Happy Thursday and almost spring break everyone, welcome to another biweekly passion blog! If you remember, I covered the death of Lexie Grey a couple weeks ago, and during that blog also mentioned another character who unfortunately fell victims to the same plane accident. Very near and dear to not just my own heart, but those of pretty much any Greys Anatomy fan, this weeks topic person is none other than Mark Sloan, long time childhood best friend of Derek Shepherd (Meredith Grey’s husband), and renowned plastic surgeon.
Sloan first appears in season 2 episode 18, just as a guest character visiting the hospital to see Derek, who greeted him with a swift punch in the face (we later find out Mark slept with Dereks wife, causing Derek to leave New York for Seattle…lots of drama!!). After this dramatic whirlwind of an episode, Mark departed for a short period of time before officially returning to the show as a series regular is season 3 episode 3, as he began working at what was then know as Seattle Grace Hospital.
Right off the bat, Mark is nicknamed “McSteamy” byMeredith and her friends, and certainly lives up to the rather raunchy nickname, as some of his past actions are revealed and viewers watch his waste no time setting his sights on new women at Seattle Grace. However, this “charm” doesn’t go appreciated by all, as many of the nurses banded together to start a “Nurses United Against Mark Sloan” club, prompting him to change his bachelor ways.
This change came at the perfect time, as he stumbled into a casual relationship with the young Lexie Grey. Much to Marks dismay however, little Grey put a quick stop to this fling, telling Mark that until he would publicly admit to being her partner, she wouldn’t be with him. This caused a couple issues, as Derek, who took over big brother role, told Mark from the get go that Lexi was off limits, but eventually, after a bit of animosity between the best friends, Grey and Sloan came out as a couple and all was well, for a little bit at least.
For many reasons, Mark and Lexie’s relationship was rocky/off and on, and eventually Mark ended up having a child with one of his best friends (who had a girlfriend when she found out about the pregnancy). For this reason among other things, Lexie and Mark were not technically together at the time of the plane crash. After trying and failing to save her while she was trapped under the plane, Mark holds dying Lexie by the hand, telling her that he has always and will always love her. He and the remaining surviving crash victims are left stranded in the woods, where his fellow surgeons performed an emergency chest surgery on him as he lost color and began to fade.
In the ninth-season premiere, it is revealed that Mark is on life support due to the 
extensive injuries he sustained in the plane crash and, as determined by his will, the machines would be turned off if he showed no signs of waking within 30 days. The episode alternates flashbacks to his life, where he revealed at one point that Lexie Grey would be who he grew old with. After he eventually did not wake up and was taken off of life support, it is revealed that Mark actually had a surge of good health upon his arrival back to Seattle Grace, during which he advised his protégé Jackson, ‘when you love someone, tell them’, and also officially broke things off with the woman he had been dating, both indications of just how much he truly loved Lexie.
In the end, Mark got what he wanted, and was able to spend the rest of time with the woman he loved, just not on earth like he had planned. This death hit hard for so many, as Sloan was the comedic relief so often needed, and his relationship with Lexie was more than wholesome, especially after his long history of sleeping around. He made a reappearance in season 17 as a character in Merediths dream, but it’s safe to say he didn’t get near enough screen time, and I often forget how little time he truly spent on the show, as his impact was beyond big.
Image Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Sloan_%28Grey%27s_Anatomy%29
I mean wow! Can you say drama?! I loved this post and the conversational yet suspenseful tone you used in it. I think you did an excellent job describing his heartthrob role in the series and really engaging the reader. One thing to be careful of is the few spelling/grammar mistakes I saw. It happens though. I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed you discussion of death which is strange but true. Great job and I wait I anticipation for your next blog!
I used to be a huge Grey’s Anatomy fan when I was younger and you do an absolutely great job of describing the show. The drama-filled series can be somewhat confusing to understand if you have not watched it, but you put it very clearly. Mark Sloan’s death was very impactful on the entire series, and I can see this reflected in your blog post. I also really like your ending statement, that although he did not spend a huge portion of time on the show, his impact was incredible. This is very true, and you analyzed this well. Overall, this was another great post and I am really looking forward to see who you will be covering in your next post!