Grey's Anatomy: 10 Great Relationships With The Worst Endings
For 18 seasons (and counting), Grey's Anatomy has been supplying the drama with countless romances. Some were always doomed to fail from the start (Callie and George) whereas some have become fan-favorites in less than a season (such as Meredith and Nick).
The medical drama has produced some incredibly emotional and moving relationships throughout the years and fans were absolutely devastated when they came to an end. While some couples broke up, others moved on to new relationships. However, some have had an ultimately more tragic ending in store for them.
During season 17, the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital had to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic. For most of the season, Amelia and Link isolated together at Meredith Grey's house with her children and their newborn baby.
They were the couple who provided relief from the stark reality of the pandemic. They opened up to each other and were a lovely little family. However, after lockdown lifted, Amelia realised that she and Link were not compatible and ended up sadly rejecting Link's marriage proposal. It was a scene that did break the hearts of many fans initially, but as the season has progressed, fans have enjoyed the fact that the show has now given them more potential to explore other pairings and storylines.
In season 15, Teddy Altman returned to Grey Sloan once again and soon started a relationship with the underrated Grey's character that is Tom Koracick, while carrying Owen Hunt's baby. To say that their relationship was a complicated one would be a massive understatement.
However, Tom and Teddy were surprisingly adorable, with fans able to see a whole new side of Koracick. Unfortunately, when Alison was born, Teddy chose Owen, causing Tom to regress into an extremely unlikeable and petulant man-child. It was something that fans were sad to see happen since he had come so far since his initial introduction to the show.
As the first male LGBTQ+ couple that was between two of the main characters, fans were eager to see how this new relationship would pan out in season 15. Happily, Nico and Levi shared some serious chemistry and their flirtatious looks at each other across the O.R. were simply adorable.
However, recently the couple have been going through some tough times. In season 18, Levi accidentally killed a patient while operating, causing him to have a breakdown, quit the medical program, and dump Nico. If this break-up is permanent, this will be absolutely devastating for viewers.
Alex Karev and Izzie Stevens had a rocky start. Firstly, Alex was despicable in the first season, so it took a while for Izzie to fall for him. However, when they finally got together, they were extraordinarily cute. They overcame so many obstacles just to be together, including new relationships, terminal illnesses, and miscommunications.
However, by the time season 6 came around, all was not well. Izzie got fired from the hospital and blamed Alex. This lead to her ghosting her husband and filing for divorce. Alex had no idea what he had done to deserve this. It was a really poor ending for a once fan-favorite couple.
It took a long time for Alex to finally get over Izzie, and when he met Jo Wilson in season 9, they didn't get off to a great start. However, they became official in season 10 and, barring a slight assault on Andrew DeLuca, they were happy together for almost six seasons.
During Meredith's trial, though, Alex reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie, and proceeded to go and live with her and their two children - without telling anyone (including his then-current wife, Jo). This was despicable and many Grey's Anatomy fans believe Alex Karev deserved better than what he was given.
These two started off their relationship in a very unconventional way. They got married immediately (since Henry needed Teddy's medical insurance) and then formed a slow-burning romance. It was actually one of the sweetest relationships on the show.
Sadly, fans knew that this romance wouldn't end on a positive note since Henry had been a patient when he was introduced with a very rare genetic condition. Sure enough, it did come back to haunt the couple as Henry was rushed into the O.R. and sadly died. It was horrible seeing Teddy in so much pain, especially since she had just begun to find happiness and was enjoying every moment in their relationship.
DeLuca was an important man in Meredith's life as he was the first man she said 'I love you' to after Derek died. Fans enjoyed their relationship, even though it was quite out of the blue. However, Meredith and DeLuca seemed happy with each other, until midway through season 16.
Although this was before DeLuca discovered he was living with bipolar, Meredith and DeLuca were seen to be fighting a few times over his behavior (which led to DeLuca breaking up with the general surgeon). It looked as if there was still hope for the couple after Meredith helped to look after him while he was getting treatment in season 17. However, only 6 episodes after that, DeLuca was sadly murdered. It was a storyline that devastated all fans since DeLuca had been a fan favorite character and had the potential to become one of the best neurosurgeons Grey's Anatomy had ever had.
Richard hurt Adele quite a lot in the early years of their marriage by having an affair with Ellis Grey. However, she forgave him and aside from a couple of years spent living apart, their relationship flourished. Richard became very supportive of Adele, and knew he had to sacrifice some things for her.
However, in an absolutely devastating twist in season 7, Meredith diagnosed Adele with early on-set Alzheimer's. It got progressively worse and Richard even had to watch his wife fall in love with another man. Tragically, Adele died in surgery in season 9 during Ben Warren and Miranda Bailey's wedding. It was a storyline that devastated fans since Adele had been one of the kindest and most selfless people on the show. She just wanted the best for everyone and hated seeing anyone unhappy. Fans wished they got to see more of the couple before she sadly died.
Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey were two of Grey's Anatomy's best characters. After simply hooking up and starting a friends-with-benefits type situation, Lexie and Mark began to develop real feelings for each other. They only lasted two seasons, but they had a massive impact on the show.
Many fans wanted them to get back together and the characters themselves never truly seemed to get over one another. Unfortunately, just as Lexie professed her love to Mark in season 8, they were both involved in a place crash and succumbed to their injuries after confessing their feelings one last time. It was one of the most frustrating and devastating things to happen on the show (and fans still aren't over it to this day).
This relationship was utterly iconic and was the centerpiece of Grey's Anatomy for 11 years. While they were by no means perfect, Meredith and Derek proved time after time that they were perfect for each other.
In season 11, they were going through one of the worst fights of their relationship, even living separately for a while. However, they eventually reconciled but just as they were about to get their happy ever after, Derek got caught in a car accident and sadly died. Not only was it one of the most shocking death scenes on the show but fans were utterly heartbroken that this great love story had come to an end.