist's younger paternal half-sister. Lexie transfers to Seattle Grace Hospital as a new surgical intern after her mother's sudden death, and is eventually named a surgical resident in the sixth season. Leigh was originally contracted to appear for a multi-episode story arc but ultimately received star billing from the fourth to the eighth season. She has also reprised her role as Lexie on the spin-off show Private Practice.
"As We Know It" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The episode was written by Shonda Rhimes and was directed by Peter Horton. It originally aired on ABC on February 12, 2006. This episode is the second of a two-part story.
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The fifth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, created by Shonda Rhimes, commenced airing on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 25, 2008 and concluded on May 14, 2009 with 24 aired episodes. The season follows the story of a group of surgeons as they go through their residency, while they also deal with the personal challenges and relationships with their mentors. Season 5 had 13 series regulars with 12 of them returning from the previous season, out of which 8 are part of the original cast. The season aired in the Thursday night time-slot at 9:00 pm. The season was officially released on DVD as a seven disc boxset under the title of Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season – More Moments on September 9, 2009 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series Grey's Anatomy. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. She was introduced in the episode "Invasion" as a surgical resident from Mercy West Medical Center who joins the staff at Seattle Grace Mercy West after the two hospitals merge to compensate for the absence of some of the central cast members, and was created to be disliked by her colleagues. The character was originally set to appear in two episodes but Drew's contract was extended to the remainder of the sixth season, with her becoming a series regular in the seventh season. The character's main storylines involved her professional struggles, her religious beliefs. She married Jackson Avery and had two children: a son, Samuel, who died of osteogenesis imperfecta type II, and a daughter named Harriet. The character's story concluded with the 14th season. It was revealed in season 17 that April Kepner left Seattle with Jackson Avery to run the Catherine Fox foundation.
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"Fear (Of the Unknown)" is the twenty-fourth episode and the season finale of the tenth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and is the 220th episode overall. It aired on May 15, 2014, on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by Shonda Rhimes and William Harper and directed by Tony Phelan. On its initial airing, it was watched by 8.92 million viewers. The episode marked the departure of one of the lead characters, Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh since the inception of the series. The episode focuses on Yang as she prepares to say her goodbyes to the doctors at Grey-Sloan Memorial hospital, including her "person" Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), her long-time friend and Meredith's husband Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and her love-interest Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and leave for Zurich for her new job at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research. The episode received widespread critical acclaim with high praise directed towards Oh's performance.
The sixth season finale of Grey's Anatomy consisted of two parts, "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends". Both parts, encompassing the twenty-third and twenty-fourth episodes of the season, were written by Shonda Rhimes and originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 20, 2010. The first hour gained 13 million viewers and the second hour had an audience of 16.13 million viewers. The two-parter opened up to universal acclaim with television critics lauding the writing and performance of the entire cast. It went on to be hailed as one of the best episodes of the entire series.
