Grey’s Anatomy: 10 Great Examples Of Foreshadowing That Paid Off
From hints to the hospital shooting to the fateful plane crash, Grey’s Anatomy has thrown out foreshadowing moments in abundance in creative ways.
A show that has lasted as long as Grey’s Anatomy has will always contain plot points realized years after they are set up. Meredith Grey and the other medical professionals at Grey-Sloan Memorial have faced everything from love, loss, and tragedy. Interestingly, foreshadowing moments have come in throwaway dialogue that should make fans appreciate the storytelling on hand.
As it is, big-time situations like the plane crash, the hospital shooting, and the fate of romantic pairings were all been forewarned. It’s worth looking back at the times where the future was alluded to and the way they paid off as it gives the series great replay value.
George Being Unsure If He Will Survive In The Hospital
Before all the drama, tragedy, and misunderstandings that happen in Grey’s Anatomy, the first episode featured George and Meredith having a conversation about their past and future. George revealed that his parents thought he could be a superhero by being a doctor but also wondered if he was going to survive the process.
This was ultimately a foreshadowing of his eventual fate, with George becoming a hero after he gave his life to protect a bystander from being run over by a bus. George’s curiosity over his survival was also a set up to the fact that he wasn’t going to live to see himself complete his medical career, as he died in his first year of residency.
Meredith’s Dream Of Derek’s Death
The arc of moving on from Derek’s demise remains one of Meredith’s best storylines in Grey’s Anatomy and this was a payoff years after it was foreshadowed. Meredith had dreams of Derek dying in the Season 5 premiere, which had her witness his death on an operating table and unable to do anything.
Derek’s death in Season 11 mirrored this moment when Meredith arrived too late for Derek to be saved and had to pull the plug on him. Meredith’s dreams had come about as a result of her feeling that something bad would happen when she was truly happy and her relationship with Derek was just about to be mended when he was killed.
Lexie Wanting Her Hair Stroked When She’s In Pain
Lexie and Mark were one of the stormiest relationships in Grey’s Anatomy with frequent break-ups and reconciliations. Their final moment was foreshadowed in Season 5 where Lexie revealed how she wanted to be comforted when in pain.
Lexie stroked the hair of a hospitalized Mark and told him she wanted the same to be done to her when she was unwell. Mark did indeed follow through with this in the Season 8 finale, where he stroked Lexie’s hair in her final moments to comfort her before she passed away in the plane crash’s wreckage.
Cristina’s Speculation About A Plane Crash Involving Meredith & Derek
The eighth season finale featured the infamous plane crash that involved Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Lexie, Mark, and Arizona, and it’s interesting that this was alluded to two years prior. In the seventh season premiere, Cristina very specifically mentioned a plane crash.
It happened after she was named godmother to Derek and Meredith’s daughter, following which she speculated a scenario where the couple possibly died in a plane crash. The scene foreshadowed the likelihood of both Derek and Meredith being in peril at the same time and the eighth season finale is when it came to pass.
Arizona’s Fear Of Flying
Arizona had her own foreshadowing for the fateful plane crash years prior, which took place on a different plane. In the twelfth episode of the fifth season, Arizona and Alex were on a plane when she admitted she hated flying and felt she was closer to death on a plane than in an OR.
Arizona’s fears were ultimately realized when she found herself near death in the eighth season finale plane crash. Arizona’s life hung in the balance as she would have died if her leg wasn’t amputated in the OR, meaning her comment years back was setting up for her future tragedy.
Chief Webber’s Knowledge Of Meredith’s Mother
Chief Richard Webber acknowledged who Meredith was in their first scene together, claiming she looked just like her mother and alluding to a past association. Richard and Ellis turned out to be a couple most fans didn’t see coming in Grey’s Anatomy, which answered the question of why Richard knew of Meredith.
Richard was also reluctant to talk about Ellis and only spoke to Meredith in passing if to avoid her, which was a foreshadowing toward his shame of ruining Meredith’s life as a child due to his affair with Ellis.
Chief Webber’s Speech Of The Interns Cracking Under Pressure
The opening of Grey’s Anatomy saw Chief Webber give a speech to the interns of the trials that awaited them. His entire monologue was a foreshadowing for what was to come in the series, with Richard promising the characters would hate and love their time at the hospital.
Moreover, Richard said that five of the interns would crack under pressure and everyone from Alex, Meredith, Cristina, George, and Izzie did end up this way over the years. A foreboding promise of Richard was that two interns would leave – George decided to quit to join the army and Izzie was eventually fired.
Derek Foreshadowed His Own Shooting
The Season 2 episode “17 Seconds” had a patient arrive at the hospital after he was shot in the restaurant where he worked. Derek was astonished at the idea of a person going into work one day to get shot at and wondered what a scenario such as that would be like.
He was on the receiving end in the Season 6 finale when an embittered former patient arrived to take revenge on Derek for being unable to save his wife’s life. Here, Derek arrived at work not knowing he would be near death by the end of the day when he felt a bullet pierce his body.
George’s Nickname Foreshadowed His Inability To Save Himself
George landed with the nickname of “007” in his first experience during surgery when he almost killed a patient he was operating on. His inability to save a life got him the 007 moniker and it was all a way to foreshadow his eventual demise.
George was the John Doe in the fifth season finale who was run over by a bus, with George tracing the numbers of Meredith’s palm to tell her his identity. It was at this moment when George also began flatlining as the reappearance of the 007 tag also signaled the fact that George couldn’t save himself from death.
Izzie’s Dream Of Meeting Death At An Elevator
Izzie started seeing visions of herself meeting Denny at an elevator early in Season 5, which she eventually came to realize was a representation of death to her. In the finale, Izzie lost consciousness and once again saw herself in the elevator.
The payoff to the elevator angle arrived in the season’s final moments when Izzie saw George on the other side of the elevator doors. It depicted Izzie’s choice between staying alive or joining George in the afterlife, with the meaning behind the elevator finally coming to pass.