8 Cringe-Worthy ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Moments, According to Reddit
Grey’s Anatomy is currently 18 seasons into its run on ABC, and the popular medical drama has delivered many satisfying moments over the past decade — along with a number of cringe-worthy ones. That’s bound to happen with any long-running show, especially as certain content ages and becomes outdated. And Grey’s Anatomy fans on Reddit came up with plenty of times Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and her colleagues made them cringe. These eight scenes were among fans’ most painful to watch.
Meredith Grey’s ‘Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me’ speech
Meredith Grey’s “Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me” speech in Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 was likely meant to be romantic, but a Reddit thread of cringe-worthy moments from the show suggests viewers didn’t always find it so. In fact, it seems some of them found it downright embarassing. And considering Meredith is practically begging Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) to be with her instead of the wife he’s been cheating on, it’s easy to see why.
As it turns out, even Ellen Pompeo felt uncomfortable filming her character’s monologue. She recently admitted the idea of begging a man for affection on television “horrified” her. And all these years later, it’s probably safe to assume even more women agree with her.
Grey’s Anatomy’s ‘Teach Me’ scene left fans cringing
Speaking of young women begging for the attention of their male colleagues, Grey’s Anatomy’s “Teach Me” scene also left many Reddit commentors feeling uneasy. From the ABC show’s fifth season, this moment sees Lexie (Chyler Leigh) approaching Mark (Eric Dane) for sex. Similar to Meredith’s relationship with Derek, these two start off with an off-kilter power dynamic. And when Mark points out that he’s Lexie’s teacher, she repeats the words “teach me” until he gives in.
Even outside of the unethical nature of this hookup, it likely rubs fans the wrong way for the same reason the “Love Me” speech does. Grey’s has entirely too many moments where its female leads go to desperate lengths for their love interest. None of them have held up very well.
Jo asking Jackson for sex in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17
Grey’s Anatomy fans had mixed reactions to Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Jackson’s (Jesse Williams) fling in season 17, but those on Reddit agreed on one thing: Jo asking Jackson for sex felt all kinds of off.
The fact that the two characters find some in a no-strings-attached relationship isn’t what bugged people. However, Jo awkwardly approaches Jackson while they’re at work — after seasons of them barely interacting. It’s an uncomfortable conversation, and that feeling is palpable for those watching. In general, viewers felt Jo could have approached this differently.
Izzie’s ghost sex made some fans give up on the ABC series
It wouldn’t be a list — or Reddit thread — of cringe-worthy Grey’s Anatomy moments without including Izzie’s (Katherine Heigl) ghost sex storyline. In season 5, Izzie hallucinates that she’s making love with her late ex-fiance. And according to Bustle, some viewers even quit the show entirely after this weird turn of events.
It’s probably no surprise, then, that Redditors pointed to scenes from this subplot when discussing moments that gave them “secondhand embarassment.” The ABC show was clearly trying to capture Izzie’s grief here. However, the attempt definitely backfired.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’s musical episode is not popular on Reddit
Grey’s Anatomy tackles serious subject matter over its 18-season run, and some fans on Reddit didn’t feel its musical episode worked. Although commenters didn’t delve too deeply into why they hated season 7’s “Song Beneath the Song,” a decent number of them called it cringe-worthy.
To be fair, singing and dancing does not work on every television series. Not only does this installment feel out of place in the grander scheme of Grey’s, but it’s clear not every cast member excelled at singing and dancing.
Alex and April almost having sex put ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ fans off
Fortunately for April’s (Sarah Drew) sake, she and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) never actually sleep together. However, the Grey’s Anatomy characters do consider it — and on Alex’s end, it’s largely because she’s a virgin. Not only does that speak to outdated ideas surrounding women and sex, but it leads to some very uncomfortable (and unflattering) moments on his part.
As several Redditors point out, Alex is straight-up cruel to April when he believes she might want something more than no-strings-attached sex. It’s enough to make viewers dislike his character, and it definitely turned them off of this storyline.
Redditors found Matthew and April’s proposal ‘inappropriate’
Whatever your feelings about Matthew (Justin Bruening) and April, it’s hard to argue with Redditors who feel their flash mob proposal was a little “inappropriate.” In Grey’s Anatomy Season 9, the two agree to get married after Matthew takes up an entire ambulance bay and enlists a flash mob to propose. Although grand gestures can be sweet, some fans felt Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital just wasn’t the place for this one.
Board exams were tough on April and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ fans
April takes centerstage in a number of Grey’s Anatomy‘s cringiest moments, and Reddit lists her board exam as another hard-to-watch scene. Viewers found it difficult not to squirm as she lost it on the examiners. It’s one of many uncomfortable outbursts April has over the course of the show. And it doesn’t get easier to watch the second or third time around either.
