SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read this until you’ve seen the second part of the final episode.
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy are used to seeing blood as McDreamy and his fellow surgeons try to save lives but this finale was something else. There was little warning of the mayhem to come before the first of the season’s two-part ending.
A crazed gunman determined to kill Derek and The Chief to avenge the death of his wife at the hospital.
Reed shot through the head, Alex seriously wounded, Bailey hiding with wounded Charles Percy, Owen and Teddy defying danger to save a patient and Derek bleeding from a chest wound as a hysterical (and pregnant) Meredith screams over him and weeping Cristina watches helplessly.
And that was only part one!
But as dramatic as part 2 was series six didn’t end with a cliffhanger. You won’t have to wait months to find out if Derek survives. Alex is going to make it too and Meredith will have to try again to become a mom. And The Chief, after bartering with his life will probably take over the reins of his beloved hospital again.
The violent two-parter drew more than 15 million viewers in America and it’s already being punted to win awards.
Shonda Rhimes, the brains behind Grey’s, says the show drained even her – and she was nervous about the episode.
‘‘It wasn’t territory we’d ever covered before and I didn’t know how the audience was going to take it,’’ she says. ‘‘But we got good responses from viewers and I feel it was an emotional ride for everybody, fans, the crew, the stars – everyone.’’
The show, which had dropped in ratings from a season 2 high of 19,5 million viewers per episode to less than 14 million, needed a shot in the arm, she says.
Season seven is due to start in America in September and will be in SA next year. Looking ahead, Shonda says there’s hope for Mark and Lexie, Meredith’s baby storyline continues and Teddy doesn’t necessarily disappear now that Owen has chosen Cristina.