Grey's Anatomy

The midseason finale of Grey's Anatomy, "Dark Was the Night," was pretty good, right? Like, better than Grey's has been all season? So it got us thinking about our other favorite episodes, and we've finally narrowed down the selection to the five best installments of Grey's... in our humble opinion, of course.

1. Season 6, Episodes 23/24: "Sanctuary/Death and All His Friends"
From the moment Gary Clark shot and killed Reed point-blank and startled us half to death, we knew we were in for a tense ride. But we didn't know that this two-part finale would make for legendary television. Remember all the amazing moments? April (Sarah Drew) discovering Reed's body, Gary shooting Derek (Patrick Dempsey) as Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) watched, Meredith bargaining for Derek's life, Cristina pleading for Meredith's, Owen (Kevin McKidd) acting heroically calm in the face of peril, Bailey (Chanda Wilson) screaming over inoperable elevators and then comforting Charles as he died, Lexie (Chyler Leigh) saving Alex's (Justin Chambers) life as he called out for Izzie, and Richard (James Pickens Jr.) convincing Gary to shoot himself. This is what happens when powerhouse writing meets flawless direction and bravura acting.

2. Season 2, Episode 27: "Losing My Religion"
Okay, we love Katherine Heigl as much as the next entertainment fansite, and we're glad she's making it big in those fancy moving pictures. But for our money, she was never a better actress than she was on television, namely this episode. And boy does this installment bring on the waterworks. After all sorts of legit and illegit means of keeping her patient-turned-fiance Denny alive, he dies of a blood clot as she gussies up to take him to the hospital's prom. We can never listen to Snow Patrol the same way again!

3. Season 2, Episode 16: "It's the End of the World/As We Know It"
You know that whole storytelling adage that says if a gun is introduced, it has to go off? Grey's almost defied that rule, but lo and behold, the ammunition from the patient's chest exploded after Mer and the bomb guys pulled it out and the guys were carting it away. Even if it hadn't, though. this Super Bowl episode would have been stellar for many reasons. Meredith saved the lives of the paramedic, Burke, and Cristina; Cristina told Burke she loves him; Alex and Izzie had end-of-the-world sex; Bailey went into labor as her husband Tucker got into a car wreck; Derek saved Tucker; and George helped deliver Bailey's baby and even glanced her vajayjay.

4. Season 5, Episode 24: "Now or Never"
There are few Grey's moments more goosebump-inducing than when a John Doe patient — who was hit by a bus while saving another pedestrian — draws the numbers 0-0-7 on Meredith's palm, making her realize that he's George O'Malley. Simultaneously, Izzie flatlines and even has a vision of George as they both seem to decide between life and death. Such a somber end to an episode that was so light and sweet when Mer and Der got hitched through a Post-it!

5. Season 4, Episode 16/17: "Freedom"
Though it made the season short, maybe the 2008 writer's strike gave Shonda & Co. time to think of a great season finale — and it's all about the last ten minutes. Richard tells Meredith that he's the villain in her story but he's not a bad guy, and he tells Adele he's coming home; Mark (Eric Dane) persuades Callie (Sara Ramirez) to ask Erica out; Lexie realizes she has feelings for George; Alex kisses Izzie; and, to cap it off, Meredith proves to Derek that she loves him with a floor plan in candles. Kisses abound!

Disclaimer: this may go down in the Wetpaint record books as our most decisive post, and we know a lotta y'all are going to have different opinions. By all means, state them in the comments and let us know which episodes you thought were even better than these!

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