| "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends" | |
|---|---|
| Grey's Anatomy episodes | |
| Episode nos. | Season 6 Episodes 23 & 24 |
| Directed by | Stephen Cragg ("Sanctuary") Rob Corn ("Death and All His Friends") |
| Written by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Original air date | May 20, 2010 |
| Running time | Part 1: 41 min Part 2: 43 min Part 2 (extended DVD version): 62 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
The sixth season finale of Grey's Anatomy consisted of two parts, "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends". Both parts, encompassing the twenty-third and twenty-fourth episodes of the season, were written by Shonda Rhimes and originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 20, 2010. The first hour gained 13 million viewers and the second hour had an audience of 16.13 million viewers. The two-parter was praised by television critics for its writing, and the performances of the cast. It went on to be hailed as one of the best episodes of the series.
The two-part finale centers on a shooting spree at the hospital by a former patient's grieving widower Gary Clark (Michael O'Neill). The finale marked the last appearances for Nora Zehetner (who exited in the first half) and Robert Baker (who exited in the second hour) as Reed Adamson and Charles Percy, respectively; both the characters were killed in the shooting. Baker later reprised his role in Season 8 in "If/Then" and later in Season 12 in "Unbreak My Heart".
In the episode, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) try to save the life of Chief Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) who was shot by Gary Clark in front of Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) as she waits outside the OR with April Kepner (Sarah Drew). Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) tries to save Charles along with her patient Mary Portman (Mandy Moore), while Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) tries to get into the hospital. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) are stuck on a floor with all the younger patients of the hospital, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) try to save the life of Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) who was shot as well and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) try to get their patient to safety.