The Big Picture

Despite being an overwhelming fan-favorite character, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) was one of many Grey's Anatomy characters to fall victim to showrunner Shonda Rhimes' pen. She met her demise in the Season 8 finale after being on the ill-fated plane that was meant to bring the doctors to Boise to assist on a conjoined twin surgery. The crash had an effect on every member involved. It cost Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) her leg, almost destroyed Derek's (Patrick Dempsey) hand and any chance of doing surgery again. But most notably, it cost Lexie and Mark (Eric Dane) their lives. However, that wasn't always meant to be the case, according to Shonda Rhimes. Lexie was going to die, she knew that much, but her original idea for Lexie's death was so much worse. Which is surprising considering how devastating and brutal her death is to begin with, but Shonda's original plan would have caused an even bigger uproar -- even to her.

A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

In the show, Lexie is one of the six doctors from Seattle Grace chosen to assist on the conjoined twin surgery in Boise. Alongside her was her sister Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek, Cristina, Mark, and Arizona -- who herself had taken the spot originally intended for Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). When the plane crashes, Lexie is found pinned beneath a piece of the plane, and though the doctors try and move it and free her, she knows that it's no use, she's dying either way. Mark tries repeatedly to push the plane off of her out of sheer denial, and insists that Cristina go find fluids to try and help stabilize her, but she knows it won't help. Still, she goes, leaving Lexie and Mark alone as he continuously denies that she is dying. Eventually he has no choice but to accept her fate, and simply lies down on the ground and takes her hand. He tells her that he loves her, and that she needs to stay alive because they're going to get married, and have children, and that they're meant to be together. Lexie echoes his statement of "Meant to be," and dies holding Mark's hand and envisioning their life together. It's gut-wrenching to watch, especially when adding Mark's reaction into the mix. But in Shonda's original plans, Lexie wasn't even meant to be on the plane, and she was supposed to die back at the hospital.

In an interview with TV Line, Shonda Rhimes spoke about killing off Lexie Grey. I adored that character and I couldnt imagine the show without her, Shonda gushed. It was important to me that her exit would have maximum impact. The plane was going to crash no matter what. I honestly wasnt sure, because of contract negotiations, who was going to die in that crash." When she learned that Chyler Leigh would be leaving the show, Shonda was tasked with finding a way to write her off. And because this is Grey's Anatomy we're talking about, Lexie couldn't just walk out of the hospital alive and never return. There was too much that she'd be leaving behind. So Shonda decided she would have to kill the character off in order to tie up loose ends. But her original plan didn't involve Lexie being on the plane.

"In my early finale plans, once I knew Chyler was leaving the show, Lexie wasnt originally even on the plane. She was going to die back at the hospital by doing something as simple as slipping and hitting her head. She would have been dying over at Seattle Grace while other people were dying in the woods. Which wasnt my favorite plan. She would have died without Mark at her side. Without the chance to say goodbye to him. Without the chance to hear that he loved her. I wanted them together when she left us.

Lexie dying at the hospital wouldn't have been a big deal, had it not been for the fact that the plane crash would be going on simultaneously. As Shonda pointed out, Lexie would have been dying back in Seattle, and there would have been no way of contacting Meredith or Mark, or anyone, for that matter. She would have died without saying goodbye to her sister, without getting to see Mark one last time. Granted, Lexie dying because she fell and hit her head isn't exactly far-fetched. Since we first met her, we've known and loved Lexie for how adorably clumsy she is, so it wouldn't have been a completely out-of-character way for her to die, but it certainly wouldn't have done her character any justice. Chances are her death would have felt more like a joke among audiences. Especially in comparison to the other deaths we had previously seen for main characters, like bus crashes, shootings, etc... So, as devastating as the plane crash was, it gave fans a better chance at getting closure for the beloved character.

Going into Season 9, Shonda Rhimes was tasked with writing out Eric Dane's character, Mark Sloan as well, as he was departing the series. Shonda tossed around many ideas, but nothing felt right for the character. I had many options for ways Mark could leave the show. But any option that didnt include him dying required him to a) grieve for Lexie indefinitely and b) willingly walk away from his daughter." Rhimes explained. "We fought about this incessantly in the Writers Room. I didnt want Mark to die but, as the writers rightfully argued back, Mark couldnt abandon Sofia (Eva Ariel Binder) and he certainly couldnt abandon Callie (Sara Ramirez) once Arizonas leg was amputated. She also revealed she toyed around with the idea of sending Mark to Los Angeles to be with Addison (Kate Walsh).

I loved that idea, but it still required Mark to abandon his child. She explained. "Also, that would somehow suggest that everything he said to Lexie when she was dying was easily forgotten. So I fought it and I debated it and tossed and turned about it but in the end, I had to do what was right for the integrity of the character. Mark would never willingly abandon Sofia and he would never willingly abandon Callie. So Mark dies. And he and Lexie get to be together in a way. Their love remains true.

Obviously, there was never going to be an easy way to say goodbye to Lexie or Mark, and we'll never truly be over either of their deaths, but Shonda Rhimes' reasoning for both makes sense and shows respect for not only the characters, but the fans as well. It isn't great closure, we'd certainly love to have seen them survive and live a happy life together, but at least they get to be together for eternity -- and that's pretty darn romantic.

Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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Lexie Grey Originally Had a Way Worse Death on 'Grey's Anatomy' - Collider