Death and All His Friends (Grey's Anatomy)
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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 The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(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 the 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. The two-part finale centers a shooting spree at the hospital by a former patient's grieving widower Gary Clark ( Michael O'Neill). The finale marked the last appearances for Nora Zehetner (who exited in the first half) and Robert Baker (who exited in the second hour) as Dr. Reed Adamson and Dr. Charles Percy, respectively; both the characters were killed in the shooting. Baker later reprised his role in Season 8 in "If/Then" and later in Season 12 in "Unbreak My Heart." In the episode Cristina Yang ( Sandra Oh) and
Jackson Avery Jackson Avery, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character in the ABC prime time medical drama, ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Jesse Williams. The character was created by series creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. He was introd ...
( Jesse Williams) try to save the life of Chief
Derek Shepherd 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 ...
(
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
) who was shot by Gary Clark in front of Meredith Grey ( Ellen Pompeo) as she waits outside the OR with April Kepner ( Sarah Drew). Miranda Bailey ( Chandra Wilson) tries to save Charles along with her patient Mary Portman (
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
), while
Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actor James Pickens Jr. since the start of the show in 2005. ...
(
James Pickens, Jr. James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role ...
) tries to get into the hospital.
Callie Torres Calliope Iphegenia Torres, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States. The character was created by series' producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by ...
(
Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez (; born August 31, 1975) is a Mexican-American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. R ...
) and Arizona Robbins ( Jessica Capshaw) are stuck on a floor with all the younger patients of the hospital, Mark Sloan ( Eric Dane) and
Lexie Grey Alexandra Caroline Grey, M.D. is a fictional character from ABC's medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actress Chyler Leigh. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, the character is first mentioned in season 2 by he ...
(
Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; '' née'' Potts), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for portraying Janey Briggs in the comedy film ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001), Lexie Grey in the ...
) try to save the life of
Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), 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 eve ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...
) who was shot as well and
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. 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' produc ...
( Kevin McKidd) and
Teddy Altman Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Teddy ...
( Kim Raver) try to get their patient to safety.


Plot


Sanctuary (part one)

The hospital is hit with an unprecedented crisis: a shooter is in the hospital, which is quickly placed under lockdown. Meanwhile,
Dr. Meredith Grey 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 produ ...
( Ellen Pompeo) discovers that she is pregnant, and Dr. Owen Hunt ( Kevin McKidd) must choose between
Teddy Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Tedd ...
and Cristina ( Sandra Oh). The shooter kills Dr. Reed Adamson and wounds
Dr. Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), 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 ev ...
(
Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...
).
Lexie Lexi, Lexy, Lexey, Lexee, or Lexie is a nickname or normal name of given names starting with "Alex" or another variation of the name "Lex" (such as Alexis, Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexander, Alexandre, Alexa, Alexia, Alexi, Lexus, Lexine etc.). ...
(
Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; '' née'' Potts), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for portraying Janey Briggs in the comedy film ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001), Lexie Grey in the ...
) and
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
( Eric Dane) find the latter and try to save him. It is revealed that the shooter, Gary Clark (whose wife was a patient at the hospital and later died), is looking for
Dr. Derek Shepherd 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 ...
(
Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
). Meanwhile, on another floor of the hospital, resident Dr. Charles Percy has been shot by Clark. After a brief confrontation, Clark shoots Derek in the chest. Meredith, Cristina, and a petrified April witness the shooting, as Cristina holds back Meredith who shrieks in horror at witnessing the event.


Death and All His Friends (part two)

Dr. Miranda Bailey ( Chandra Wilson) and her patient, Mary, drag Charles through the hospital, hoping to take an elevator to an operating room on another floor, only to find the power has been shut off. Frustrated, Bailey breaks down with a rare outpouring of emotion, then gathers herself and sits on the floor, cradling a dying Charles. Bailey tells him she and Mary are going to stay with him and that he isn't alone, and Charles dies soon thereafter. Hunt arrives at the operating room where Cristina and Avery are trying to save Derek, but finds Clark in the room with a gun to Cristina's head, demanding that she let Derek die. Cristina and Avery refuse to stop working. Clark claims that his only intention was to kill Derek as retribution for his wife's death, but that he will shoot Hunt and Cristina too. Meredith enters the room and tells Clark to shoot her instead, explaining that she is Lexie's sister, Derek's wife, and the closest thing Webber has to a daughter. He turns the gun toward Meredith, but Cristina says Meredith is pregnant. Hunt attempts to disarm Clark and is shot in the shoulder, knocking him unconscious. Cristina and Avery reluctantly raise their hands, and Clark watches the heart monitor as Derek flatlines. Clark leaves, as April and Meredith attend to Hunt's gunshot wound. April notices Meredith is bleeding and asks if she has been shot. Meredith absently tells April she is having a miscarriage and continues to work on Hunt. Webber finds a way through the police blockade and walks through the halls of the hospital, finding several bodies. Eventually he finds Clark, who tells him he'd bought the gun at a superstore and bought extra ammo because it was on sale. Clark tells Webber he has one bullet left, revealing that he planned on shooting Webber, then himself. Eventually, after Webber convinces Clark that his wife wouldn't want the shooting and would rather be reunited with him, Clark commits suicide with the SWAT team directly outside the door. In the operating room, Derek's heartbeat returns to normal as it is revealed Avery had manipulated the heart monitor to flatline, and the operation to save him resumes. Outside the hospital, Arizona and Callie reinstate their relationship when Callie says she doesn't want to have a baby if it means she can't be with Arizona. Arizona agrees to have a baby because she doesn't want to stop Callie from being an excellent mother. Mark and Lexie show up at the other hospital. Alex is out of surgery, and Mark watches as Lexie takes Alex's hand. Meredith takes another look at her positive pregnancy test, and throws it away.


Production

The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by Rob Corn. In an interview, Rhimes told that the writing of the two-part season six finale caused her struggle. She elaborated on this: ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' reported that
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
will check into '' Grey’s Anatomy''’s two-hour season finale, adding, "She’ll play a patient named Mary as part of an explosive – and, of course, top secret – cliffhanger. Bailey – who’s having one hell of a season as a newly single gal – will be her doctor, but beyond that, details are being kept under heavily guarded wraps." The news was later confirmed by ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' which further reported, "Bailey – who’s having one hell of a season as a newly single gal – will be her doctor, but beyond that, details are being kept under heavily guarded wraps. She comes as part of a grand tradition of recognizable names as patients, usually quick, juicy roles like Sara Gilbert’s euthanized patient two weeks ago and
Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
’s upcoming stretch as a schizophrenic. Moore did that other hospital show, ''
Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...
''" It was also reported a veteran actor Michael O'Neill would reprise his role as the grief-stricken widower Gary Clark. O'Neill later in an interview said, "That role changed my career. It was probably the hardest job I've ever done, hardest work I've ever done. I had a tremendous resistance to it, and I almost turned the role down. I was so afraid of that being sensationalized, and I didn't want that in the world. I hadn't worked with Shonda Rhimes, and so I didn't know. I certainly knew she was a brilliant writer, but I didn't know what the intent was. We had a conversation about it. I said, 'You know what? Can I think about this and call you back tomorrow?' I called her back, and I said, 'Shonda, I just have to say it frightens me. It really frightens me.' She said, 'Michael, it frightens me too.' I thought, OK, we're at least starting at the same place. Her writing was so good. ... We saw the wound. We got to see the wound that drove him mad, and I think that was terribly important. It was important to show the fracture that brought this man to that desperate action."


Reception


Broadcast

''Death And All His Friends'' was originally broadcast on the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC) in the United States on May 20, 2010. The episode was the second half of the two-hour
season six A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
finale, the other half being ''Sanctuary'' It had an audience in The United States of 16.13 million viewers (5.9/17 Nielsen rating in its 9:00 Eastern time-slot.


Reviews

The episode opened up to universal acclaim with the television critics lauding the writing and performance of the entire cast as well. The performances of guest stars
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
and Michael O'Neill along with Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd,
James Pickens, Jr. James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role ...
and Sarah Drew garnered most praise. Marsi from ''TVFanatic'' highly praised the episode and gave it five stars, and expressed that it may have been the best episode of the series, adding, "The writing and acting were absolutely stellar, and may lead to many Emmy nominations, but even more impressively, despite a killing spree, it remained distinctly ''Grey's''. Some of the back-and-forths between the characters were truly memorable, and some of the developments so heartbreaking that we don't even know where to begin now. Seriously, the Season 6 finale left us laying awake afterward thinking about everything, a feeling we haven't had from ''Grey's'' in years and rarely achieved by any program." John Kubicek of '' BuddyTV'' also noted that the finale was the best episode, adding, "
t was T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
two of the best hours of television all year. It was certainly the best '' Grey's Anatomy'' has ever been, which is saying a lot since I'd written the show off for the past few years. No show does a big traumatic event like ''Grey's'', and the shooter gave the show license for heightened drama with five major characters being shot over the two hours. It was emotional, expertly paced and had me in tears for most of the finale." '' PopSugar'' called it "most intense episodes of ''Grey's'' I have ever seen" adding, "What a whopper of an episode! Can we talk about how gripping the scene is where Bailey and Percy are hiding from Mr. Clark? Then he turns around and gets Karev right in the chest. Seriously, I haven't been so shocked by a one-two shooting spree since Michael shot Ana Lucia and Libby in rapid succession on
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
. Another review from '' BuddyTV'' called the finale "game-changing!" stating, "The finale that changes everything! You don‘t want to miss it! To her credit ''GA'' creator and writer-of-this-episode Shonda Rhimes pretty much delivered on her promise. I found myself with my heart in my mouth for the entire evening before finally being able to exhale as the credits rolled." The review lauded Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh adding, "'The Twisted Sisters' really were the showcase of the entire finale. Meredith, sidelined for much of the season, took center stage", even calling Oh's Cristina Yang a "rockstar". ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote, "You’re still pondering how ''Grey’s'' can still be so damn good sometimes," further hugely praising the episode, "They did a bang-up job, it felt real in every way, thanks to some stellar performances and writing. And yet it maintained its ''Grey's''-ness thanks to some quieter moments and plenty of witty exchanges to boot." Regarding the Bailey-Mary-Charles sequence the site wrote, "the action felt so real", but added, "But the most intense action was culminating in the OR with Cristina, Meredith and April had a nice moment sitting on the ground together, Meredith stone-faced and April sniffling. Kevin McKidd did some stellar acting as he interacted with them." Talking about Meredith's miscarriage the site added, "She saved Owen, though she did it while having a miscarriage — again, leave it to ''Grey’s'' to make this the least dramatic, most underplayed storyline of the night. (Brilliantly so!)" ''Spoiler Junkie'' wrote highly of the episode Meredith Grey in particular saying, "In the most heart-wrenching moment of the entire two-hour season finale, Meredith bursts into the room, asking Clark to kill her. Eye for an eye, she says. She’s Lexie’s sister. She’s like a daughter to Dr. Weber. She’s the Chief’s wife." and noted that "This was an amazing season finale, one of the best in the six seasons of ''Grey’s Anatomy''. The second hour of the ''Grey’s Anatomy'' Season 6 season finale, "Death and All His Friends", is even more intense than the first." '' HitFix'' also lauded the episode and wrote, "In every sense, these two episodes where Shonda Rhimes, directors Stephen Cragg and Rob Corn, and the entire cast and crew of the show are 'Going For It'. There was no opportunity for suspense, or tears, or anger, or horror, or some good old-fashioned monologuing left unexplored. Huge stakes, huge emotions, great performances from everybody Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh were particularly great, as was Michael O'Neill as shooter Gary Clark. This was about as good as I've ever seen ''Grey's''. Episodes like these are what I point to when anyone asks me why I'm still watching The site also lauded Ellen Pompeo's character stating, "Meredith would suffer a miscarriage in the middle of patching up
Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. 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' produc ...
's bullet wound - and be so hardcore, just as her best friend was next door in risking death to save Meredith's man, that she would just keep working even as blood dripped down her legs. A moment like that works only if everyone involved is 100% committed to the insanity of it, and here everyone was. They all went for it and came up with a riveting two hours of TV. At the completion of the eleventh season '' Wired'' named the episode in its must-watch list adding, "The show reaches its dramatic apex in a multi-episode arc about a deadly spree shooter who visits the hospital with a vendetta. The repercussions of this incident will echo through most of
season 7 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
, and well into the future." The site also called Pompeo's ’Shoot Me. I'm Your Eye for an Eye.' the best scene from the entire series.


References


External links

* {{Grey's Anatomy episodes, 6 Grey's Anatomy (season 6) episodes 2010 American television episodes