I'm Rewatching Classic Grey's Anatomy, And We All Owe Lexie Grey An Apology

Some people don't love medical dramas, but I'm a hardcore fan of Grey's Anatomy. The long-running series is gearing up for its 22nd season on ABC (and streaming with a Hulu subscription). I've been rewatching some classic Grey's, as I'm wont to do, and I've got to say that we all owe Lexie Grey a big apology. Seriously.

Chyler Leigh's Lexie Grey debuted in two quick episodes of Season 3, before becoming a series regular in Season 4. She's a new intern and Meredith's half sister, but Ellen Pompeo's protgonist doesn't exactly welcome her. In fact, pretty much everyone is rude and dismissive to her for YEARS on the show. And when you're binge-watching them, it's honestly maddening, especially when you take in that she had one of Grey's Anatomy's most shocking deaths in the end.

Everyone treats Lexie like trash.

Since Lexie is the sister Meredith never wanted or thought she'd have to meet, it takes a long time before they form a true familial relationship. While this is something I can understand, it's the way that she's constantly dismissed by the rest of the Grey's Anatomy cast. Cristina doesn't even use her name, Karev sleeps with her and forgets about it, and George is somehow blind to her romantic feelings toward him.

When I watched these episodes as they originally aired on TV, the way Lexie was ignored didn't really bother me. But when you binge-watch them and it goes on for entire seasons, it's a bummer. I mean, she has a character death that breaks your heart, and goes out in a particularly brutal way.

Lexie's story ends tragically, and she gets no happy ending.

Lexie has always been one of my favorite Grey's Anatomy characters, and after Meredith and Derek finally got together, she and Mark Sloan became the primary love story that I was rooting for. But they break up when he picks his daughter over her (once again, justice for Lexie), and never really get back together in a serious way.

Things were finally looking up before the infamous Grey's plane crash episode, which saw Lexie die after being crushed by part of the plane. Mark dies shortly thereafter, with the tragic love story ending there. To add insult to injury, Cristina later revealed that animals ate Lexie's body while they were stranded in the woods.

Lexie's death felt cruel, especially as she was on the cusp of getting back together with McSteamy and proving herself as a promising neurosurgeon. Luckily, Lexie returned during Meredith's beach hallucinations, and she was with Mark in the afterlife. This was a much-needed sendoff for a character gone too soon and treated too poorly.

Grey's Anatomy's back catalogue is streaming with a Netflix subscription, and Season 22 will debut on October 9th and will be streaming on Hulu the next day as part of the 2025 TV schedule.