There is no escape for anyone who chooses to enter Grey's Anatomy's dark and long rabbit hole.

Now as they enter their 20th season of the show, let’s take a look at what is keeping fans engaged, and what is making this show so addicting. Is it their characters, line delivery, casting, or storylines? What makes us fall so in love with the show?

Real World Issues

This show incorporates real-world issues and controversies into every episode. It’s not only a medical drama. Grey's Anatomy addresses various social issues like racism, gun violence, police brutality, and many other controversial topics. One thing that is clear is that they aren't afraid to step into the unknown.

The dangers of gun violence for example and the different stances and beliefs that people have can be extremely controversial but that didn't stop Grey's Anatomy from keeping us up to date with gun violence in our society.

An example of their expertly crafted controversial material is that Grey's Anatomy has been showcasing LGBTQ+ relationships long before gay marriage was even legal in the United States. In the show, they make it very clear that the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is a safe place for those who identify as LGBTQ+. This level of awareness and inclusivity helped others feel heard and they are able to find themselves in the shows.

Lastly, I'm sure you've heard of COVID-19, and I'm sure you have suffered through it. Well, Grey's Anatomy turned season 17 into a remake of the reality we faced. The reality of what hospital life was like and what families experienced. They showcased an honest portrayal of COVID and what it was doing to the healthcare field.

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Strong Female Leads

The strength in female leads has definitely fed into our nationwide addiction to this show. It is important to have strong female actresses when you are trying to address a certain population of fans; because of this show so many young women have been inspired to pursue medicine, to be confident in their own skin, and to work hard for what they want.

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Characters like Cristina helped us to understand that you can handle the most stressful kinds of situations and you can constantly work your butt off, and not have it all together. Cristina is a VERY confident, and a VERY talented surgeon but throughout her time on the show, her character has difficulties expressing stronger human emotions like grief and shock. These slight contradictions to her overall character help fans view her as a more complex character with emotions that they can relate to on a personal level.

Meredith Grey is another example of this, she has witnessed so much in her life and yet she is still strong. She survived a plane crash, witnessed her husband getting shot, she kept a bomb from exploding she dealt with loss after loss. From miscarriages to her mother, sister, father and her husband.

She inspires us to be brave and to keep pushing even when it gets tough. She encourages us to become one with our emotions.

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Stakes are High = Suspense

Over the more recent years, the show has been criticized for how it potrays medical cases. Some critics believe that the show is unrealistic, and that may be true to some extent. Although, it's the unrealisticness that contributes to our intrigue.

The fact that the show is so unpredictable in the ways that they solve medical cases and how they handle life situations keeps you guessing. Which keeps you watching.

In the season 2 episode, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” George uses leeches to restore the blood flow in a patient with a slow capillary flow. You and I would have never thought that was remotely possible, and maybe it isn't in real life but in the show it had immense medical benefits. The method is quite unusual (and nasty) but this intricate example shows that season 2 specifically focuses on high-stakes. They have realized that we like drama, whether it’s realistic or completely made up.

Life Without Grey's Anatomy?

This show isn't just something that you binge-watch on a cold rainy day-it's a way of life. As humans, we are extremely complicated and this show highlights all of these complex traits and experiences and gives us a show we will never forget. A show we can learn and grow from. With this show, you can pretend that you are the surgeon making the expert stitches of life.

Some Iconic Quotes

"The human life is made up of choices. Yes or no. In or out.

Up or down. And then there are the choices that matter. Love or hate. To be a hero or to be a coward. To fight not to give in. To live or die. Live or die. That's the important choice. And it's not always in our hands." -Derek Shepherd, Season 6 Episode 24.

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"We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it out will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes.

But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself. The future is never the way we imagined it." -Meredith Grey, Season 5 Episode 23.

"You can build a house out of anything. Make it as strong as you want. But a home, a home is more fragile than that.

A home is made of the people you fill it with. And people can be broken, sure, but any surgeon knows, what's broken can be mended. What's hurt can be healed. That no matter how dark it gets the sun's going to rise again." -Meredith Grey, Season 11 Episode 24.

"Knowing is better than wondering. Waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the [censored] out of never trying." -Meredith Grey, Season 1 Episode 6.