Pilot Inspector: Dissecting Grey's Anatomy, 10 Years Later

On March 27, 2005, Grey's Anatomy premiered and everything changed. OK, maybe not everything. But Shonda Rhimes gave us a whole new language, one of TV's best couples (Meredith and Cristina, not MerDer) and revolutionized Post-Its as the ultimate symbol of romance.

But when the pilot aired 10 years ago, was it possible to predict these lasting effects the interns of Seattle Grace Hospital would have on us? Joyce Eng, Sadie Gennis and Liz Raftery decided to find out.

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"A Hard Day's Night" synopsis: On her first day of work, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is horrified to discover her drunken hookup from the previous night, Derek (Patrick Dempsey), is her new boss at the hospital. She joins fellow interns George (T.R. Knight), Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) under the guidance of the terrifying resident Bailey (Chandra Wilson), aka The Nazi. The group struggles throughout their first day as surgeons, but none more than George, who earns the nickname 007 after his first patient is pronounced dead. And despite Meredith's best efforts to avoid Derek, after she and Cristina help him solve a medical mystery, Meredith winds up bonding with him over brain surgery. Maybe her talent for the "game" is genetic. Meredith's mother is famed surgeon Ellis Grey (Kate Burton). But as the final moments of the pilot reveal, Ellis is now battling Alzheimer's disease. *Cue Dido*

Liz: It usually takes me a few episodes to get really into a show, but I remember one of the things that struck me about Grey's was that I was pretty much hooked right away. Joyce: As you know, I'm an ER disciple and while I have seen some Grey's episodes, I had never seen the pilot until now. It's a pretty solid pilot and some of the characters are sketched very vividly. I totally get why and how people got hooked; it was just never my thing. But I appreciate that it knows what it is from the get-go: a soap through and through, right from the opening frame -- a post-coital hangover. It's just set against a medical backdrop. Sadie: I have a hard time now explaining why I love Grey's so much -- because it's basically a bunch of terrible people who occasionally save lives after freak disasters -- but the pilot reminded me why I started watching in the first place: They weren't always annoying! Karev (Justin Chambers) and Burke (Isaiah Washington) aside, everyone used to be so great. I don't think we've seen Meredith so happy and nice (especially towards her mother) ever since. And Derek is like a whole other person! He was flirty, charming, playful -- basically the complete opposite of the grade-A grumpus he's become. No wonder Meredith was once so willing to sacrifice so much for him. He really was McDreamy back in the day. And seeing how much he's changed over the past decade makes me kind depressed. Like, is no 'ship sacred anymore?

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Liz: They are all much less annoying. Maybe it's because they're young and we expect them to screw up. And Ellen Pompeo is so cute in the scene where she's saying goodbye to Derek. I forgot what pre-dark-and-twisty Meredith was like. Derek was so flirty and confident! Not to mention scrawny. It's like watching a different person. I love the scene where Meredith tells him about the high she felt after they perform their first surgery together. Look at those sparks fly!

Joyce: Well, if we're gonna talk about scrawny, hello, Meredith's arms! I know you're on a 48-hour shift (which, by the way, is now illegal. #themoreyouknow), but eat a sandwich. MerDer's insta-chemistry is disarming, and it really is sad to see how dour they've become just for melodrama's sake. What struck me the most about them was how Shonda subverted them. Meredith was the one who was kicking him out naked and forgetting his name. He was the one -- the professional superior -- who still wanted to pursue this frowned-upon affair (literally as we'd later learn). Sure, he's a cad for doing so, but his lax attitude (perhaps too casual) is a good contrast to assh--- Burke.

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Pilot Inspector: Dissecting Grey's Anatomy, 10 Years Later