3. Season 3, Episode 15, “Walk On Water”
The interns go into the field to assist with triage at a ferry accident, and must learn to work without a safety net in Grey’s Anatomy season 3, episode 15. The intense time pressure of the situation is scary enough, and the tension is cranked up even further when Izzie must operate on a man while his friends watch her every move. The episode ends on one of the show’s scariest moments overall, as Meredith falls into the water and doesn’t surface. Following on from the episode’s opening monologue in which Meredith talks about disappearances, it’s left unclear whether she has decided to let herself sink or not.
2. Season 2, Episode 16, “It’s The End Of The World”
Meredith wakes up with an eerie premonition that something bad is about to happen to her. By the end of the day, she has her hand on a bomb in a patient’s abdomen. This episode crackles with hair-raising suspense, and it’s even scarier from Dr. Bailey’s perspective. As she waits to give birth, Derek is operating on her husband on the same floor as the live round of ammunition that threatens to destroy the hospital. Putting her hand on the bomb may be one of Meredith Grey’s worst decisions, or it could save everyone. The episode ends abruptly on the spine-chilling cliffhanger.
1. Season 6, Episode 23, “Sanctuary”
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One of the best episodes of Grey’s Anatomy is also its scariest entry in the series. From the moment Gary Clark kills Reed and shoots Alex in the stomach, it’s clear that the hospital is no longer safe for anyone. The scene is extremely effective in inducing fear, as viewers know that while Gary is ultimately aiming for Derek, he’s not afraid to kill anyone who stands in his way either. As Meredith and Cristina rush for cover, they see Gary and Derek in a standoff. Meredith is left powerless as Gary’s vengeful crusade reaches its conclusion, and her husband is gunned down in front of her eyes. Grey’s Anatomy often revolves around extreme tension, but rarely are the stakes so high.
