These 2 Details Made Mark & Lexie’s Grey’s Anatomy Deaths Even More Tragic

The deaths of Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey in Grey’s Anatomy were already heartwrenching, but this subtle detail makes their tragic fates even worse.

It isn’t uncommon for Grey’s Anatomy to brutally kill off some of its most beloved characters, and in the show’s history of tragic character deaths, Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey are some of the most painful, however this one minor detail from earlier in the series makes their demises so much worse. Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey were one beloved couple of many in the earlier seasons of Shona Rhimes’ medical drama hit Grey’s Anatomy. The series mainly follows Meredith Grey and her peers as they ascend from surgical interns to hospital directors, but not without some serious drama and danger getting in their way first.

Mark and Lexie were both introduced as series regulars during Grey’s Anatomy season 3. Mark began working at Seattle Grace Hospital as the head of plastic surgery, while Lexie became a surgical intern with special significance due to her being Meredith’s half-sister. For about two seasons, the pair were seemingly unconnected, however, in Grey’s Anatomy season 5, a spark grows between them, and Mark and Lexie’s Grey’s Anatomy relationship begins in secret, seeing various ups and downs for the next two seasons. Ultimately, Mark and Lexie face a tragic end in season 8 when they are involved in a plane crash and both end up dying of their injuries.

Mark & Lexie’s Deaths Were Subtly Foreshadowed In Season 5

If Mark and Lexie’s Grey’s Anatomy deaths aren’t painful enough, this subtle moment from season 5 makes it so much worse. In Grey’s Anatomy season 5, episode 17, entitled “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” Lexie tells Mark that their “survival rate was about 3%.” In the context of the episode, this line is obviously meant to be about their relationship which, at the time, had many obstacles in its way. Their age gap and their coworkers’ disapproval, especially Meredith’s, made their romance seem incredibly unlikely in the long term.

However, in the context of Grey’s Anatomy as a whole, this line can also be seen as a cruel piece of foreshadowing about Lexie and Mark’s tragic ends. While this connection may seem like a stretch, the wording is what makes this moment particularly moving. Lexie uses the words “survival rate,” which are notable because of their link to diseases and accidents. The term “survival rate” is not often used to describe relationships, but is absolutely common for events like plane crashes. Overall, this is a detail that feels awfully close to the characters’ final moments.

Mark Stroking Lexie’s Hair When She Was Dying Is A Call Back To Season 5

Unfortunately, the sad connections to Grey’s Anatomy season 5 don’t stop there. In episode 13 of the season, Mark falls sick and Lexie comforts him. She begins stroking his hair and tells him that she’s doing it because she likes her hair to be stroked when she isn’t feeling well. Tragically, this moment comes back at the time of Lexie’s death in season 8. As she dies, Mark strokes her hair, making her feel comforted before she passes on. Yet again, small moments at the beginning of Mark and Lexie’s relationship return at the end of their Grey’s Anatomy romance as well.